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An Open Letter from a Muslim to Muslims:
“Pray And Forgive.”
T.O.Shanavas.
Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] was insulted and ridiculed on a regular and
daily basis during his lifetime. He was even called a liar by his enemies. His
opponents mocked his message that challenged the status quo. They even tried to
assassinate him in order to silence him for ever. The Prophet (peace be upon
him), however, did not get angry or react with emotional outbursts to these
provocations at any stage of this ordeal. Instead, he offered a prayer of
forgiveness to those who showed contempt for him. He indeed set an unparalleled
example of patience and fortitude.
Today all across the world, many followers of Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon
him] are insulting the Prophet (peace be upon him) by their knee-jerk response
to the provocative Danish cartoons about the Prophet [peace be upon him]. They
are attacking embassies, burning newspapers, threatening journalists, issuing
bomb threats, and promoting suicide bombing. Still, they claim that they are
defending the Prophet [peace be upon him]. These measures do not comply with the
values of an ideal community whose Prophet is described in the divine scriptures
as a Mercy to Humankind. Moreover, Muslims by their angry outburst made even the
initially disinterested people to search for the caricature. Unfortunately,
Muslims made the existence of the offensive cartoons widely known as they did to
the boring Satanic Verses of Salman Rashdie.
At this moment of extreme sadness, I ask Muslims to join me to read the Qur’an
for guidance, consolation, and self-control, instead of adding fuel to the fire.
{ وَلَقَدِ ٱسْتُهْزِىءَ
بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِينَ سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ
يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ }
“And verily messengers before you were mocked but in the end, the mockers were
overwhelmed by the very thing they ridiculed.” [21:41.]
{ خُذِ ٱلْعَفْوَ
وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ ٱلْجَاهِلِينَ }
“Indulge [people] with forgiveness, [accepting] what issues spontaneously from
people's manners [of behavior], and do not scrutinize them, and enjoin kindness,
decency, and turn away from the ignorant, and do not counter their stupidity
with the like.” [7:199]
{ لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِيۤ
أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلْكِتَابَ
مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوۤاْ أَذًى كَثِيراً وَإِن تَصْبِرُواْ
وَتَتَّقُواْ فَإِنَّ ذٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ ٱلأُمُورِ }
“You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and in your persons; and
indeed you shall hear many hurtful things from those to whom revelation was
granted before your time, as well as from those who have come to ascribe
divinity to other beings beside God. But if you remain patient in adversity and
conscious of Him - this, behold, is something to set one's heart upon.” [3:186]
{ وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ ٱلَّذِينَ
يَخُوضُونَ فِيۤ آيَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُواْ فِي حَدِيثٍ
غَيْرِهِ وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ ٱلشَّيْطَانُ فَلاَ تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ
مَعَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّالِمِينَ }
When you see those who engage in discourse about Our signs, the Qur'ān, in
mockery, turn away from them, and do not sit with them, until they discourse on
some other topic. And if Satan causes you to forget do not sit, after the
remembrance, with iniquitous people. [6:68]
Here, the Qur’an counsels us, Muslims: the Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him), and prophets before him were ridiculed; we will hear many hurtful and
painful things; do not scrutinize the ignorant or counter their stupidity with
similar means, but extend kindness and decency to them; do not resort to
intimidation and violence against mockers but leave them alone, be patient, and
conscious of compassionate God.
All the above verses illustrate that angry or violent response to those who
ridicule Muslims or even prophets (peace be upon them) is not an Islamic axiom.
In fact, the Qur’an calls for patience and tolerance with mockers. According to
the verses, if Muslims ignore the ignorant and let them express their ignorance
freely, the mockers will be "overwhelmed by the very thing they ridiculed."
None of the verses mention of the abridgement of non-believer’s right for free
speech even if it is painful and indecent. In fact, the right of free speech is
abridged for Muslims in this painful situation because they are expected to
ignore the mockers and make a polite exit from the scene. Muslims have no divine
mandate to stop the mockery by force or intimidation. Therefore, the acceptance
and practice of the principles of free speech is an Islamic decorum.
Right of free speech is not a gift from the East or the West. It is a divine
gift and a mercy for humanity. Let us remember that "verily messengers before
you were mocked" and let us pray and forgive contemporary scoffers of our
beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) and pray human decency and free speech with
responsibility for all people.
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