Was Islam Spread by the Sword? 

Islam is a religion of just under 2 billion people today. It is 1400 years old, and has spread via multiple avenues. It would be a tall claim if one were to allege that all these people became Muslim just at the point of a sword. But then, how did Islam spread? Most notably, Islam spread in the areas which came to be ruled by an Islamic Empire spread over 3 continents.

In the areas where Muslims ruled, people were exposed to Islam as a liberator from their previous imperial masters. With its message of equality for all people and justice for the downtrodden, it is no surprise that people slowly began to adopt it as their own way of life. This is particularly so as it was the religion of the people of influence, and throughout history, human beings have flocked to follow and emulate people they see as having influence and authority. At the same time, for many people, it may have been advantageous to become Muslim. A Muslim would no longer be liable to pay the Jizyah tax (though he would then have to pay Zakah if able) and might find more opportunities open up for him in society. A slave-master might be more inclined to emancipate a Muslim slave than a non-Muslim one.

Within and even beyond the borders of the Muslim empire, Muslims never stopped doing Da’wah, which is calling others to the path of Allah, and this bore fruit both inside and outside of the Muslim borders. Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines were never invaded by Muslim forces, yet had sizable Muslim populations. Similarly, many countries lived for hundreds or even a thousand years under Muslim rule and yet, maintained thriving non-Muslim communities. Muslim lands tended to be known as highly diverse places, where people
from different religions lived and practiced their faith in relative freedom and having no fear of being persecuted, in line with Islamic teachings that are best exemplified in the Qur’anic injunction, “Let there be no compulsion in religion.”

This is thus radically different from the way many other religions or ideologies forcibly spread. This is best shown in the Crusades, the Inquisition, the suppression of religion under Soviet communism, and so on. Nevertheless, it would probably be incorrect to say that no forced conversions took place. However, reports of such incidents have been the exception, not the norm, if we take a look through history. In conclusion, it would hardly be fair to say that the religion of Islam was spread by the sword. Even today, Pew reports that a hundred thousand people convert to Islam annually in America, where no sword is to be found. It can be said with utmost surety that while forced
conversions may have taken place in the past, or may even continue to do so, they were never the main cause for the spread of Islam to all corners of the globe. Islam did that on its own merits.