In the light of the recent movie that was spread, insulting the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Islam, and after some Muslims added to the insult and proved their opponents' accusations, I tend to ask myself a simple yet fundamental question:
What would he have done in a similar situation?
Did he face a similar situation, to begin with?
Of
course he did, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) faced a
lot of difficulties and hardships during his life, and defamation and
insults. After a quick review of these incidents, we can come up with an
action plan of six steps:Step 1: Take it easy! "They are talking about someone else"
| Read Also: |
Umm Jameel bint Harb, the wife of Abu Lahab, who is mentioned in the Qur'an (Al-Masad 111:4-5), made up some verses of poetry to defame the Prophet by changing his name to "Mothammam" (i.e. the insulted one) as opposed to "Muhammad" (i.e. the praised one). She said verses like:
We disobey "Mothammam",
And refuse his matter,
And reject his religion.
Poetry
at that time was THE media, these verses were spread everywhere,
repeated by kids and by travelers in the deserts, so it had a huge
effect. Umm Jameel's short poem made some companions sad, angry, and
helpless, especially in the early days of Islam when they were weak.
Here comes the great attitude of the praised one, peace and blessings on
him, whom I sacrifice my family and my soul for. He told the
companions:
Isn't it amazing
how Allah is protecting me from the Quraish's insults? They are cursing
and swearing at "Mothammam", and I am "Muhammad"! (Al-Bukhari)
The
first step in answering or reacting to any insult against our Prophet,
to any act of burning the Qur'an by a bigot, to any tweet or to any
YouTube comment is to take it easy, rationalize the situation, don't let
your anger lead your steps. In a beautiful hadith, the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) redefines strength:
The
strong is not the one who overcomes people by use of his physical
strength; rather he is the one who controls himself while in anger. (Al-Bukhari)
Step 2: Find the "Oprah Winfrey" of your time
| I envy Hassaan for his role in supporting Islam through his media and art work. |
After you take it easy, rationalize your steps and prepare a counter attack, using the same resources of the bigots, the same media outlet. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used poetry in his long campaign of spreading Islam and answering these insults. Hassan ibn Thabet was one of those poets (media figures) who can be considered the Oprah Winfrey of his time. He was wealthy, his words were heard, and his verses reached many places and knocked many doors in the Arab community that adored poetry. His style was unique in defending Islam and the Prophet, while attacking Quraish (the main tribe in Makkah that was opposing the Muslims and leading the pagans) in their ego; Instead of attacking their beliefs in being idol worshippers (which is something they were proud of), he used to remind them about their lost battles, their weak points in terms of lineage, and other known sources of dishonor. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had many statements and ahadith that showed gratitude to Hassaan and his poetry:
Oh Allah, give him (Hassan ) the support of the holy spirit (Angel Gabriel) (Muslim)
Reply on their defamation, because it is tougher on them than arrows (Muslim)
(Got the hint from the Prophet? Your poetry is more effective than missiles, arrows, and bombing embassies!!)Whenever I read these ahadith, I envy Hassaan for his role in supporting Islam through his media and art work. I ask myself: where is the Hassaan ibn Thabet of our time? Who is the lucky person who will receive a copy of Hassan's supplication, through a video, an article, or a well-presented argument?
