BEWARE OF HATRED AND MALICE IN ISLAM

BEWARE OF HATRED AND MALICE IN ISLAM

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Islam teaches us to beware of hatred and malice. It is a disease of the heart whose consequences are destructive to the individual, the community, and the religion.

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَاتَبَاغَضُواوَلَاتَحَاسَدُواوَلَاتَدَابَرُواوَكُونُواعِبَادَاللَّهِإِخْوَانًا

Do not hate each other, do not envy each other, do not turn away from each other, but rather be servants of Allah as brothers.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2559, Grade: Sahih

Ibn Hajar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

وَلَايَتِمُّذَلِكَإِلَّابِتَرْكِالْحَسَدِوَالْغِلِّوَالْحِقْدِوَالْغِشِّ

The faith is not complete until a Muslim abandons envy, rancor, malice, and fraud.

Source: Fath ul-Bari

This type of malicious hatred is the desire to see people harmed and destroyed.

Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

لاَيَكُنْحُبُّكَكَلَفًاوَلاَبُغْضُكَتَلَفًا

Let not your hatred be destruction.

It was asked, “How is that?” Umar said:

وَإِذَاأَبْغَضْتَأَحْبَبْتَلِصَاحِبِكَالتَّلَف‏

When you hate someone, you love to see your companion destroyed.

Source: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1322, Grade: Sahih

Islam teaches us not to hate people. Rather, we should hate for evil to come to people. This is a necessary element of our love for good to come to people.

Mu’adh ibn Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: He asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about virtuous faith. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

أَفْضَلُالْإِيمَانِأَنْتُحِبَّلِلَّهِوَتُبْغِضَفِياللَّهِوَتُعْمِلَلِسَانَكَفِيذِكْرِاللَّهِ

The most virtuous faith is to love for the sake of Allah, to hate for the sake of Allah, and to work your tongue in the remembrance of Allah.

Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him)  said, “How is it, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

وَأَنْتُحِبَّلِلنَّاسِمَاتُحِبُّلِنَفْسِكَوَتَكْرَهَلَهُمْمَاتَكْرَهُلِنَفْسِكَوَأَنْتَقُولَخَيْرًاأَوْتَصْمُتَ

That you love for the people what you love for yourself, and you hate for the people what you hate for yourself, and you speak goodness or remain silent.

Source: Musnad Ahmad 21627, Grade: Hasan

Al-Kirmani said:

وَمِنَالْإِيمَانِأَيْضًاأَنْيُبْغِضَلِأَخِيهِمَايُبْغِضُلِنَفْسِهِمِنَالشَّرِّ

It is also a part of faith to hate for his brother what he hates for himself of evil.

Source: Fath ul-Bari

Another way to understand this is that we should hate sinful deeds, but we do not hate the sinners themselves.

Allah said:

وَكَرَّهَإِلَيْكُمُالْكُفْرَوَالْفُسُوقَوَالْعِصْيَانَأُولَٰئِكَهُمُالرَّاشِدُونَ

Allah has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance, and disobedience. Those are the rightly guided.

Surah Al-Hujurat 49:7

So Allah has made it a condition of faith to hate evil deeds, but He does not make us hate the people who do them. This is called hatred for the deed (karrahiya li amal). This was the method of the righteous predecessors (salaf as-salih)

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has warned us about the destructive effects of hatred on the heart and the religion. He, peace and blessings be upon him,  informed us of the virtues we should practice in its place, love for good and spreading peace.

Allah said:

يَاأَيُّهَاالَّذِينَآمَنُواكُونُواقَوَّامِينَلِلَّهِشُهَدَاءَبِالْقِسْطِۖوَلَايَجْرِمَنَّكُمْشَنَآنُقَوْمٍعَلَىٰأَلَّاتَعْدِلُواۚاعْدِلُواهُوَأَقْرَبُلِلتَّقْوَىٰ

O you who believe, be persistently standing firm for Allah as witnesses in justice, and let not the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just, for it is closer to righteousness.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:8

Az-Zubair ibn Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

دَبَّإِلَيْكُمْدَاءُالْأُمَمِقَبْلَكُمْالْحَسَدُوَالْبَغْضَاءُوَالْبَغْضَاءُهِيَالْحَالِقَةُحَالِقَةُالدِّينِلَاحَالِقَةُالشَّعَرِوَالَّذِينَفْسُمُحَمَّدٍبِيَدِهِلَاتُؤْمِنُواحَتَّىتَحَابُّواأَفَلَاأُنَبِّئُكُمْبِشَيْءٍإِذَافَعَلْتُمُوهُتَحَابَبْتُمْأَفْشُواالسَّلَامَبَيْنَكُمْ

There have come to you the diseases of the nations before you: envy and hatred, and hatred is the razor. It shaves the religion and it does not shave hair. By the one in Whose power is the soul of Muhammad, you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something which, if you did, you would love each other? Spread peace between yourselves.

The proper way to purify our hearts from hatred is to pray for guidance and goodness for the oppressors whom we hate. By doing so, the angel will pray for similar goodness for us.

Abu Ad-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

مَامِنْعَبْدٍمُسْلِمٍيَدْعُولأَخِيهِبِظَهْرِالْغَيْبِإِلاَّقَالَالْمَلَكُوَلَكَبِمِثْلٍ

There is no Muslim servant who supplicates for his brother behind his back except that the angel says: And for you the same.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2732, Grade: Sahih

We should never pray for evil or destruction, nor should we invoke the wrath of Allah and the Hellfire.

Allah said:

وَيَدْعُالْإِنسَانُبِالشَّرِّدُعَاءَهُبِالْخَيْرِۖوَكَانَالْإِنسَانُعَجُولًا

Man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good, for man is ever impatient.

Surah Al-Isra 17:11

Samrah ibn Jundab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَاتَلَاعَنُوابِلَعْنَةِاللَّهِوَلَابِغَضَبِهِوَلَابِالنَّارِ

Do not invoke the curse of Allah, or His wrath, or the Hellfire.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 1976, Grade: Sahih

Therefore, all of our supplications should be for goodness. By supplicating for goodness and guidance for sinners, we will overcome our desire to cause them harm and replace this evil desire with love of goodness for them.