Page 189 - Seekers Guide Book

The Seeker’s Guide
humility and when they are addressed by
the ignorant ones, their response is, ‘Peace’.
(Quran 25:63)

7 Was Islam spread by the sword?

uman history has witnessed several events of expansion
H– political, industrial, social and religious. However,
political expansion has most often been misconstrued
as religious expansion. In the case of Islam, there is no
proof that sword or force was used to spread the religion.
There were dynasties which in order to fulfil their
political ambitions conquered many lands. For instance,
the Battle of Chausa was fought between the Mughal
emperor Humayun and the Afghan Sher Shah Suri (1539).
Both the kings were of the same faith. If the purpose of
conquering lands and expanding empires was to spread
Islam then there should have been no reason for these
two Muslim rulers to engage in military combat. This
example shows that conquests by Muslim rulers and
emperors in history have been for serving political ends
and to expand their dynasties. These were not religiously
motivated wars and battles.

Swami Vivekananda, in the book Letters of Swami
Vivekananda, wrote;

It is nonsense to say that Hindus were
converted to Islam by force.

Similarly, Egypt was a large country to enter within

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