Framing admonition in general terms

Framing admonition in general terms

1987 1 January 3 Framing admonition in general terms (58) According to ‘Aisha, when the Prophet used to hear something displeasing about a person, then he would not take that person’s name when administering admonishment. Rather he would say: “What’s up with people who do or say such things.” Thus he would discourage people in a general way from following suit, without directing criticism at anyone in particular.

Is This Islam

1987 1 January 3 Is This Islam (740) A story published in an English newspaper, the Deccan Herald, of the 7th December 1986, was (Naql kufr kufr na bashad) entitled: Muhammad the Idiot.

The absurdity of the title is patent, but the degree to which Muslims have allowed themselves to be provoked by it is of an even greater absurdity – they attacked the office of the offending newspaper and burnt down its godown with its entire stock of papers worth one crores of rupees. Worse still they have labelled this act of vengeance an Islamic Jihad (a holy war), but it is more of the hue of a national revenge on the part of the Muslims than of the ‘holy war’ which is laid down in the Quran and Hadith as endeavour for the cause of God. It is simply adding insult to injury.

The absurdity of this nature is nothing new in the history of Islam. Everyone is free to act absurdly or responsibly, having been granted such freedom, because it was God’s intention to place mankind on trial. That is why it has been possible for such incidents to take place and they have indeed been taking place right from the very days of the Prophet, for it is recorded in history that when he brought the divine message to the Arabs, he received very bad treatment at their hands. Leaving aside physical punishments, they humiliated him with the titles of Storyteller, Magician, Poet, Madman and Great Liar.

If the Muslims concerned truly wished to engage in a ‘holy war’, it was their duty first and foremost to find out from the Quran and Hadith how the Prophet and his companions reacted in such situations, so that they could adopt the same course of action. The independent action they took, with no regard for the pattern set by the Prophet and his companions in such provocative situations, amounts to acting upon their own whims rather than carrying out the commandments of God or following the example of the Prophet.

When we examine the early, exemplary period of Islam, we find that the Prophet and his companions never reacted in the manner of present-day Muslims to the arrogance or rudeness of non-Muslims. The Prophet’s companions never marched in processions, burned homes, destroyed property or even shouted slogans in the streets against non-Muslims. On the contrary, they only prayed to God for their guidance. Then sound arguments were brought forward to counter the adverse comments of non-Muslims, and beyond that the matter was left to God. This model provided by the Prophet and his companions shows us that the only thing to do in such matters is to pray for the guidance of those who offer provocation, to try to clear up misunderstandings in a proper way, by meeting them and reasoning with them, and to publish articles in a serious and academic manner so as to banish all misconceptions. Beyond this, Muslims should never go. Anything in excess of this will only bring down the wrath of God upon their heads, for the message that God sent with His envoy was that not of doom and destruction, but of peace and good will.

Reacting to provocation and remaining in a retaliatory mood has done a great deal of harm to the Islamic cause in modern times in that it has made it impossible for Muslims to be true Dayees, one who conveys the message of God to mankind. The dawah spirit can only be made manifest when it springs from love for and benevolence towards the congregation. When Muslims allow themselves to be provoked by the smallest incident, it means that they have descended to hatred and disgust for other nations, and – little do they realize it – this is a form of self-degradation, in which they have forfeited that psychological balance which is so necessary if the message of the Prophet of God is to be presented both forcefully and sincerely.

This is why, today, in spite of the fervour with which the Prophet’s birthday is celebrated, the work of dawah has been allowed to lapse. It should never be forgotten that the greatest responsibility of the Prophet’s community is to convey the divine message to all servants of God. This can never happen unless the Muslims wish other nations well. It is sad, indeed, that modern Muslims appear, in developing such a negative temperament, to have allowed all feelings of good will to have become submerged.