Ibn Ibn Taymiyyah, the brilliant Imam, said “The meaning of this hadith is to fight those who fight us among the disbelievers whom Allah (sw) had given us the permission to fight against. It does NOT mean to fight those with whom muslims have treaties of peace which Allah(sw) commanded us to keep” Majmu’ al-Fatawa for Ibn Ibn Taymiyyah Vol 19. PP.21.
Most of what dr Jonathan Brown said is identical to what IIbn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ibn Taymiyyah’s disciple, said.
The problem is, Islam started all the fighting by sending letters to the Emperors of Byzantine and Persia and said, “submit to Islam, and you will be safe.” – the implication of it is this: But you don’t, then . . . we cannot be responsible for what will happen to you, because we have the right to then make war against you, by “convert or die, or pay the Jiziyeh and submit to our authority”, etc.
Sahih Bukhari (2:24) – “Allah’s Apostle said: “I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform a that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.”
Sahih Bukhari (60:80) – “The Verse:–‘You (true Muslims) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind.’ means, the best of peoples for the people, as you bring them with chains on their necks till they embrace Islam.”
Sahih Bukhari (60:40) – “…:And fight them till there is no more affliction (i.e. no more worshiping of others along with Allah).” ‘Affliction’ of Muslims is defined here as a condition in which others worship a different god other than Allah. Muslims are commanded to use violence to ‘rectify’ the situation.
Sahih Bukhari (59:643) – “Testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, or else I will chop off your neck!” Words of a military leader who Muhammad sent on an expedition with the mission of destroying a local religion in Yemen.
Ibn Kathir v.4 p.133, Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 959 – Then the apostle sent Khalid bin Walid… to the Banu al-Harith and ordered him to invite them to Islam three days before he attacked them. If they accepted then he was to accept it from them, and if they declined he was to fight them. So Khalid set out and came to them, and sent out riders in all directions inviting the people to Islam, saying, “If you accept Islam you will be safe.” So the men accepted Islam as they were invited. The text goes on to say that Khalid taught the al-Harith about Islam after their “conversion,” proving that it was based on fear of slaughter rather than a free and intelligent decision.
Ibn Kathir (Commenting on Quran 2:256 in the unabridged version of his tafsir) – “Therefore all people of the world should be called to Islam. If anyone of them refuses to do so, or refuses to pay the jizya, they should be fought till they are killed.”
Ironically, the link you put refutes your point that you’re trying to make.
“and he who closes his door is safe.”
The prophet pbuh said that regarding people who had used to kill and fight muslims.
//Sahih Bukhari (60:80) – “The Verse:–‘You (true Muslims) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind.’ means, the best of peoples for the people, as you bring them with chains on their necks till they embrace Islam.”//
This’s a saying of Abu Hurirah not a saying of the prophet. pbuh. However, the meaning of this hadith is correct. It means after wars, there’d some people who brought as captives. However, they eventually would be Muslims when they realize what Islam is really about. It doesn’t mean Muslims force them to accept Islam. In fact, that what happened literarily with Thumamah ibn Uthal. You may read his story in Sahaih Bukhari. Also, this’s the interpretation for this saying by scholars of Islam such as Ibn Al Jawzi and Ibn Hajar.
What is really interesting is Surah 9:28-29; notice verse 28 – “if you fear poverty, soon Allah will enrich you”. the reason for that was because Muhammad had conquered the Hijaz (the Arabian peninsula, especially around Mecca and Medina, and no pagans or idol worshippers were allowed. That means the Muslims could not get tax or penalty money from the pagans. Surah 9:5 – “fight the unbelievers where ever you find them”, proves this, and several Hadith that says “no two religions will be allowed on the Arabian peninsula” see Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 288, and other Hadiths, quoted at the bottom of this article *) They were all killed or driven out or converted to Islam. So now, there is no revenue from the pilgrimmages, so, according to verses 28-29, they will allow the Christians and Jews to be in the Islamic state, provided they surrender and don’t fight/resist, and pay the Jiziye with humiliation, and they cannot evangelize or build new churches or even criticize Islam.
Qur’an 9:28—O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Qur’an 9:29—Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
Qur’an 9:30—The Jews call Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (In this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!
Ibn Kathir, The Battles of the Prophet, pp. 183-4— “Allah, Most High, ordered the believers to prohibit the disbelievers from entering or coming near the sacred Mosque. On that, Quraish thought that this would reduce their profits from trade. Therefore, Allah, Most High, compensated them and ordered them to fight the people of the Book until they embrace Islam or pay the Jizyah. Allah says, “O ye who believe! Truly the pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” Therefore, the Messenger of Allah decided to fight the Romans in order to call them to Islam.”
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (on Qur’an 9:30)—”Fighting the Jews and Christians is legislated because they are idolaters and disbelievers. Allah the Exalted encourages the believers to fight the polytheists, disbelieving Jews and Christians, who uttered this terrible statement and utter lies against Allah, the Exalted. As for the Jews, they claimed that Uzayr was the son of God, Allah is free of what they attribute to Him. As for the misguidance of Christians over Isa, it is obvious.”
Putting it all together is why Dr. Brown’s claim does not pass the smell test.
Ibn Ibn Taymiyyah, the brilliant Imam, said “The meaning of this hadith is to fight those who fight us among the disbelievers whom Allah (sw) had given us the permission to fight against. It does NOT mean to fight those with whom muslims have treaties of peace which Allah(sw) commanded us to keep” Majmu’ al-Fatawa for Ibn Ibn Taymiyyah Vol 19. PP.21.
Most of what dr Jonathan Brown said is identical to what IIbn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ibn Taymiyyah’s disciple, said.
The problem is, Islam started all the fighting by sending letters to the Emperors of Byzantine and Persia and said, “submit to Islam, and you will be safe.” – the implication of it is this: But you don’t, then . . . we cannot be responsible for what will happen to you, because we have the right to then make war against you, by “convert or die, or pay the Jiziyeh and submit to our authority”, etc.
Sahih Bukhari (2:24) – “Allah’s Apostle said: “I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform a that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.”
Sahih Bukhari (60:80) – “The Verse:–‘You (true Muslims) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind.’ means, the best of peoples for the people, as you bring them with chains on their necks till they embrace Islam.”
Sahih Bukhari (60:40) – “…:And fight them till there is no more affliction (i.e. no more worshiping of others along with Allah).” ‘Affliction’ of Muslims is defined here as a condition in which others worship a different god other than Allah. Muslims are commanded to use violence to ‘rectify’ the situation.
Sahih Bukhari (59:643) – “Testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, or else I will chop off your neck!” Words of a military leader who Muhammad sent on an expedition with the mission of destroying a local religion in Yemen.
Ibn Kathir v.4 p.133, Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 959 – Then the apostle sent Khalid bin Walid… to the Banu al-Harith and ordered him to invite them to Islam three days before he attacked them. If they accepted then he was to accept it from them, and if they declined he was to fight them. So Khalid set out and came to them, and sent out riders in all directions inviting the people to Islam, saying, “If you accept Islam you will be safe.” So the men accepted Islam as they were invited. The text goes on to say that Khalid taught the al-Harith about Islam after their “conversion,” proving that it was based on fear of slaughter rather than a free and intelligent decision.
Ibn Kathir (Commenting on Quran 2:256 in the unabridged version of his tafsir) – “Therefore all people of the world should be called to Islam. If anyone of them refuses to do so, or refuses to pay the jizya, they should be fought till they are killed.”
See the numerous Hadith that say, “submit to Islam, and you will be safe”:
https://sunnah.com/search/?q=submit+to+Islam%2C+and+you+will+be+safe
Ironically, the link you put refutes your point that you’re trying to make.
“and he who closes his door is safe.”
The prophet pbuh said that regarding people who had used to kill and fight muslims.
//Sahih Bukhari (60:80) – “The Verse:–‘You (true Muslims) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind.’ means, the best of peoples for the people, as you bring them with chains on their necks till they embrace Islam.”//
This’s a saying of Abu Hurirah not a saying of the prophet. pbuh. However, the meaning of this hadith is correct. It means after wars, there’d some people who brought as captives. However, they eventually would be Muslims when they realize what Islam is really about. It doesn’t mean Muslims force them to accept Islam. In fact, that what happened literarily with Thumamah ibn Uthal. You may read his story in Sahaih Bukhari. Also, this’s the interpretation for this saying by scholars of Islam such as Ibn Al Jawzi and Ibn Hajar.
What is really interesting is Surah 9:28-29; notice verse 28 – “if you fear poverty, soon Allah will enrich you”. the reason for that was because Muhammad had conquered the Hijaz (the Arabian peninsula, especially around Mecca and Medina, and no pagans or idol worshippers were allowed. That means the Muslims could not get tax or penalty money from the pagans. Surah 9:5 – “fight the unbelievers where ever you find them”, proves this, and several Hadith that says “no two religions will be allowed on the Arabian peninsula” see Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 288, and other Hadiths, quoted at the bottom of this article *) They were all killed or driven out or converted to Islam. So now, there is no revenue from the pilgrimmages, so, according to verses 28-29, they will allow the Christians and Jews to be in the Islamic state, provided they surrender and don’t fight/resist, and pay the Jiziye with humiliation, and they cannot evangelize or build new churches or even criticize Islam.
Qur’an 9:28—O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Qur’an 9:29—Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
Qur’an 9:30—The Jews call Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (In this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!
Ibn Kathir, The Battles of the Prophet, pp. 183-4— “Allah, Most High, ordered the believers to prohibit the disbelievers from entering or coming near the sacred Mosque. On that, Quraish thought that this would reduce their profits from trade. Therefore, Allah, Most High, compensated them and ordered them to fight the people of the Book until they embrace Islam or pay the Jizyah. Allah says, “O ye who believe! Truly the pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” Therefore, the Messenger of Allah decided to fight the Romans in order to call them to Islam.”
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (on Qur’an 9:30)—”Fighting the Jews and Christians is legislated because they are idolaters and disbelievers. Allah the Exalted encourages the believers to fight the polytheists, disbelieving Jews and Christians, who uttered this terrible statement and utter lies against Allah, the Exalted. As for the Jews, they claimed that Uzayr was the son of God, Allah is free of what they attribute to Him. As for the misguidance of Christians over Isa, it is obvious.”
Putting it all together is why Dr. Brown’s claim does not pass the smell test.