Since Islam is based on human reason and nature, it encourages believers to reason and think and does not allow them to use violence to defend their beliefs.
Defense of wise beliefs
Since Islam is based on human reason and nature, it encourages believers to reason and think and does not allow them to use violence to defend their beliefs.
Among the problems that some opponents rise against religious believers is that they use violence to defend their beliefs; While Islam has not given such permission to Muslim believers.
Normally, if a person believes in something and accepts it wholeheartedly, he stands up to defend it and sometimes resorts to force; but this has nothing to do with Islam.
Muslim believers
Human beliefs and convictions are of special importance in Islam; because he has built his collection of teachings on the following two foundations:
1- He has placed them on the basis of human nature. The Holy Quran says:
So set your heart as a person of pure faith on this religion, the original nature endowed by Allah according to which He originated mankind (There is no altering Allah’s creation; that is the upright religion, but most people do not know.)[1]
2- He has built them on the basis of reason and a rational system; because Islam, based prosperity and salvation on reason and wisdom[2]. And since some of the teachings of Islam cannot be understood by the apparent human intellect, he has ordered to follow the prophets and messengers;[3]
Therefore, the type of defense of teachings based on nature and reason must also be wise, and Islam does not allow people to use violence to defend their beliefs.
The method of religious elders in facing the opposition
By studying and thinking about the lives of religious elders, a person understands very well that at first they spoke with complete tolerance to their opponents and invited them to reason and think;[4]
But if the other party caused public harassment with violence, they would confront them after the ultimatum.
Therefore, Muslim religious believers should never resort to violence to defend their beliefs, and those who do so, either their beliefs are not religious, or they are people with weak faith and intolerance, and this has nothing to do with the principle of Islam.[5]
References:
[1]- Surah Rum: 30/ فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
[2]- Makarem Shirazi, Naser, Tafsir Nemoone, Dar al-Kotob al-Islamiya, vol. 24, p. 33.
[3]- Allameh Tabatabai, Mohammad Hossein, translation of Tafsir al-Mizan, translation of Mousavi Hamedani, Islamic Publications Office, Undated, vol. 19, p. 593.
[4]- Imams' behavior with opponents.