At five in the afternoon, Cairo time (67).. Islam and Freedom of Opinion and Expression (6)

Why Did God Not Compel People to Believe?

After a pivotal verse such as:
﴾There is no compulsion in religion﴿ (Al-Baqarah: 256)

a question arises that is no less profound or consequential:
If God is capable of making all people believers,
why did He leave them the freedom to refuse and to choose?

This question is not a mere philosophical exercise,
but a key to understanding the relationship between God and human beings,
between religion and freedom,
and between faith as conviction, not as coerced compliance.

Divine Power… and Human Choice:

The Qur’an does not evade this question;
rather, it poses it explicitly and answers it clearly.

﴾Had your Lord willed, all those on earth would have believed altogether﴿ (Yunus: 99)

The verse does not deny divine power;
it affirms it, then declares that the absence of compulsion is a deliberate divine choice —
not inability, not hesitation, nor any deficiency in authority.

Had God willed to make people one community, He would have done so,
but the will for diversity and difference
is part of the very laws of creation:

﴾Had God willed, He could have made you one community, but He tests you in what He has given you﴿ (Al-Ma’idah: 48)

Faith… A Test, Not an Imposed Outcome:

In the Qur’anic conception,
this world is not a realm of coercion,
but a realm of trial.

﴾He who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed﴿ (Al-Mulk: 2)

A test, by its nature, can only be valid where freedom of choice exists.

Faith, at its core, is a conscious ethical stance,
not a forced response imposed from outside.

If faith were imposed by force,
the meaning of reward and punishment would collapse,
and the very idea of responsibility would disappear.

﴾Whoever is guided is guided only for himself, and whoever goes astray goes astray only against himself﴿ (Al-Isra: 15)

Here the deep connection between freedom and moral responsibility becomes clear:
no obligation without freedom,
and no freedom without responsibility.

Why Does This Conception Disturb Some?

Because it removes from human hands
one of the most dangerous tools of domination: guardianship over consciences.

When the text affirms human freedom in matters of belief,
there remains no justification for imposing creed,
criminalizing doubt,
or punishing questions.

Thus the Qur’anic discourse states decisively:

﴾Will you then compel people until they become believers?﴿
(Yunus: 99)

This question is not merely rhetorical,
but foundational:
If God Himself did not compel people to believe,
by what right do human beings do so?

From Freedom of Belief… to Freedom of Opinion:

When the Qur’an affirms human freedom in the greatest of matters — faith itself —
how could one then restrict freedom of opinion,
which is lower in rank, broader in scope, and less perilous?

Freedom of opinion is not an additional privilege,
nor an imported cultural grant,
but a logical extension of freedom of belief.

﴾Say: The truth is from your Lord; so whoever wills — let him believe, and whoever wills — let him disbelieve﴿ (Al-Kahf: 29)

Dissenting views,
questions,
and criticism
are all natural manifestations of a mind that chose to understand before submitting.

Diversity… A Law, Not a Flaw:

The Qur’an does not treat difference as a defect to be corrected,
but as an existential reality that cannot be eliminated.

﴾Had your Lord willed, He would have made mankind one community, but they continue to differ﴿ (Hud: 118)

Difference here is not accidental,
but intentional.

A faith that cannot tolerate difference
is a fragile faith —
afraid of comparison,
fleeing from dialogue,
and dependent on repression to survive.

When Fear Becomes Policy:

History, however, tells us that this broad Qur’anic horizon
has not always been respected.

In many moments,
fear of difference
became religious policy.

Instead of dialogue… repression prevailed.
Instead of persuasion… accusations.
Instead of trust in reason… enforced silence.

Yet such practices,
no matter how they cloak themselves in religion,
do not belong to its logic.

﴾You are not over them a tyrant﴿ (Qaf: 45)

The Qur’anic message here is clear:
no coercion,
no domination,
no guardianship.

What Do These Verses Teach Us Today?

They teach us that God did not intend human beings
to be identical copies
or silent subjects,
but minds that choose
and bear the consequences of their choices.

﴾We guided him to the path, whether he be grateful or ungrateful﴿
(Al-Insan: 3)

They also teach that faith imposed by force
may succeed in regulating behavior,
but fails to build conviction.

Faith chosen with full conviction, however,
endures,
takes root,
and can withstand questions and differences.

In this sense,
freedom of opinion in Islam
is not a departure from religion,
but fidelity to its deepest logic.

In the next installment,
we move from freedom of belief
to freedom of difference itself,
and ask the question that reveals the human dimension of the Qur’anic discourse:

Why did God create us different?

To be continued…

Cairo: 5:00 p.m., local time.