Humans have been given freedom of choice and the intellect to observe and exploit the forces of nature and derive benefits from them unlike animals and other phenomena of nature which are forced to follow the nature God has made for them. The reason of blessing humans with power to think and observe is to let them decide what is right and what is wrong.
If man accepts the laws of God, then it is for his own benefit and if he goes against them then the consequences will again be upon his own self. It is clearly stated that the person delivering the message of God is not a custodian over the people, as the Qur’an says:
“Surely we have revealed to you the Book with the truth for all mankind; so whoever follows the right way, it is for his own soul and whoever errs, he errs only to its detriment; and you are not a custodian over them.” [Quran 39:41]
Above verse shows that the messenger of God cannot force people to accept the laws of Allah. He is not allowed by Allah to force people into accepting his message, and the message has to be accepted by one’s own free will and own initiative, as the following verse points out:
“And if your Sustainer had pleased, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them; will you then force men till they become believers?” [Quran 10:99]
The question of forcing someone to believe does not arise at all, because the Qur’an identifies ‘Iman’ i.e. belief as something not just professed by the lips, but something which has entered one’s heart deeply, and that is possible only if a person analyses the message through his reason and accepts it willingly.
Being a Muslim our duty is to propagate the message of the Qur’an to the best of our ability and in propagating that message there is to be no use of force.
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