Derogatory films on the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) - A grave crime

Almighty Allah has made His Prophet the Chief of all Prophets and has granted Him all honor, grace and greatness and has made Him the best and most honorable of all creation.  Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran:

 

Surah Fatah-8,9

 

The aforementioned verse orders one and all to respect and revere the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  It was due to this reason that the Companions would become epitomes of respect and reverence in the presence of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the illustration of which can be seen in the Hadith of Sahih Bukhari regarding the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. 

 

            When the representative of the Quraish, ‘Urwah bin Mas’ud Thaqafi, who hadn’t yet embraced Islam, saw the respect which the Companions had for the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), he told the Quraish:

 

Translation: O my nation!  By God!  I have taken delegations to the courts of kings.  I have been to Chosroe, Caesar and Najjashi as representative.  By Allah!  I have never seen a king whose courtiers respect him the way the Companions of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) respect Him.  By Allah!  When He spits, His spit falls on the hand of any of them.  That person in turn rubs it over his own face and body.  When He gives an order, they rush to fulfill that command.  When He makes ablution, it seems that they will end up fighting each other to get the water used by Him.  Before Him, they lower their voices and out of extreme respect, they don’t even dare take a good look at Him.  (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 2731/2732)

 

            This Hadith shows that Muslims love their Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) with all their heart and respect and revere Him like no other.

 

It is impossible to portray someone who is absolutely perfect

 

The person of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has no parallel.  The Creator of the worlds has created only one being of such greatness and majesty.  Almighty Allah says in Surah Baqarah:

 

Surah Baqarah-23

 

One of the interpretations of the aforementioned verse is to get anyone who is like the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  This divine challenge shows that there is no one like the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in the earthly and spiritual realms.

 

As is mentioned in Tafseer Midrak Ut Tanzeel Wa Haqaaiq Ut Ta'weel under the aforementioned verse.

 

The Hadith related in Khasaais-e-Kubra in which Jibreel (May peace be upon him) also declares that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is without parallel.  It is narrated by Baihaqui, Tabarani and Ibn Asaker:

 

Translation: I have scoured the corners of the world, but I haven’t seen anybody greater than the epitome of praise, Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  (Khasaais-e-Kubra, Vol. 1, Pg. No. 318)

 

Almighty Allah has sent the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) with such honor that His conduct and countenance, both are without parallel.  His character and etiquette are unequalled.  His very person is unrivalled.  The Holy Quran says about His manners and etiquette:

 

Surah Noon

 

This is the attribute of only the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Even among the Prophets, nobody ever had this attribute.  Let alone acquiring the manners or any other attribute of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the Companions, who are the best of all Ummah, hold the belief that all the Companions together cannot equal any one attribute or state of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), like the way He sits, the way He stands, the way He walks and so on.

 

As is mentioned in this Hadith of Sahih Bukhari:

 

Translation: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  All of us combined cannot equal even a state of yours!  (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 20)

 

As per the precepts of Islam, playing the role of anybody comes under deception and no one can even think of portraying the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Let alone actually doing so, the very thought of essaying the role of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is sacrilege.

 

Muslims respect even those things which have some relationship with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and don’t suffer any disrespect of them.  Look at this Hadith of Sahih Bukhari:

 

Translation: Hadhrat Mo’tamar (May Allah be well pleased with him) says:  I heard from my father that Hadhrat Anas (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was requested that it would be better if He went to ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubai (who was a hypocrite, maybe that he would repent).  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went there and Muslims walked along with His mount even though it was muddy.  When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) reached him, that wretched man said: Stay away from me!  The stink of your mount assails me.  May Allah protect us from such things.  The very next instant, a Madinite Companion said:  By Allah!  Undoubtedly, the mount of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is much more fragrant than you.  (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Us Sulah, Hadith No. 2691)

 

Derogatory films – An unpardonable sin

 

In the Shariah, making a cartoon of any living thing is prohibited.  Making cartoons of elders of the Ummah like the Companions or the saints is even strictly prohibited and is actually a disrespect of them.  This obviates how vile it is to make a cartoon of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Then how degenerate it would be for someone else to make a film on the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!

 

In this ignoble film, many aspects of Islam have been nefariously shown in a wrong light.  All Muslims have been shown to be violent terrorists.  Even if this film were made as per Islamic history, it would still be a grave sin as simply making a film on the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is an unpardonable crime and the most extreme kind of disrespect.

 

This insulting film hurts the sentiments of Muslims

 

The aforementioned verses of the Holy Quran and Hadith make it crystal clear that Muslims respect and revere the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) to very high degree and respect everything that is related to Him.

 

By making a film, that too derogatory, the most sacred and inviolable personality of the Muslims has been insulted and the sentiments of Muslims all over the world have been hurt and they have been subjected to a kind of spiritual torture.  Through this film, those people have overstepped the bounds of civility and have torn to shreds the fabric of decency.  They have reached a nadir in roguishness.  No sincere person can permit or ignore the defaming of the one whom all religious figures, throughout the have praised.

 

            The deeds and words of others have no effect on the greatness and grandeur of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  However, it is the responsibility of Muslims to use all of their capabilities to answer to it in a peaceful manner.  For this, Muslims should use their tongues, their pens, their connections and influence and in fact everything.  They should step forward and take legal recourse as well.  They should get resolutions passed for safeguarding of religious sanctity at the national and international level.  All Muslim countries should be in the forefront of all this.

 

We Muslims demand that this film should be removed from Google, YouTube and all other websites and each and every clip of this film must be blocked.  All those who participated in the making of the film should be prosecuted.