In The Face Of Opposition from Multiple Sources, Islam Exhorts Muslims to Be Patient
God
Almighty Tells Us To Be Patient And Forgiving, Even In The Face Of Insults And
Criticism From Enemies.
Main
Points:
1. Opponents
will always say things that are painful to hear. They don't give a damn if they
lead to grief, defamation, a loss of peace and security, or a rupture in
personal or familial bonds.
2. The
opponents won't simply put up with it if you answer by saying the same things,
though; instead, they'll start criticising Islam as a whole more fiercely.
3. According to
the Quran, even if the disbelievers act immorally, they shouldn't be treated
that way as a result.
4. We must
exercise patience and a spirit of forgiveness in the face of derogatory and
harsh words from those who oppose us.
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By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
18 August
2022
The
polytheists of Mecca had gone well beyond the bounds of anti-Islamic and
anti-Muslim acts, as those who study the early history of Islam, notably the
Holy Quran, are well aware. It was no longer customary to recognise kinship and
relationships. The Quraysh, who had long treasured blood links and good
neighbourly relations, was overcome with anger when some of their relatives
converted to Islam.
On the
other hand, the People of the Book occasionally supported Quraysh and joined
them as allies in their struggle against Muslims. It is clear from Surah Bani
Israel, verse 47, that the oppressors' tongues were entirely uncontrolled. The
sarcastic spears were busy displaying all of their essences against the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) with utter cruelty since they had grown sharp.
When it
comes to a circumstance like this, there are two possibilities. In one
scenario, Muslims may counterattack if they feel like they are the target of
constant hardships and persecutions. They might have become confused as a
result, choosing to engage in conflict on an equal footing. You must have
noticed that adversity may sometimes bring individuals together while other
times it might make them wary of one another.
The mercy
of Allah was upon the heads of the Muslims and they had the companionship of a
great leader, but it was not impossible to suffer from some psychological
disorder. Therefore, it was first necessary to draw attention to this and
second, there was a possibility that the patience and discipline of the Muslims
might start to wane in the reaction to the opposition.
The Makkans
used to make fun of the Muslim locals who lived there and had no other faults
than the fact that they followed the faith of Allah Almighty. Most importantly,
they began uttering absurdities in the honour of Allah's Messenger (peace be
upon him). It was possible that when these things proliferated, Muslims would
begin reacting to them similarly.
Before the
Muslims lost their patience in face of the wicked attitudes, Allah Almighty
directed His Beloved Messenger (peace be upon him) through the Holy Quran to
instruct His servants to adopt noble behaviour in response to the abusive words
of the oppressors. Allah Almighty gave the Muslims a directive that they were
to abide by, no matter what their opponents say, no matter how repugnant and
repulsive it may be, Muslims must only respond to them with good, lawful, and
noble things.
Allah
Almighty says,
“And
tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension]
among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy.” (17:53)
Opponents
will always say things that are painful to hear. Opponents' cruel remarks don't
give a damn if they lead to grief, defamation, a loss of peace and security, or
a rupture in personal or familial bonds. The opponents won't simply put up with
it if you answer by saying the same things, though; instead, they'll start
criticising Islam as a whole more fiercely. Because of this, the best approach
to success in such a setting is to be patient, forgiving, and moral.
In verse
17:53, Satan is described as man's open enemy. You face hostility from Satan
because you have faith. Satan's life is designed to dissuade people from
believing in Allah and in His commands. When someone makes fun of a revered
religious figure, the devil begins to subtly urge others to take offence by
unlawful means. The devil might exhort them to respond and call them weak if
they tolerate insults.
Therefore,
in order to draw attention to this circumstance, Allah said that the devil will
whisper in your hearts, he will occasionally cause you to fight with your
enemies, and he will occasionally cause disagreements within you in order to disrupt
your harmony, and the enemy will then use your response as justification to
criticise Islam.
You must
always keep in mind that Satan is your blatant enemy. He will make every effort
to derail you from your path and stir up internal conflict, so it's imperative
that you exercise extreme caution and maintain your patience in such a tempting
environment.
For the
sake of understanding the article's major point, see also the cause of
revelation of verse 17:53. The reason for the revelation of this verse is that
polytheists used to mistreat and persecute Muslims. The Messenger of Allah
received complaints from Muslims over this. When this verse was revealed to
him, the Muslims were admonished not to react to the ignorant remarks of the
unbelievers in the same way, but rather to exercise patience and only offer
them this supplication: ‘Yahdikumullah which means “may Allah guide
you!”
A further
explanation for the revelation of this verse is that it was revealed in
reference to Hazrat Umar. After an unbeliever made a stupid remark in his
honour, Allah instructed him through this verse to be patient and forgive.
(Khazain al-Irfan: 17:53)
In this
verse, Allah Almighty commands His Prophet to train the believers on how to
speak to the unbelievers in a gentle or pure manner that is polite and
civilised. According to the Quran, even if the disbelievers act immorally, they
shouldn't be treated that way as a result.
It is still
Sunnah for everyone to respond to the evil deeds of the unbelievers morally and
patiently. We are instructed to present convincing arguments, but to refrain
from using crude language. It is crucial that we follow this order in this age
where our people tend to develop the culture of shooting and attacking. The
last clause of the verse asserts that Satan incites riots and violence among
you by using vulgarity and disparaging language. Satan, who is opposed to
humanity, is the source of this open antagonism. (Extracted from Sirat al-Jinan
Fi Tafsir al-Qur'an)
This verse
makes it quite obvious that we must exercise patience and a spirit of
forgiveness in the face of derogatory and harsh words from those who oppose us.
...
Kaniz
Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/opposition-sources-islam-muslims-patient/d/127736
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