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Is It OK to Lie About Faith to Convert Others?

28 September, 2016
Q Hi, I am a non Muslim girl from India but in love with a boy who belongs to a Muslim family. The problem is when we met he told me that he is a Hindu and now when we are in deep love with each other he want me to accept Islam. Now days LOVE JIHAD is a topic to debate in our country where non Muslim girls are trapped and forced to accept Islam. I am confused now weather to go with that boy or be with my own religion as I always want to be a Hindu.

Answer

Salam Dear Sister,

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

There are two aspects to the situation that you currently find yourself in: Being in love with a Muslim boy who pretended to be a Hindu in front of you, and being subtly coerced/forced to convert to Islam in order to marry him.

The place of lying and dishonesty in Islam

First of all, I’d like to point out that Islam totally forbids lying and deception, except in rare cases, such as: to save one’s life, during combat battle/war with non-Muslims, and reconciling/reinstating love and affection between people whose mutual relations have become sour, especially a husband and wife. (Reference: Al Bukhari and Muslim)

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Pretending to be a non-Muslim or belonging to another religion in order to deliberately woo a girl by having a romantic relationship with her is not allowed by Islam.

Talking to a girl, being friends with her, and having a relationship with her, even if she is Muslim, are all actions that are clearly disallowed by the Quran:

{..taking them (women) in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor as secret love-companions.} (Quran, 5:5)

I just want to make you realize that this boy’s actions are not at all in accordance with Islam. In fact, they are in direct contradiction to it.

How can a Muslim coerce, force, or corner you into becoming a Muslim, by following the path of lying, deceit, transgression of the commands of Allah, and treachery?

There is no compulsion in Islam

In the Quran, Allah says what means, {Let there be no compulsion in religion..} (Quran, 2:256)

According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir, one of the most authentic and reliable exegesis/explanations of the Quran, this verse of the book means:

Do not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear, and its proofs and evidence are plain and clear.

Therefore, there is no need to force anyone to embrace Islam. Rather, whoever Allah directs to Islam, opens his heart for it and enlightens his mind, will embrace Islam with certainty.

Whoever Allah blinds his heart and seals his hearing and sight, then he will not benefit from being forced to embrace Islam.”

A non-Muslim should never be coerced or forced to convert to Islam, in any way, blatant or subtle.

Even if a person is successfully converted in such a way, their resultant faith has a shaky and uncertain foundation, because they entered the faith under pressure, not because their heart was opened to it by Allah, and because their conviction, certainty and staunch belief regarding it being the Truth is not there in their heart.

Consequently, it is not long before such people become ‘speculative’ about their Islam, and contemplate leaving it when acting upon it becomes too difficult for them to bear, or when the reason for which they converted to it (which is, in your case, being able to marry a Muslim boyfriend) is no longer there.

There are many known cases of women who converted to Islam just to be able to marry a Muslim man,- not because they wanted to convert to it with their heart, or because they believed with all their heart that it was the religion of truth,- eventually apostatizing from the religion once they got divorced, or after he left them.

The basis of a marriage determines its long term success

I’d like you to be careful about who you marry. Beware of having relationships with boys, especially those that are based on lies and deceit, because when a marriage comes about as a result of a relationship that has even a hint of deceit or deception, and this sacred union is brought about by using dishonesty or treachery of any kind, by either or both of the parties involved, it is already starting on the wrong foot, and consequently, is not blessed with long term success and happiness.

In the end, I’d like to invite you to keep perusing this website, OnIslam, to which you submitted your question, in order to continue to gain knowledge about Islam and to study it in the long term as a source of guidance.

May Allah guide you towards the Truth and grant you a husband who truly loves you.

I hope this helps address your concern.

Salam and please keep in touch.