Grand Ayatollah Shirazi explains “La Ikraha fid-Din” during daily Scholarly session

The daily scholarly meeting of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Sadegh al-Hosseini al-Shirazi was held on Friday and Saturday, 26th and 27th of Muharram. In these sessions, like the previous meetings, the Marja answered the questions of the attendees about various jurisprudential issues.

In explaining the concept of “La Ikraha fid-Din” (there is no reluctance or compulsion in {accepting} the religion), Grand Ayatollah Shirazi cited an example and said: A person is not obliged to travel to another country, but once he/she has travelled there, they are required to comply with the rules of that country. So, “La Ikraha fid-Din” has exactly the same meaning.

His Eminence continued: When the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, conquered Mecca, he did not force even a single person to become a Muslim, and nor did he do so on any other occasion.

He also emphasized: But if someone becomes a Muslim by their own free will and without coercion or reluctance, they must follow the laws of Islam.