Advice for Muslims Living in the Lands of the Non Muslims

Question:  We are living as a minority in the lands of the kuffâr (non Muslims). Many incidents of verbal abuse occur here. For instance, you may be driving a vehicle and some of the kuffar use hand signals or yell out to you. Are you able to retaliate with the like of them, i.e., make hand signals back or stop the car to threaten them or should you have sabr (patience) so that you can also give them Da'wah to Islâm?

Answered by: Sheikh Abdur-Razzaq bin Abdul-Muhsin Al-Abbaad حفظه الله

The answer is as the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم said: “The Muslim is not one who curses others nor is he one who is a constant criticizer nor does he have a filthy mouth or filthy actions.” ^[1] This type of filth that is done with hand signals and verbal threats/abuse is not to be retaliated with its like, because the Believer, as the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم said, is not filthy in his actions or statements.

Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى says when describing the servants of Ar-Rahmaan:

وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا

"... and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity."

[Al-Furqaan 25:72]

 Also, Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى says: 

وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ

"And turn away from the foolish.."

[Al-Araaf 7:199]

However, if it is at all possible to give this person some advice or dawah, then this should be done, if not, then one should walk by them, as the poet says:

“And I may walk by a foolish person and he curses me and I keep on walking and I say that does not concern me.”

-- Meaning that you walk by these types of people and you deal with them like you did not even see them do anything or hear them say anything.

[1] Reported by at-Tirmidhi. Sheikh al-Albaani رحمه الله says Saheeh in Jaami’ Tirmidhi 4/350 (#1977) and Saheeh al-Jaami’ (#5381)