Al-Baqara 256
[22] According to all the theories of language elaborated by Muslim legal scholars, the Quranic proclamation that 'There is no compulsion in religion.
The right path has been distinguished from error' is as absolute and universal a statement as one finds,[23] and so under no condition should an individual be forced to accept a religion or belief against his or her will according to the Quran.
256 Lā ’ikrāha fi d-dīn(i), qa t-tabay-yana r-rushdu mina l-ghay(yi), faman y-yakfur biṭ-ṭāghūti wayu’mim bil-lāhi faqadi s-tamsaka bil‘urwati l-wuthqā la n-fiṣāma lahā, wal-lāhu samī‘un ‘alīm(un)
255 Lā ’ikrāha fi d-dīn(i), qa t-tabay-yana r-rushdu mina l-ghay(yi), faman y-yakfur biṭ-ṭāghūti wayūmim bil-lāhi faqadi s-tamsaka bil‘urwati l-wuthqā la n-fiṣāma lahā, wal-lāhu samī‘un ‘alīm(un) 256 Let there be no compulsion in religion, for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood.
256 Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks.
According to some commentators, this verse (Quran 2:256) was directed towards a small group of residents of Medina and is related to an incident during the time of the Prophet.
When the boy's distraught parents asked the Prophet if they could compel their son to stay, he told them that there is no compulsion in religion, as stated in the verse.
It is reported that Mujahid said that "This verse was revealed about a man of the Helpers who had a black boy called Subayh whom he used to coerce to become Muslim".
[39][40][41][42][43] It is reported that Mujahid said that "This verse was revealed about a man of the Helpers [Ansar of Medina] who had a black boy called Subayh whom he used to coerce to become Muslim".
Consider if I stand on a clear proof from my Lord and He has blessed me with a mercy from Himself,1 which you fail to see.
[19][22] Finally, to understand the Quran, the sayings and actions of Muhammad as recorded in Hadith collections are considered by Islamic scholars.
[50][not specific enough to verify] The Quran commentator (Muffasir) Ibn Kathir, a Sunni, suggests that the verse implies that Muslims should not force anyone to convert to Islam since the truth of Islam is so self-evident that no one is in need of being coerced into it,[31] لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ (There is no compulsion in religion), meaning, "Do not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear, and its proofs and evidence are plain and clear.
Whoever God blinds his heart and seals his hearing and sight, then he will not benefit from being forced to embrace Islam."
As for the Hadith that Imam Ahmad recorded, in which Anas said that the Messenger of God said to a man, أَسْلِم "Embrace Islam.
The proof that the esoteric and true aspect of religion is faith, just as its exoteric aspect and [outer] form is Islam, comes in what follows: Rectitude has become clear, that is, it is distinguished, from error, by means of clear proofs, for the one who possesses insight (baṣīra) and reason (ʿaql), as they say, 'The morning is bright for he who has eyes'; so whoever disbelieves in the false deity, that is, [in] what is other than God and denies its existence and its effect, and believes in God, a belief of witnessing and in truth, has laid hold of the most firm handle [that cannot be split], that is, he has held onto the Essential Unity whose ties and modes of operation are in of Itself, such that there is nothing firmer than It, since every thing that holds onto It is firmly attached, nay, every existence is existent through It and non-existent in itself.
[53]A number of verses relate to Quran 2:256 and this includes, Had your Lord so willed ˹O Prophet˺, all ˹people˺ on earth would have certainly believed, every single one of them!
Consider if I stand on a clear proof from my Lord and He has blessed me with a mercy from Himself, which you fail to see.
