Brothers and sisters! We are all aware of the January 7 terrorist action in France that resulted in the death of 17 people including journalists of the French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo. This magazine had attracted attention for its depictions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in a distasteful and offensive manner. The violent and senseless action of those individuals who in the name of Islam had killed civilians and left many people in a state of fear and anxiety has been condemned worldwide by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The Prophet (SAW), whom the miscreants thought they were defending or avenging, would never sanction such a heinous crime.
I do not want to discuss the political intrigues and implications that surround this particular incident. I would, however, like to highlight two important points in my khutba today: (1) What is the Quran’s perspective to insults against our Prophet (SAW), and (2) The need to educate ourselves and others about the real meaning of free speech and expression.
On multiple occasions, Allah (SWT) tells us in the Qur’an how His prophets were insulted; how they were made fun of; how they were rejected by their own people. Allah wants us to remember that His prophets, even though they were the most honored and noble of Allah’s creations were people who faced the worst kinds of insults and ridicule. The Qur’an that honors the Prophet (SAW) also records the most hurtful words that were said to him. He was called a magician; an insane person; a fortune teller, a poet, and a liar. So many false accusations were made against the Prophet (SAW) and they are all recorded in the Qur’an.
If anybody should have been infuriated when the Prophet (SAW) was insulted, it should have been his companions whose implicit faith in Allah and true love for the Prophet are beyond comparison. How come they did not react in the way we do? They did not go out yelling and screaming in rage, killing those who insulted the Prophet. They understood that the Qur’an didn’t just come to give them the love of the Prophet but also to guide that love; to teach them how to respond to the insults that were hurled at the Prophet (SAW) by the disbelievers. Allah (SWT) says to the Prophet (SAW) in the Qur’an,
وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَاهْجُرْهُمْ هَجْرًا جَمِيلًا
“Be patient over what they say, and ignore them politely.” (al-Muzammil, 73:10)
Where in the Qur’an is it justified to be angry over what the disbelievers say to the Prophet (SAW)? The one single thing we should feel toward those who misunderstand Islam and make hateful speech toward Muslims is sorrow. We should feel sorrow for these people. They can’t hurt the Prophet. They can’t take away his honor. It was given to him by Allah (SWT). Nothing on earth can take it away. No writing; no speech; no cartoon, no film is going to take away the dignity of our Prophet (SAW). All these types of attempts to undermine the message of Islam and denigrate the Prophet (SAW) are futile. The enemies of Islam want Islam to be misrepresented. By reacting to accusations made against the Prophet (SAW) through violence and killing, we’ll be only misrepresenting Islam and Muslims. If anything should make us angry, it should be our own selves because we do not comply with the teachings of the Qur’an on how to respond to insults. Allah says,
ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَصِفُونَ
“Repel evil with that which is better. We are well aware of the things they say (Al-Mu’minun, 23:96).
Some may argue that this was an early policy in Islam, i.e., during the Meccan period of the Prophet. He and his followers were supposed to be passive but after their migration to Madinah, battles were fought with the disbelievers; now the policy was to react by engaging in active resistance. But let’s look at Surat Aal Imran, a surah revealed in the Medinian period. What does Allah tell the believers?
وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَذًى كَثِيرًا وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ
“You shall surely hear many hurtful things from those who were given the Book before you and from those who set up partners with Allah, but if you endure with fortitude and restrain yourselves, that indeed is a matter of strong determination.” (Aal Imran, 3:186)
This, my brothers and sisters, is supposed to be the reaction of the Muslims. The more we react in the way the enemies of Islam want us to react, the more we will be encouraging others to pursue more hateful speech and expression against Islam, Muslims and their Prophet. We have to learn to respond in a civil manner; in the way the Qur’an and the legacy of our Prophet teach us. We have to turn the current narrative surrounding Islamophobia into something positive. May Allah (SWT) give us the understanding and the tawfiq to do so.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين.
In contemporary times, it is under the cover and shelter of freedom of speech and expression that all distasteful, indecent, vulgar, offensive, and hateful materials are published via the print, digital, audio-visual, and other electronic media. Having discussed the way to respond to accusations against the Prophet (SAW), we should at the same time be very clear about what free speech and expression imply.
We have to understand that free speech is an ideological liberal position. It does not represent the default position. It is not a neutral universal position. Billions of people around the worlds are not liberals. It is basic human courtesy to respect others. To insult others means to treat them with disrespect. The onus is upon those who want to allow such behavior, to prove why this immorality should be permitted. The idea of free speech and expression is flawed in theory and politicized in practice.
For instance, when justifying one of the controversial anti-Islamic movies called ‘Innocence of Muslims’ that insulted the Prophet, and touched on themes of pedophilia, womanizing, and homosexuality, the White House said, “We cannot and will not censor freedom of expression in this country.” Then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “Our country does have a long tradition of free expression….; we do not stop individual citizens from expressing their views no matter how distasteful they may be.” These sentiments have also been echoed by leaders in Europe and Australia.
But these statements are simply not true. Free speech does not exist in absolute form. There is no absolute freedom to insult. Even across the liberal West, we find defamation laws, sedition laws, professional standards and journalistic standards of reporting about politicians and celebrities. Both in Germany and France, denial of the Holocaust is prohibited by law. In the United Kingdom, the Public Order Act makes “threatening, abusive or insulting words” a criminal offence. In Australia, Commonwealth Criminal Code makes it an offence for a person to use a postal or similar service “in a way that reasonable persons would regard as being offensive.”
The right to freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right, but the same Article goes on to say that the exercise of this right carries “special duties and responsibilities” and may “therefore be subject to certain restrictions” when necessary.
The fact of the matter is that the principle of free speech is wielded selectively as a political tool. Who decides about when and how to qualify free speech? The real question, then, is not about freedom. It’s about power using the notion of freedom to extend and enforce its reach. Ultra-liberals may say here that they disagree with all these laws and cases and maintain absolute free speech for all–unqualified, carte blanche. But is such a position conducive to society? Would we accept white people using the “n word” against blacks? Would we accept a student insulting his teacher or a child his parent? Everyone teaches their children to respect others, not to insult them; because insult begets insult. Is that the type of society we want for ourselves and for our children?
Some forget, perhaps, that even in the western tradition, free speech was upheld as a most basic value for specific ends: to allow the profession of ideas, to allow inquiry into truths and the ability to hold government to account. Do any of these noble ends—all of which are upheld in Islam, require the freedom to insult? Insulting other people’s beliefs makes them more defensive and prepared to retaliate—that’s human nature.
We should also know that secular liberalism has dominated both East and West, not by the strength of its values, but by the strength of its policies of aggression and domination. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, which crumbled under the force of secularism, Islam did not. Muslim lands were divided and colonized, conquered and exploited. The Islamic state—the Caliphate, was dismantled, but, Alhamdulillah, the Islamic mind remained. It is in an effort to break this resistance that the insults come; to impose secular liberalism so that it can consolidate its victory forever.
Is the western world really in a position to lecture others about violence or about values? The “free world” seeks to dominate and impose itself upon the rest of the world, destroying entire countries through war and invasion. This is the broader context of provocation in which the global Muslim reaction to insults comes. It is here that far more attention needs to be focused. Critique of any ideas or beliefs is always welcome, but to mock, to denigrate, to provoke; that is something else, and should not be acceptable in a civilized society. Insulting others is not an acceptable mode of interaction for mature, self-respecting people. Insults bring nothing to society except hate and divisiveness. Hence all beliefs and sanctities, and God and His messengers should be protected from insult. The Qur’an tells us,
وَلا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
“Do not insult those they call upon besides Allah, lest they, in their ignorance and hostility insult Allah.” (Al-An’am, 6:108)
Let me conclude by saying that when insults are hurled at God or any of His prophets, the Qur’an teaches us to restrain ourselves with endurance and fortitude and to repel that evil with that which is better. At the same time, we must have an insight into the real meaning and implication of the right to free speech and expression. The exercise of this right carries special duties and responsibilities.
May Allah grant us the tawfiq to use the precious gift of speech and expression with utmost care and caution. May He make us among those from whom others are safe. May He also keep us safe from the evil designs of others. Ameen Ya Rabb al-Aalameen.
