How do we turn the attacks on the Prophet (peace be upon him) in favor of Islam?

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah, dear brothers.

Insulting the Prophet peace be upon him: Turning Evil into Good

Regarding the film that was published in America about the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him and the reactions to it, I say: In the nation of Muhammad peace be upon him, there is life. Indeed, after revolutions and the collapse of the barrier of fear, people no longer accept that their prophet be mocked and merely protest and march, but they now have the energy to surpass this stage. This energy needs guidance to bear its best fruit.

And it is clear that the enemies of Islam still underestimate this life in the nation and belittle it more than necessary. America never expected what happened in Libya, although I will not comment here on the killing of the ambassador, positively or negatively, for issuing a verdict in these matters requires knowledge that I do not claim to possess.

And I believe that it is a trap set by Allah the Almighty for the enemies of Islam that He makes them demolish the wicked structure they built over the years through a foolish act like this. For they have long tried to deceive the nation and obscure the landmarks of loyalty and disavowal within it, then with a foolish, clumsy act like this, they undo their web and make the task of the callers easier in instilling the meanings of loving Allah and hating His enemies in the hearts of the Muslims, especially since the memory of peoples is generally short, so they need such events to remind them of the enmity of their enemies.

Lessons from the Incident of Ifk

The important thing at this time is to invest these events to become good for us, just as the incident of Ifk was good for the Muslims. For the criminals before had tried to harm the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him with their slander, so they impugned the chastity of his family, so what was the result? Allah the Almighty said: {Indeed, those who produced the slander are a group among you. Do not think it is evil for you; rather, it is good for you.} (Quran 24:11)

Allah the Almighty, the One who said: {And We have raised your mention for you}, as if He refuses to turn the transgression of the fools against His Prophet into something beneficial for the Prophet and his nation.

Examples of Turning Insult into Good

Abu Jahl insulted the beloved Prophet peace be upon him, so what was the result? One of them said: "The reason I read Salman Rushdie's book 'The Satanic Verses' was that after finishing it, I felt it was only fair to read the other side, so I read the Quran and became a Muslim."

And it is narrated from Sheikh Abu Hasan al-Nadwi about an Indian poet who was indulging in sins, drinking alcohol, and committing forbidden acts, and was deeply immersed in sin. In one of his drinking sessions, there was a young Arab communist with them, and they would drink alcohol and talk about various matters, having no concern for religion. Then suddenly, the communist insulted the Prophet peace be upon him. This Indian poet was drunk, his head heavy from the effect of alcohol, but when he heard the Prophet insulted, he was shaken, stood up, took off his shoe, and began to beat this young man, crying and saying: "Yes, we drank alcohol, we sinned, we transgressed, but we have nothing left but the love of Allah and His Messenger, we have nothing left but the love of Allah and His Messenger, otherwise, the faith in Allah and His Messenger, and you want to insult Allah and His Messenger in our presence?" He continued to beat him until this communist lost consciousness. This poet then repented to Allah the Almighty, turned to Him, and abandoned what he used to do.

And Allah the Almighty is truthful when He said: {Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert from the path of Allah. So they will spend it; then it will be for them a regret; and they will be overcome.} (Quran 8:36)

Investing Events for the Benefit of Islam

Therefore, the important thing at this time is to invest these events to become good for us, just as the incident of Ifk was good for the Muslims.

First: Calling to the Religion of Allah the Almighty

We invest it first by calling to the religion of Allah the Almighty. We do not want our reaction to be mere anger. We do not want to appear as if this film revealed secrets about our religion that we are ashamed of, so we are angry at its revelation. For that increases the curiosity of these peoples to follow such films, and this is what the trivial and cheap seek, who found insulting the Prophet the easiest way to fame. These films are either mere attacks and fabrications about the person of the noble Prophet peace be upon him.

Second: Obeying the Prophet peace be upon him

We invest it secondly by obeying the Prophet peace be upon him, following him, and obeying his command, and calling the common Muslims to do so. I know a family with three sisters who were all unveiled but covered themselves after the American war on Afghanistan in 2001. They covered with the correct legal hijab because this war awakened them from heedlessness and ignited the love of Allah and His Messenger in their hearts. The strongest response to the hatred of the Prophet's enemies is for us, his nation, to show our love for him, our obedience to his command, and our support for him.

If the unveiled woman obeys her Prophet and declares: "I have covered myself in response to the transgression of the fools against my Prophet." If the one who abandons prayer prays. If the hesitant and confused between the methods declares his disbelief in the methods of appeasing the disbelievers and his bias towards the Mujahideen in response to the transgression of the fools. These are fruitful responses with which we send messages to the enemies of the Prophet saying: "You transgress against the Prophet, so we, his nation, will increase in our love, obedience, respect, and support for him. Die of your rage." We want far-reaching fruits, not just short-lived immediate reactions.

Third: Correcting Concepts and Deepening Loyalty and Disavowal

And we invest these events thirdly by correcting people's concepts and deepening their creed of loyalty and disavowal. We say to the people: Do you see the truth of Allah the Almighty when He said: {And they will not cease to fight you until they turn you away from your religion if they are able.} (Quran 2:193) Are those who insult the Prophet people we think well of when they lend us money to help in the reconstruction of our countries? Are these people we think well of when they supervise democratic elections in Muslim countries to ensure their integrity and that they want to achieve justice and freedom in our countries with that? Is this the freedom that comes with the rotten democracy that is intended to be marketed in Muslim countries?

In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution condemning those who deny the Jewish Holocaust, mere denial. While insulting the Prophet peace be upon him is freedom of thought for them. And to those who say: "The noble Messenger is a red line, and whoever crosses it, we will oppose him," your resonant statements are of no use to us if your armies are conducting joint military exercises with the American army. Here is "the alerted lion," and there is "the eagle's arena," and perhaps we will hear after that "the rabid dog" and "the howling hyena." Military maneuvers and exercises with the army that desecrated the Quran before in Guantanamo and Afghanistan, destroyed the mosques of Fallujah, and raped women in Abu Ghraib. The army of the state whose many universities and schools study the book "The Divine Comedy," which attacks our Messenger peace be upon him with the ugliest images, and whose cinemas have for years shown films mocking the Prophet peace be upon him and belittling him, and we have titles of films announced in American newspapers that we cannot mention.

The Conclusion

If we invest in these events through these three means: calling non-Muslims to Islam, obeying the Prophet, and deepening our loyalty and disassociation, then the following will also apply to us: "Think not of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Nay, they are living, with their Lord, by Him provided for" (Quran 3:169). However, we want these effects to last long, not just for the wave to pass and for us to return to square one, doubting the fundamentals and justifying our alliance with the enemies of the Messenger.

After all that, the beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, is with his Lord, his soul enjoying the highest companionship. The wicked cannot harm him, for his Lord has honored him, nor can the lowly reach him, for Allah has raised his mention. We ask Allah, the Great Lord of the Honorable Throne, to keep us alive following his Sunnah and make us among his supporters and callers to his methodology. May He enable us to kiss his noble hands on the Day of Judgment and enjoy looking at his noble face. And may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.