Myth 11: “There Is No Compulsion in Religion”

📉 The Reality: Islam Mandates Religious Conformity Through Legal, Social, and Violent Pressure

This is one of the most widely quoted half-truths used to whitewash Islam’s coercive history and legal framework. Muslims often cite Qur’an 2:256 (“There is no compulsion in religion…”) as proof of tolerance — but Islamic sources, both scriptural and historical, tell a very different story.

---

🧨 I. The “No Compulsion” Verse Was Abrogated

Qur’an 2:256 was revealed during Islam’s early, weaker Meccan phase. But once Muhammad had consolidated power in Medina, later revelations reversed it.

Qur’an 9:5 –

“Then, when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them…”

Qur’an 9:29 –

“Fight those who do not believe in Allah… until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued.”

🔁 Abrogation Confirmed:
Major classical scholars like Ibn Kathir, Al-Qurtubi, and Al-Jassas affirm that Qur’an 2:256 was abrogated (naskh) by later verses of Surah 9, especially regarding fighting non-believers and enforcing Islamic authority.

---

⚖️ II. Apostasy = Death in Islamic Law

Sahih Bukhari 6922 –

“Whoever changes his religion, kill him.”

All four major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali) agree: Apostasy (ridda) warrants execution, unless the apostate repents. This is not metaphorical — it's hard law.

Reliance of the Traveller (Umdat al-Salik, o8.1–o8.7):

Leaving Islam = capital offense, with no rights for the apostate. Execution follows after three days of “repentance opportunity.”

---

🧾 III. Dhimmi Status: Institutionalized Coercion

Non-Muslims under Islamic rule (Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians) were designated dhimmis — allowed to live but under systemic second-class citizenship, including:

• Jizya tax: Qur’an 9:29 commands it as a humiliating, subjugating financial burden.

• Legal Inferiority: A dhimmi's testimony was inadmissible against a Muslim.

• Social Restrictions: No public display of religion, no new churches, mandatory dress codes, prohibition from bearing arms.

📚 Al-Mawardi, “The Laws of Islamic Governance”:

Dhimmis must be “humiliated,” showing Islamic superiority.

The system was not peaceful coexistence — it was engineered subjugation to pressure eventual conversion or ensure perpetual Muslim dominance.

---

🕌 IV. Forced Conversions: Not Just Theory — Historical Practice

Muslim historians themselves documented forced conversions throughout Islamic expansion:

• North Africa: Berbers were coerced under the Umayyads.

• India: Massive Hindu-to-Muslim conversions under the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal rule — often enforced through violence or the jizya burden.

• Ottoman Empire: Devshirme system: Christian boys forcibly taken and converted to serve as Janissaries.

These were not anomalies — they were part of the logic of Islamic governance: convert, submit, or pay and accept subjugation.

---

📜 V. Tafsir and Sira: Obedience to Islam or Death

Tafsir al-Jalalayn on 9:29:

“Fight them until they convert to Islam or pay the jizya with humiliation.”

Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah:
When tribes resisted Islam, they were given the choice: Convert, submit and pay, or face war. This wasn’t rhetorical — it was the official diplomatic protocol of Muhammad’s envoys.

---

❌ VI. Final Analysis: Islam Does Compel — The Record Is Clear

Domain	Reality in Islam
Freedom of Religion	Abrogated — replaced with coercion
Apostasy	Punishable by death
Non-Muslim Rights	Subjugated through dhimmi status
Legal Doctrine	Forces compliance through Sharia and jizya
Historical Practice	Includes forced conversions and executions

---

🚫 Conclusion: “No Compulsion in Religion” Is a Mythical Shield

That verse (2:256) is used like a PR slogan, divorced from both context and actual Islamic history. The overwhelming weight of Qur’anic legislation, hadith rulings, legal manuals, and centuries of political enforcement proves this was never about voluntary belief — it was about enforced submission to Islamic supremacy.

If Islam truly forbade compulsion in religion, there would be no apostasy law, no jizya tax, no dhimmi subjugation, and no historical record of forced conversions. But all of those exist — and they're foundational.

This myth isn’t just misleading — it’s a historical lie dressed up for interfaith dialogue.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the Author

Mauao Man is a blog created by a New Zealand writer who believes in following the evidence wherever it leads. From history and religion to culture and society, Mauao Man takes a clear, critical, and honest approach — challenging ideas without attacking people. Whether exploring the history of Islam in New Zealand, the complexities of faith, or the contradictions in belief systems, this blog is about asking the hard questions and uncovering the truth.