Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the noblest of
creation and the leader of mankind, the most beloved of Allah's creation to
Allah. He has a station of praise and glory, a cistern to which many will come
(on the Day of Resurrection). Allah chose him from among all the children of
Adam, and selected him from among the best of the Arabs in descent and lineage.
He was born in the greatest of Arab cities of that time, in Makkah al-Mukarramah,
the best spot on earth, the most beloved of land to Allah, which the Holy
Qur'aan calls Umm al-Qura (Mother of Towns) because of its status in Arabia and
in the whole world.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And this (the Qur'aan) is a blessed Book which We have sent down, confirming
(the Revelations) which came before it, so that you may warn the Mother of Towns
(i.e. Makkah) and all those around it" [al-An'aam 6:92].
This noble status of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
generated complete respect in the hearts of his companions. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq
(may Allah be pleased with him) stepped back from his position leading the
prayer so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) could lead
the prayer, and he said: It is not for the son of Abu Quhaafah to pay in front
of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Narrated
by al-Bukhaari (684) and Muslim (421).
Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari (may Allah be pleased with him) refused to go up on a roof
beneath which was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him). Narrated by Muslim (2053).
'Amr ibn al-'Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: I could not look
him in the eye because of awe. If I were to be asked to describe him I would not
be able to, because I could not look him in the eye. Narrated by Muslim (121).
And there are other kinds of etiquette in which the Sahaabah (may Allah be
pleased with them) set the example for all of mankind in respecting and
honouring the best of the Messengers and the leader of mankind, (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him).
As for describing him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in ways that
are not appropriate, or using inappropriate words, or narrating anything that
implies disrespect towards him, this is an abhorrent lie and blatant kufr,
because it is distorting facts and transgressing against the best of Allah's
creation, and no one does that but one who does not know proper etiquette and
who has no manners and no faith.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"If you ask them (about this), they declare: 'We were only talking idly and
joking.' Say: 'Was it at Allah , and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses,
lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) that you were mocking?'
Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of
you, We will punish others amongst you because they were Mujrimoon
(disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals)" [al-Tawbah 9:65-66]
al-Qaadi 'Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) says in al-Shifa (2/214):
It should be noted - may Allah bless us and you - that everyone who reviles the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), or criticizes him, or
attributes some shortcoming to him in his character, lineage or religious
commitment, or any of his attributes, or hints at that, or likens him to
something by way of reviling him, disrespecting him, belittling him, derogating
him or finding fault with him, is reviling him and comes under the same ruling
as one who reviles him, and should be executed. … The same applies to one who
attributes to him anything that does not befit his status by way of criticism,
or who uses foolish words when talking about him, or criticizes him because of
some of the calamities and disasters that befell him, or tries to undermine his
position because of some of his human characteristics.
There is consensus on all of this from the scholars and imams who issue fatwas,
from the time of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) until the present
day. End quote.
The scholars have ruled that every description which detracts from the status of
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is kufr, even if it
does not state it clearly. Ibn Wahb narrated that Imam Maalik (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: Whoever says that the cloak of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) was dirty, intending thereby to criticize him,
is to be executed.
Ahmad ibn Abi Sulaymaan (one of the Maaliki scholars, who died in 291 AH) said:
Whoever says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was
black, is to be executed.
The fuqaha' of Andalus ruled that Ibn Haatim al-Mutafaqqih al-Tulaytali was to
be executed and crucified, because of the testimony against him that he
disrespected the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and called
him during his debate "the orphan" and so on, and claimed that his asceticism
was not deliberate, and that if he had had the means he would have eaten good
food, and so on.
All of the above was mentioned by al-Qaadi Iyaad in al-Shifa (2/217-219), then
he said:
Similarly, I say that the ruling on the one who belittles him, or criticizes him
for tending sheep, or for making mistakes in prayer, or for forgetting, or for
being bewitched, or for being wounded, or for some of his armies being defeated,
or for being harmed by his enemies, or for going through some hardship, or for
loving his wives, the ruling on all of that, for the one who intends thereby to
belittle him, is that he should be executed. End quote.
The great scholar 'Abd-Allah ibn Jibreen (may Allah preserve him) said:
The same applies to anyone who mocks any of the signs of Allah, or the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It was narrated that a writer once
wrote something attacking the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and saying that he was a Bedouin and that he tended sheep, and he lived at a
time when there was no progress, and there was no such and such. Undoubtedly
this is an attack on Islam, because this religion came to us through this noble
Prophet, so the one who attacks him by saying that he was ignorant or that he
was a Bedouin who did not know anything, or that what he brought was just his
own ideas, or that it was something that he imagined, or that he intended
thereby to become famous and acquire followers and so on, is to be regarded as
telling lies against Allah and as disbelieving the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) who brought this religion, and as rejecting the Qur'aan
and the entire sharee'ah. Undoubtedly this is also a slander against Islam and
against 'aqeedah. This is what is mentioned in the verse (interpretation of the
meaning): "Say: Was it at Allah , and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses,
lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) that you were mocking?" [al-Tawbah 9:65]; what is meant by mocking
Allah is mocking His names and attributes, or mocking His words and criticizing
them. That also includes mocking the Qur'aan, as Allah describes the kuffaar as
saying (interpretation of the meaning): "Those who disbelieve say: 'This (the
Qur'aan) is nothing but a lie that he (Muhammad sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) has
invented, and others have helped him at it.' In fact, they have produced an
unjust wrong (thing) and a lie" [al-Furqaan 25:4].
Undoubtedly they have committed something that shows their lack of faith and
religious commitment, and because of that Allah describes what they say as being
kufr. The same applies to those who slander the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) and say that he was ignorant or that he was a Bedouin, and so
on. End quote
Shaykh Muhammad al-Mukhtaar al-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) said in
Silsilat Duroos Sharh Zaad al-Mustaqni' (lesson no. 395, p. 7):
If a person reviles the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
directly by cursing - Allah forbid - or belittling him such as describing the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in a way that belittles him,
such as saying that he was a Bedouin who tended sheep, intending thereby to
denigrate him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and other such
phrases, then he is judged to be a kaafir. End quote.
And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A (adapted)
