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This content has been automatically translated. View original in Arabic
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah, dear friends,
I had previously spoken about the topic of joking with the verses of Allah the Almighty, and I referred to a book I read long ago titled "Warning the Negligent About the Danger of Mocking Religion." At that time, I pointed out that the reader needs to differentiate between two scenarios: mocking the verses on one hand, and mentioning them in the context of joking, idle talk, and making people laugh on the other.
We have conducted a course on this topic, and praise be to Allah, it is true that upon re-reading the book and interacting with the brothers participating in the course, I would like to draw attention to an important matter: the book "Warning the Negligent" equips students of knowledge with rich material and important statements that help them open their eyes to this ugly phenomenon, which is widespread—even among some of the committed—of joking with Allah's verses.
As for the general public, if a person who does not have a solid Islamic foundation reads it, he may misunderstand some of its texts and statements, moving from negligence to extremism, and from leniency to strictness. The religion of Allah is a middle path between those who exceed and those who fall short, and it stands firmly between them. Some people may have become enthusiastic about passing judgment on others, considering them to have mocked religion, whereas their description and actions are not as such.
Our goal in raising this topic, dear friends, is:
Judging individuals is not our goal. Mocking religion outright is disbelief, and the ruling of its doer must be known and clarified. Allah the Almighty says: {And thus do We detail the verses, and [thus] that the way of the criminals may become evident.} [6:55] However, there is idle talk and frivolity that is somewhat close to mockery, and its doer is in great danger. But judging him requires knowing his intention and considering the circumstances, and it requires religious knowledge. What is required, my brother, is that you focus on benefiting yourself and warning others. As for detailed judgments, they require knowledgeable and balanced scholars.
Therefore, those whom I advise to read the book "Warning the Negligent" are specifically students of knowledge who are well-versed in the discussions of creed, and I call upon them, when reading it, to pay attention to important matters and be aware of them:
The book mentions many texts on the ruling of mocking religion and statements that people say not as a means of mocking religion but as a mention of the verses, hadiths, or religious terms in the context of jest and idle talk. The reader may think that the texts mentioned in the ruling of mockery apply to these statements that people use, but this is not the case. The difference between them is subtle and important, although some forms of mentioning the Quran in the context of jest are indeed prohibited (as we explained in a lengthy session titled: "Examples of What is Permissible and Impermissible in Mentioning the Verses of the Quran in the Context of Speech").
The book quotes statements from scholars about the ruling on someone who said or did something, and many of these statements and actions are ambiguous. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the intention of the speaker before passing judgment.
For example: There is a narration from Sheikh Ali al-Qari that he said: "In the ocean (of knowledge), if someone sits in a high place and people ask him questions in a mocking manner and then hit him with pillows, if they are mocking the principle of asking questions and giving fatwas, then this is a belittling of the Sharia. If they are saying, 'You, ignorant one, are worthy of this position,' then this does not involve belittling the Sharia."
Or perhaps the one who stood in a high place mocked the boastfulness of some preachers who affectation in their speech. He is not mocking the Sharia but the boastfulness that some preachers adopt. The historical context of the statements is very important. The scholars may have mentioned examples of what some mockers of religion did in their time, which was known to everyone as belittling religion. However, this does not mean that everyone who does something similar in our time does it out of belittling religion and deserves its ruling.
Some texts in the book need to be reviewed, as the reader may equate someone who intentionally tramples the Mushaf or intentionally wears a cross with someone who prays towards the qiblah with a fire in its direction, as may be understood from one of the book's texts.
The truth is that praying towards the qiblah with a fire in its direction (such as a stove or a heater or ordinary fire) is between disliked and permissible, as long as the one praying intends to pray to Allah the Almighty, and he did not place this heater except for warmth or a legitimate purpose. Al-Bukhari titled a chapter: "A Chapter on One Who Prays with a Fire or Something Worshipped in Front of Him, Intending Allah," and the scholar Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said that the purpose of Al-Bukhari with this chapter is that one who prays to Allah the Almighty is different from one who insults the Mushaf or wears a cross.
Regarding piety and humility when hearing the verses of Allah the Almighty, there are statements that we see should be ignored. I have previously spoken about this in a sermon and a booklet titled "The Phenomenon of Exaggeration in Reports of Worship and Piety" and titled "Is Islam a Religion of Sadness in Deed?" These materials, if Allah wills, are very beneficial, and we advise referring to them.
We do not want to be continuously sad, nor is it established that any of the Companions or Followers fell dead or became ill for a month upon hearing a verse. We do not want to move from negligence to extremism, but the Sunnah of our Prophet, peace be upon him, is the most beautiful and complete.
Well, after all this, is there another book that I can recommend to the general public?
Frankly, I do not know of a book written on the topic that we can be sure will not be easily misunderstood. Indeed, the book "Warning the Negligent" presents a unique collection of statements, some of which are the subject of our discussion, namely mentioning the verses in the context of jest. It also contains a realistic collection of statements that people say, which contain danger and they do not realize it.
However, for the reasons mentioned, we recommend it specifically to students of knowledge who are well-versed in the discussions of creed, and we ask Allah to guide the noble author to improve it in its upcoming edition by taking these points into consideration and to reward him for filling this gap.
The first piece we published on the topic, titled "Beware of Joking with the Verses of the Quran," has been withdrawn so that we can publish another in its place, by the permission of Allah the Almighty. Therefore, if someone has kept it in their archive, we ask them to rely on the alternative.
We ask Allah the Almighty to guide us to what is correct, and peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.