[Friday Sermon] Do Not Ridicule, Mock, Scorn Or Belittle Your Brothers And Sisters!

By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy

All praise is for Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own souls and the wickedness of our actions, whoever Allah guides, there is none that can lead him astray, and whoever Allah allows to go astray, there is none that can lead him to the right path.

I testify and bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth but Allah, alone, without any partners. And I testify and bear witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. As for what’s after:

Dear brothers and sisters! Allah Almighty created human beings and raised some over others. And He made some serve others as a test and to make use of each other’s services. Allah Almighty said:

“It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees [of rank] that they may make use of one another for service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than whatever they accumulate.” [Qur’an, 43:32]

And these advantages in worldly matters do not necessitate a high status before Allah Almighty. Rather, people are distinguished before their Lord based on Iman (faith) and righteous deeds. Allah Almighty said:

“Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most conscious of Allah.” [Qur’an, 49:13]

For this reason, people should behave with one another with good manners. So the strong should not ridicule the weak. And leaders should not mock their followers. And the rich should not humiliate the poor.

And Allah Almighty has forbidden imitating the ignorant in dealing with one another through ridicule, insults, and mocking. Allah the Most High said:

“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be 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 wrongdoers.” [Qur’an, 49:11]

Respected servants of Allah! Wallahi ridiculing people is a reprehensible behaviour which describes the behaviour of some of the hypocrites and disbelievers. And Allah has mentioned their ridiculing the believers and their faulting them and putting them down. The disbelievers from Prophet Nuh’s (Noah’s Peace be upon him) people ridiculed him and the believers that followed him. Allah Almighty said:

“And he constructed the ship, and whenever an assembly of the eminent of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him.” [Qur’an, 11:38]

And this was the behaviour of the disbelievers from every nation. They ridiculed their Messengers as Allah Almighty informed us:

“But there would not come to them a Prophet except that they used to ridicule him.” [Qur’an, 43:7]

As for their ridiculing of the believers, Allah Almighty said:

“Adorned for those who disbelieve is the life of this world, and they ridicule those who believe.” [Qur’an, 2:212]

As for the hypocrites, they are most in ridiculing the Messengers of Allah and their followers and what the Messengers came with of truth and guidance. Allah the Most High said:

“And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers.” [Qur’an, 2:14]

And as ridicule is from the behaviours of some of the disbelievers and hypocrites, then it is not befitting for a Muslim to imitate them; such that he ridicules his Muslim brother, or faults them, or calls them names that demean them and put them down. Allah Almighty has forbidden us from that. And the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not oppress him, nor does he fail him, nor does he hold him in contempt. Taqwa (consciousness of Allah) is here [and he pointed to his chest three times]. It is evil enough for a man to hold his Muslim brother in contempt.” [Muslim]

That is, it is enough evil, to have contempt for one’s Muslim brother.

And ridiculing people stems from arrogance in the heart of the ridiculer. And seeing themselves above the ridiculed. So he does not see that he owes them the rights of consideration and respect. And he rejects their brotherhood, and they are his brothers in religion. And arrogance is one of the major sins. Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“He who has in his heart, arrogance as much as a grain of a mustard seed, will not enter paradise.” [Muslim]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) summarised arrogance saying:

“Arrogance is refusing the truth and disdaining and belittling the people.” [At-Tirmidhi]

And this results from viewing oneself as perfect and others as deficient.

The motive for a person’s ridicule of his Muslim brother may be his envy of a blessing that he himself does not have. And he sees that his brother does not deserve it. So his envy and the darkness of his heart reaches to the point that he ridicules his brother and disdains and belittles him, to lower his status and position so as to elevate himself. He does so to turn attention to himself. And his action says that I am more deserving than him of the favour that he has.

And ridicule leads to backbiting and it is from the major sins. For perhaps he may not be able to ridicule his brother in front of him. So he mocks him behind his back. Then it becomes both ridiculing and backbiting. And he is like the one who ate the flesh of his dead brother.

And the one who ridicules is necessarily a mocker and a scorner. Mocking directly through words by abusing and faulting people. And scorning by discrediting through actions such as gesturing with the eye, mouth or head while the person is either there or is brought up. And these two blameworthy traits describe behaviours of some of the polytheists (Mushrikun) with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. For they used to mock and scorn. So Allah Almighty revealed Surah Al-Humazah in their regard:

“Woe to every scorner and mocker.” [Qur’an, 104:1]

Then Allah Almighty warned them:

“The fire of Allah kindled. Which mounts directed at the hearts. Indeed, it [i.e., Hellfire] will be closed down upon them. In extended columns.” [Qur’an, 104:6-9]

So the scorner and mocker of the people is described with the traits of the polytheists (Mushrikun). He behaves with the behaviour of the people of the fire. And the warning applies to him to the extent of his scorning and mocking. And the scorner takes from some of the characteristics of the devils from which Allah commanded his Prophet (Peace be upon him) to seek refuge in Allah. Allah the Most High said:

“And say, “My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils. And I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they be present with me.” [Qur’an, 23:97-98]

And the scorner may strive in malicious gossip and it is from the major sins. And Allah warned His Prophet (Peace be upon him) from it. Allah Almighty said:

“And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer [And] scorner, going about with malicious gossip.” [Surah Al-Qalam, 10-11]

And if ridicule spreads among people they call each other offensive nicknames. And they insult one another. So their hearts will diverge and their ties will dissolve. Then they become hostile and stop talking to one another, turn their backs on each other and harbour hatred. And for this reason, Allah forbid calling one another with offensive nicknames and addressing someone by a defect. Allah Almighty said:

“And do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames.” [Qur’an, 49:11]

Abu Jubairah Ad-Dahak, may Allah be pleased with him said:

“Allah’s words were revealed concerning us, Bani Salamah: ‘And do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name [i.e., mention] of disobedience after [one’s] faith.’ When the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) came to us, a man among us would have two or three names, and the Prophet would say: Oh so and so (calling him by one of those names), Then they would say: O Messenger of Allah, he gets angry from that name, so this verse was revealed.” [Abu Dawud]

And when Aisha may Allah be pleased with her, spoke behind Safiyah’s, may Allah be pleased with her back, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) became angry with her and clarified the enormity of her action. As Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated:

“I said to the Prophet (Peace be upon him): “Such and such thing of Safiyyah (May Allah be pleased with her) is sufficient for you.” (She meant her short stature). So he said, “You have indeed uttered a word which would pollute the sea if it were mixed in it.” She further said: I imitated a person before him and he said, “I do not like that I should imitate someone even (if I am paid) in return such and such.” [Abu Dawud]

Dear brothers and sisters! Indeed ridiculing people is a door of enormous evil. It opens the doors of scorning, mocking, backbiting and malicious gossip. And it fills the hearts with grudges, hate and enmity. And it is a sufficient deterrent from ridiculing others that it is the characteristic of the inhabitants of hell. So it is incumbent upon every Muslim to guard his tongue. And to be cautious with his words and actions so that he will be among the successful.

I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgiveness from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Respected brothers and sisters! Our righteous predecessors (As-Salafus-Salih), may Allah Almighty have mercy on them, used to refrain from faulting, insulting and ridiculing others to safeguard the brotherhood and harmony of the hearts; and out of fear of sin, and wariness of falling into the faults of the people of shortcomings. Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, was one of the most strict people in that regard to the point that it was narrated that he said:

“If I ridiculed a dog, I would fear that I would become a dog. And he, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The affliction is brought upon by what you say (speaking about the affliction of others).”

And Imams Al-Kisa’i and Al-Yazidi gathered with Al-Rashid, then the time came for a prayer in which the recitation is audible. So Al-Kisa’i was put forth to lead the prayer and he fumbled in reciting the Surah “Qul Ya Ayyuhal-Kafirun.” So when the prayer concluded, Al-Yazidi said, the reciter of the people of Kufah fumbles when reciting “Qul Ya Ayyuhal-Kafirun.” Then when it became time for a prayer in which the recitation is audible, Al-Yazidi was put forth to lead the prayer and he fumbled while reciting Surah Al-Fatihah. So when he concluded the prayer he said: Safeguard your tongue, Do not say, for you will be afflicted by what you say.”

Ibrahim al-Nakha’i, may Allah have mercy on him, used to say: “I see something that I hate, but what prevents me from speaking about it is fear that I will be afflicted with the like of it.”

Yahya Bin Jabir, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “No man ever reproaches a man with a fault except that Allah afflicts him with a similar fault.”

My beloved people! Wallahi this is an observed reality, and a person may find it in himself. A person ridicules someone because of one of his traits, or because of an action that he did. Then later he does the same action or exhibits the trait that he previously faulted or laughed about. And that happens sooner or later. And if it does not afflict him, then it afflicts his children. And this is a recompense from the same type as the deed (Al-jaza’u min Jinsil Amal). And your Lord does not wrong anyone.

Oh Allah, make us among those who are cautious with our words and treat people with the utmost respect and distance us from the blameworthy traits of ridiculing, mocking and scorning. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:

“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” [Qur’an, 33:56]

O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.

O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know.

O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know.

O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge.

O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good.

Oh Allah, we ask you to give us freedom from Fitnah, ignorance, hatred, ego, war, illusions and any kind of calamity. To give us a world where we can all love each other as human beings and toss away the weapons of war, and cast out our fears and hatreds from our hearts. We must mourn the memory of the innocents all over the world, and give the children of the world the hope of a peaceful, loving and beautiful world. A world full of love and without hatred or fear. A world where we can join hands together and accept one another, regardless of our skin colour, ethnic divisions, region, religion or nationality. If we don’t unite as a human race, then we have condemned the future generation of children to a dark and very grim future!

Please think of love, compassion, peace and social justice always…

O Most Merciful Almighty Allah, You created all the children of Adam in Your own image and placed before us the pathway of salvation through different Prophets who were Your Messengers and Servants. But, the contradictions (made by us) in the interpretation of Your teachings have resulted in creating divisions, faith based hatreds and bloodshed throughout the world community.

Millions of innocent men, women and children have been brutally killed by the militants of several groups and their horrifying crimes against humanity will continue unless through Your Infinite Mercy and Bounty, You guide and help us find ways to reunite peacefully.

O Allah, look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the controversial teachings of arrogance, divisions and hatreds which have badly infected our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; reunite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish Your purposes throughout the world; that, in Your good time, all nations and races could jointly serve You in Justice, Peace, Brotherhood and Harmony. Ameen, Ya Rabbal-Alameen!

Dear servants of Allah! Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.

Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.

All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Wishing you and all your loved ones a Joyous Jumu’ah Mubarak.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached through: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today Friday, Rabi’ul Awwal 18, 1444 AH (October 14, 2022).