Dealing Nobly
\r\n Al-Hujurat (The Chambers) - Chapter 49 : Verse 11 (partial)
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"O you who believe, do not let people mock another people; for it may be that these are better than them; nor should women mock other women, for it may be that these are better than them. And do not taunt one another nor insult each other with nicknames."
Mocking people is a form of ignorance, whether it is lampooning, caricaturing, or name calling. Humour and levity are important in human life. But levity as a way of life harms the spiritual heart. And laughter and amusement at the expense of the dignity of others is wholly inappropriate.
\r\nAli ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Do not belittle anyone, for he may be a saint of God." Even if one sees a man inebriated and bellicose, vomiting in the street, one should not ridicule him, for one does not know what his future holds. Imam al-Qurtubi once said, "When he was bowing down to idols in Makkah, Umar ibn al-Khattab was still beloved to God." Only God knows the seal of people and their destinies. A Moroccan proverb says, "Never mock any creature of God, for it might be beloved to He who created it."
\r\nThere is strength in dealing nobly with people. It is simply a better way to live. The essence of mockery is to humiliate people. Those who mock people in this life shall be mocked in the Hereafter, for it is a divine law that God recompenses people with the like of what they have done.
\r\nCompiled From:
\r\n \"Purification of The Heart\" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 141-143