Our attitude concerning mockery of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
Question:
We have
heard about the Westerners making fun of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and mocking him. What should our
attitude be towards that? How should we defend the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We
and every Muslim who feels pride in his religion is grieved by what
these fools and criminals have done by mocking our Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who is the best man who ever
walked on this earth, and he is the leader of the earlier and later
generations, may the blessings and peace of my Lord be upon him.
This insolence is nothing strange on their part, rather it is to be expected of them.
Moreover
this crime – although it breaks our hearts and fills them with anger,
and we are prepared to sacrifice our lives in defence of the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – is nevertheless
something which brings us glad tidings of their doom, and tells us that
the end of their supremacy is at hand. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“Truly, We will suffice you against the scoffers”
[al-Hijr 15:95]
Allaah will suffice His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) against the criminals who mock him. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“For he who hates you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), he will be cut off (from posterity and every good thing in this world and in the Hereafter)”
[al-Kawthar 108:3]
i.e., he is scorned and humiliated and cut off from all that is good.
When the Muslims besieged a stronghold and its people resisted, then they heard them mocking and reviling the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), they would sense that
victory was at hand, and it would only be a short time before Allaah
granted them victory, to avenge His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Al-Saarim al-Maslool (p. 116-117).
There are many historical cases where those who mocked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were destroyed and finished off.
Moreover, why do they resent the leader of mankind, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?
They resent him because he called people to believe in the Oneness of God (Tawheed), and they do not believe that God is One.
They
resent him because he venerated his Lord, may He be blessed and
exalted, and declared Him to be far above what these fabricators say, as
they attributed a wife and son to Him.
They
resent him because he called people to the loftiest of morals and to
give up the lowest. He called them to virtue and to block all the means
that lead to immorality, but they want moral disorder and unlimited
sexual liberty.
They want to indulge in the swamp of evil whims and desires, and they have got what they want!
They
resent him because he is the Messenger of Allaah! Allaah, may He be
exalted, is the One Who chose him above all mankind to convey His
message and receive His revelation.
The signs of his Prophethood are innumerable.
Have they not heard about the splitting of the moon? Have they not heard how water sprang from his fingers time after time?
Have
they not heard about his greatest sign, which is the Holy Qur’aan, the
words of the Lord of the Worlds, which Allaah has protected so that it
has not been tampered with by those who would distort it? Whereas their
books which were revealed to their Prophets have been tampered with to a
large extent.
“Then
woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say,
“This is from Allaah,” to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them
for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn
thereby”
[al-Baqarah 2:79].
The greatest proof of the truth of our Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the fact that his
religion has continued for so many centuries to prevail and be
victorious. Throughout his lifetime (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) he continued to prevail over his enemies. The wisdom of Allaah
dictates that no liar who lies about him and his religion can ever
prevail for a long time. Indeed, in their books, which their scholars
concealed and distorted, it says that the liar who falsely claims to be a
prophet will only survive for thirty years or so, then his message will
fade away.
It
was narrated from one of their kings that a man who followed the same
religion as him (Christian) was brought to him, who used to revile the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and accuse him of
lying. The king summoned his religious scholars and asked them: How long
does a liar remain for? They said: Such and such – thirty years or
thereabouts. The king said: This religion of Muhammad has lasted for
more than five hundred years or six hundred years [i.e., at the time of
that king], and it is prevailing and is accepted and followed. How can
he be a liar? Then he had that man beheaded.
Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Asfahaaniyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him).
Do
they not know that many of their wise men, kings and scholars, when the
pure and clear call of Islam reached them, had no choice but to affirm
the truth of this religion, and they venerated the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and many of them announced their entry into Islam?
The king of Abyssinia, the Najaashi (Negus) affirmed that, and became a Muslim.
When the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent a letter to Heraclius
the king of Byzantium, calling him to Islam, Heraclius affirmed that he
was indeed a Prophet, and he thought of announcing his Islam, and he
wished that he could go to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and be his servant, but he feared that his people would
kill him, so he remained a kaafir and died in that state.
Many of their contemporaries are still proclaiming that.
1-
Michael Hart said in his book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (p. 13), where he put Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at the head of his list of one hundred:
I chose Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to be top of this list … because Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the only man in history
who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.
2-
The Englishman George Bernard Shaw wrote a book called Muhammad, which was burned by the British authorities. He said:
The world is in the utmost need of a man with the mentality of Muhammad.
Medieval
ecclesiastics, either through ignorance of bigotry, painted
Mohammadanism in the darkest colors. They were in fact; trained to hate
both the man Muhammad and his to them was anti-Christ. But I have
studied his life, and found him to be extraordinary. I have reached the
conclusion that he was never an enemy to Christianity. He must be
called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to
assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in
solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and
happiness.
3-
Annie Besant said:
It
is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the
great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to
feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great
messengers of the Supreme.
4-
The Austrian Schabrak said:
Mankind
may be proud of having a man like Muhammad among them, for despite
being illiterate he was able more than ten centuries ago to introduce
legislation that we Europeans would be the happiest ever if we could
produce something of equally high quality.
5-
Dr. Zwemer (a Canadian Orientalist):
Muhammad
was an able reformer, eloquent and well spoken, courageous and daring, a
great thinker. We cannot attribute to him anything that contradicts
these qualities. This Qur’aan that he brought and his history bear
witness to the truth of these claims.
6-
The English philosopher Thomas Carlyle, the Nobel Prize winner, says in his book Heroes:
It
is very shameful for any individual in this era to listen to what is
said about the religion of Islam being a fabrication and Muhammad being a
treacherous fabricator. Throughout his life we see him holding firm
beliefs, sincere in resolve, generous and kind, compassionate, pious,
virtuous, very serious. In spite of that, he was easy-going, cheerful,
friendly, and even sometimes light-hearted. He was just, sincere in
intention, smart, chivalrous, and quick-witted, as if he carried in his
heart the lamps of every dark night, filled with light; a naturally
great man who never studied in school or at the hand of a teacher,
because he had no need of that.
7-
Goethe, the German poet, said:
We
Europeans with all our concepts and ideas have not yet attained that
which Muhammad attained, and no one will ever surpass him. I searched in
history for the loftiest example for man to follow, and I found it in
the Prophet Muhammad. Thus the truth must prevail and become supreme,
because Muhammad succeeded in subjugating the whole world by means of
the message of Divine Oneness.
--
If that is the case, then the entire world – with no alternative – must regard the greatness of Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) among all of creation above
all greatness, and his virtue above all virtues, and his status as
greater than any other. The world must unite in believing in the message
of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and that he is the Final Prophet of Allaah.
We
would like to make the most of this opportunity to call these people to
Islam, for what their sinful hands have fabricated cannot be erased
except by Islam. But if they are stubborn and persist in their ways,
then let them receive tidings of the punishment of Hell, to abide
therein forever. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily,
whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allaah, then Allaah has
forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the
Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers”
[al-Maa’idah 5:72]
“And
whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of
him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By
the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no one among this
nation, Jew or Christian, hears of me then dies not believing in that
with which I was sent, but he will be one of the people of the Fire.” Narrated by Muslim (153).
Secondly:
Allaah
is wise and does not decree anything that is pure evil; rather there
must be something good in it for His believing slaves, no matter how
evil it appears to people. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) spoke the truth when he said: “How wonderful is the
situation of the believer, for all his affairs are good. If something
good happens to him, he gives thanks for it and that is good for him; if
something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is
good for him. This does not apply to anyone but the believer.” Narrated
by Muslim (2999).
Concerning the incident of the slander (al-ifk) – which is well known – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Consider
it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man
among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for
him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great
torment”
[al-Noor 24:11]
There follow some of the good things that have resulted from this sinful crime.
1.
What
was concealed in the hearts of these criminals, such as resentment and
hatred of the Muslims, has been made known, even though they pretend
most of the time to be peaceful.
“Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:118]
2.
Exposure
of the West’s double standards. Here they cite freedom of opinion, but
every wise man knows that this so-called freedom of opinion should stop
before violating the sanctity of others and transgressing against them.
They are lying in their claims of freedom of opinion. We all remember
what happened a few years ago when one government decided to destroy the
idols in their country; there was a global outcry! What about this
so-called freedom of opinion? Why don’t they regard this also as freedom
of opinion?
3.
Demonstration
of the falseness of what some westernizers in our countries say, “Don’t
call the non-Muslims kuffaar, rather call them ‘others’ so as not to
fan the flames of trouble between us and them.”
But
everyone should understand just who it is that hates the other, and
does not respect his sanctity, and declares war against him every time
he gets the opportunity.
4.
The
falseness of their claim with which they have filled the world, namely
the dialogue of civilizations that is based on respect for others and
not transgressing against them. What kind of dialogue do they want?!
What respect do they claim to show? They want us to respect them and
honour them, and even to bow and prostrate to them, but all they do is
make fun of us and mock us and wrong us even more.
5.
Reviving
faith in Muslim hearts. We have seen the Muslims’ reaction which is
indicative of deeply-rooted faith in their hearts and the extent of
their love for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him);
even among those who neglect some religious duties leapt to defend our
noble Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
6.
Uniting
the Muslims. We have seen – praise be to Allaah – solidarity among the
Muslims who have adopted the same stance despite the differences in
their countries and languages.
7.
It
has become apparent that the West is ganging up against Islam. As soon
as that country sought the help of their fellow, they all stood up to
support that country and the criminals encouraged one another to publish
these pictures in their newspaper, so that the Muslims would know that
they are all united and that we cannot confront them all.
8.
Some
Muslims were keen to call these people to Islam and to show them the
true image of this religion. We have seen Muslims racing to publish
books in the language of these people so that the scales will fall from
their eyes and they may see clearly.
9.
The effectiveness of Muslim boycotts against the products of those who transgressed against the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has been proven. Their
nation did not respond to any official or political requests, even at
the highest levels, but the boycott did not last more than a few days
before the newspaper that was in the wrong and its chief editor offered
apologies and changed their tone, so the Muslims softened their stance
somewhat.
This appears to be the new weapon of the Muslims, that they can use to influence and harm their enemies.
10.
A
clear message was sent to the West: that we Muslims will never accept
to see our religion insulted or humiliated, or any transgression against
our Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). We will all sacrifice ourselves for him.
Thirdly:
As for our role in all of this:
1.
We
must denounce it forcefully, each of us according to his abilities, by
sending letters and articles, or making phone calls, to their
government, foreign affairs departments and newspapers.
2.
We
should demand a clear and sincere apology from them, not deception or
justification of the crime which they call an apology. We do not want an
apology for showing disrespect towards the Muslims; rather we want an
admission of error and an apology for that error.
3.
We should request them to punish the criminals for their crime.
4.
We should also request them to stop their governments’ transgressions against Islam and the Muslims.
5.
We
should translate books that call to Islam into the language of these
people, and books that explain about Islam and its Prophet, and his
biography.
6.
We should buy time on radio and television programs to defend the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which should be hosted by
people of ability and well-founded knowledge, who know how to speak
convincingly to Westerners, of whom there are many, praise be to
Allaah.
7.
We should write strongly worded articles to be published in magazines, newspapers and web sites in various languages.
8.
With
regard to boycotting their products, if the boycott will have an effect
on them – which is what actually happens – then why don’t we boycott
them and look for other companies that are owned by Muslims?
9.
We
should resist this malicious attack against Islam and its Prophet; by
highlighting the beauty of Islam and the fact that it is in accordance
with sound reasoning, and responding to the specious arguments of the
criminals.
10.
We should adhere to the Sunnah and follow the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in all things, and be patient in doing so.
“But if you remain patient and become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious), not the least harm will their cunning do to you”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:120]
11.
We
should strive to call these people, for although we look at them
through a lens of hatred and resentment, we also look at them with
compassion, for soon they will die and will be among the people of Hell,
if they die in this state; so we should call them to Islam and
salvation, out of mercy and compassion towards them.
We ask Allaah to cause His religion to prevail and to support His close friends, and to humiliate His enemies.
“And Allaah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not”
[Yoosuf 12:21]
May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad.
And Allaah knows best
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