Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As salaam alikum wr,

Now a days I m actively participating in many news websites of india, I m very active in blog , where people express their own personal view .but some time some guys write so much wrong that I can’t ignore them and get involved in their discussion and write / bashed against false , half truth info. But few guys gets personal and start targeting everyone right from prophet to book, not with facts but with very very abusive language.

Whats my question is weather we should get involved in discussion with these guys who use very abusive language and give wrong info abt islaam to world or we need to just ignore them.If u indulge with them they start all dirty langauage.From our side we are doing discussion in best possible manner but they used very abusive langauage.So whats the best option , to continue or to ignore them?

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Answer:

Prophet (saws) Abused

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah accept and bless your efforts in the propagation of the Truth and reward you generously for your wisdom and patience in this world and the Hereafter.

Your Question: Whats my question is weather we should get involved in discussion with these guys who use very abusive language and give wrong info abt islaam to world or we need to just ignore them.If u indulge with them they start all dirty langauage.From our side we are doing discussion in best possible manner but they used very abusive langauage.So whats the best option , to continue or to ignore them?

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 16, Surah An-Nahl Ayat 125:

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and argue with people in the best manner. Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way and who is Rightly guided.

Beloved Brother in Islam, first and foremost, regardless of how the pagans and disbelievers react to your invitation to the Truth, bear in mind that we, as believers, are commanded by our Lord Most Gracious to invite to the Way of our Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and to argue with people in the absolute best and polite manner.  Under no circumstances should their abusive behavior provoke you to retaliate in like manner, but rather you display and portray the behavior behoving of one who is an obedient slave of the Lord Most Merciful.

If after being extremely polite and best in manners you find that the person is not receptive, but rather is getting abusive; it would be best to excuse yourself from the discussion in a polite manner and concentrate on others who are receptive, or getting another opportunity to invite the person at a later date.  It is a call each inviter will have to make on an individual basis of when to continue and when to quit…if one sees or believes that the person seeking guidance is genuine in his quest, but is unreasonable because of his ignorance, one may dedicate more time and effort in showing him the light of guidance.  But if one feels that the person is only interested in being argumentative and abusive rather than truly seeking guidance, one should politely excuse himself from the discussion until the person is receptive.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verse 63:

63      And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them they (simply) say "Peace!"

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 68-70:

68      When thou seest men engaged in vain discourse about Our Signs, turn away from them unless they turn to a different theme.  If the Shaytaan ever makes thee forget, then after recollection sit not thou in the company of the ungodly.

69      On their account no responsibility falls on the righteous, but (their duty) is to remind them that they may (learn to) fear Allah.

70      Leave alone those who take their religion to be mere play and amusement and are deceived by the life of this world.  But proclaim (to them) this (Truth): that every soul delivers itself to ruin by its own acts: it will find for itself no protector or intercessor except Allah: if it offered every ransom, none will be accepted: such is (the end of) those who deliver themselves to ruin by their own acts: they will have for drink (only) boiling water and for punishment one most grievous: for they persisted in rejecting Allah.

But here I repeat and reiterate again, that under no circumstances are the believers allowed to retaliate and become abusive towards the pagans, or their ‘gods’, or their books, or their beliefs, just because the disbeliever, in his ignorance to the Truth has become abusive to our beliefs.  Our duty as believers is only to invite them to the Truth in the best possible manner; to accept or reject our invitation is entirely upon the individual concerned and he alone will be answerable for his deeds.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 106-107:

106    Follow what thou art taught by inspiration from thy Lord: there is no god but He: and turn aside from those who join gods with Allah.

107    If it had been Allah's Plan they would not have taken false gods: but We made thee not one to watch over their doings, nor art thou set over them to dispose of their affairs.

108    Revile not ye those whom they call upon besides Allah lest they out of spite revile Allah in their ignorance.  Thus have We made alluring to each people its own doings.  In the end will they return to their Lord and We shall then tell them the truth of all that they did.

Beloved brother, another point I would like to remind you, as I remind myself, is that if the disbelieving person reviles or rebukes you personally, it is your duty to bear this personal humiliation with patience and wisdom for the sake of Allah.  Allah is our witness, none who came with the Message of Truth was more reviled, rebuked, ridiculed, and abused in his personal capacity at the hands of the pagan disbelievers like the Noble Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws); but he (saws) bore every rebuke and ridicule with patience and wisdom and constantly supplicated his Lord Most Gracious to guide them to the Truth of Islam.  Such was the Prophet’s love and concern for the eternal well-being of mankind! 

But if the rebuke and abuse of the pagan disbelievers is directed towards Allah and His Messenger (saws), then you must politely excuse yourself from continuing that discussion and seek another opportunity when they are more receptive to the Truth.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan