Mock Those Who Mock Your Islam

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May Allah bless you with goodness, dear esteemed audience.

Introduction: Responding to Mockery of Religion

There is an important concept I would like to clarify: if someone mocks your religion, some people think that in this case, tolerance, kindness, and patience are required. No, my brothers and sisters, let us agree on this from the beginning.

The Difference Between Personal Insult and Mockery of Religion

The discussion is not about whether someone has wronged you or insulted you personally. If someone has wronged you personally, it may be wise to overlook it and forgive them if you are in a position of strength, and "repel evil with that which is better; then verily he, between whom and you was enmity, would become as though he was a close, dear friend." (Surah Fussilat 41:34)

However, when your religion is mocked, the requirement is to mock and ridicule those who mock your religion. Of course, to emphasize, this is not about a person who clings to a mistaken understanding of some verses or hadiths and advises others in that regard. Rather, it is when someone denies or mocks a clear and correct text from your religion, whether a verse or a hadith. In such a case, there should be severity and firmness, and at the same time, etiquette in the response. You should be able to mock and belittle a person and their words but in a scholarly and respectful manner.

Islamic Evidence for a Firm Response

What is the evidence for this? Allah the Almighty said about Prophet Nuh, peace be upon him: "And he constructs the ship, and every time that a group of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him." (Surah Hud 11:38) And every time a group of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him, he said: "If you ridicule us, then indeed we ridicule you just as you ridicule." (Surah Hud 11:38)

Follow with me these great verses from Surah Al-Ma'idah. Allah the Almighty said about some of the People of the Book: "And when you call them to prayer, they take it as mockery and play. That is because they are a people who do not understand." (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:58)

Say, O People of the Book, Allah has guided us to say to the People of the Book in this situation: "Say, O People of the Book, do you resent us only because we have believed in Allah and what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you?" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:59) Why do you resent us and mock our religion? Is it because we believe in a Lord who is the same Lord you worship and believe in? Is it because we believe in what has been sent down to you from your Lord?

Here, the mockers among the disbelievers and polytheists may think that you are pleading with them and seeking their mercy, and that you are breaking before them, and they may become arrogant and proud. Now look at the continuation of the verses: "Say, O People of the Book, do you resent us only because we have believed in Allah and what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you and that most of you are defiantly disobedient?" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:59) Ah, now the hitting begins! "And that most of you are defiantly disobedient." Meaning, do you resent us because of your defiance? Is it because we are righteous and you are defiantly disobedient, so you resent us? Your defiance is your problem, resent yourselves that you failed to be among the righteous, and do not envy us for our righteousness.

Then look at the verse that follows: "And that most of you are defiantly disobedient. Say, Shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as punishment from Allah? [It is that] he has cursed them and brought upon them the curse of Allah and the angels and the people, all together, and has imposed upon them a humiliating punishment. And when they disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right and said, 'Our hearts are wrapped in coverings,' rather, Allah has sealed them because of their disbelief, so they do not believe, except for a few." (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:60)

Correcting Misconceptions in Islamic Education

I wish we could instill in ourselves and teach our children the culture that the Prophet, peace be upon him, had a Jew who would place garbage at his door every morning, and the Prophet would go out and remove the garbage and continue on his way. This false hadith, which has no basis as we have mentioned repeatedly, must be completely erased from our minds.

Unfortunately, the discourse of Islamic dignity and that you know how to respond to those who mock your religion is generally not present in the mosques. You will not find the ministries of endowments in the Islamic world ever generalizing this topic to the preachers, and even what is called Islamic schools, unfortunately, often students enter the Islamic education class with the first hadith being the one about the Jew who would throw garbage. This hadith, which has no basis at all! But to teach the student to be dignified and defend your religion with dignity, unfortunately, we do not see this in schools except for the mercy of Allah if there are schools that teach this concept.

Therefore, we instill in ourselves and in our children, if your religion is mocked, be like a lion. This is not the place for tolerance; it is the place for a scholarly response that shames, restrains, and silences the aggressor who attacks my religion.

Islam Protects from Psychological Complexes

Take heed, my brothers and sisters, Islam thereby protects you from psychological complexes. When we study the subject of depression and you take, for example, the patient's medical history, you ask him, "Did anyone in your family suffer from depression? Are there any medications you have taken? Do others look at him and laugh at him?" This remains in his mind and can break him, leading to complexes, problems, and depression in the future. Islam does not command its followers to be tolerant in a way that breaks them, but rather teaches them how to repel the aggressor on their religion.

How to Respond Effectively: Knowledge and Supplication

Therefore, dear esteemed audience, mock those who mock your religion. So that our mockery is controlled and effective, we must seek knowledge. As for insults, curses, and swearing, the Messenger of Allah was not a reviler, nor a swearer, nor an obscene, nor an abuser. Rather, you can show the size of those who mock Islam, giving them their true size in a scholarly manner.

And also among the means of this is supplication. Supplication that Allah establishes your argument and guides your tongue.

A Great Supplication by Ibn Taymiyyah

There is a great, authentic supplication that Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, frequently used. Supplicate with it and supplicate with me, and I wish we would repeat it frequently until Allah teaches us the argument: "O Lord, help me and do not help against me, support me and do not support against me, plot for me and do not plot against me, guide me and make guidance easy for me, support me against those who oppose me. O Lord, make me for You a grateful one, a remembering one, a fearing one, an obedient one, a submissive one to You, a returning one, a repentant one. O Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sins, answer my supplication, establish my argument, guide my heart, straighten my tongue, and remove the constriction from my chest."

Conclusion

I ask Allah the Almighty to honor us with Islam and honor Islam through us. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.