The Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadeq Hosseini Shirazi delivered an insightful lecture in the 3rd night of the holy month of Ramadan, 1441 After Migration, and it was broadcasted live via Marjaeyat Satellite TV Network, as well as other Shia TV channels. The following is translated transcript of the lecture:
In the Name of God, The Compassionate, The Merciful.
Praise be to God, The Lord of the Worlds, and blessings of God be upon our Master Muhammad and his Infallible progeny.
The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, throughout his twenty-three-year prophethood mission - thirteen years in Mecca and ten years in Medina - with all the power and authority he possessed, and despite defeating the polytheists in numerous wars, never forced anyone to accept Islam. Even after the conquest of Mecca, no one was harmed or forced to accept Islam, not even those polytheists, Jews, and Christians who had insulted and mocked him.
The reason for this is a fundamental principle in Islam, succinctly expressed in the verse, "There is no compulsion in religion." This religious principle is unparalleled in human history. It is unique because none of the prophets forced people to believe in God; even Solomon, peace be upon him, who had a kingdom and people were obliged to obey his commands, did not use force or coercion to invite people to God.
Despite this principle, at first glance, it may seem that only a few people accepted Islam willingly and out of knowledge, while others, especially opponents and people of other religions, never embraced Islam. However, the reality was different. Many people of Medina and, in general, the inhabitants of Mecca, upon witnessing the noble character of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his avoidance of coercion in accepting Islam, embraced the religion of Islam. On the other hand, the reputation of Islam was spreading day by day, and many of their friends and relatives had accepted Islam. All of this, along with the spiritual attraction of the religion of Islam, caused even the people of Mecca and those who insisted on denying and rejecting Islam to eventually abandon their positions and accept Islam willingly, not by force. Some people had sought refuge with the polytheists of Mecca out of greed and due to their power and wealth, and had spent several years in disbelief. When they saw the growing power and authority of Islam, they abandoned their disbelief and embraced the religion of Islam. The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not reproach them for having apostatized and turned away from Islam for a time.
The Reason for Freedom in Accepting Religion
In this age, many countries that claim to be free have little real freedom if we examine their actions and behavior. The complete and true form of freedom can be seen in the behavior of the Noble Messenger of God, peace be upon him, who, despite all the hardships he endured in propagating his message, and the continuous wars he experienced, especially in the last ten years of his life, and finally attaining power and authority after enduring much harm and affliction, never imposed Islam on anyone. Among Muslims, there were also those who apostatized and turned their backs on the Prophet and his religion. The Prophet, peace be upon him, knowing that Islam is the path to the happiness of this world and the hereafter and leads people to paradise, did not force anyone to accept Islam. This is the will and decree of God, the Exalted: "So whoever wills, let him believe; and whoever wills, let him disbelieve."
The will of God is that the acceptance of religion be conscious and with open eyes, so that on the Day of Judgment, no one will have an excuse before God. God says in the Noble Qur'an: "That there may be no argument for mankind against Allah."
Freedom of Belief in the Conduct of the Prophet
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, migrated to Medina, some of the people of Medina became Muslims, and they were called the Ansar. They supported the Prophet, peace be upon him, and God mentions them by this name in the Qur'an. Those who had previously become Muslims in Mecca and migrated with the Prophet to Medina were called the Muhajirin, which is also the name used for them in the Noble Qur'an. Some of the people of Medina also became Muslims later, even in the second and third years of the Hijrah.
Among these was a man named Abu al-Husayn, who later came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and became a Muslim. He had two young sons who, according to history, had been spoken to by Christian merchants of Medina and deceived by them, and had become Christians. Their father, who was very upset about his sons becoming Christians, went to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the Christian merchants have made my sons Christians. I have lost my sons. There is nothing I can do. You can tell them to return to Islam."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not even go as far as to speak to them and ask them to abandon Christianity. The learned scholar Allama Majlisi, may God have mercy upon him, says in his book Bihar al-Anwar, concerning the life of the Prophet of God, peace be upon him, that the verse, "There is no compulsion in religion," was revealed at this time when that person came to the Prophet and asked him to bring his sons back to Islam.
The true meaning of freedom and real freedom is contained in these four words. This verse is part of Ayat al-Kursi, which most people memorize in its entirety.
If Muslims pay attention to this matter and, after understanding its details and requirements, convey it to the people of the world, they will undoubtedly be met with a widespread acceptance of Islam by the world. Freedom is one of the aspirations and elements of modern human life, and its most complete and perfect meaning is manifested in the verses of the Noble Qur'an and the conduct of the Noble Messenger of God, peace be upon him.
Preaching is a necessity of religion. The Noble Qur'an repeatedly speaks of the necessity of preaching and guiding others with phrases such as "al-balagh al-mubin." Therefore, it is necessary that these teachings be discussed in a correct and complete manner. The glorious history of the Prophet, peace be upon him, both in the ten years he ruled a powerful government in Medina and in the difficult and troubled years of Mecca, is a complete mirror of virtues that humanity today is more thirsty for than ever before. The Prophet, peace be upon him, never forced anyone to become a Muslim throughout his entire period of preaching, and moreover, he left those who apostatized to their own devices and did not show any coercion or compulsion in accepting Islam or returning to the right path.
We must strive
Today, the issue of propaganda is one of the most important issues of religion. Television satellites and mass media have opened the way for communication with all people around the world. This vast opportunity should be used to propagate religious teachings. Today, as I have emphasized many times, this is a collective duty, and since it is not sufficient for a few to fulfill it, it is considered an individual religious duty. Therefore, every man and woman, to the extent that they are able, must strive to propagate the teachings of religion, such as the subject of this writing, namely, that there is no coercion in Islam.
I hope that God, the Exalted, will enable knowledgeable Muslims, especially zealous youth, to disseminate this short but meaningful verse, and thereby guide hundreds of millions of people in the world.
And peace be upon Muhammad and his pure progeny.
