Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #51

Punishment for the one insults (reviles/swears/curses) the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen (3/609) of Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله]:

Narrated `Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood رضي الله عنه: As if I saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم talking about one of the Prophets whose nation had beaten him and caused him to bleed, while he was cleaning the blood off his face and saying: “O Allaah! Forgive my nation, for they have no knowledge.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (3477, 6929) and Saheeh Muslim (3353)]

Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:

And this is from the tolerance of the Prophets and their patience when faced with harm at the hands of their own people. And how many Prophets were harmed by their own people?! Allaah نعالى says:

{وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُوا وَأُوذُوا حَتَّى أَتَاهُمْ نَصْرُنَا} (الأنعام:34)

{Verily, (many) Messengers were denied before you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), but with patience they bore the denial and persecution; till Our Help reached them} [Surah al-An`aam (6): 34]

And this Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was beaten by his own people till his face bled, and he was saying:

اللهم اغفر لقومي فإنهم لا يعلمون

“O Allaah! Forgive my nation, for they have no knowledge.”

And these people were Muslims, but they got into confrontation with their Prophet and they did this to him. So the Prophet prayed for their forgiveness. Had they been other than the Muslims, he would have prayed for their guidance and would have said instead: “O Allaah! Give guidance to my people”. So what is apparent is that they were Muslims. And the Rights were his. It was up to him to forgive them and to forfeit his rights

And that is why the most correct saying in this is that the one who insults the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and then repents, his repentance is to be accepted, but he should still be killed. But as for the one who insults Allaah تعالى and then repents, his repentance is to be accepted and he is not to be killed.

This does not mean that insulting the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is a greater sin than insulting Allaah تعالى. Rather insulting Allaah تعالى is the greatest sin, but Allaah تعالى has informed us that He تعالى would let go of His Rights for the one who repents to Him. So when a person repents (sincerely), we know that Allaah تعالى has pardoned him.

But as for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, he is dead. So if anyone insults him, he has violated his (the Prophet’s) Rights. So if he repents, Allaah تعالى will accept his repentance and will forgive his Kufr which he did by insulting the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم; but the rights of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم is still remaining, so he would be killed.