Harsh with the Believers, Merciful with the Disbelievers!
Greetings: Peace be upon you, my brothers.
Introduction: An Incident at Al-Hussein Mosque
One of the incidents that has stuck in my memory for many years occurred at Al-Hussein Mosque in Amman after one of the prayers. One of the worshippers called out, "People, this is a shoe thief." Of course, the people pounced on this thief and started beating him—some with their hands, some with their feet, some with their shoes. Anyone who has experienced having their shoes stolen and not finding them after prayer, and being forced to go barefoot—or wearing only socks—like what happened to me, knows how painful it truly is. However, I felt that many of those who were beating this person were venting their anger and their problems onto him.
My Daughter Sarah's Incident and Harsh Comments
What is the relevance of this story? This morning, my daughter Sarah said to me, "Dad, there was a man talking about mistakes in women's hijab and commenting on them. Dad, people are commenting in a strange way. They are insulting him, cursing him, mocking him." My daughter was astonished, wondering why there is so much hatred in dealing with this person who is talking about what is permissible and what is not.
Of course, my brothers, it is known that there are topics where if someone speaks about them, they receive these kicks, slaps, and electronic slaps. I was excited to talk about this topic, especially since the incident did not happen to me but to a brother I do not even know. So, let us ask: Why is there this nervousness and tension when discussing these topics?
Why This Nervousness in Discussing Religious Issues?
Does this not indicate that our enemies and their followers and the hypocrites have succeeded in changing our way of thinking and inciting our emotions so that there are topics where, if we open them, we speak without awareness, with excessive nervousness, and with strange tension, especially topics like women's hijab, mixing, and the rules of interaction between genders? Notice how the responses and discussions on these topics are tense and nervous, lacking logic and objectivity. Why, my brothers, why?
God's Right in Dealing with Muslims
Do we, perhaps, uphold God's right in our dealings with our Muslim brothers? When I deal with my Muslim brother who is advising me, regardless of whether his advice contains errors, and even if he chose the wrong topic at the wrong time, I, for my part, do not speak much about these topics recently because I see that many Muslims and Muslim women need to go back to primary doctrinal issues. The real problem in these issues will produce more problems than the errors in hijab and the like.
Exalting Monotheism and the Right of the Prophet, peace be upon him
But still, my brothers, if someone is assumed to have made a mistake and is assumed to be strict, does this not indicate that we do not exalt the monotheism that this person carries? When I deal with my Muslim brother with tolerance, affection, respect, and appreciation, I exalt God's right, exalted be He. I exalt the monotheism that this person carries. I respect and honor the Prophet, peace be upon him, when I deal with one of his followers and deal with an individual from my community. I act with kindness as an honor to our master Muhammad, peace be upon him. Do I hope to deal with my Muslim brother with rudeness and harshness? Will I then be obedient to God's saying, "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves" [Al-Fath: 29]? "Severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves."
Severe Against the Disbelievers, Merciful Among Themselves
And in another verse: "Soon Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble towards the believers, mighty against the disbelievers" [Al-Ma'idah: 54]. Humble, yes, it is required of you to be a Muslim who is humble. Imagine the beauty of the Quranic expression! "Humble," not just tolerant and kind, "humble," yes, humble to your Muslim brother. The more humble you are to the Muslim, the more mighty you will be to the disbeliever. "Humble towards the believers, mighty against the disbelievers."
The Contradiction in Dealing with Muslims and Non-Muslims
My brothers, when we deal with each other with this nervousness, tension, and harshness, we do not, in fact, exalt the monotheism that this person carries. I repeat: assume he was wrong, exalt his faith, exalt his Islam, exalt that he worships God as you do, that he follows Muhammad as you do. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad.
Strangely, my brothers, many of us who speak with this tension to our Muslim brothers, when the topic turns to the death of an atheist or to non-Muslim holidays and Christmas and the like, turn into a gentle burden, a dove of peace, a humane, merciful, affectionate, and purely etiquette person. Glory be to Allah, the Great! Why this psychological transformation in dealing, my brothers?
And if we do not exalt God's right in our dealings with each other, do not exalt the monotheism we carry in our hearts, do not exalt this Islam that my Muslim brother carries and deal with him with this tension, why do I expect that God, exalted be He, will honor me and save our nation from its current state? If we do not uphold God's right, exalted be He, do not expect from God, exalted be He, that He will save us and raise our status. We are, my brothers, easy prey for our enemies among the disbelievers, easy prey for the hypocrites, easy prey for the followers of the disbelievers. We are safe from people, then we deal with each other with this harshness?
The Story of the Disbelievers and Their Request to the Prophet, peace be upon him
My brothers, remember this great verse. First, I will put you in its context, give you its appropriateness. The Prophet, peace be upon him, was approached by the disbelievers, who said, "Muhammad, do you want us to listen to you? Fine, but we do not agree that one of us sits with Suhaib the Roman and Bilal the Abyssinian and these poor people. If we want to listen to you, then make a special session for us." The narrator said, "So, something occurred to the Messenger of Allah." What happened? It was as if the Prophet, peace be upon him, began to think about the matter: "What is wrong if I make a special session for these people other than the one in which the poor, the simple, and the weak Muslims sit?"
Verse from Surah Al-An'am: "And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord"
Okay, in your opinion, my brothers, if the Messenger, peace be upon him, had consulted these weak companions, would they have allowed it? By Allah, I believe they would have allowed it. If he had done that, it would mean he was thinking of them, wanting to lessen their hardship during this difficult Makkan phase for these weak ones. I would expect them to say: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah, no problem, O Messenger of Allah, there can be a special gathering, we will not bother you at this hour, we are ready."
But Allah, exalted be He, did not permit that. Allah, the Most High, revealed a verse in Surah Al-An'am. Look at this verse, how beautiful it is. Allah, the Most High, said: "And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, desiring His face. Upon you is nothing of their account, and upon them is nothing of your account, that you should drive them away and thus be of the wrongdoers" [Al-An'am: 52]. Allah is the Greatest! Designating a gathering for the disbelievers, to which these weak Muslims do not come, Allah considered this as driving them away and prohibited His Messenger from doing that. "And do not drive away" means, O Muhammad, "and do not drive away those who call upon their Lord at dawn and dusk, desiring His face." These are sincere people; they should not be driven away nor should special gatherings be designated where they are told not to come. "Upon you is nothing of their account, and upon them is nothing of your account, that you should drive them away and thus be of the wrongdoers." If you do that, O Muhammad, you will be a wrongdoer. So the Prophet, peace be upon him, did not accept the offer of Quraysh at a time when he was in dire need to sit with them and speak to them, perhaps they would listen to him. So look, my brother, see how Allah, exalted be He, did not permit the Prophet to sit with them and prevent the believers from attending these gatherings. See how great the right of the believer is!
The Hadith of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, with Abu Sufyan
As for the hadith, it is a hadith narrated by Muslim. He acted on the spot regarding Abu Sufyan, and they heard the statement that you were supposed to be killed by the sword, O Abu Sufyan. He was a disbeliever at that time. So Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, saw this statement being said to a noble man from the nobles of Quraysh, so he said: "Do you say this to the leader of Quraysh and their chief?" But he only mentioned these two words: "Do you say this to the leader of Quraysh and their chief?" Then Abu Bakr went to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and told him what had happened. The Messenger of Allah said to him: "O Abu Bakr, perhaps you have angered them, for if you anger them, you have angered your Lord, exalted be He." Allah is the Greatest for these two words! But "Do you say this to the leader of Quraysh and their chief?" For these two words, the Messenger did not permit him to say to his Muslim brothers words that might have angered them because of one disbeliever. "O Abu Bakr, perhaps you have angered them, for if you anger them, you have angered your Lord, exalted be He." Abu Bakr immediately went to the companions and said: "Have I angered you, my brothers? Have I upset you, guys?" They said: "No, our brother, may Allah forgive you." They were not upset with him, praise be to Allah.
Imagine, people, when we talk about the issue of Christian holidays and mention the ruling we see as a religious ruling - I or others - and someone comes to comment in a very tense and nervous way: "You are the cause of backwardness, you, you." It turns into insults and curses and attacks and mockery. On your way, brother! Why are you so upset? Why are you upset in this way? And why do you mock your Muslim brothers and sadden them and insult them and not consider the right of Allah in them and not consider the right of Muhammad in them? Why? For the sake of non-Muslims! Do you not notice that there is a severe deviation in the way of thinking among us? This is not a real problem, my brothers.
A Call for Reflection and Considering the Right of Allah
This is a call to consider the right of Allah in our brothers in faith. And to deal calmly with everyone who tries to reform. Okay, my brothers, the problem is that sometimes we meet: "You are the cause, you have taken us back." The speaker may be a successful person - I am not talking about myself - but sometimes the speaker may be a successful person, a doctor with scientific degrees, a good man who honors his parents, a good neighbor, a good father, a good teacher, and all is well by the will of Allah, and he speaks and sacrifices for the sake of Allah, and the oppressors fight him for the sake of his call. When he comes to speak on one of these topics: "Is this the only thing you find? You are the cause of backwardness." Oh Allah is the Greatest, people! Why this nervousness and lack of objectivity? It is only a call for reflection and a call to consider the right of Allah in dealing with each other. And once again I say: if we are lenient with our enemies, then do not be lenient with each other as well.
May Allah bless you and reward you well. Peace be upon you.