Ma'roor Bin Suwayd narrates that he once saw Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) wearing a beautiful shawl. His slave standing next to him was wearing a shawl exactly like it, warm and beautiful. Ma'roor said to Abu Dharr, “Perhaps you could take the shawl of your servant and give him another (less expensive) one.” “Never,” said Abu Dharr, “for I once had a servant whose mother was not Arab and I cussed him and his mother. That servant went to the Messenger of Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – complaining of the words I had said. “When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) saw me he commented, ‘O Abu Dharr, you are a man who still has Jahilliyyah (Pre-Islamic Ignorance) in him.'” Because of these painful words, Abu Dharr would always dress his servants in the exact same garments that he would wear. Dear brothers and sisters In Islam, Allah is disobeyed most with our tongues. There is a sin that sweeps amongst us; a sin that many take lightly; a sin that is laughed at; a sin that could very well pull someone to Hellfire – it is the sin of insulting others. Read carefully this following verse. It is a commandment of Allah that begins with a call to those who claim to have faith. Allah says: “O you who believe let not one group of people ridicule another, perhaps the (one's being ridiculed) are better than them. And let not women ridicule other women perhaps the (woman being ridiculed) is better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by (offensive) nicknames. Wretched is the name (i.e. mention) of disobedience after (one's) faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the Dhalimoon (the wrongdoers).” (Qur'an, 49:11) Perhaps the one that is being made fun of is more beloved to Allah. Subhan Allah, let us remember this if we ever try to make fun of someone, perhaps Allah loves them and does not love us. Didn't the Mushrikeen make fun of the Prophet (peace be upon him)? We know Allah loved him and not them. Didn't the hypocrites make fun of the Sahabah – and we know Allah loved the Sahabah and not them. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Verily a person will speak words from those that Allah hates, paying no heed to what he is saying, and with those words he will plummet into the Hellfire.” (Al-Bukhari) There are different reasons why a person would want to insult, make fun of and ridicule other Muslims: Firstly: They have weak Iman and their fear of Allah is poor. This is one of the major reasons. Secondly: They spend a lot of their time in gatherings that bring no benefit. Thirdly: They themselves may want others to praise them. Sadly, when a Muslim insults others, it is mostly because he wants to be “seen” in front of others as someone pious and humble. In what way will they be seen if they are doing something that Allah and His Messenger hate? Fourthly: They forget the punishment for those that make fun of others. Imam Al-Bayhaqee narrates in Shu'ab Al-Iman, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Verily those people that make fun of people – for them a gate of Jannah will be opened. It will be said to them: Come (and enter). They will come with all their anguish and depression – but when they get close, the gate will be closed in their faces. Then another gate (to Jannah) will be opened and it will be said: Come (and enter). So they come with all their anguish and depression. But when they get close, the gate will be closed in their face. This will keep happening to such people until it gets to the point that they will not be free from the despair of ever entering paradise.” Fifthly: Mocking others and insulting them is a characteristic of Jahiliyyah and Kufr, and it is not a characteristic of a believer. Allah tells us how this characteristic of laughing at others is a characteristic of those who don't believe: “Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed.” (Qur'an, 83:29) If we find a gathering of Muslims to be like this, it is our duty to command good and forbid evil and demand that this ridiculing stop once and for all. In conclusion, the question that begs to be asked is: What is the cure for this disease of the tongue? One: We should know that it is a sin. In fact, a person may make a single statement – not paying any attention to it – by which he may slip into Hellfire. Two: We should follow what our tongues are saying and not allow ourselves to stoop to vain talk. Three: We should distance ourselves from those long useless gatherings where nothing is done for hours except laughing and chatting. Instead, we should replace our gatherings with the remembrance of Allah and good speech. Four: We must glorify this Religion and make the commandments of Allah enormous in our hearts. If Allah says do not make fun of one another, our reply should be nothing more than: “We hear and we obey.” Five: We should warn others of the sin of insulting other people and making fun of them. Let us not allow ourselves to be as a silent Shaytaan listening to others being insulted. Let us speak up and say it clearly that this is not something loved by Allah and His Messenger. Say that if Allah and His Messenger hate it, then so do I. Six: If you feel an urge inside you to insult someone, ask Allah to protect you from the Shaytaan and this satanic act. As Allah says: “And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.” (Qur'an, 7:200) Seven: And of course, if anyone of us should fall into this sin, we should be swift in turning back to Allah in repentance. Say Astaghfirullaah wa Atoobo ilayh (O Allah, I ask You to forgive me and I return to You). Allah says in the Qur'an: “And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the Dhalimoon (the wrongdoers).” (Qur'an, 49:11) – Muhammad Al-Shareef is director of Al
