Questioner: Our Shaykh, may Allaah preserve you, these days there are problems arising from an evil film produced in America whereby the personality of our Prophet – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam – was defamed, this has led to some Muslims protesting all over the place. Our Shaykh, may Allaah preserve you, what is your advice to the Muslims?
Answer: Firstly, depicting the personality of the Messenger of Allaah – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam – and defaming him (in a film) is a serious crime. What is known in the Shariah is that whoever abuses the Prophet – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam – must be killed whether he repents or not. Our scholars say, why wouldn't he be killed; someone who insults the personality of the Messenger of Allaah – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam? The ruling aforetime is that such a person must be killed; his repentance is immaterial.
If someone were to say, but there were some people in the time of the Messenger of Allaah – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam – who insulted him and he pardoned some of them when they truly repented; then why should we kill anybody who reviles him today and repents sincerely thereafter? We will reply by saying, we do not know whether the Messenger of Allaah – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam – will grant the repentance of whoever insults him (if he were to be alive) because it was not all those who insulted him then that he pardoned – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam. In fact he said about one of them, 'Kill him even if he clings to the Sheet of Ka'abah.'
These Kuffaar basically think that Islam can be uprooted when any of its symbols is insulted. The Messenger of Allaah – salaLlaahu alayhi wa sallam – is the greatest of the symbols of Islam. These people think that when they abuse the Messenger of Allaah, Islam will crumble and come to a finish. By Allaah, they are the losers and no-hopers, if that is their thought. Islam will remain stronger and stronger so far the heavens and the earth remain. That is a promise from Allaah; that Islam will remain till the Last Hour.
But we – Muslims – should not because the act of the Kuffaar, do what is not proper. We should not allow ourselves to be tossed about by them; we should not act as the fools do. It is fools that go out protesting. Protests have no basis in Islam. You leave your home with your soul, body and health but you come back with none! Some people will go out (demonstrating) with their soul but will come back home without it. Some will go with complete limbs but return with incomplete limbs; wounded and injured. Don't mind those who say, 'Come out let us demonstrate; let's show them the power of Islam.' That is not how to show the power of Islam. You say some Americans are responsible for the evil film but you come out killing yourselves, destroying the houses of your people not those of the Americans. You claim you are out to vent your anger, you should rather go to America and vent it, if they will allow you.
So also the cartoons made in France, we should condemn the act seriously but that should not turn us to mad people killing ourselves. How many people were killed in Pakistan today? [referring to the day of the massive protest in Pakistan],and how many were injured? But if those criminals can be (legitimately) got, then killing them is what is better.
[Answer given by the Shaykh in the QA session after the class of Ar-Risaalah At-Tadmooriyyah on Jum'ah 6th Dhul-Qa'dah, 1433 [21st day of September, 2012], Ogbomosho, Nigeria].