This verse recurs in Shahrur because it is one of the clear texts negating compulsion in faith. It is close to the verses that make belief a matter of choice and leave final judgment to God.
Verse text as given
And if your Lord had willed, all those on earth would have believed, every one of them entirely; would you then compel people until they become believers?
Brief reading
Shahrur uses the verse to establish that faith cannot come by coercion, and that forcing people into belief contradicts the very nature of faith itself. For this reason, it appears in the construction of his conception of freedom of belief and individual responsibility.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Human and ethical
Related concepts
- Freedom of faith: 3
- Religious freedom: 2
- Freedom of choice: 2
- Freedom of belief: 2
- Choice: 2
- Coercion: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
The verse is linked to freedom of belief, the negation of coercion, and religious choice. It supports the network of verses that distinguish between invitation and compulsion.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Support: 4
- Foundational: 3
Summary of its presence in the atlas
- It negates compulsion in faith.
- It links belief to free choice.
- It appears in the section on freedom of belief.
Places of use
- Islam and the Human Being: He cites it as evidence that faith in Muhammad ﷺ may not be imposed on people, because coercion contradicts the nature of faith.
- Concept: Religious freedom
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: «{ … أَفَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ } (Yunus 99)»
- Islam and Faith, p. 88: He makes it an explicit proof that faith is not imposed by force and that the field remains open to freedom of religious choice.
- Concept: Freedom of faith
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: «- { وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَأَمَنَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنْتَ تَكْرَهُ النَّاسُ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ } (Yunus 99),»
- Islam and Faith, p. 108: He uses it again to affirm that faith is not valid by coercion but only by free choice.
- Concept: Freedom of choice
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: «{وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَأَمْنَ مِنْ فِيهِ الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنْتَ تَكْرَهُ النَّاسُ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ} (Yunus 99).»
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 91: He cites it to argue that faith does not come through compulsion, and that religious plurality is a divine law that may not be fought by force.
- Concept: Freedom of belief
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: «{وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَاسَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ } (Yunus 99)»
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 158: He cites it to confirm that if God had willed belief for all, it would have been so, and therefore there is no place for coercing people into it.
- Concept: Freedom of faith
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: «And His saying — exalted is He —: {وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا…}»
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 212: He employs it to confirm that faith may not be imposed by force, and that doctrinal freedom is part of God’s laws.
- Concept: Choice
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual citation: «And from His saying — exalted is He —: {وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ…} (Yunus 99),»
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, pp. 127-128: He uses it to negate the legitimacy of forcing people into faith or belief.
- Concept: Coercion
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: «{ وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَامَن مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ } (Yunus 99)»
Related books
- Islam and the Human Being
- Islam and Faith
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence
This page is presented within the general method of building the atlas.