Defending the Prophet Mohammed against offenders

Was published in Arabic in August , 6, 2006

By:  Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Subhy Mansour

Some western journals have insulted the Prophet Mohammed. Muslims are responding back using their costumed way of demonstrations, boycotts and violence.

Westerners justify such acts through their deep-rooted principle of freedom of speech, something they publicly practice against their own religions and as an established scientific rule of critical thinking. Western governments also can’t reach a compromise  between freedom and independence of private media. They didn’t dare to do so when the same acts were directed towards Jesus, Christianity and Vatican Popes. 

That is a fact that I witness and I am not mentioning it to support their position. I believe I am the most loving person alive for the prophet Mohamed. I spent half of my life defending him over the insults of misled Muslim tradition. I have never compromised, nor abandon my belief.  

So, how can we face such a dilemma?

It is a dilemma indeed, because westerners don’t have sacred taboos and we can’t respond by insulting Jesus or Saint Mary, whom we believe in and honor. In addition, any demonstrations, boycotting or violence from our side will encourage the western fanatics to insult and mock the Prophet Mohammed even more. Such actions and reactions will develop into violent activities against westerners outside and Christians inside our lands, leading us to breach God’s instructions by not “to burden a person with sins of another”.

Once again, what should we do?

Let’s imagine if the Prophet Mohammed is living among us and facing the same problem. What would he do? But why imagine when the Quran asserts that as long as the wholly Quran is among us, readable and citable, then the messenger of God is among us. Let’s go back to the Quran for guidance:

What did God advise Mohammed to answer to those who insulted him in his life, accused him of lying, madness, and priesthood? Did God ask him to lead a demonstration to kill them? Did God order him to kill them?  

Of course not. On the contrary, in dozens of verses in the holy Quran, God ordered him to be patient with them. Patience here was a positive aspect because it was joined with strengthening the relation with God. This positive aspect is based on the Quranic principle of total freedom of choice for mankind in this world, since God is the only one who will judge and punish the idol worshippers in the hereafter. So, Mohammed’s position towards them wasn’t only forgiving, but sympathizing, because of the severe punishment they will have on the Day of Judgment.

Such forgiving act is an instruction of God for all of us, not only for the Prophet Mohammed. And this act should be directed to all those who insult our religion and/ or insult us. (7:199) (5:13) and (33:48)

Not only did the Prophet Mohammed forgive his insulters, but he also used to pray to God to forgive them as well, even after they increased their astray and mockery towards him. This ultimately brought upon him blame from God because there was no hope in guiding them. (9: 80).

Moreover, the Prophet Mohamed was instructed to answer these insulters not by good deeds and good sayings, but by the best way of forgiveness and kindness. The reason for this, as the Quran explains, is to heal the offender not to punish him, (23:96) and to make him a friend instead of keeping him as anenemy (41:34-35).

Then how can we face such insults regarding the Prophet Mohammed now?

This can only happen through peaceful forgiving demonstrations saying to the insulters: “We forgive you, we respect Mohammed, Jesus and Moses and all the prophets, we pray to God to guide you and us to His straight path”. This is the only way that suits our peaceful Islam and our beloved Mohammed. And this is the way that the prophet Mohamed would have chosen to react through the moral guidance of the holy Quran. This can also make the offenders apologize, not through threatening and terrifying mechanisms. Not to mention that this will grant us the respect of the whole world as well.

In the end, there is a message for fanatics:

You have been annoying the whole globe over some nonsense that was published in some obscure magazines, which helped spread such nonsense across the world by diverting everybody’s attention, paving the way for more mocking and insults for Islam, Muslims and the Prophet Mohammed. This could have been easily avoided through abiding with the Quranic instructions to ignore nonsense, which would have made it pass through unnoticed like much other nonsense before it. But your ardent efforts to ruin the relations between Muslims and the followers of the other religions made you exploit each and every marginal event to inflame the religious conflicts. By doing do, you are neglecting two important matters:

The first is what was just mentioned of the Islamic nobility in dealing with offenders.

The other is that your Sunni tradition and your great scholars in the middle ages had the most outrageous assaults towards the Prophet and towards God himself.

Not only that, but you have persecuted me after I kept exposing such offences out of your scriptures and text-books for the last thirty years. If you really care about the Prophet Mohammed, you would have taken my side against your favorite idols like Al -Bukhary and his colleagues in the dark ages who had dedicated themselves to defame the Prophet and his family, and his message. You still uphold and adore Al Bukhary and other Sunni scholars and their scriptures until now, taking their side against the Prophet Mohammed. If you are really sincere about defending the Prophet Mohammed, why don’t you start by your own Sunni tradition which is the real enemy to Islam and Mohammed as well? It is ridiculous to support your old idols and your tradition while you are so eager to turn the whole world around if some other westerners have done the same.

These westerners only attack the picture you have shown them of Islam by your ignorance, fascism and terrorism. This picture has nothing to do with the real Islam. It is the real picture for your Sunni Wahhabi dogma, which is tarnishing the image of Islam. This is how you have pictured Islam and the character of Mohammed. The Westerners are mocking and attacking the false image of Islam that you have fabricated. You are keen to keep this false picture, persecuting me because I reject it and defend the real, peaceful, gracious Islam.  

It is ironic that YOU would claim defending Islam after all that.