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“Let Not Some People Mock at Other People“
In verses 49:10-12, Allâh has prescribed a number of things related to the preservation of brotherhood and
what this implies with regard to what is to be held sacred among human beings. The first among these is the
prohibition of mocking, deriding, and scoffing at others. The Believer who fears Allâh and hopes to attain the
Garden in the Hereafter will not scoff at any individual nor make people the object of his jokes, scorn,
sarcasm or mockery, because this is nothing but pride, arrogance, and contempt for others, as well as
ignorance of the scale by which Allâh measures goodness. Says Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala: Let not some
people mock at other people, for they may be better than themselves, nor (let) women (mock) at women who
may better than themselves. (49:11)
In the scale of Allâh, goodness is measured by faith, sincerity, and the quality of the relationship with Allâh
Ta‘ala, not by physical appearance, wealth, or power. Said the Prophet (s.a.w.s.). Allâh does not look at your
physical features or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds. (Compiled by Muslim.)
How, then, can it be permissible for a person to laugh at someone’s physical handicap, deformity, or
poverty? It is reported that ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ood had thin, weak legs. Once, upon seeing his leg uncovered,
some people laughed, whereupon the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, Are you laughing at the frailty of his legs? By
Him in Whose hand is my soul, in the scale of Allâh they are weightier than Mount Uhud. (Reported by al-
Tiyalisi and Ahmad.)
The Qur‘ân speaks of how the criminal idolaters used to laugh at the faithful Muslims, especially at the weak
and oppressed ones like Bilal and ‘Ammar, and how the tables will be turned on the Day of Reckoning, when
the mockers will become the mocked: Verily, the criminals used to laugh at those who believed and wink at
one another when they passed them, and when they returned to their families they would return joking
(about them). And when they saw them they would say, ‘Surely these people are astray.’ But they had not
been sent as watchers over them. Then on this day those who believe will laugh at the disbelievers. (83:29-
34)
Although it has already been implied in the first part of the verse 49:11, nevertheless this ayah goes on to
state explicitly that women should not mock at other women. This emphasis is due to the fact that mocking
at others is quite common among women.
“Do Not Slander“
The second of these prohibitions is against lamz, which literally means “piercing and stabbing.” Here it is
used to mean finding faults, as the person who finds faults in others is doing something similar to piercing
them with a sword or stabbing them with a dagger—and perhaps the wound inflicted by the tongue is more
lasting. A poet has said, The wounds of blades may heal one day, but the wounds of the tongue? They
never may.
The form of prohibition expressed in this verse is very subtle, saying, “Do not slander yourselves,” that is,
one another. For the Qur‘ân regards the community of Muslims as one body in its mutual concerns and
responsibilities, so that whoever slanders his brother in effect slanders himself.
“Do Not Revile by Nicknames“
One form of slandering is calling others by derogatory nicknames of the sort which highlight some defect and
are used to mock and deride a person. A Muslim should not call his brother by a name which is offensive to
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him, thereby causing him pain and thus trampling on the feelings of Islâmic brotherliness.
Suspicion
Islâm aims at establishing its society on clearness of conscience and mutual trust, not on doubts, suspicions,
accusations and mistrust. Hence this ayah mentions the fourth prohibition by which what is to be held sacred
among people is safeguarded: O you who believe, avoid (indulging in) much suspicion; truly some suspicion
is a sin. (49:12)
The kind of suspicion which is a sin is the ascribing of evil motives, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to
impute such motives to his brother Muslim without justification and clear evidence. Because the basic
assumption concerning people is that they are innocent, a mere suspicion should not be allowed to result in
the accusation of an innocent person. Regarding this the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, “Avoid suspicion, for airing
suspicion is the most lying form of speech.” (Compiled by al-Bukhâri and others.)
Human weakness is such that no one is free of suspicion and wrong thoughts especially concerning those
with whom relationships are not good. However, one must not give in to such thoughts nor go beyond
thoughts to action, as stated in the hadith, “If you have a suspicion, do not pursue it.” (Reported by al-
Tabarani.)
Spying
Inwardly, mistrust of others produces evil thoughts in the mind while outwardly it leads a person toward
spying. But Islâm establishes its society on the purity of both what is inner and what is outer. Therefore, just
as spying follows suspicion, the prohibition of spying comes immediately after that of suspicion.
Prying into other people’sprivate affairs and spying on their secrets is not permitted, even if they are
engaged in sin, as long as they do it privately and not openly.
Abû Haitham, the scribe of ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir, a Companion of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) narrated, “I said to
‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir, ‘Some of our neighbors drink wine, and I am going to call the police and have them
arrested.’ He said, ‘Do not do so, but advise them and warn them.’ I said, ‘I told them to stop it but they do
not listen to me. I am therefore going to inform the police and have them arrested.’ ‘Uqbah then said, ‘Woe
to you! Do not do that, for I heard Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) say, If one conceals the private affairs (of
others), it is like reviving a girl who has been buried alive from her grave. (Reported by Abû Daoud‘ al-Nisai,
Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al-Hakim. The wording is from Ibn Hibban.)
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) classified those who search out other people’sfaults as being among the hypocrites,
who proclaim their belief with their tongues while their hearts do not confirm what they say. He denounced
such people publicly. Ibn ‘Umar narrated, “Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) mounted the pulpit and called out in
a loud voice, O you who declare Islâm with your tongues but whose hearts have not been reached by faith,
do not annoy the Muslims nor seek out the* faults, for he who seeks out the faults of his brother Muslim will
have his faults sought out by Allâh, and when Allâh seeks out someone’s faults, He exposes them, even
though he should be in the interior of his house. (Reported by al-Tirmidhî,and Ibn Mâjah has reported
something similar.)
In order to safeguard people’sprivacy, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) strictly forbade that anyone should look into
other people’shouses without their permission and absolved the residents for any injury they might inflict
upon one who so looks. He said, If someone peeps into the house of a people without their permission, it
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