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Verse (
ayah) 256 of
Al-Baqara
Al-Baqara, alternatively transliterated Al-Baqarah ( ar, الْبَقَرَة, ; "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), is the second and longest chapter (''surah'') of the Quran. It consists of 286 verses ('' āyāt'') which begin with the " mysterio ...
is a very famous verse in the
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic scripture, the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
.
[Mustansir Mir (2008), ''Understanding the Islamic Scripture'', p. 54. ]Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
. . The verse includes the phrase that "there is no compulsion in religion".
[.] 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.
This verse comes right after the
Throne Verse
The Throne verse ( ar, آيَةُ ٱلْكُرْسِيِّ, ''Ayat Al-Kursi'') is the 255th verse of the 2nd chapter of the Quran, Al-Baqarah ( Q2:255). The verse speaks about how nothing and nobody is regarded to be comparable to Allah.
Thi ...
.
The overwhelming majority of Muslim scholars consider that verse to be a
Medinan one,
John Esposito
John Louis Esposito (born May 19, 1940) is an Italian-American academic, professor of Middle Eastern and religious studies, and scholar of Islamic studies, who serves as Professor of Religion, International Affairs, and Islamic Studies at Geor ...
(2011), ''What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam'', p. 91. Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
. .[ Sir Thomas Walker Arnold (1913), ''Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith'', p. 6. Constable.] when Muslims lived in their period of political ascendance,
["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
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, 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)
and to be non
abrogated,
[Richard Curtis (2010), ''Reasonable Perspectives on Religion'', p. 204. Lexington Books. . 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)] including
Ibn Taymiyya
Ibn Taymiyyah (January 22, 1263 – September 26, 1328; ar, ابن تيمية), birth name Taqī ad-Dīn ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn ʿAbd al-Salām al-Numayrī al-Ḥarrānī ( ar, تقي الدين أحمد بن عبد الحليم ...
,
Ibn Taymiyya
Ibn Taymiyyah (January 22, 1263 – September 26, 1328; ar, ابن تيمية), birth name Taqī ad-Dīn ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn ʿAbd al-Salām al-Numayrī al-Ḥarrānī ( ar, تقي الدين أحمد بن عبد الحليم ...
, ''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, ..."
Ibn Qayyim
Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ayyūb al-Zurʿī l-Dimashqī l-Ḥanbalī (29 January 1292–15 September 1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH), commonly known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya ("The son of the principal of he school ...
,
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ayyūb al-Zurʿī l-Dimashqī l-Ḥanbalī (29 January 1292–15 September 1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH), commonly known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya ("The son of the principal of he school ...
, ''Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma'', pp.21-22. Al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
,
Al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
, '' Jāmiʿ al-bayān ʿan ta'wīl āy al-Qur'ān'' 4, Dar Hajar, 2001, p.553. Abi ʿUbayd,
[Abi ʿUbayd, ''Kitab al-Nasikh wa al-Mansukh'', p.282.] Al-Jaṣṣās
Al-Jaṣṣās (, 305 AH/917 AD - 370 AH/981 AD; full name ''Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Rāzī al-Jaṣṣāṣ'') was a Hanafite scholar, Jonathan A.C. Brown (2007), ''The Canonization of al-Bukhārī and Muslim: The Formation and Function ...
,
[Al-Jaṣṣās, ''Aḥkām al-Qur'ān'' 2, p.168.] Makki bin Abi Talib,
[Makki bin Abi Talib, ''al-Idah li Nasikh al-Qur'an wa Mansukhih'', p. 194.] Al-Nahhas,
[Abu Jaʿfar al-Nahhas, ''al-Nasikh wa al-Mansukh fi al-Quran al-Karim'', p.259.] Ibn Jizziy,
Al-Suyuti
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti ( ar, جلال الدين السيوطي, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī) ( 1445–1505 CE),; (Brill 2nd) or Al-Suyuti, was an Arab Egyptian polymath, Islamic scholar, historian, Sufi, and jurist. From a family of Persian or ...
,
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti ( ar, جلال الدين السيوطي, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī) ( 1445–1505 CE),; (Brill 2nd) or Al-Suyuti, was an Arab Egyptian polymath, Islamic scholar, historian, Sufi, and jurist. From a family of Persian o ...
, ''Al-Itqān fi ʿUlum al-Qur’an'' 2. p.22-24. Ibn Ashur,
[ Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur, ]
Al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir
, (2:256)
Mustafa Zayd,
[Mustafa Zayd, ''al-Naskh fi al-Qur'an al-Karim'' 2, p.510. Dar al-Wafa'. Quote: "تبطل دعوى النسخ في قوله جل تناؤه:
]
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ
: ٢٥٦ في سورة البقرة." and many others.
[Muhammad S. Al-Awa (1993), ''Punishment in Islamic Law'', p.51. US American Trust Publications. .] 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,
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
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
.
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.
David Ray Griffin
David Ray Griffin (August 8, 1939 – November 26, 2022) was an American professor of philosophy of religion and theology and a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.Sources describing David Ray Griffin as a "conspiracy theorist", "conspiracist", "conspirac ...
(2005), ''Deep Religious Pluralism'', p.159. Westminster John Knox Press. .
Text and meaning
Text and transliteration
*
Hafs
Abū Amr Ḥafṣ ibn Sulaymān ibn al-Mughīrah ibn Abi Dawud al-Asadī al-Kūfī ( ar, أبو عمرو حفص بن سليمان بن المغيرة الأسدي الكوفي), better known as Hafs (706–796 CE; 90–180 AH according to the Is ...
from
Aasim ibn Abi al-Najud
Abu Bakr ‘Aasim Ibn Abi al-Najud al-'Asadi (d. 127AH/745CE),Shady Hekmat NasserIbn Mujahid and the Canonization of the Seven Readings p. 57. Taken from ''The Transmission of the Variant Readings of the Qur'an: The Problem of Tawaatur and the Eme ...
*
Warsh
Abu Sa'id Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qutbi, better known as Warsh (110-197AH), was a significant figure in the history of Quranic recitation (''qira'at''), the canonical methods of reciting the Qur'an. Alongside Qalun, he was one of the two primary ...
from
Nafiʽ al-Madani
Abu Ruwaym Ibn Abd ar-Rahman Ibn Abi Naim al-Laythi ()(70-169AH), better known as Nafi al-Madani, was one of the transmitters of the seven canonical Qira'at, or methods of reciting the Qur'an. Outside of Egypt, his method of Qur'an recitation is t ...
Meanings
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.
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.
There shall be no compulsion in
cceptance ofthe religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And is Hearing and Knowing.
Context
According to some commentators, the verse was only directed towards a small group of residents of Medina. During the time of prophet, a boy from one of the Muslim families, who had been educated in the town's Jewish schools, decided to depart with the Jewish tribe being expelled from Medina. His distraught parents were told by the Prophet in this verse that they could not compel their son to stay.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Yusuf al-Qaradawi ( ar, يوسف القرضاوي, translit=Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī; or ''Yusuf al-Qardawi''; 9 September 1926 – 26 September 2022) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar based in Doha, Qatar, and chairman of the International Union of ...
, ''Ayat al-Sayf'', pp.50-51.
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".
Al-Wahidi
Occasions or circumstances of revelation ( ''al-nuzūl'', ) names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is ...
''Asbab Al-Nuzul'', (2:256).
/ref>
In all cases, following the famous maxim (''Consideration is granted to the Generality of the Language, not to the Specificity of the Reason or Revelation') it is concluded that the verse is general in meaning, and thus the verse has been understood over the centuries as a general command that people cannot be forced to convert to Islam.[ 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."]
Discussion
Relevance to apostasy
According to Khaled Abou El Fadl
Khaled Abou el Fadl ( ar, خالد أبو الفضل, ) (born October 23, 1963) is the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law where he has taught courses on International Human Rights, Islamic jurisprude ...
, and other scholars such as S. A. Rahman, the phrase "there is no compulsion in religion" from verse Q.2:256 enunciates a general, overriding principle that cannot be contradicted by isolated traditions attributed to the Prophet and that the verse indicates that Quran never intended a punishment for apostasy in this life.
Other Islamic scholars disagree. First, the "no compulsion" phrase should not be used out of context and all exegesis
Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...
of Quran that is "linear-atomistic" analysis of one small phrase in one verse is flawed. The complete verse and nearby verses 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 nsar of Medinawho had a black boy called Subayh whom he used to coerce to become Muslim". 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 ye no excuses: ye have rejected Faith after ye had accepted it. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you, for that they are in sin.", As well as "Say, "The truth is from your Lord": Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it): ...", "And if your Lord had pleased, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them; will you then force men till they become believers?", "Therefore do remind, for you are only a reminder. You are not a watcher over them;", "He said: "O my people! See ye if (it be that) I have a Clear Sign from my Lord, and that He hath sent Mercy unto me from His own presence, but that the Mercy hath been obscured from your sight? shall we compel you to accept it when ye are averse to it?". 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. 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. Moreover, Muslim scholars have established the abrogated verses and Q.2:256 isn't among them. Finally, to understand the Quran, the sayings and actions of Muhammad as recorded in Hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
collections are considered by Islamic scholars. Taken together, the vast majority of Islamic scholars of every fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh.
The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
have traditionally held with the position that there should be punishment for apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam ( ar, ردة, or , ) is commonly defined as the abandonment of Islam by a Muslims, Muslim, in thought, word, or through deed. An apostate from Islam is referred to by using the Arabic language, Arabic and Glossary of Islam ...
.[Abdul Rashied Omar (2009), "The Right to Religious Conversion: Between Apostasy and Proselytization", in Peace-Building by, between, and beyond Muslim and Evangelical Christians, Editors: Abu-Nimer, Mohammed and David Augsburger, Lexington, pages 179-194]
Ibn Kathir's interpretation
The Quran commentator (''Muffasir'') Ibn Kathir
Abū al-Fiḍā’ ‘Imād ad-Dīn Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Qurashī al-Damishqī (Arabic: إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير القرشي الدمشقي أبو الفداء عماد; – 1373), known as Ibn Kathīr (, was ...
, a Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
, 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,
Kashani's interpretation
Kashani, a Shi'i
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
,SHI'ITE COMMENTATORS (MUFASSIRIN) AND THEIR COMMENTARIES (TAFSIRS)
The Principles Of Shi'i Tafsir And The Relation Between The Imams(a.s) And The Qur'an interprets Q.2:256 as follows
Verses relating to Quran 2:256
A number of verses relate to Quran 2:256 and this includes,
These verses indicate that compulsion is strictly prohibited.
See also
*Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam ( ar, ردة, or , ) is commonly defined as the abandonment of Islam by a Muslims, Muslim, in thought, word, or through deed. An apostate from Islam is referred to by using the Arabic language, Arabic and Glossary of Islam ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Quranic verses
Al-Baqara
Sharia