There is no compulsion in religion

"Just as love and will are the origin of every action, they are also the foundation of every religion, whether true or false. Religion consists of both internal and external works, with love and will being their origin. Religion encompasses obedience, custom, and character. It is the persistent obedience that becomes a part of one's character and custom. This is why character is interpreted as religion in the saying of the Most High, and indeed, you are of a great moral character. Imam Ahmad mentioned that Ibn Abbas explained this as upon a great religion. When Aisha was asked about the character of the Messenger"

"despises and detests due to its opposition to what he loves and approves. Thus all his prescriptive religion returns to his love and approval. The religion of the servant to God is only accepted if it stems from love and approval, as the prophet, peace be upon him, said, He who is content with God as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muhammad as messenger has tasted the sweetness of faith. This religion is founded on love, was legislated because of it, and is established upon it. Similarly, his retributive religion involves rewarding the benefactor for his beneficence and punishing the wrongdoer for his wrongdoing."

"does not include any polytheist. For this reason, اللّٰه instructed His Prophet مُحَمَّد, peace be upon him, to follow the religion of إِبْرَاهِيم. He taught his companions to say in the morning: "We have entered the morning upon the natural disposition of الإِسْلَام, the word of sincerity, the religion of our Prophet مُحَمَّد, peace be upon him, and the religion of our father إِبْرَاهِيم, a monotheist, a مُسْلِم, and he was not of the polytheists." The religion of إِبْرَاهِيم is monotheism, and the religion of مُحَمَّد is what he brought from اللّٰه in word, deed, and belief."

"Did I not entrust you with what I did?' I replied, 'Father, I passed by people praying in their church, and I was impressed by what I saw of their religion. By God, I stayed with them until the sun set.'" He said, "My son, there is no good in that religion. Your religion and the religion of your forefathers is better than it." I replied, "No, by God, it is better than our religion." Fearing for me, he placed a shackle on my leg and confined me in his house."

"His father replied, "Religion. Ibn Luqman continued, "And if there are two? His father answered, "Religion and wealth. "Three? he asked. "Religion, wealth, and modesty," came the reply. "Four? he inquired. "Religion, wealth, modesty, and good character," his father said. "Five? he asked again. His father concluded, "Religion, wealth, modesty, good character, and generosity."

"اللّٰه refuted this by stating, "Indeed, the religion with اللّٰه is الإِسْلَام," meaning the religion brought by مُحَمَّد, which is the same religion of all prophets. There is no other religion with اللّٰه. As اللّٰه says, "And whoever desires other than الإِسْلَام as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.""

"seek forgiveness, and admit their shortcomings, recognizing that these desires are contrary to the religion? These individuals have taken their desires as a religion, prioritizing them over اللّٰه's law and religion. They have misled hearts with these desires, diverting them from the path of اللّٰه. From the reasoning of those individuals, the false opinions and analogies of others, and the tastes of these people, the destruction of the world, the corruption of existence, and the undermining of the foundations of religion have emerged."

"And the religion of Allah in the earth and the heaven is one, and it is the religion of Islam. Allah the Exalted said: Lo! religion with Allah is the Surrender (Al Imran: 19). And He the Exalted said: and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam (al-Ma'idah: 3). And it stands between excess and deficiency, and between anthropomorphism and negation, and between compulsion and unrestrained free will, and between security and despair."

"they must renounce every religion other than Islam and believe in their heart in the oneness of Allah, the exalted, as we will explain, God willing. Islam is the religion with Allah, the exalted, as he says in Surah Al-Imran, indeed the religion with Allah is Islam, and he also says, and whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him."

"We will not allow to be lost the reward of the reformers." اِبْن عَبَّاس explained that the polytheists boasted about their ancestors, claiming their forefathers' religion was the only true one. اللّٰه refuted this by stating, "Indeed, the religion with اللّٰه is الإِسْلَام," meaning the religion brought by مُحَمَّد, which is the same religion of all prophets."

"just as the worldly people are content with the lowliness of the religion alongside worldly well-being. Along the same lines, it has been said: I see men content with the least of religion... but not satisfied in living with less. So enrich yourself with religion away from the world of kings as kings have been enriched with their world away from religion."

"Thus, the jurist educates and guides the ruler on governance strategies, ensuring worldly affairs are organized. It relates to religion, but indirectly, as the world is the farm of the hereafter, and religion is incomplete without the world. Religion and authority are twins; religion is the foundation, and authority its guardian."

"I see men who are content with the least of religion, yet I do not see them satisfied with a life of lesser means. So be self-sufficient in religion from the world of kings, just as kings are self-sufficient in their world from religion. It is reported that Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him, said, Do not engage in excessive speech without the remembrance of Allah, for hearts become hard, and indeed a hard heart is far from Allah, but you do not know. And do not look at the sins of the servants as if you are lords, rather look at them as if you are servants, for indeed people are of two types, one who is healthy and one who is afflicted. So have mercy on the people of"

"'But if they strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them' from Surah Al-Ankabut. He said: 'I was dutiful to my mother, but when I embraced Islam, she said: 'O Sa'd, what is this religion you have introduced? Either you abandon your religion, or I will neither eat nor drink until I die, and you will be blamed for my death, and it will be said: O killer of his mother.' I said: 'Do not do this, O mother, for I will not abandon my religion for anything.' She stayed a day and a night without eating or drinking, and by morning she was exhausted. When I saw that, I said: 'O mother, you know, by Allah,"

"this as upon a great religion. When Aisha was asked about the character of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, she replied, his character was the Quran. Religion also involves subjugation and compulsion, as well as humility and submission. Obedience can descend from above to below, as in the saying, I overpowered him so he was subdued. A poet expressed it as, he subdued the tribe when they disliked the obligation, so they came to power and might. It can also ascend from the lower to the higher, as in, I submitted to God, or he does not submit to God or adhere to his religion. Submitting to God means obeying,"

"Among the scholars were many individuals engaged in ancient sciences, such as astronomy and logic, and the principles of religion. There were also those occupied with disputes termed little religion and abandoning prayer, with ill beliefs, those I recognized. I saw them all behind the common people while dogs urinated on them. A man I knew personally was indicated to me among them, known for his disputes and being reputed with little religion. I will not name him. He appeared drunk, as Shihab al-Din said. Thus, we ask Allah, the Generous, Possessor of Havoc, Kingdom, Grace, and Benevolence, the Kind, the Merciful,"

"the sheep was created by Allah, and yet they slaughtered it without mentioning his name. Musa ibn Uqba narrated that Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl traveled to Ash-Sham in search of the true religion. He met a Jewish scholar and asked about their faith, expressing his interest in possibly embracing it. The scholar informed him, you will not be upon our religion until you take your share of the wrath of Allah. Zayd replied, I flee only from the wrath of Allah and cannot bear any of it. Is there no other way? The scholar advised him to be a Hanif, explaining that it is the religion of Abraham, who was neither a Jew nor a"

"reflecting on their conditions, their biographies and their legacies during the life of the messenger of Allah and after his death. They hastened to faith, struggled against the disbelievers, spread the religion, manifested the symbols of Islam, elevated the word of Allah and his messenger and taught the obligatory acts and Sunnah. Without them, we would not have received any part of the religion nor would we have learned any of the obligations or Sunnahs nor would we have known on any of the hadiths or reports. Whoever speaks ill of them or insults them has exited the religion and deviated from the community"