The Matter Of Conversions

Recently, the Sindh Assembly passed a resolution to make the forced conversion of anyone below the age of 18 a crime. The proposed law – which has yet to be signed by the governor – is, in itself, not a bad thing. But the proviso that a person must be reach the age of maturity – which is 18 years – to convert, is against our religious principles.

These are some of the salient features of the bill:

“Forced conversion is an abhorrent and violent offence and an issue that has become prevalent across Sindh [that] must be eliminated by recognizing the importance of tolerance, peace and respect for all religions and persons, irrespective of their religion. It is necessary to criminalise forced conversions and provide protection for those who are victims of this abhorrent practice.”

“Any person who forcefully converts another person shall be liable to imprisonment of either description for a minimum of five years and a maximum of life imprisonment and a fine to be paid to the victim, if proved guilty. Whoever performs, conducts, directs, brings about or in any way facilitates a marriage having knowledge that either or both parties are victims of forced conversions shall be liable to imprisonment of either description for a minimum of three years and a fine to be paid to the victim(s). Adults interested in converting to another religion will be given 21 days to consider their decision to convert. Within seven days of the submission of the complaint, the court shall fix a hearing date. The court shall issue a show-cause notice to accused to respond in seven working days. The court will decide forced conversion cases with the time limit of 90 days.”

Reading the almost eight-page-long text, one cannot help but feel that it is, in its present form, against the spirit of the divine edicts. After consulting Dr Muhammad Al-Ghazali, Mufti Rashid Ahmad Khursheed and Attaullah Khan, I have come to the conclusion that the proposed law is against the spirit of Islam. Some Quranic verses also throw light on the issue. These include the following verses: “And when your children attain puberty, let them ask permission to come to you (ladies) like their elders used to ask leave.” (24:59) “You are being lured by this ephemeral world although Allah calls you to the abode of peace.” (10:25)

In the second verse, the Almighty has invited people to come to the abode of peace (Darus Salam) and the only path to it is by accepting Islam. It is not permissible to stop a non-adult, who is intelligent enough to make decisions, from accepting Islam.

“And he who wholeheartedly says that there is none but Allah to worship has earned jannah.” (Bukhari and Muslim). “Every born child is born as a Muslim by nature.” (Bukhari and Muslim) “The Holy Prophet invited a Jewish boy to embrace Islam. He embraced Islam and the holy prophet blessed him with Allah’s benevolence.” (Bukhari 1290)

Islam is an act of worship – just like fasting, praying, Hajj and Zakat are. Since these cannot be denied to a non-adult, embracing Islam can also not be denied to them. There are a few examples that seem relevant in this context.

When Ali (KW) saw the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his dearest companion, Hazrat Abu Bakr, praying, he wanted to tell his father. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) stopped him from doing so as, at that time, Muslims were not openly practicing Islam. The next day Ali (KW) embraced Islam. He was just 10 years old. His father, Abu Talib, remained a disbeliever. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) embraced Ali and welcomed him. He was the first young person to embrace Islam in history.

Hazrat Umair bin Saad was nine years old when he embraced Islam. His father, Jalas, was strict and vehemently opposed to Islam. Though he was a child, Hazrat Umair bin Saad was wise enough to understand the truthfulness of Islam. One day, he went to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and told him about the harsh words his father had used against the former. When called, Jalas denied that he had said any such thing. In the meantime, the verse 9:74 was revealed by the Almighty, which stated: “They swear by Allah that they said nothing blasphemous, whereas they indeed blasphemed.” According to reliable reports, Jalas later embraced Islam.

Hazrat Umair Bin Waqas had embraced Islam at a young age. When he was 16, he fought at Badr and embraced martyrdom. He was the younger brother of Saad Bin Abu Waqas – who was the uncle of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) – and a highly successful commander of the Muslim Army.

Hazrat Abdul Rahman bin Auf narrated that when he was fighting against the non-believers at Badr, he saw two young boys who were also fighting during the battle. One of them asked those fighting on the enemy side who Abu Jehel was. When they managed to find Abu Jehel, one of the boys attacked his leg. After Abu Jehel fell, the other boy killed him. These two boys have been identified as Hazrat Muaz Bin Umru Bin Jamich and Hazrat Muaz Bin Ufra.

Hazrat Bin Zaid Bin Sabit, Hazrat Rafai Bin Khany, Hazrat Samar Bin Janolab, Hazrat Abdullah Bin Amir Bin Rabia and Hazrat Anas, among many others, embraced Islam when they were quite young.

These are just a few examples.

The purpose of mentioning these examples is to place emphasis on the fact that stopping young children from embracing Islam is akin to stopping them from listening or talking. It is all part of a natural, in-built instinct. Keeping a child away from learning for the simple reason that one is not sure he will study is the same as keeping a child away from Islam because one is not sure if he will be a good Muslim.

Editorial note: As far as the matter of the Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill is concerned, the article does not necessarily reflect our editorial view and policy.

(Published in Monthly Tribute International on 01-01-2017)