Force the non-believing world to submit to Allah?

No. We don't.

If that is true (which I thank God that it is) what about Islamic conquests in the centuries after the founding of Islam? 

Cyrusgames wrote: If that is true (which I thank God that it is) what about Islamic conquests in the centuries after the founding of Islam?

Hi, like Matt Browne pointed out correctly - every nation used to fight wars and capture lands in the older days. Including Christians, Hindus, Persians, Romans, etc. It had more to do with 'survival of the fittest' and 'capture or be captured' rather than forcing people to submit to religion.

You will find that compared to their non-Muslim conquerors - the Muslim conquerors allowed freedom of religion in thier lands.  That is why to this day you shall find Coptic Christians (who have been christian since centuries) in Egypt - which is surrounded by, and was mostly a Muslim controlled region. Or you will find Hindus dominating the Sub-Continent - which again, has been under Muslim rule for centuries. Also, did you know for example, that during the Crusades, the only safe-haven for persecuted Jews were Muslim lands? Jews flocked to the Ottoman states because they were treated as 1st class citizens and their educational/ scientific contributions were appreciated. I would suggest you google Jews under Ottoman rule - to read for yourself.

The above examples were to illustrate my point that Muslim conquests were not to force the world to submit to Allah - they were the norm of the day. There is no compulsion in religion like I quoted from the Qur'an before. Because had that been the case, you would not find century-old non-muslim communities established in these areas. Unlike what happened to Muslims  in Bosnia, Central-Asia, Spain. They were forced to convert to Christianity, and their identities were forcibly erased.

If Muslims wanted to/ believed in forcing others into accepting their values & ideologies they would be attacking nations today. Yet in today's modern times when warfare is abhorred, it is non-Muslims enforcing their ideologies (Operation Freedom Iraq, Afghanistan) by attacking sovereign nations. Actions speak louder than words right?

tmac26 wrote: You cant have no compultion in religion and force non muslims to pay the jizya. The laws in the quran are not equal with the hadiths. So for al men for all time doesnt just mean history. Is there a aya that abrogates the fight againt non beleivers?

Do you know what a Jizya is? It is a word that refers to Tax. Both Non-Muslims and Muslims need to pay taxes to their government. The Jizya Tax basically excuses the non-muslims from having to fight in the Muslim Military, and ensures that their rights are protected by the ruling Muslim government.

The Muslim civilians pay Zakat, Sadaqah, Ushr, and other sorts of religiously determined ''taxes'' (although they are not exactly like taxes, more a religious obligation) which non-muslims are excused from. Non-Muslims need not even be part of the muslim military because may not want to fight nations that belong to their faith.