Since Islam, regardless of its religious communities, expresses the human nature exemplified in the values with which people behave among themselves with full freedom and without coercion, it represents the true identity of the human being in this world which he conducts himself by wherever he wants. It is an identity that neither submits nor assents to submitting to oppression and subjugation in any time or place. The human being, in the past, present, and future, is free and conducts himself with his human values in all areas of his life and with full freedom, and he will remain this way until the Last Day. He is only led to these values by choice, assent, and the full desire to express his absolute humanity in achieving the rank of God’;s deputy in the world. Where there is force, it cannot ever be from religion, for the Almighty has stated this clearly in his authoritative book, and He demands from us that we do not submit to any kind of force since it strips humanity from the human being.

1—The Difference between Obedience and Force

The linguistic root of obedience [ṭāʿa] in Arabic is ṭauʿ, and it means allowing oneself to be led and allowing oneself to submit. Obedience [ṭāʿa] means being led by another in full freedom, since the word comes from ṭauʿiya, which means a [A 122] willing and consensual submission to yield to the decisions of others with total choice and assent. It is the contrary to force [ikrāh], since obedience [ṭāʿa] is related to choice and force is related to coercion, which demonstrates their incompatibility the impossibility of bringing them together in the same position in the same person. Therefore, responsibility is a consequence of obedience since the human being does not obey and does not allow himself to be led by the decisions of others with a full measure of his will unless he is convinced of those decisions. Consequently, the human being becomes responsible for his obedience by applying it to these decisions. Therefore, when the Almighty said the following in His authoritative revelation:

—‘Say: “Obey Allah and His Messenger”: But if they turn back, Allah loves not those who reject faith.’ (The Family of Imran 3:32)