"When the four forbidden months are over, wherever you find the polytheists, kill them, seize them, beseige them, ambush them - but if they turn to God, maintain the prayer, and pay the prescribed alms, let them go on their way, for God is most forgiving and merciful" (9:5).
In Islam, polytheism is considered the greatest sin. Therefore, Muslims have the right to kill any polytheist, unless he/she turns to God. In order to turn to God, one must submit to the will of God, there is no other god besides God..
I'm not sure what to think about this passage. My initial thought is Attrition... = when you regret your sins, but not because you love God. The polytheist does not submit to God because he/she truly believes and loves God, but rather for the fear of death. If someone holds a gun to your head because you are a polytheist, do you submit to God for the wrong reason.. i.e because you want to live, and not because you love God? I would think so... after all, proclaiming that there is no other god besides God, doesn't seem like a difficult task given the situation; even though there will be consequences later on... If the polytheist's life is spared, does God forgive him, even if He is all forgiving and merciful? Personally, I think that attrition is morally wrong and that God does not forgive the polytheist, or anyone for wrongfully submitting to Him. I think that attrition is just as big of a sin as being a polytheist.
I also think that one should not submit to God for the wrong reasons, whether it be fear or certain circumstances. Stating your beliefs and proclaiming your love for God is a dangerous matter; you shouldn't have any disbelief or uncertainty. I don't think it is just to proclaim your love and belief in God if you fear the consequences presented to you on Judgement Day.
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I agree when you say it is not a hard task to say the words "there is no other god besides God"... but i disagree when you say that God does not forgive them for using his name to spare their life. God forgives all sins, he has a plan for every person and he will keep forgiving them as long as they learn from the sins they commit. God created the world and everything in it, meaning he created polytheists for a reason. Maybe he did this to test the believers in monotheism's faith. But no matter why God wanted them on earth, they are his creation, his people, and he will forgive their sins.
I don't think that God will be merciful to hypocritical muslims. However, if a polytheist comes to love God and give Him praise, regardless of his motives, I think that God will accept him. Although converting to Islam out of fear for one's life seems insincere, I would regard any person who over time develops a genuine relationship with God as a true believer. It is also important to note that not all polytheists converted to Islam solely because they felt threatened. During Muhammad's time, there was probably a large contingent of people who blindly worshiped gods and idols. Once Islam became a prominent religion and movement, these polytheists had an opportunity to believe in something different and probably were not bothered by the idea of leaving their old and trivial religious beliefs behind them.
I truly believe that God will forgive anyone who asks for forgiveness. God constantly tested those who said they follow him, to see how devoted they were to him. There is no doubt that he is a gracious God and what he asks of those who are believers is quite simple.
I found that passage very interesting because I have wondered in the past if it was actually written somewhere in the Qur'an that Muslims should fight and kill people of other religions unless they convert or if it was just an extremist idea and it has answered that question. Now I wonder if modern day Muslims concider all other religions polytheists and therefore should be punished or if its only certain other religions, or if most Muslims take this passage as coming from an era of fighting and war and should not be applied to life today and is only followed by extremists.
I agree with the original post that some polytheists would convert to Islam because of their fear of death and not because they want to. Even though they might pretend to be Muslim and others may believe them, God would still see their true beliefs in the end.
I found the quote "There's no compulsion in religion," interesting because that would mean that no one is ever forced into religion. I think that in context this quote is trying to portray the message that one should not convert because he feels forced to, but because he wants to.
In every religion and belief there are people who follow it because it is a part of their culture. There are people who call themselves Christians but don't follow what Jesus taught. There are people who call themselves Muslims but don't pray 5 times a day. I think there are situations like that in every belief. I don't know whether or not God will judge those who just "say" they believe and follow him but I do think God will judge fairly those who do find to love and follow him. It says in Sura 9 that if the polytheists "maintain the prayer" along with a couple other things then they should be let on their way. I think the word maintain is important here. Just praying once to save your life is much different than praying daily and maintaining that discipline.
I found this post particularly intriguing. I definitely agree with what said about just saying you believe in G-d. and besides, cant G-d tell if they are faking it? It just seems a little weird that people can convert whenever they want, but in actuality, it is probably just to save their own lives, not because they actually believe in the Muslim's G-d. I am not sure that G-d would be very lenient with these people, that are converting just to save themselves. I also find it interesting that they seem so unaccepting of people that are polytheistic- it seems like it'd be more effective to try and convert them peacefully rather than kill them.
I believe this reading should be read with understanding that the Muslim community and Muhammad were trying to create a state as well a religion. With that said I would make sense that warfare would be incorporated within the Islamic religion and holy book. I think the common misconception about these verses arise from peoples lack of knowledge of the history and beginnings of Islam. The verses are shocking, but become understandable when a comprehensive understanding of Islam is explained as well.
I agree. I believe that If you ask GOD for foregivness no matter how big the sin, now if you truly believe in him is another story. He test people everyday, or life would just be boring if he didnt right? No one's perfect but him so your bound to make a mistake or indulge in a sin somewhere down the line!
I think God is a very understanding person and has infinite amount of patience for everyone. It is true, someone that is about to die by the sword of someone else would probably do anything to get out of their situation, and that could mean saying that he or she believes in a God without even meaning it. If he or she did do that then, yes they would be lying to the Muslim God, but would they be lying to their Gods? Would they even be punished by their own Gods because he believes in them? Also, lets say this person does lie about believing in a God the first time to get out of death, but then later down the road this person sees a new light and switches over to be a believer in one God. He then asks for forgiveness for his past sins, which would wipe away all sins. Then he would have a clear and pure soul. So, I think it is very hard to judge what may happen to this person that is about today...there is an array of possibilities.
Saying that you believe in God is much easier than actually showing you believe in God. I believe that God will forgive anyone who simply asks His forgiveness, but if they truly believe in God they must show more effort and prayer. Regardless, God accepts all of us whether we accept Him or not, and our belief and devotion to God will only strengthen our relationship with Him.
I think in a life or death situation, God would forgive a polytheist for commiting attrition. As long as the polytheist asks for forgiveness, I feel God would forgive any sin. I find it interesting that the Qur'an states that it is acceptable for Muslims to kill polythesits if they do not submit to God. I think that is aharsh punishment and a little unreasonable. I think some polytheists grew up in that environment, so they should not be held responsible for being a polytheist.
This is a very interesting quote because it rapidly transitions from punishable by death to forgivness and prayer. I think it is pretty intense that God gives the OK for us to kill each other. However I do not agree with the responder in her comments regarding attrition. He says attrition is as bad as polytheism, which i think is outrageous. Assuming all Muslim beliefs, and that polytheism is the greatest sin, attrition can be as harmless as a little white lie. Attrition can apply to so many cases, however it is in only this case where it deals with polytheism that it is equally worng.
I think that God is going to look worse upon a Muslim who is killing people that disagree with his religion as opposed to a person he stands by his beliefs. I do not think that any person has the right to kill another because of his beliefs. I think that kind of judgement is reserved for God
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