Topic
“There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256): faith cannot be forced.
What it means
“There is no compulsion in religion; right guidance has become clear from error” (2:256). “If your Lord had willed, all who are on earth would have believed. Would you then compel people to be believers?” (10:99). “Say: the truth is from your Lord; so let whoever wishes believe, and whoever wishes disbelieve” (18:29). Commentators relate 2:256 to Ansari parents who had raised their sons as Jews and wanted to make them Muslims (Abu Dawud).
Often misunderstood as
That the verse was cancelled by the verses on fighting.
What the sources say
A few commentators said 2:256 was abrogated by 9:5 or 9:73, but most hold that it stands, as a general principle that no one may be forced to believe, and as an assertion that faith done under compulsion is without worth. The Prophet’s own constitution at Medina left the Jews their religion (Ibn Ishaq).