Author: Mufti Obaidullah Noorzahi
Crises of Liberalism in the Contemporary World (Part 17)
Freedom of Belief
Among the various aspects of individual freedom, freedom of belief is one of the most central and essential issues. It has long been the subject of debate and controversy between proponents and opponents regarding Islam’s perspective on this matter. Freedom in choosing thoughts, maintaining one’s beliefs, practicing religious rituals and traditions, and promoting one’s faith are all considered subsets of freedom of thought and belief. The perspectives put forth by Muslim scholars regarding freedom of belief can, in general (despite minor differences), be divided into two categories, each of which provides Quranic and Hadith-based evidence to support the validity of its view:
1. Affirmationists:
This group believes that freedom in choosing one’s belief is among the most essential human rights and should not be subjected to any form of coercion or compulsion.
2. Negationists:
According to this view, among all the diverse beliefs and ideologies, only one can be true and in harmony with reality, leading a person toward perfection and salvation. Therefore, a human being cannot and should not consider themselves free to choose from a range of conflicting ideologies. If someone does so, others are responsible for guiding them toward the correct belief and preventing them from going astray.
Quranic Evidence for the Affirmationists
The first group—supporters of freedom of belief in Islam—argue that:
First: Compulsion and coercion in accepting ideas and beliefs are neither logically conceivable nor reasonable, since belief is an internal and heartfelt matter that stems from love, reasoning, and persuasion. Coercion in belief yields the opposite result. They refer to a group of Quranic verses and prophetic traditions, some of which are as follows:
1. (ادْعُ إِلى سَبيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَ الْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَ جادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ) Translation: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in the best manner.” [1]
2. (قُلْ هذِهِ سَبيلي أَدْعُوا إِلَى الله عَلى بَصيرَةٍ أَنَا وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَني وَ سُبْحانَ الله وَ ما أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكينَ) Translation: “Say: This is my way; I call to Allah with insight—I and those who follow me. Glory be to Allah! And I am not of the polytheists.” [2]
3. (أَفَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ) Translation: “Will you then compel people until they become believers?” [3]
4. (لا إِكْراهَ فِي الدِّينِ قَدْ تَبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ…) Translation: “There is no compulsion in religion. Truth has become distinct from error. so, whoever disbelieves in false gods and believes in Allah has certainly grasped the firmest handhold.” [4]
Some religious scholars interpret this verse as a denial of forced religion, arguing that religion is a matter of knowledge and belief and thus resides in the heart and soul—areas beyond the reach of compulsion or coercion. They further add that this verse, contrary to the assumption of some misinformed scholars who cite verses of Jihad and claim that Islam is a religion of the sword, proves that Islam was not established on the basis of blood and warfare.
Freedom of belief is the first and most basic right that a human possesses simply because they are human. Therefore, denying someone the freedom of belief is tantamount to stripping them of their humanity. If choosing one’s belief is a free act, then the right to promote that belief and be safe from persecution is also guaranteed. Without the ability to promote a belief, there would be no practical meaning to the freedom of thought or belief.
5. (إِنَّا هَدَيْناهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شاكِراً وَإِمَّا كَفُوراً) Translation: “We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.” [5]
6. (وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ شاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِنْ وَمَنْ شاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ) Translation: “Say: The truth is from your Lord. Let him who will believe and let him who will disbelieve.” [6]
7. (وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ… الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ…) Translation: “And those who avoid Taghut (false gods) and turn to Allah—for them is glad tidings. So give good news to My servants—those who listen to the word and follow the best of it. Those are the ones Allah has guided, and those are people of understanding.” [7]
This verse clearly emphasizes that people should be free to listen to different viewpoints and choose the best among them. Without freedom of expression, this verse becomes void in practice—since multiple ideas and the ability to express them must exist for people to choose the best.
Evidence for the Negationists
The supporters of the second opinion refer to two categories of Quranic verses and texts.
The first category includes verses like:
1. (إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلامُ…) Translation: “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them—out of envy among themselves.” [8]
2. (أَفَغَيْرَ دينِ الله يَبْغُونَ…) Translation: “Do they seek a religion other than Allah’s, while to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned?” [9]
Some interpreters who support this theory allow the use of force (e.g., the sword) to compel people toward accepting the correct belief, interpreting “compulsion” in these verses as legislative rather than ontological. On the other hand, advocates of belief freedom interpret compulsion as natural (i.e., contrary to the structure of creation).
The second group of verses referenced by this side includes those related to Jihad and fighting disbelievers. They argue that since disbelief, polytheism, and spreading corruption are reasons cited in the Qur’an for prescribing Jihad, then as long as these causes exist, warfare remains justified to eliminate false beliefs. These interpretations have led some Orientalists to claim that Islam lacks freedom of belief.
From this viewpoint, the verses that refer to human free will and choice have been abrogated by the verses of warfare and Jihad.
However, supporters of the first view argue that verses about Jihad were revealed to remove the obstacles in the way of spreading Islamic ideas and to defend the early Muslims who freely embraced Islam and believed in it sincerely. During that time, the Quraysh persecuted the new Muslims to force them to renounce their faith and actively prevented the propagation of Islam. In response, the verses of warfare were revealed to grant permission to defend freedom of belief and expression. Hence, all verses about Jihad and fighting are seen as liberating messages—not suppressive ones. The continuation of the Jihad injunction in Islamic Sharia is conditional upon the recurrence of similar oppressive circumstances.
Continues…
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References:
[1] – Surah An-Nahl, Verse: 125
[2] – Surah Yusuf, Verse: 108
[3] – Surah Yunus, Verse: 99
[4] – Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse: 226
[5] – Surah Al-Insan, Verse: 3
[6] – Surah Al-Insan, Verse: 3
[7] – Surah Az-Zumar, Verses: 17–18
[8] – Surah Aal-E-Imran, Verse: 19
[9] – Surah Aal-E-Imran, Verse: 83
