Was Islam spread by the sword?

14. Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson. 

Dr.Joseph Adam Pearson rightly says, ’People who worry that nuclear weaponry willone day fall in the hands of the Arabs, fail to realize that the Islamic bombhas been dropped already, it fell the day MUHAMMED (pbuh) was born’

It is a common misconception with some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. 

The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible for the rapid spread of Islam. 

Islam has always given respect and freedom of religion to all faiths. Freedom of religion is ordained in the Quran itself: 

“There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong.” (Quran 2:256) 

The noted historian De Lacy O’Leary wrote:[1] “History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.” 

The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book Heroes and Hero worship, refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: “The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one; in one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and tries to propagate with that will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can.” 

If Islam was spread by the sword, it was the sword of intellect and convincing arguments. It is this sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Quran says in this connection: 

“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” (Quran 16:125) 

The facts speak for themselves 

• Indonesia is the country that has the largest number of Muslims in the world, and the majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. But, no Muslim army ever went to Indonesia or Malaysia. It is an established historical fact that Indonesia entered Islam not due to war, but because of its moral message. Despite the disappearance of Islamic government from many regions once ruled by it, their original inhabitants have remained Muslims. Moreover, they carried the message of truth, inviting others to it as well, and in so doing endured harm, affliction and oppression. The same can be said for those in the regions of Syria and Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, North Africa, Asia, the Balkans and in Spain. This shows that the effect of Islam on the population was one of moral conviction, in contrast to occupation by western colonialists, finally compelled to leave lands whose peoples held only memories of affliction, sorrow, subjugation and oppression. 

• Muslims ruled Spain (Andalusia) for about 800 years. During this period the Christians and Jews enjoyed freedom to practice their respective religions, and this is a documented historical fact. 

• Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan all have significant Christian and Jewish populations. 

• Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years, and therefore had the power to force each and every non-Muslim of India to convert to Islam, but they did not, and thus more than 80% of the Indian population remains non-Muslim. 

• Similarly, Islam spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. And likewise no Muslim army was ever dispatched to the East Coast of Africa. 

• An article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, yearbook 1986, gives the statistics of the increase of the percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in The Plain Truth magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, while Christianity had increased by 47%. During this fifty-year period, there was no “Islamic conquest” yet Islam spread at an extraordinary rate. 

• Today the fastest growing religion in America and Europe is Islam. The Muslims in these lands are a minority. The only sword they have in their possession is the sword of truth. It is this sword that is converting thousands to Islam. 

• Islamic law protects the privileged status of minorities, and that is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. Islamic law also allows non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves. The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether they are Muslims or not. 

Conclusion 

It is clear, therefore, that Islam did not spread by the sword. The “sword of Islam” did not convert all the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries. In India, where Muslims ruled for 800 years, they are still a minority. In the U.S.A., Islam is the fastest growing

It is a common misconception with some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. 

The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible for the rapid spread of Islam. 

Islam has always given respect and freedom of religion to all faiths. Freedom of religion is ordained in the Quran itself: 

“There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong.” (Quran 2:256) 

The noted historian De Lacy O’Leary wrote:[1] “History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.” 

The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book Heroes and Hero worship, refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: “The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one; in one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and tries to propagate with that will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can.” 

If Islam was spread by the sword, it was the sword of intellect and convincing arguments. It is this sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Quran says in this connection: 

“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” (Quran 16:125)

Tolerance In Islam It is a striking fact of history that within three centuries, after Prophet Muhammad started preaching Islam in Mecca, Islam spread over the area of three continents; Asia, Africa and Europe. There are many reasons why people have been, from past to the present embracing Islam. Muhammad Asad, a Jewish convert to Islam, says:

“Islam appears to me like a perfect work of architecture. All its parts are harmoniously conceived to complement and support each other, nothing lacking, with the result of an absolute balance and solid composure. Everything in the teaching and postulates of Islam is in its proper place.” (Islam at the Crossroads, p.5)

In the race for the propagation of religion, Islam has always won over Christianity, in spite of the latter’s sophisticated and well-organized missionary activities. This has been the case in the course of fourteen centuries. As a result, most of the Christian missionaries started depicting Islam as a regressive, vulgar religion of savage people which was spread by the sword.

Yet, an unbiased Western Christian writer has written:

“…We may feel certain that if Western Christians, instead of the Saracens and the Turks, had won the dominion over Asia, there would be today not a trace left of the Greek Church, and that they would never have tolerated Muhammadanism as the 'infidels' have tolerated Christianity there. We (Christians) enjoy the fine advantage of being far better versed than others in the art of killing, bombarding and exterminating the Human Race." (Bayle P., Dictionary, 'the article Mahomed', 1850)

Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine. Islam calls for believing in only One God, worthy of worship. It also repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of intelligence and observation. Within a few years after the dawn of Islam, great civilizations and universities were flourishing under its influence, for according to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), “seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman”.

The zeal for understanding God’s creative power, as realized in the universe, led the followers of this religion to new ideas, new realms of knowledge and great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history.

We find that the spread of Islam was not limited to its miraculous early expansion outside of Arabia. During later centuries, the Turks embraced Islam peacefully, as did a large number of the people of the Indian subcontinent, as well as the people of Malaysia and Indonesia.

In Africa too, Islam spread during the past two centuries, while under the mighty power of European colonial rulers. Today Islam continues to grow, not only in Africa, but also in Europe and the Americas as well. Islam is the fastest growing religion now, with a following of about one and a half billion people.

Mr. Lamaan Ball, editor of Ask About Islam, adds:

Although in the early years of the expansion of the Islamic state much land came under the rule of the Muslims, conversion to Islam of its inhabitants took several generations. This is because conversion by force is explicitly forbidden in the Qur'an:

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things. (Surah 2 Verse 256)

In more recent times such as in the case of Indonesia, conversions to Islam happened in the absence of an Islamic state and where the rulers were Dutch Christians. Commentators and historians have to acknowledge the fact of Islam's peaceful spead even if they dislike it. A classic example of such a grudging acknowledgment is in the book "The Legacy of Islam" edited by Joseph Schacht with C.E. Bosworth (1974) p145:

"... the general picture of the spread of Islam so far as we know it. This is often said to resemble an oil stain: gradual yet effective. Many, too, have praised its peaceful nature. Again so far as we know, the acceptance of Islamic doctrine has been a gradual process, partly thanks to the practice of conversion prior to indoctrination"

The false allegations that Islam was spread by the sword is just part of unfounded propaganda. To which the best reply is perhaps the Qur'an itself. In particular this verse comes to mind:

Their intention is to extinguish God's Light (by blowing) with their mouths: But God will complete (the revelation of) His Light, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it). (Surah 61 Verse 8)

Mahatma Gandhi wrote in Young India – 1920:

‘I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place in Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble.’

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why did Islam adopt gradual approach in prohibiting slavery?

Muslim slaves could achieve status

Slaves in the Islamic world were not always at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Slaves in Muslim societies had a greater range of work, and took on a wider range of responsibilities, than those enslaved in the Atlantic trade.

Some slaves earned respectable incomes and achieved considerable power, although even such elite slaves still remained in the power of their owners.

Slaves could be assimilated into Muslim society

Muhammad's teaching that slaves were to be regarded as human beings with dignity and rights and not just as property, and that freeing slaves was a virtuous thing to do, may have helped to create a culture in which slaves became much more assimilated into the community than they were in the West.

Muslim slavery was not just economic

Unlike the Western slave trade, slavery in Islam was not wholly motivated by economics.

Although some Muslim slaves were used as productive labour it was not generally on the same mass scale as in the West but in smaller agricultural enterprises, workshops, building, mining and transport.

Slaves were also taken for military service, some serving in elite corps essential to the ruler's control of the state, while others joined the equivalent of the civil service.

Islam did not suddenly prohibit slavery for a number of reasons such as the reciprocal or mutual treatment with the other as is explained above.

Another reason is that modern history attests to the fact that enslavement has been regenerated in many different forms. Consequently, the most effective remedy for enslavement is to treat it whenever and wherever it reemerges in the same way as Islam gradually did.

Here, an important question arises: Did the decision to stop slavery in the modern age really abolish it?

It is true that the French Revolution (1789-1799) cancelled slavery in Europe and President Lincoln did the same in the USA just as the whole world have agreed to do this. However, is not the white slaves traffic a lucrative trade that is widespread today all over the world, especially in the USA and Europe?

The size of slave trade amounts to tens of billions of dollars annually as women and children are exploited in indecent acts, forced labor, and drugs trafficking and the like in direct contradiction to the international treaties and agreements as has  been shown above. Whoever wants to learn about the size of such inhumane trade can be referred to any of the following reliable sources:

Anti-Slavery International,

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),

Amnesty International (AI),

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and

International Labour Office (ILO).

 

A final word 

It has now become apparent that graduation is a divine law that should be adopted in administering people’s affairs when a change is to be effected in their economic or social life. Real change cannot be effected through a sudden decision to be made by a king or a president or an Assembly Council or a Parliament or any form of leadership, etc. Rather, this can be effected only through graduation, that is, to prepare the people intellectually, psychologically, morally and socially to accept the intended change.

That was the very approach adopted by the Ever-Glorious Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to change the pre-Islamic life of ignorance into an Islamic life. Prophet Muhammad spent 13 years in Makkah where his mission was to educate a believing generation that later on could shoulder the responsibility of making da`wah. Therefore, the Makkan period was a period of education and formation rather than legislation and codification.

Slaves were owned in all Islamic societies, both sedentary and nomadic, ranging from Arabia in the centre to North Africa in the west and to what is now Pakistan and Indonesia in the east. Some Islamic states, such as the Ottoman Empire, the Crimean Khanate, and the Sokoto caliphate [Nigeria], must be termed slave societies because slaves there were very important numerically as well as a focus of the polities' energies.

Encyclopaedia Britannica - Slavery

Many societies throughout history have practised slavery, and Muslim societies were no exception.

It's thought that as many people were enslaved in the Eastern slave trade as in the Atlantic slave trade.

It's ironic that when the Atlantic slave trade was abolished the Eastern trade expanded, suggesting that for some Africans the abolition of the Atlantic trade didn't lead to freedom, but merely changed their slave destination.

It's misleading to use phrases such as 'Islamic slavery' and 'Muslim slave trade', even though slavery existed in many Muslim cultures at various times, since the Atlantic slave trade is not called the Christian slave trade, even though most of those responsible for it were Christians.

Slavery before Islam

Slavery was common in pre-Islamic times and accepted by many ancient legal systems and it continued under Islam.

Although Islam is much credited for moderating the age-old institution of slavery, which was also accepted and endorsed by the other monotheistic religions, Christianity and Judaism, and was a well-established custom of the pre-Islamic world, it has never preached the abolition of slavery as a doctrine.

Forough Jahanbaksh, Islam, Democracy and Religious Modernism in Iran, 1953-2000, 2001

The condition of slaves, like that of women, may well have improved with the coming of Islam, but the institution was not abolished, any more than it was under Christianity at this period.

Malise Ruthven, Islam in the World, 2000

How Islam moderated slavery

Islam's approach to slavery added the idea that freedom was the natural state of affairs for human beings and in line with this it limited the opportunities to enslave people, commended the freeing of slaves and regulated the way slaves were treated:

Islam greatly limited those who could be enslaved and under what circumstances (although these restrictions were often evaded)

Islam treated slaves as human beings as well as property

Islam banned the mistreatment of slaves - indeed the tradition repeatedly stresses the importance of treating slaves with kindness and compassion

Islam allowed slaves to achieve their freedom and made freeing slaves a virtuous act

Islam barred Muslims from enslaving other Muslims

But the essential nature of slavery remained the same under Islam, as elsewhere. It involved serious breaches of human rights and however well they were treated, the slaves still had restricted freedom; and, when the law was not obeyed, their lives could be very unpleasant.

The paradox

A poignant paradox of Islamic slavery is that the humanity of the various rules and customs that led to the freeing of slaves created a demand for new slaves that could only be supplied by war, forcing people into slavery or trading slaves.

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Islam and the liberation of slaves

Slavery before Islam

Slavery was common in pre-Islamic times and accepted by many ancient legal systems

Islam came while slavery was a well-established and recognized institution all over the world. Slaves were a current economic and social commodity with no sign of denial or opposition by anyone. They used to work at fields while fettered in heavy chains to prevent them from escaping. They were given a minimal amount of food just to keep them barely alive. They were forced to work as if they were beasts. Lashes were harshly used to discipline as well as punish them. They slept in dark, bad-smelling cells where insects and chains attached to their necks and feet were their sole companions.

While Islam tightened the sources of slavery, it widened its drains or outlets. 

Islam came while social injustices such as ethnic and caste discrimination were prevalent. At that time, several sources used to feed the “river of slavery” every day adding new slaves and bondmaids to the already existing deprived ones as follows:

1. War: Regardless of whether it was legitimate or not; prisoners of war were automatically turned into slaves be them males or females.

2. Kidnapping: As kidnapped persons were turned into slaves and female slaves.

3. Committing serious crimes: The perpetrators of such heinous crimes as as murdering, theft and fornication were enslaved as their punishment.

4. Inability to pay off debts: The owing poor were turned into slaves by the well-off creditors.

5. A father’s authority over his own children gave him the right to sell any of them to others and thus let them fall into thralldom.

6. One’s authority over himself as one could sell himself to others as well.

7. The progeny of all the above becomes slaves even if the parent was freed or emancipated.

Creating an Anti-Racism Environment

There is no legislation or system that has ever treated the slaves in a way that maintains and preserves their human dignity as Islam did. Islam recognized the slave’s humanity and his right to dignity and life. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an,

{O humankind! Indeed, We have created all of you from a single male and female. Moreover, We have made you peoples and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. And, indeed, the noblest of you, in the sight of God, is the most God-fearing of you. Indeed, God is all-knowing, all-aware.} (Al-Hujurat 49:13)

The sole criterion thus is nothing but piety and righteous deeds and not the esprit de corps or tribalism or the like.

The Prophetic Sunnah confirms that Islam has established the principles of brotherhood between the slaves and the masters. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said,

“Your slaves are your brothers and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears. Do not ask them (slaves) to do things beyond their capacity (power) and if you do so, then help them.” (Al-Bukhari)

The Islamic way for treating slaves followed unprecedented humane commandments and precepts as well as practical steps that are regarded as a source of pride to Muslims. To cite some, let us recall a Prophetic hadith that shows how one should call a slave or ask him to do something.

Abu Hurairah reported Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) as saying:

“None of you should say: ‘Supply drink to your lord, feed your lord, help your lord in performing ablution,’ and none of you should say: ‘My Lord.’ He should say: ‘My chief, my patron;’ and none of you should say: ‘My bondman, my slave-girl,’ but simply say: ‘My boy, my girl, my servant.’” (Muslim)

While slavery previously constituted one of the biggest sources of the master’s richness, Islam turned it – through applying the above system of values which regarded the master and the slave as equal human beings – into a financial burden for the master. The master is required to feed the slave of what he eats and dress him of what he wears and not to ask him to do things beyond his power. Moreover, the master is even required to use euphemistic terms such as my boy, my girl or my servant instead of bondman and slave-girl respectively to safeguard the dignity of the slave.

Amazingly, Islam has gone far beyond the mere emancipation of slaves, as it did not leave them astray in the maze of the new world of freedom without arming them with the necessary power, team spirit or affiliation. Rather, it prescribed integrating them into the tribes and clans in which they previously lived as slaves. In so doing, Islam empowered them with the dignity, honor, rank and power of those tribes and clans through al-Walaa’ (allegiance).

It is a fact that Islam has called for the liberation of slaves.  There are many proofs to attest for this: 

1. Liberating a slave is a kind of atonement for some sins, like indeliberate murder, and dhihar (divorce), oath breaking, corruption of one’s fast in Ramadhan by sexual intercourse and so on.

2. God promised a great reward for those who voluntary liberate any of their slaves.

3. The right of the slave to liberate himself by buying himself from his master;

4. A Muslim is encouraged to pay a portion of his zakat money to those slaves willing to purchase themselves from their masters;

5. The Islamic rule of what is called “arrangement,” which incurs the liberation of the slave upon the death of his master, especially if the master does not have the desire to liberate him during his lifetime.  So the choice of freeing oneself is open after the death of the master.  The master may say to his slave: “You are be free after my death,” whereupon the slave becomes free immediately after the death of the master.

6. The Islamic rule regarding the women slaves in case they become mother of children to their master upon a sexual intercourse they might have with them.  If the bondwoman conceives in this case, she may neither be sold nor rented; soon after her master’s death, she becomes free.  

When a war takes place between Muslims and others, and Muslims come out victorious, if an agreement takes place between the Muslims and their enemies regarding the captives, the Muslims are bound to keep their word according to what they have pledged.  If there is no such agreement or reconciliation, then Muslims are free to opt for one of the following choices:

1. Ransoming their captives with captives from the enemies, or money is given instead.

2. Setting the captives free against nothing, out of kindness and charity.

3. Killing them to relieve mankind from their evil, and killing only the fighters from them.

4. Enslaving them as a kind of charity so that they could know Islam closely with the hope that they might become Muslims themselves.  It is in the right of Islam to kill those who stood in the face of Islam as fighters, but in most cases they are kept alive and enslaved. This is some kind of showing the power of Islam and the humiliation of its enemies.  The caliph is the only one who could command enslaving up, it is not left to individuals.

While the sources that fed the river of slavery then were gaining momentum and recognition, the gates of freedom were either blocked or were too tight to let anyone get rid of slavery.

Recognizing that reality, Islam adopted a middle way of reformation that aimed at the emancipation of slaves, and abolishment of the slavery system in a realistic revolutionary though gradual manner. In so doing, neither ignoring the reality, nor acknowledging it in a way that may consolidate it or strengthen its already existing foundations, Islam adopted what follows:

* Drying the sources out 

This means that Islam started with blocking most of the means that used to pour new victims into the river of slavery. Only two sources were left; namely, prisoners of legitimate wars and the progeny of slave parents. Even the POWs were given the opportunity to restore their freedom through either a gracious offer of freedom for them or a ransom paid as explained in the following Qur’anic verse:

{Thus whenever you (believers) face (in battle) those who disbelieve, strike their necks (a lethal blow), until, when you have thoroughly pacified them, you shall tie fast their bonds. Thereafter, let there be either a gracious offer of freedom for them or a ransom paid.} (Muhammad 47:4)

Thereupon, when the war is over, the POWs are either to be graciously emancipated or exchanged for Muslim captives.

Remarkably, Islam kept this last source as a way of mutual or reciprocal treatment with the other. This means that, if the other nations used not to enslave the Muslim POWs, Muslims would have done the same with non-Muslim captives and thus putting an end to the slavery system for good. This would have left the block of already existing slaves that could be dissolved through emancipation by means of widening the mouth of the river of slavery.

**. Widening the avenues of emancipation

While Islam tightened the sources of slavery, it widened its drains or outlets. In so doing, it activated its noble values and social justice system through endearing to Muslims the act of emancipating slaves voluntarily. It dictated that the emancipation of each member of the slave’s body is a reason for saving a similar member of the master’s body from Hell-fire.

In the same vein, Islam considered the deliverance of slaves and rescuing them from bondage as an expiation or penance for sins and offenses. The Qur’an states what means,

{Thus, whoever kills a believer by mistake, then their atonement shall be the freeing of a believing human being from bondage...} (An-Nisa’ 4:93)

Imam An-Nasafi (d. AH 710) commented on this verse as saying,

“Verily, as the killer forced a believing soul to leave the troop of the living human beings, it becomes incumbent upon him to help another soul to enter the realm of the freedom. This is due to the fact that rescuing a slave from bondage is similar to reviving him…”[5]

Moreover, Islam empowered the state and the public system as to play a role in the process of emancipating slaves through dictating that freeing slaves is one of the eight ways prescribed for spending the Zakah.

Thus, Islam made the rescuing of slaves part of Zakah which is one of the five pillars of Islam:

{Indeed, prescribed charitable offerings are only to be given to the poor and the indigent, and to those who work on administering it, and to those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free those in bondage, and to the debt-ridden, and for the cause of God, and to the wayfarer. This is an obligation from God.} (At-Tawbah 9:60)

According to Islam, freedom of all people is the original state while bondage is the exception that needs verification. Anyone whose condition is unknown is to be considered free unless there is a solid proof that he is otherwise. Anyone who claims that another is a slave should prove his allegations through presenting irrefutable evidence.

In addition, Islam treated the slaves and the free equally in terms of all religious rights and in most of the civil rights. It also created a desire in Muslims for helping the slaves who want to get themselves rid of slavery through fulfilling a deed of emancipation. A slave in such a case is called a mukatab which stands for, a slave, male or female, who binds himself (or herself) to pay a certain equivalent for his (or her) freedom:[6]

{…Moreover, if those whom your hands rightfully possess desire a deed of emancipation, then write it for them, if you come to know goodness in them. Moreover, give them of the wealth of God that He has given you.} (An-Nur 24:33)

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silence is golden.

SPEAK A GOOD WORD OR REMAIN SILENT

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbor, and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quiet. (i.e. abstain from all kinds of evil and dirty talk).” [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book #75, Hadith #47]

The importance of this hadith

This hadith discusses some of the ways a Muslim’s faith should affect the way he relates to others. Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani writes: “This hadith speaks about three matters, and in doing so it brings together everything that good manners entail with respect to both word and deed.”

Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day…

This is a conditional sentence. It is repeated three times in this hadith, each time with a different condition. The first of these three conditions is to either speak a good word or remain silent, the second is to show hospitality to one’s neighbors, and the third is to show hospitality to one’s guests. This hadith is showing us that these three qualities are among the many qualities of faith. A person who fails to fulfill any of these conditions is a person whose faith is incomplete and in want of improvement.

Speaking a good word or remaining silent

This is an encouragement to speak what is good and beneficial; at the same time it is a warning, cautioning us to be careful in what we say, lest we say something that is harmful or false.

It is part of a Muslim’s faith to speak the truth and to say things that bring about benefit to others. Allah says: “O you who believe! Fear Allah and speak a word that is right. He will set right for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great achievement.” [Surah al-Ahzab : 70-71]

Allah informs us in the Quran some of what constitutes good in our speech and benefits other people. He says: “No good is there in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right, or bring reconciliation between people. And whoever does that seeking Allah’s pleasure, then we shall grant him a great reward.” [Surah al-Nisa' : 114]

When we have nothing beneficial to say, silence is golden.

Once, Mu`adh b. Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to inform him of some good work that would admit him into Paradise and distance him from the Hellfire. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mentioned to him the virtues of many good deeds, then said: “Shall I inform you of the foundation of all of that?”

Mu`adh said: “Certainly.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took hold of his tongue and said: “Restrain yourself from this.”

Mu`adh (may Allah be pleased with him) then asked: “O Prophet of Allah! Are we held to task for the things that we say?”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Mu`adh! Does anything topple people headlong into the Hellfire save the harvests of their tongues?” [Sunan al-Tirmidhi and Sunan Ibn Majah]

We should avoid speaking ill of others. We should rather remain silent unless we are seeking justice for some wrong that has been perpetrated against us. Allah says: “Allah does not like that evil should be mentioned in public except by one who has been done injustice. And Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.” [Surah al-Nisa' : 148]

Our tongues are like double-edges swords. They can work for us and against us, both in this world and the Hereafter. We will be held accountable for what we say. Allah tells us: “He does not utter a statement except that there is an observer by him ready to record it.” [Surah Qaf : 18]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Indeed a servant will speak a word pleasing to Allah that he thinks to be insignificant, but because of it Allah raises him by many degrees. And indeed a servant will speak a word displeasing to Allah that he thinks to be insignificant, but because of it, He will consign him to the Hellfire.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî ]

We must be vigilant not to speak falsehood. We must think about what we are saying and the possible consequences of our words before we go ahead and speak. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The servant speaks words that he does not understand its repercussions but he sinks down in Hell-Fire farther than the distance between the east and the west.” [Sahih Muslim, Book #042, Hadith #7121]

Al-Nawawi comments on the meaning of this hadith, saying: “This hadith encourages us to guard our tongues. A person who wants to speak should think upon what he is about to say before he utters it. If it then shows itself to have some benefit to it, he may speak it; otherwise he should refrain from doing so.”

Showing hospitality to the neighbor and the guest

From the perfection of a person’s faith is his showing kindness to those with whom he has dealings, especially his neighbors and his guests.

Allah says: “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and show kindness to parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, the near neighbor, the distant neighbor, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are conceited and boastful.” [Surah al-Nisa' : 36]

Islam emphasizes the right of the neighbor. Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Gabriel impressed upon me (the kind treatment) towards the neighbour (so much) that I thought as if he would soon confer upon him the (right) of inheritance.” [Sahih Muslim, Book #032, Hadith #6356]

There are many forms that this hospitality can take. It can take the form of help in times of need. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “He is not a believer who lets himself be satiated while his neighbor goes hungry.” [Mustadrak al-Hakim]

It can mean making allowances for the neighbor’s needs, even by waiving some of one’s own rights.  Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “None among you should prevent his neighbour from fixing a beam in his wall.” [Sahih Muslim, Book #010, Hadith #3918]

It can take the form of gift giving. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “O Muslim women! None of you should look down upon the gift sent by her she-neighbour even if it were the trotters of the sheep (fleshless part of legs).” [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book #73, Hadith #46]

Islam teaches us to be generous and hospitable to those who come to us as guests. Indeed, those who come to our homes have a right over us.

Abu Shuraih Al-Adawi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that:

“My ears heard and my eyes saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spoke, “Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his neighbor generously, and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should serve his guest generously by giving him his reward.”

It was asked. “What is his reward, O Allah’s Apostle?”

He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “(To be entertained generously) for a day and a night with high quality of food and the guest has the right to be entertained for three days (with ordinary food) and if he stays longer, what he will be provided with will be regarded as Sadaqa (a charitable gift). And anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quite (i.e. abstain from all kinds of dirty and evil talks).” [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book #73, Hadith #48]

ldquo;Indeed a servant will speak a word pleasing to Allah that he thinks to be insignificant, but because of it Allah raises him by many degrees. And indeed a servant will speak a word displeasing to Allah that he thinks to be insignificant, but because of it, He will consign him to the Hellfire.

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Body and Soul

Food and drink have direct effect on our health. That is why Islam has prescribed regulations about our food and drink. It lays great emphasis on our physical as well as moral health, because both of these are equally important for a healthy society. The abstention from eating pork is one of the steps taken by Islam to practise hygiene and to attain purity of soul. 

Islam, for the cultivation of inner faculties, insists upon the cleanliness of body and the purification of soul through Salaat (prayers) Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and other devotional duties. Islam teaches us how to attain the virtues and how to give up bad habits because both good and bad grow in the man according to his upbringing, education and environment. 

A human being has natural desires: food, sleep and sex being the three primary ones. He has also other natural emotions: sorrow, happiness, love, fear, disgust and avarice etc. Islam doesn't recommend the complete abrogation of these impulses but offers a method of controlling them through religious education and discipline. 

The prohibition of eating pork in Islam is relevant in this context. There is a saying in English that "a man becomes what he eats." According to physicians and medical experts, pork is a harmful diet. Consumption of swine-flesh creates lowliness in character and destroys moral and spiritual faculties in a man. 

Body and Soul 

The life of a man is a compound of body and soul. Anything, which is harmful for the body, hurts the soul as well. Consumption of swine-flesh reduces the feeling of shame and as such the standard of modesty. Those nations, which consume pork habitually, have a low standard of morality with the result that virginity, chastity and bashfulness are becoming a thing of the past in Europe today. The number of unwed mothers is on the increase despite of the use of pills and other contraceptives. 

According to a report, 60 to 70% of girls in Sweden become mothers before marriage. The formula of "skin to skin is no sin" is taking its toll but there is hardly any feeling of shame or remorse over the end-result. Since the European nations have become addicted to wine and pork, sexual freedom with all its attendant evils has got ingrained in their culture. Consequently, homosexuality has been legalized by the British Parliament. 

The Holy Qur'an has prohibited the swine-flesh, hence the Muslims would not dare touch it. The Bible has also forbidden swine-flesh, but Christians disregarded this order and started consuming it. The Europeans now proclaim that pork is a very powerful diet, rich in protein. Some of them further argue that since there is a great scarcity of food-stuff in the world and swines are available in abundant quantity, they should be consumed in the diet to overcome the food shortage. If this argument is true, why don't they use dog's meat as dogs too are available in abundance? The Europeans perhaps hate the mere mention of dog's meat in the same way as the Muslims shun pork. 

Another wrong notion about swine-flesh is that its consumption lengthens life-span, although this is a pure myth and absurdity. On the contrary, people, who abstain from pork and liquor, have a longer span of life. The Muslims in Central Asia bear a testimony to this truth. 

However, in the consumption of flesh Muslims are required to be selective and to distinguish between Halaal (Lawful) and Haraam (Unlawful). This step leads automatically to the deeper understanding of the need for the cultivation of a pure human nature. As blood is virtually our life-stream and whatever we consume ultimately affects the blood system, it is, therefore, necessary to exercise choice in the selection of our food and drinks as part of the requirements of the Shariah. 

There are certain food and drinks specified by Allah, and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as forbidden. The prohibition of these food and drinks is not by any means an arbitrary action or an unwarranted decree of Allah. It is the first and foremost a divine intervention in the best interest of man and for his own benefit. 

The reasons behind the Divine intervention are numerous. They are of a nature intellectual and spiritual, moral and mental, physical and economic. And the sole purpose is to show man how to develop himself according to an upright course of life in order to be a healthy unit in the structure of the family, then of society and eventually of humanity at large. 

Reliable medical doctors and social scientists are able to realize how those food and drinks forbidden by Islam are harmful and destructive to the human spirit and morality as well as to the physique and moral fibre of man and to verify the benefits of Islamic legislations on the subjects. 

The prohibition is based on the aim of the purification of one's nature, because food, when consumed, doesn't merely enter the stomach and intestines and become excreta. It is absorbed and metabolized into the system and circulated to all parts of the human body, including the brain, and this in no small way affects man's nature. 

Take a look at the nature of the pig for example. The pig is naturally lazy and indulgent in sex, it is dirty, greedy and gluttonous. It dislikes sunlight and lacks the spirit and will to "fight." It eats almost anything, be it human excreta or anything foul and unwholesome. Amongst all animal flesh, pork is the favoured cradle of harmful germs. Pork also serves as a carrier of diseases to mankind. It is for this reason that its flesh is not suitable for consumption. 

Some people have argued that the "modern pig" reared in farms is given only clean foods, therefore, its flesh should be consumable. The answer is that you may feed the pig on clean, wholesome food, but you can't change its nature. It is still a pig and will always stay so. A pig is not a plant and you cannot change it by bud-grafting. 

Medical Reports 

Dr. E. Kazim. M.D. in his article "Medical aspects of forbidden foods in Islam" (July 1981 issue of Muslim Journal has described diseases carried or caused by the flesh of the swine. 

He writes: 

The pig is a scavenger. It is an omnivorous animal. It eats everything. There are many diseases carried from swine to man, particularly parasite infestations. Lately extensive research has been focused on senility-old age is characterized by hardening of inner lining of the blood vessels of the heart, brain etc. a process called atheroselerosis. When a clot forms, it results in coronary thrombosis or a heart attack, cerebral thrombosis or stroke. 

Different dietary factors are responsible for atheroselerosis. Gross atheroma may be produced in rabbit by feeding it with cholesterol, but when you add lard (derived from hog fat) to the cholesterol, the incidence of atheroma is increased and thus you would produce coronary thrombosis, and myocardial infraction. 

Besides, lard contains 2800 units of vitamin D per 100 grams and no vitamin A at all. Lately vitamin D has been held responsible for atheroma, by causing increased absorption of calcium in the blood vessels. In human beings, serum cholesterol is not dependent on the intake of cholesterol in the diet, but depends upon the proportion of animal fats in the diet, which elevates the beta-lipo protein level in the blood. Animal fats contain saturated fatty acids and these saturated fatty acids have been found to be as one of the causes of atheroma in man. Medium fat bacon contains 25% proteins and 55% fat. 

According to medical research, the fat content in pork is more than any other meat (beef, mutton etc.) and it takes longer to digest. Dr. M Jaffer in an article in the Islamic Review (London) of January 1997 issue has listed 16 kinds of harmful germs, which have been discovered in pork in modern researches and the diseases, which could be caused by them. The number of patients suffering from tapeworm disease is the highest in the world among pork eating nations. Other diseases attributed to pigs are caused by tri-chinelia spirates and intestinal worms occupy first place among such nations too. 

Dr. Glen Shepherd wrote the following on the dangers of eating pork in Washington Post (31 May 1952). 

"One in six people in USA and Canada have germs in their muscles - trichinosis 8 from eating pork infected with trichina worms. Many people who are infected shows no symptoms. Most of those, who do have, recover slowly. Some die; some are reduced to permanent invalids. All were careless pork caters". 

He continued "No one is immune from the disease and there is no cure. Neither antibiotics nor drugs or vaccines affect these tiny deadly worms. Preventing infection is the real answer." 

After reading the statement of Dr. Shepherd, one can realize that there is no real guarantee of safety when eating pork that one would not be affected by trichina worm. That is why modern doctors advise three prohibitions during illness: no liquor, no pork and no smoking. 

Muslims follow the divine law which is much higher than the medical advice. The Glorious Qur'an says, "So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, Lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (16:114-115) 

The above is the order from the Creator of the universe and the Supreme Law-Giver. All Muslims are under the obligation to obey it. This is a plain and straightforward answer to those, who usually ask why Muslims abstain from eating pork. Nevertheless, there is no sin, if a Muslims is forced by famine or starvation to eat pork in 
order to save his life.
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Taharah and spiritual purity in Islam

al and physical cleanliness called Taharah. The nearest meaning of Taharah in the English language is “purity.” But it also includes essence of cleanliness ablution as well as sanctity.Islam deals with hygiene as part of an overall scheme of ritual, spiritu

Human beings are born in a state of purity. Indeed, 

Islam bases the concept of purity on the natural disposition of the human being. While people generally consider cleanliness a desirable attribute, Islam insists on it, making it an indispensable fundamental of the Faith. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “Purity is half of Faith and the praise of Allah fills the scale.” [Muslim]

Maintaining the purity is the goal of Muslims which can only be achieved by total adherence to the guidance of Islam. In fact, inseparable from prayers in Islam is purity as Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “No prayer is accepted without purification, and no charity is accepted from earnings made from impermissible sources.” [Muslim]

From an Islamic perspective, purification is a manifestation of both ritual purification (outer cleanliness) and spiritual purity (internal purification of the heart).

      (1) Ritual purification or Physical cleanliness: It refers to cleanliness of the human body and the surrounding environment from perceptible filth. Cleanliness from physical impurities is required by Islam to be observed by each and every Muslim in his/her daily life. Apart from body, Islam requires a Muslim to keep his clothes, houses and streets clean.

Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an, “O children of ‘Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.” [surah: Al-A’raaf, ayah: 31]

Muslims are asked to use clean water and keep it safe from impurities and pollution. Ridding the streets of impurities and filth is considered as a charity. Prophet Muhammad (saw) strictly warned against it, saying, “Beware of the three acts that cause others to curse you: relieving yourselves in a watering place, on foot paths or shaded places.” [Abu Dawood]

In view of the significance of ritual purification in Islam, Muslims should have the highest standard of cleanliness and personal hygiene of all the people in the world. But it is highly regrettable that the heap of garbage has become an identity of Muslim homes and localities. The Muslim majority areas are marked with unhygienic and unhealthy conditions.

Cleanliness is the pathway to health and strength. Islam wants a healthy and strong Muslim society which is immune against infectious diseases and is capable of understanding and applying God’s message and carrying it away to the whole world. We, as parents and guardians, are responsible in teaching our kids about purity and cleanliness from their very young age.

      (2) Spiritual purity: This means that one is free from polytheism, hypocrisy and ill manners, love of wealth, love of fame and other carnal desires. The emphasis in Islam is more on the cleanliness of the inner-self that is heart, mind and soul. Islam stresses the need for integrity and warding off all negative attributes such as stinginess, envy and hatred. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “Do not envy one another, nor hate one another, nor leave one another in lurch. Take the servants of Allah as brethren.” [Muslim]

Modesty in dress, for men as well as for women, assists one in maintaining purity of thought. The directives of Zakah and Fasting are nothing but to purify ones wealth and soul.

The external cleaning process and rituals in reality are the preparatory ground work to obtain the more important task and that is cleanliness of the inner-self, which is the ultimate goal of the religion. A pure mind in a pure body is the watchword of Islam.

Body cleanliness, heart purity and integrity bring Muslim closer to Allah Almighty Who bestows upon him His love, acceptance and forgiveness in addition to earning the respect and love of human beings.

May Allah help us to be among His pure servants and help us to obey Him.

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Purity in Islam

Cleanliness and purification is one of the great privileges of Islam. It has evolved a wonderful system that encompasses Muslim life on individual and social levels. Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness, in both physical and spiritual terms. The attention to hygiene is the aspect, which has been an unknown concern in any other religion or philosophy before Islam.

While people generally consider cleanliness a desirable attribute, Islam insists on it, making it an indispensable fundamental of faith. Cleanliness is an essential part of Islamic life and in fact the meaning and spirit behind the concept of cleanliness is much beyond the superficial concept of the conventional cleanliness.

In the Holy Quran, there are a number of verses that shed light at the importance of cleanliness: "Truly, Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean." (Al Baqarah 2:222)

At another place Allah says: “In it (mosque) are men who love to clean and to purify themselves. And Allah loves those who make themselves clean and pure.” (9:108).

Cleanliness and purity has been emphasized by various means in hundreds of Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In a Hadith he said: Cleanliness is half of faith. (Sahih Muslim Book 2, Number 0432)

The importance of cleanliness can be estimated from the fact that the books of Hadith as well as the Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) start with a chapter on cleanliness.

There are two terms used in Islamic literature: taharah and nazafah. Taharah (Cleanliness from physical impurities) is required by Islam to be observed by each and every Muslim in his and her daily life while nazafah (neatness) is a desirable attribute.

There are two kinds of cleanliness; physical and spiritual. As far as physical cleanliness is concerned, it is of two types. One which is related to human body and the other is related to environment, water, house, road and public places.

Muslims are required to observe cleanliness from the excretions of the penis, vagina or anus. Semen, sperm, urine, menstruation, vaginal fluid, stool and blood are impure and require compulsory modes of cleanliness. Muslims wash their genitals after passing urine and secretion and take bath every time they have intercourse with their mates. Muslims also enjoined to use water, not paper or anything else after eliminating body wastes [you can use toilet paper but on its own it is not enough to clean yourself]. Muslims are categorically prohibited to have sex with their wives during their menses.

A Muslim is obliged to make ablution if exposed to minor impurities. This means he must wash off those parts of the body (like hand, feet, face, nostrils etc) which are commonly exposed to dust, dirt and environmental pollution.

Before every prayer (at least five times a day) and before recital of the Quran, Muslims are asked to perform this ablution. Likewise, Muslims are enjoined to have a Ghusl (bathe) after ejaculation, sexual intercourse, menstruation and puerperium. While at many other occasions, bathing is recommended as for Friday prayer, festival days, in Hajj etc.

Muslims are duty bound to keep the nails clipped, to remove hair from the armpit and from the pubic area as a matter of routine practice.

Muslim males are required to get circumcised to avoid even faint traces of urine entrapped in the foreskin of the genitals. They are also instructed to trim their moustaches in order to avert oral intakes.

Islam has directed attention in taking care of mouth by using any purifying agent like miswak. Brushing the teeth (once or twice a day) is very recent development of near past, but Muslims are accustomed this herbal brush for the past 1400 years, five times a day prior to each ablution. There are a number of Hadith that lay special stress on cleaning the teeth, hands and hair.

Apart from body, Islam requires a Muslim to keep his clothes, houses and streets clean. In fact a Muslim cannot offer his prayers with unclean body, clothes or using dirty premises. They are asked to use clean water and keep it safe from impurities and pollution. The particular chapter of Taharah starts with the classification of water and goes on to describe how water gets impure or polluted.

Moreover, Islam instructed Muslims to maintain the cleanliness of the roads and streets. This is considered a charity to ridding the streets of impurities and filth.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) strictly warned against it and considered it one of the reasons to provoke Allah's curse and the people's curse, saying: "Beware of the three acts that cause others to curse you: relieving yourselves in a watering place, on foot paths or shaded places." (Abu Dawud, No 26)

Apart from physical cleanliness, Islam emphasizes on spiritual cleanliness. This means that one is free from polytheism, hypocrisy and ill manners, love of wealth, love of fame and other carnal desires.

The emphasis in Islam is more on the cleanliness of the inner-self that is heart, mind and soul. The external cleaning process and rituals in reality are the preparatory ground work to obtain the more important task and that is cleanliness of the inner-self, which is the ultimate goal of the religion.

Islam requires the sincere believer to sanitize and purify his entire way of life. The directives of Zakah (alms) and fasting are nothing but to purify ones wealth and soul.

Cleanliness is the pathway to health and strength. Islam wants a healthy and strong Muslim society which is immune against infectious diseases and is capable of understanding and applying God's message and carrying it away to the whole world.

The Holy Quran says: You are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing In Allah. (Surah Aal-Imran, 3/110)