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_7 _February _2015åÜ ÇáãæÇÝÞ 7-02-2015ã, 12:46 AM
There is a strident media campaign against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) all over the world by the enemies of Islam and Muslims in order to demonize him and present a bad picture about him. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has unfortunately become the latest recipient of vile slander and false accusations of an extremely disturbing nature by a small group of media organizations. The question is: what should be the response of a Muslim when such provocative incitements are carried out by those who wish to demean Islam and its Prophet, perhaps we should recall a few things:
- What the Quran says we should do when faced with blatant mockery of Prophet Muhammad.
- What was the Prophet’s own response used to be towards such behavior by his antagonists?
- What did his companions use to do to defend his honor in his presence; actions which he approved of tacitly, by remaining silent?
Allah’s Command in the Quran
Allah commands believers in the Quran to leave the setting, company of people, or location where His signs or His religion is being mocked. The Quran says:
ﭽ ﯦ ﯧ ﯨ ﯩ ﯪ ﯫ ﯬ ﯭ ﯮ ﯯ ﯰ ﯱ ﯲ ﯳ ﯴ ﯵ ﯶ ﯷ ﯸ ﯹ ﯺ ﯻﯼ ﯽ ﯾ ﯿﰀ ﰁ ﰂ ﰃ ﰄ ﰅ ﰆ ﰇ ﰈ ﰉ ﭼ
Meaning: “And it has already come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah [recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them until they enter into another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all together.” (Q4:V140)
In the digital world, this refusal to “sit with” those who demean or dishonor Allah, His Prophet, the Quran, Islam, or any of its commands or symbols in any way, would amount to a non-confrontational but firm boycott of the website or other platform where the mockery is taking place.
As modern day users of digital devices and social media, we should be careful about sharing links to videos, images or articles that can add fuel to the fire, but more importantly, we should remember and realize that by doing this we are becoming unwittingly voluntary “PR” agents and marketers for those who blaspheme about our religion and Prophet.
Instead, we should use our social media status updates and tweets to condemn these vile actions of the deliberate troublemakers in a world that is now closely interconnected in real time, seeking to ruffle feathers and give another blow to a boat already rocking precariously on rough waters, and to denounce the evil oratorically and openly.
However, in our zest to defend our Prophet’s honor, we should beware of becoming the means of spreading the evil slander itself. This is because ‘provocateurs’ in the modern digital world value nothing more than the number of hits on their article, video, or link, seeking increasing fame and attention, even if it is of a negative nature, because this usually translates to money and future opportunities.
The Prophet’s Own Reaction to Provocative Attacks
It was reported that Anas ibn Malik said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was not a person who insulted people or used obscene language, and he did not curse people. If he wanted to rebuke anyone, he would say, "What is wrong with him? – may his forehead be rubbed with dust." (Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet was famous for forgiving his personal enemies, even those who had openly sought to kill him in the past. He was neither hot-tempered nor volatile in face of instigation and provocations, especially by vile mischief mongers and antagonists among the disbelievers.
Anas ibn Malik reported:
I was walking with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he had put on a mantle of Najran with a thick border. A Bedouin met him and pulled the mantle so violently that I saw this violent pulling leaving marks of the border of the mantle on the skin of the neck of the Messenger of Allah. And he (the Bedouin) said: “Muhammad, issue a command that I should be given out of the wealth of Allah which is at your disposal.” The Messenger of Allah turned his attention to him and smiled, and then ordered for him a gift (provision). (Muslim)
Smiling at a person who has, in his impatience and lack of manners, just inflicted a physical injury upon you?
As his followers, we should try to emulate his conduct both in our personal as well as our communal lives, by striving to remain patient and calm whenever any “agent provocateur” with evil intentions creates a “finah”that openly attempts to disunite and provoke us into emotionally retaliate actions which, though they completely spare the instigators damage, inflict greater harm upon our own security, lives and properties - as the criminals stand by and watch us act like vandals, probably with amused smirks on their faces!
As Muslims, our faith is not complete if we do not hold the Prophet dearer to ourselves than our own selves, our parents, or anyone else. And when such a person who is so close to our hearts is insulted, it will naturally give rise to anger. However, this anger should not cause him or her to commit foolish, irrational, reactive, sinful, vandalistic and destructive actions.
Muslims should openly, verbally and publicly condemn the vile actions meted out in bad taste against their religion and their Prophet, but the manner of this condemnation should be well-worded, civilized, non-violent, non-provocative, non-accusatory and carefully planned out in advance.
Being tolerant and patient and abstaining from retaliatory violence does not imply remaining silent as if nothing happened or as if Muslims were not hurt or offended; it does not imply “ignoring” the evil as if it does not exist, or as if it is justified in the name of “freedom of expression”.
Muslims should peacefully and via proper legal procedures, attempt to contact those in authority to reprimand and bring the perpetrators of this gross disrespect to the Prophet to justice, because deliberately dishonoring any respectable person is a sinful action which should be repudiated.
How the Companions Defended the Prophet’s Honor
There were times in the Prophet’s life that some of his opponents tried to inflict emotional and physical harm upon him.
At such times, his companions always rose to defend him selflessly. The Prophet never stopped them from raising their tongues or hands to defend him, except when they crossed limits.
Some of the enemies of the Prophet would compose and publicly recite offensive verses of poetry deriding and ridiculing him. In retaliation, the Prophet allowed one of his companions to return the favor. Not just that, but he supplicated God to aid him in his efforts:
Sa`id ibn Al Musaiyab narrated:
Umar came to the Mosque while Hassan was reciting a poem. (Umar disapproved of that). On that, Hassan said: “I used to recite poetry in this very masjid in the presence of one (i.e. the Prophet ) who was better than you.” Then he turned towards Abu Hurairah and said (to him), “I ask you by Allah, did you hear Allah's Apostle saying (to me), “Retort on my behalf. O Allah! Support him (i.e. Hassan) with the Holy Spirit?” Abu Hurairah said: “Yes.” (Al-Bukhari)
Staying within Limits
Once the Prophet’s wife Aisha, being young and passionate, overstepped bounds while returning the vile greeting of a group of Jews who pretended to greet the Prophet in her presence, but actually wished death upon him by using a twist of the tongue to distort the Arabic word “salam”:
Narrated Ibn Abi Mulaika:
Aisha said: The Jews came to the Prophet and said to him: “As-Saamu 'Alaika (i.e. “death be upon you”).” He replied, “The same on you.” Aisha said to them, “Death be upon you, and may Allah curse you and shower His wrath upon you!” Allah's messenger said:
Be gentle, O Aisha! Be gentle and beware of being harsh and of saying evil things.”
She said: “Didn't you hear what they said?”
He said: “Didn't you hear what I replied (to them)? I have returned their statement to them, and my invocation against them will be accepted, but theirs against me will not be accepted. (Al-Bukhari)
What Should We Do?
There are many things Muslims the world over can do to combat the current global wave of offense and outcry that has resulted as an aftermath of the incitation of a small group of mischief mongers.
First of all, we need to take a deep breath, and, despite the deep ache in our hearts, our raging emotions, and our desire to undertake brash defensiveness, we need to keep cool and collected and ponder about how to unify our efforts in order to react in a manner that will bring about a win-win situation for the entire world. Here are a few tips about what to do in this particular situation:
- Pray to God sincerely to enable us to stage a reaction to this provocation that is completely in accordance with His pleasure.
- Write columns, blog posts, status updates on social media protesting peacefully against the contents of this film.
- Share online links to articles penned by learned scholars and wisdom-preaching imams which elaborate and promote the correct way of reacting to this fitnah.
- Get our complains heard by contacting the higher-ups and authority figures, such as righteous government leaders, unbiased politicians and truthful journalists.
- Peaceful online and in-person protests with banners and slogans to get the message of peace across globally.
- Not just individually emulate but also orate and write about the beautiful character of Prophet Muhammad, in particular about the numerous times he overlooked evil actions directed towards him, and how repeatedly forgave and pardoned his enemies.
- Abstain from engaging in arguments and debates with other Muslims about how to react.
- Continue to denounce the destructive rallies, protests, and death- and injury-inflicting, property-damaging and conflict-deepening clashes, hooliganism, vandalism and violence that are being carried out by Muslims and others around the world. Condemn such behavior as not being in accordance with the way of Prophet Muhammad and his noble companions.
- What the Quran says we should do when faced with blatant mockery of Prophet Muhammad.
- What was the Prophet’s own response used to be towards such behavior by his antagonists?
- What did his companions use to do to defend his honor in his presence; actions which he approved of tacitly, by remaining silent?
Allah’s Command in the Quran
Allah commands believers in the Quran to leave the setting, company of people, or location where His signs or His religion is being mocked. The Quran says:
ﭽ ﯦ ﯧ ﯨ ﯩ ﯪ ﯫ ﯬ ﯭ ﯮ ﯯ ﯰ ﯱ ﯲ ﯳ ﯴ ﯵ ﯶ ﯷ ﯸ ﯹ ﯺ ﯻﯼ ﯽ ﯾ ﯿﰀ ﰁ ﰂ ﰃ ﰄ ﰅ ﰆ ﰇ ﰈ ﰉ ﭼ
Meaning: “And it has already come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah [recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them until they enter into another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all together.” (Q4:V140)
In the digital world, this refusal to “sit with” those who demean or dishonor Allah, His Prophet, the Quran, Islam, or any of its commands or symbols in any way, would amount to a non-confrontational but firm boycott of the website or other platform where the mockery is taking place.
As modern day users of digital devices and social media, we should be careful about sharing links to videos, images or articles that can add fuel to the fire, but more importantly, we should remember and realize that by doing this we are becoming unwittingly voluntary “PR” agents and marketers for those who blaspheme about our religion and Prophet.
Instead, we should use our social media status updates and tweets to condemn these vile actions of the deliberate troublemakers in a world that is now closely interconnected in real time, seeking to ruffle feathers and give another blow to a boat already rocking precariously on rough waters, and to denounce the evil oratorically and openly.
However, in our zest to defend our Prophet’s honor, we should beware of becoming the means of spreading the evil slander itself. This is because ‘provocateurs’ in the modern digital world value nothing more than the number of hits on their article, video, or link, seeking increasing fame and attention, even if it is of a negative nature, because this usually translates to money and future opportunities.
The Prophet’s Own Reaction to Provocative Attacks
It was reported that Anas ibn Malik said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was not a person who insulted people or used obscene language, and he did not curse people. If he wanted to rebuke anyone, he would say, "What is wrong with him? – may his forehead be rubbed with dust." (Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet was famous for forgiving his personal enemies, even those who had openly sought to kill him in the past. He was neither hot-tempered nor volatile in face of instigation and provocations, especially by vile mischief mongers and antagonists among the disbelievers.
Anas ibn Malik reported:
I was walking with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he had put on a mantle of Najran with a thick border. A Bedouin met him and pulled the mantle so violently that I saw this violent pulling leaving marks of the border of the mantle on the skin of the neck of the Messenger of Allah. And he (the Bedouin) said: “Muhammad, issue a command that I should be given out of the wealth of Allah which is at your disposal.” The Messenger of Allah turned his attention to him and smiled, and then ordered for him a gift (provision). (Muslim)
Smiling at a person who has, in his impatience and lack of manners, just inflicted a physical injury upon you?
As his followers, we should try to emulate his conduct both in our personal as well as our communal lives, by striving to remain patient and calm whenever any “agent provocateur” with evil intentions creates a “finah”that openly attempts to disunite and provoke us into emotionally retaliate actions which, though they completely spare the instigators damage, inflict greater harm upon our own security, lives and properties - as the criminals stand by and watch us act like vandals, probably with amused smirks on their faces!
As Muslims, our faith is not complete if we do not hold the Prophet dearer to ourselves than our own selves, our parents, or anyone else. And when such a person who is so close to our hearts is insulted, it will naturally give rise to anger. However, this anger should not cause him or her to commit foolish, irrational, reactive, sinful, vandalistic and destructive actions.
Muslims should openly, verbally and publicly condemn the vile actions meted out in bad taste against their religion and their Prophet, but the manner of this condemnation should be well-worded, civilized, non-violent, non-provocative, non-accusatory and carefully planned out in advance.
Being tolerant and patient and abstaining from retaliatory violence does not imply remaining silent as if nothing happened or as if Muslims were not hurt or offended; it does not imply “ignoring” the evil as if it does not exist, or as if it is justified in the name of “freedom of expression”.
Muslims should peacefully and via proper legal procedures, attempt to contact those in authority to reprimand and bring the perpetrators of this gross disrespect to the Prophet to justice, because deliberately dishonoring any respectable person is a sinful action which should be repudiated.
How the Companions Defended the Prophet’s Honor
There were times in the Prophet’s life that some of his opponents tried to inflict emotional and physical harm upon him.
At such times, his companions always rose to defend him selflessly. The Prophet never stopped them from raising their tongues or hands to defend him, except when they crossed limits.
Some of the enemies of the Prophet would compose and publicly recite offensive verses of poetry deriding and ridiculing him. In retaliation, the Prophet allowed one of his companions to return the favor. Not just that, but he supplicated God to aid him in his efforts:
Sa`id ibn Al Musaiyab narrated:
Umar came to the Mosque while Hassan was reciting a poem. (Umar disapproved of that). On that, Hassan said: “I used to recite poetry in this very masjid in the presence of one (i.e. the Prophet ) who was better than you.” Then he turned towards Abu Hurairah and said (to him), “I ask you by Allah, did you hear Allah's Apostle saying (to me), “Retort on my behalf. O Allah! Support him (i.e. Hassan) with the Holy Spirit?” Abu Hurairah said: “Yes.” (Al-Bukhari)
Staying within Limits
Once the Prophet’s wife Aisha, being young and passionate, overstepped bounds while returning the vile greeting of a group of Jews who pretended to greet the Prophet in her presence, but actually wished death upon him by using a twist of the tongue to distort the Arabic word “salam”:
Narrated Ibn Abi Mulaika:
Aisha said: The Jews came to the Prophet and said to him: “As-Saamu 'Alaika (i.e. “death be upon you”).” He replied, “The same on you.” Aisha said to them, “Death be upon you, and may Allah curse you and shower His wrath upon you!” Allah's messenger said:
Be gentle, O Aisha! Be gentle and beware of being harsh and of saying evil things.”
She said: “Didn't you hear what they said?”
He said: “Didn't you hear what I replied (to them)? I have returned their statement to them, and my invocation against them will be accepted, but theirs against me will not be accepted. (Al-Bukhari)
What Should We Do?
There are many things Muslims the world over can do to combat the current global wave of offense and outcry that has resulted as an aftermath of the incitation of a small group of mischief mongers.
First of all, we need to take a deep breath, and, despite the deep ache in our hearts, our raging emotions, and our desire to undertake brash defensiveness, we need to keep cool and collected and ponder about how to unify our efforts in order to react in a manner that will bring about a win-win situation for the entire world. Here are a few tips about what to do in this particular situation:
- Pray to God sincerely to enable us to stage a reaction to this provocation that is completely in accordance with His pleasure.
- Write columns, blog posts, status updates on social media protesting peacefully against the contents of this film.
- Share online links to articles penned by learned scholars and wisdom-preaching imams which elaborate and promote the correct way of reacting to this fitnah.
- Get our complains heard by contacting the higher-ups and authority figures, such as righteous government leaders, unbiased politicians and truthful journalists.
- Peaceful online and in-person protests with banners and slogans to get the message of peace across globally.
- Not just individually emulate but also orate and write about the beautiful character of Prophet Muhammad, in particular about the numerous times he overlooked evil actions directed towards him, and how repeatedly forgave and pardoned his enemies.
- Abstain from engaging in arguments and debates with other Muslims about how to react.
- Continue to denounce the destructive rallies, protests, and death- and injury-inflicting, property-damaging and conflict-deepening clashes, hooliganism, vandalism and violence that are being carried out by Muslims and others around the world. Condemn such behavior as not being in accordance with the way of Prophet Muhammad and his noble companions.