Al-Baqara 256

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Recitation by Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais

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The verse (ayah) 256 of Al-Baqara is a famous verse in the Islamic scripture, the Quran.[1] The verse includes the phrase that "there is no compulsion in religion".2|256-2|[2] Immediately after making this statement, the Quran offers a rationale for it: Since the revelation has, through explanation, clarification, and repetition, clearly distinguished the path of guidance from the path of misguidance, it is now up to people to choose the one or the other path.[1] This verse comes right after the Throne Verse.[3][4]

The overwhelming majority of Muslim scholars consider that verse to be a Medinan one,[5][6][7] when Muslims lived in their period of political ascendance,[8][9] and to be non abrogated,[10] including Ibn Taymiyya,[11] Ibn Qayyim,[12] Al-Tabari,[13] Abi ʿUbayd,[14] Al-Jaṣṣās,[15] Makki bin Abi Talib,[16] Al-Nahhas,[17] Ibn Jizziy,[18] Al-Suyuti,[19] Ibn Ashur,[20] Mustafa Zayd,[21] and many others.[22] According to all the theories of language elaborated by Muslim legal scholars, the Quranic proclamation that 'There is no compulsion in religion. The right path has been distinguished from error' is as absolute and universal a statement as one finds,[23] and so under no condition should an individual be forced to accept a religion or belief against his or her will according to the Quran.[24][25][26][27]

The meaning of the principle that there is no compulsion in religion was not limited to freedom of individuals to choose their own religion. Islam also provided non-Muslims with considerable economic, cultural, and administrative rights.[28]

Text and meaning

Text and transliteration

Template:Script/Arabic
256 Script error: No such module "Lang".

Template:Script/Arabic
255 Script error: No such module "Lang".

Translation

256 Let there be no compulsion in religion, for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood. So whoever renounces false gods and believes in God has certainly grasped the firmest, unfailing hand-hold. And God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Translation:Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran, 2015

256 Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.

Translation:Yusuf Ali, 1934


256 There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Script error: No such module "Lang". has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Script error: No such module "Lang". is Hearing and Knowing.

Translation:Saheeh International, 1997

Context

According to some commentators, this verse (Quran 2:256) was directed towards a small group of residents of Medina and is related to an incident during the time of the Prophet. The incident involved a Muslim boy who had been educated in a Jewish school in Medina and decided to depart with a Jewish tribe that was being expelled from the city. When the boy's distraught parents asked the Prophet if they could compel their son to stay, he told them that there is no compulsion in religion, as stated in the verse.[29][30] Template:Quotation It is reported that Mujahid said that "This verse was revealed about a man of the Helpers who had a black boy called Subayh whom he used to coerce to become Muslim".[31]

In all cases, following the famous maxim Template:Script/Arabic (Consideration is granted to the Generality of the Language, not to the Specificity of the Reason [for Revelation])[32][33][34] it is concluded that the verse is general in meaning,[29][30] and thus the verse has been understood over the centuries as a general command that people cannot be forced to convert to Islam.[29][35]

Discussion

Relevance to apostasy

First, the "no compulsion" phrase should not be used out of context and all exegesis of Quran that is "linear-atomistic" analysis of one small phrase in one verse is flawed.[36] The complete verse and nearby verses[37] should be read to understand the "complex hermeneutic totality" of context for anything in Quran.

It is reported that Mujahid said that "This verse was revealed about a man of the Helpers [Ansar of Medina] who had a black boy called Subayh whom he used to coerce to become Muslim".[31] In addition scholar argue, no single phrase or verse in Quran is less or more relevant in Islam than other phrases or verses in Quran; and other verses in Quran such as verse 66 of At-Tawba state "Make no excuses! You have lost faith after your belief. If We pardon a group of you, We will punish others for their wickedness.",9|66|b=y-38|[38] As well as "And say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “˹This is˺ the truth from your Lord. Whoever wills let them believe, and whoever wills let them disbelieve.” ...",[39] "Had your Lord so willed ˹O Prophet˺, all ˹people˺ on earth would have certainly believed, every single one of them! Would you then force people to become believers?",[40] "So, ˹continue to˺ remind ˹all, O Prophet˺, for your duty is only to remind. You are not ˹there˺ to compel them ˹to believe˺",[41] "He said, “O my people! Consider if I stand on a clear proof from my Lord and He has blessed me with a mercy from Himself,1 which you fail to see. Should we ˹then˺ force it on you against your will?".[42] According to some western scholars, in the history of Islamic exegesis scholarship, that verse is considered as an early revelation, and abrogated by verses that were revealed to Muhammad at a later stage in his life.[43] However, as stated by the famous British orientalist Sir Thomas Walker Arnold the verse in question is a Medinan verse, when Muslims lived in their period of political ascendance.[6] Moreover, Muslim scholars have established the abrogated verses and Q.2:256 isn't among them.[19][22] Finally, to understand the Quran, the sayings and actions of Muhammad as recorded in Hadith collections are considered by Islamic scholars.

Ibn Kathir's interpretation

The Quran commentator (Muffasir) Ibn Kathir, a Sunni, suggests that the verse implies that Muslims should not force anyone to convert to Islam since the truth of Islam is so self-evident that no one is in need of being coerced into it,[30] Template:Quotation

Kashani's interpretation

Kashani, a Sufi,[44] interprets Q.2:256 as follows Template:Quotation

Verses relating to Quran 2:256

A number of verses relate to Quran 2:256 and this includes, Template:Quotation Template:Quotation Template:Quotation Template:Quotation

These verses indicate that compulsion is strictly prohibited.[23][28][30][35][45][46][47]

See also

References

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  1. ↑ a b Mustansir Mir (2008), Understanding the Islamic Scripture, p. 54. Routledge. Template:ISBN.
  2. 2|256_2-0|↑ Template:Qref
  3. ↑ Jacques Berque (1995), Le Coran : Essai de traduction, p.63, note v.256, éditions Albin Michel, Paris.
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ John Esposito (2011), What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, p. 91. Oxford University Press. Template:ISBN.
  6. ↑ a b Sir Thomas Walker Arnold (1913), Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith, p. 6. Constable.
  7. ↑ Mapel, D.R. and Nardin, T., eds. (1999), International Society: Diverse Ethical Perspectives, p. 233. Princeton University Press. Template:ISBN.
  8. ↑ Taha Jabir Alalwani (2003), La 'ikraha fi al-din: 'ichkaliyat al-riddah wa al-murtaddin min sadr al-Islam hatta al-yawm, pp.92-93. Template:ISBN.
  9. ↑ "this verse is acknowledged to belong to the period of Quranic revelation corresponding to the political and military ascendance of the young Muslim community. ‘There is no compulsion in religion’ was not a command to Muslims to remain steadfast in the face of the desire of their oppressors to force them to renounce their faith, but was a reminder to Muslims themselves, once they had attained power, that they could not force another's heart to believe. There is no compulsion in religion addresses those in a position of strength, not weakness. The earliest commentaries on the Quran (such as that of Al-Tabari) make it clear that some Muslims of Medina wanted to force their children to convert from Judaism or Christianity to Islam, and this verse was precisely an answer to them not to try to force their children to convert to Islam." Open Letter to his holiness Pope Benedict XVI (PDF) Template:Webarchive
  10. ↑ Richard Curtis (2010), Reasonable Perspectives on Religion, p. 204. Lexington Books. Template:ISBN. Quote: "While the pope, following many anti-Islam propagandists, seemingly argues that the oft-cited Quranic dictum "no compulsion in religion" was abrogated by subsequent revelations, this is not the mainstream Muslim interpretation. Indeed, the pope made a major scholarly blunder when he claimed that the "no compulsion in religion" verse was revealed during the Meccan period, "when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat." In fact, it was revealed during the later Medinan period--the same period as the verses that authorize armed struggle against the Meccan enemies of the nascent Muslim community in Medina, that is, "when Muhammad was in a position of strength, not weakness."" (emphasis added)
  11. ↑ Ibn Taymiyya, Qāʿidah Mukhtaṣarah fī Qitāl al-Kuffār wa Muhādanatihim wa Taḥrīm Qatlihim li-Mujarrad Kufrihim: Qāʿidah Tubayyn al-Qiyam al-Sāmiyah lil-Haḍārah al-Islāmiyyah fī al-Harb wa al-Qitāl, p.123. Ed. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Ibrāhīm al-Zayd Āl Hamad. Riyadh: N.p., 2004/1424. Quote: "جمهور السلف و الخلف على أنها ليست مخصوصة و لا منسوخة، ..." Translation: "Most of the salaf considered the verse to be neither specific nor abrogated but the text is general, ..."
  12. ↑ Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma, pp.21-22.
  13. ↑ Al-Tabari, Jāmiʿ al-bayān ʿan ta'wīl āy al-Qur'ān 4, Dar Hajar, 2001, p.553.
  14. ↑ Abi ʿUbayd, Kitab al-Nasikh wa al-Mansukh, p.282.
  15. ↑ Al-Jaṣṣās, Aḥkām al-Qur'ān 2, p.168.
  16. ↑ Makki bin Abi Talib, al-Idah li Nasikh al-Qur'an wa Mansukhih, p. 194.
  17. ↑ Abu Jaʿfar al-Nahhas, al-Nasikh wa al-Mansukh fi al-Quran al-Karim, p.259.
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ a b Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Al-Itqān fi ʿUlum al-Qur’an 2. p.22-24.
  20. ↑ Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur, Al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir, (2:256).
  21. ↑ Mustafa Zayd, al-Naskh fi al-Qur'an al-Karim 2, p.510. Dar al-Wafa'. Quote: "تبطل دعوى النسخ في قوله جل تناؤه: File:Ra bracket.pngلَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِFile:La bracket.png : ٢٥٦ في سورة البقرة."
  22. ↑ a b Muhammad S. Al-Awa (1993), Punishment in Islamic Law, p.51. US American Trust Publications. Template:ISBN.
  23. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Leonard J. Swidler (1986), Religious Liberty and Human Rights in Nations and in Religions, p.178. Ecumenical Press.
  26. ↑ Farhad Malekian (2011), Principles of Islamic International Criminal Law, p.69. Brill. Template:ISBN.
  27. ↑ Mohammad Hashim Kamali, The Middle Path of Moderation in Islam: The Qur'anic Principle of Wasatiyyah (Religion and Global Politics), pp. 110-1. Oxford University Press. Template:ISBN.
  28. ↑ a b David Ray Griffin (2005), Deep Religious Pluralism, p.159. Westminster John Knox Press. Template:ISBN.
  29. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ a b c d Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Ayat al-Sayf, pp.50-51.
  31. ↑ a b Al-Wahidi, Asbab Al-Nuzul, (2:256).
  32. ↑ Ali Gomaa, al-Tariq ila al-Turath, p.207.
  33. ↑ Muhammad ash-Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar, 8:112.
  34. ↑ Ahmed Al-Dawoody (2011), The Islamic Law of War: Justifications and Regulations, p.51. Palgrave Macmillan. Template:ISBN.
  35. ↑ a b Sir Thomas Walker Arnold (1913), Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith, p.420. Constable. Quote: "Forcible conversion was forbidden, in accordance with the precepts of the Qur'an : — " Let there be no compulsion in religion " (ii. 257). " Wilt thou compel men to become believers ? No soul can believe but by the permission of God " (x. 99, 100). The very existence of so many Christian sects and communities in countries that have been for centuries under Muhammadan rule is an abiding testimony to the toleration they have enjoyed, and shows that the persecutions they have from time to time been called upon to endure at the hands of bigots and fanatics, have been excited by some special and local circumstances rather than inspired by a settled principle of intolerance."
  36. ↑ Asma Barlas (2002), Believing Women in Islam, Template:ISBN, University of Texas Press, page 8
  37. ↑ Template:Qref
  38. 9|66|b=y_38-0|↑ Template:Qref
  39. ↑ Template:Qref.
  40. ↑ Template:Qref.
  41. ↑ Template:Qref, Template:Qref.
  42. ↑ Template:Qref
  43. ↑ Peters & De Vries (1976), Apostasy in Islam, Die Welt des Islams, Vol. 17, Issue 1/4, pp 15 (footnote 38)
  44. ↑ [1], ʻAbd al-Razzāq Kamāl al-Dīn al-Kāshānī (d. c. 730 / 1330)., Hurqalya Publications: Center for Shaykhī and Bābī-Bahā’ī Studies
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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