The hard questions
Step 1 of 8
Was Islam spread by the sword?
The common objection: the conquests spread it
Many critics say Islam spread by conquest. Within a hundred years of the Prophet's (ﷺ) death, Muslim armies ruled from Spain to Central Asia and Sind.
The case for it
Critics say the early conquests carried Islam from Spain to Central Asia within a hundred years. So, they say, it was spread by the sword.
Where it falls short
Conquering a land and converting its people are different things. In the conquered lands, people became Muslim slowly, over centuries. That is not what forced conversion looks like. And the older religions lived on under Muslim rule. The largest Muslim country today, Indonesia, was reached by traders. And the Qur'an forbids forcing anyone in religion.