Section 5: The Ruling on Mocking the Religion and Demeaning Any of Its Symbols

Mocking the religion is apostasy from Islam and a departure from the religion in totality. Allah - the Most High - said: “...Say: Was it Allah and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelation etc.) and His Messenger M that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had This verse indicates that mocking at Allah is disbelief, mocking at the Messenger is disbelief and mocking at the signs of Allah is disbelief. Whoever mocks at one of these things is mocking at all of them. What happened with these hypocrites was that they were mocking at the Messenger and his companions, and so the verse was revealed.When Allah raised His Prophet, Nuh to forbid people from the polytheism that had occurred as a result of these erected statues, his people refused to accept his invitation and were obstinate in their worship of these erected statues, which had become idols. So, mocking at these things is inseparable. Those who consider Monotheism as frivolity and count as significant the invocation of others amongst the dead, and when commanded to Tawhid and forbidden from polytheism, they scorn at the admonition as Allah - the Most High - has mentioned: “‘Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a Messenger? He would have nearly misled us from our aliha (gods), had it not been that we were patient and constant in their So, they mocked the Messenger when he forbade them from polytheism. The polytheists have never ceased to blemish the characters of the Prophets and describe them with stupidity, misguidance and insanity, whenever they invited them to Monotheism. This is due to the importance, which they attach to polytheism. This is the condition you will find one of them who has some doubts, whenever he finds someone inviting him to Tawhid, he mocks at it as a result of the polytheism with him. Allah - the Most High - said: “And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah... ” Whoever loves a creature as much as it is necessary to love Allah is a polytheist. It is necessary to clarify the difference between loving for the sake of Allah and loving along with Allah. These people who have taken others such as graves and idols as gods, you will find them mocking at Monotheism and Allah’s worship, while venerating those they have taken as intercessors other than Allah. So, one of them swears false and ominous oaths by Allah but he will never attempt to swear falsely by his Shaykh. You will find several groups of these people, some amongst them, consider seeking assistance with his Shaykh at his gravesite as more beneficial than invoking Allah in the mosque after daybreak! He mocks at whoever deviates from his own path going towards Monotheism. Several amongst them destroy mosques and tend shrines. Is this other than a trivialization of Allah, His Signs and His Messengers and a veneration of polytheism?19 This occurs a lot with Mockery of the religion is of two classes:

1. Explicit Mockery: Such as the one for which the verse (earlier mentioned) was revealed, this was their statement: ’We have never seen a more gluttonous people, nor more lying people, nor a more cowardly people when meeting the enemy, than these our reciters (of the Qur ’an). ’ Or other such statements of mockers, like the 19 M ajmu' al-Fatawa, v. ‘Your religion is the religion of a fifth.'10 Or the ‘Your religion is clumsy.' Or the statement of one of them when he sees those who command good and forbid evil, saying mockingly: ‘Here comes the religionist’,'...and similar other things, which cannot be enumerated except with burden, some of which are worse than the statement of those about whom the verse
2. Inexplicit Mockery: This is an extensive ocean without shores. For example, signing with the eyes (such as bulging them), sticking out the tongue, stretching the lips, poking with the hand while the Qur’an is being recited or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah is being read, or when good is being commanded or evil Another example of this is what some of them say: ‘Islam is not applicable in the twentieth century; it is only applicable in the middle-agesV And that it is retrogression and retardation, that it is harsh and uncivil with respect to punishments and penalties, or that it is oppressive of women regarding their rights, since it permits divorce and polygyny. And their statement: ‘Judging by man made constitutions is better than judging by the law of Islam'.' They also say regarding one who invites to Tawhid and rebukes the worship of graves and tombs: ‘‘He desires to cause division amongst the Muslims.' Or: ‘This is a Wahabist.22’ Or: ‘This is a fifth school of thought.'1

1. Likewise for all other similar statements, which are insults to the religion and its adherents, or mockery of the True Faith. There is neither ability nor strength except with Allah. Amongst these, is their mockery of whoever adheres to the Sunnah of the Messenger they say: ‘The religion is not about hair,' mocking thereby the beard. Likewise other ill-mannered statements. 20 i.e. an insignificant religion which gets only one-fifth (i.e. from the spoils of war) (TN) 21 Majmu' at-Tawhid an-Najdiyyah pg. 409 22 This is in reference to Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab. A great scholar and reviver of the religion in the Arabian peninsula in the eighteenth century. It is an appellation unjustly attached to whoever follows the pristine Islam as practiced by the Prophet 4s and his companions, in modem 23 i.e. this is a new idea to the religion as the Muslims are known to have only four schools of thought (Hanafiyyah, Matikiyyah, Shafiyyah and Hambaliyyah ) (TN)