No Compulsion In Religion

No Compulsion in Religion – PART 2 – لا إكراه في الدين

Did you know that even in a country that is governed by Islamic Law: the Jews and Christians are allowed to freely practice their religion, eat pork, drink wine, visit their church etc. in their personal space?

To take it even further:

Ibn Humam al-Hanafi wrote 500 years ago in “Fath al-Qadir”, (9/358):

وإذا أتلف المسلم خمر الذمي أو خنزيره ضمن قيمتهما
الخمر لهم كالخل لنا ، والخنزير لهم كالشاة لنا ، ونحن أمرنا بأن نتركهم
“IF A MUSLIM DAMAGES THE WINESTOCKS OR PIGS OF A NON-BELIEVER LIVING UNDER COVENANT WITH US – THE MUSLIM HAS TO PAY COMPENSATION FOR THESE DAMAGES.
BECAUSE:
WINE FOR THEM IS LIKE VINEGER FOR US.
PORK FOR THEM IS LIKE LAMB FOR US.
WE ARE COMMANDED TO LEAVE THEM TO THEIR WAYS.”

End quote.

The Hanafi Madhab – ruled for 1,000 years, over millions of people, across more than 3 continents!

The sun would not set on its reach.

Some scholars believed that no compensation was due – but all scholars maintained the permissibility of them practicing their own religion.

Nobody was forced to convert or leave their religion.

They were not allowed to do these things publicly – like drinking wine in public – because of its negative influence on the Muslim community.

In the same community: If a Muslim drank wine, he would be lashed!

People found this type of freedom granted to non-Muslims strange.

Omar Ibn Abdul-Aziz wrote to Hassan al-Basri questioning why the Rightly Guided Caliphs allowed the non-Muslims eat pork and drink wine etc.

He wrote back saying:

إنما بذلوا الجزية ليتركوا وما يعتقدون ، إنما أنت متبع لا مبتدع، والسلام

“THESE POEPLE PAID TAX SO THAT THEY WOULD BE LEFT ALONE TO THEIR BELIEFS. YOU SHOULD FOLLOW (WHAT ISLAM SAYS ON THIS MATTER) AND NOT INNOVATE, WASALAM!”

[Quoted by Imam al-Sarakhsi Hanafi in “Al-Mabsoot”, 5/39].

For these reasons – thousands of persecuted Jews and Christians flocked to Muslim lands in the past.

That is why millions of people entered Islam – seeing Islamic justice, which they did not get in their own lands.