← Quranic WisdomQuranic Wisdom
Do not Provoke Others
English · 2 min read
The only right thing to do is to engage in introspection in order to discover your own weakness and then to reassess your own planning.
Indeed, God has helped you on many occasions. On the day of Hunayn, when you took pride in your great numbers, they proved of no avail to you—for the earth, despite all its vastness, became [too] narrow for you and you turned back, in retreat. (9:25)
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This is the Quranic way of thinking. According to Quranic teachings, if you face any kind of undesirable experience from another person or group, you should not try to protest against others or register your complaint against them. You should rather try to find out your own weakness, your own vulnerable point that gave the other party the opportunity to overcome you.
According to the creation plan of God, our world is a world of challenge and competition. In this world, success is not the monopoly of any individual or group. It is futile to indulge in complaints and protests against others. The only right thing to do is to engage in introspection in order to discover your own weakness and then to reassess your own planning. This is the only wise response to untoward situations. By self-correction, you can regain the target you failed to achieve.
During the Prophet’s time, some of his companions used objectionable language against the gods of the non-believers. This resulted in a reaction from the other party. In this situation, God Almighty gave a very important piece of advice to the believers. This is recorded as follows in the chapter Al-An‘am (The Cattle):
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Do not revile those [beings] whom they invoke instead of God, lest they, in their hostility, revile God out of ignorance. Thus to every people We have caused their actions to seem fair. To their Lord they shall all return, and He will declare to them all that they have done. (6:108)
Qur'anQuotes the Qur'an
It is obvious that God Almighty never guided the Muslims to require others not to abuse Him or the Prophet of Islam; instead, God Almighty advised Muslims to refrain from using derogatory language about the idols of others. That would only provoke them and in return they would abuse God and His Prophet.