THE MOTIVES BEHIND MUSLIM CONQUESTS
By and large, Islam was not revealed to the tribe of Quraysh or to Arabs exclusively. Islam was revealed to guide humanity in its entirety. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“We have not sent thee hut as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not. ” (Saba’: 28)
and “We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.” (Al- Anbiyaa1: 107)
Though the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, spent thirteen years in Makkah calling unto its people to embrace Islam, and ten years in Madeenah calling unto Arabs in general, along with non-Arabs, to worship their Sole Creator, and fighting whoever tried to stand in his way, he constantly focused on the universality of Islam even in Muslims’ darkest hours. For instance, when Khabbaab Ibn Al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, spoke to him complaining about the severe torture Quraysh inflicted on them, the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him, answered: “I swear by Allah that He will see this call through until the day comes when a traveler would journey from San ‘aa’ to Hadramawt fearing none but Allah and the wolf lest it should devour his sheep, but you are impatient.“
Also, during the battle of the Trench, while Muslims were busy digging a trench round Madeenah, the Prophet pointed to his companions that the call to Islam is for the whole of mankind. lie also foretold that the Muslim state will extend to include the lands of the Persians and the Romans. He, peace and blessings be upon him, said that the light that glimmered from the rock that he hit showed him palaces of Khosrau, the Romans and Basrah. He also said that Gabriel told him that his nation will have the upper hand over them.
Consequently, once the Prophet made peace with Quraysh, he began to send messengers outside the Arab Peninsula, calling Khosrau, Caesar, rulers of Basrah, Egypt and Abyssinia to worship Allah and embrace Islam. He warned them that if they turned down his call, they would thus be committing a huge sin as they would have prevented the call for the truth from reaching their nations.
Afterwards, he sent out a campaign to the outskirts of Syria where the battle of Mu’lab took place. Further, at the age of sixty, Prophet Muhammad went out to Tabook in order to practically show Muslims the way to call to Islam so long as rulers and kings stood in the way of messengers and would not let the words of truth find their way to the masses.
The Prophet was hence setting an example for all Muslims who were to shoulder the responsibility of spreading Islam all around the globe in order to comply with Allah’s words when He says:
“Thus have We made of you an Ummah justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves. ” (Al-Baqarah: 143 ) and
“And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive, (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you} and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the cult of your father Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation); that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and ye be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector- the best to protect and the best to help!” (AI- Hajj: 78)
Therefore, when Muslims managed to unite under the banner of Islam and annihilate apostasy in the Arabian Peninsula, their next goal was to spread Islam throughout the world. That was indeed one of the prime motives behind Muslim conquests.
Aims of Muslim conquests
The basic aim of Muslim conquests was to spread the call to Islam to all nations in all lands, away from all forms of coercion, and to conquer tyrannical rulers who would adamantly stand in its way.
When reviewing Muslim conquests that took place between Muslims and other nations, whether at its outset, during its peak, or towards its end, we realize that they were all based on one and the same principle: calling on people to embrace Islam, or to enter into a peace agreement and lead a dignified life under the protection of Muslims. If they rejected both options, war would be the only choice left.
This is illustrated in the words of Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed to the ruler of Al-I]ayrah when he said: “I call on you to worship Allah and embrace Islam. Should you accept our call, you become Muslims enjoying the same rightrand shouldering the same responsibilities. Should you reject; you have to pay the Jizyah. Should you refuse to pay the Jizyah, you will have to face men who are keener on death than you are on life. We will fight you till Allah’s word comes to pass between us.” Similarly, Khalid always had his army leaders call on people to embrace Islam first before battling with them. This is best expressed in the message he sent to rulers of Persia which read: “In the Name of Allah. Most Gracious, Most Merciful, from Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed to (he ruler of Persia: embrace Islam in order to live in peace. If you do not, you will live under my protection in return for the Jizyah. Otherwise, you are up against people who love death just as much as you love wine.”
Added to the above-mentioned aim is another, namely, securing the yet budding Muslim state against the evil plots concocted by its enemies who were secretly lurking waiting to make their move, mainly the Persians, the Romans and others.
It therefore becomes obvious that coercion was never the way to embrace Islam. True belief has to be based on total and complete conviction. Swords were unsheathed only to open the way for the call to the truth. Forces of evil embodied in the tyrannical kings and rulers had to be driven off the road in order for their peoples to see the bright light of day.
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.)
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.