How to react to someone who insults Islam
This Hadith (teaching) of our Prophet relates to how to react when one gets insulted. This hadith is useful to keep in mind especially nowadays when Muslims are being attacked and insulted from people who have little or no understanding about Islam. While it is important to defend our religion and our Prophet, it is also important to keep our cool as this Hadith teaches us.
While Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sitting with some of his companions, a man reviled Abu Bakr and insulted him. Abu Bakr remained silent. The man insulted him twice, but Abu Bakr controlled himself. The man then insulted him thrice and Abu Bakr took revenge on him [and started talking back to the man].
When this happened, Prophet Muhammad got up and left.
Abu Bakr asked him: “Were you angry with me, Apostle of Allah?”
Prophet Muhammad replied: (When that man was insulting you) an angel came down from Heaven and he was rejecting what that man said to you. When you took revenge (and talked back), Shaytaan (the devil) came down. I was not going to sit when Shaytaan came down.
Book 41, Number 4878
Narrated by Sa’id ibn al-Musayyab
May Allah give us Muslims patience and knowledge.
