17:53 Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

وهذا من لطفه بعباده حيث أمرهم بأحسن الأخلاق والأعمال والأقوال الموجبة للسعادة في الدنيا والآخرة فقال: { وَقُلْ لِعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ } وهذا أمر بكل كلام يقرب إلى الله من قراءة وذكر وعلم وأمر بمعروف ونهي عن منكر وكلام حسن لطيف مع الخلق على اختلاف مراتبهم ومنازلهم، وأنه إذا دار الأمر بين أمرين حسنين فإنه يأمر بإيثار أحسنهما إن لم يمكن الجمع بينهما. والقول الحسن داع لكل خلق جميل وعمل صالح فإن من ملك لسانه ملك جميع أمره. وقوله: { إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنْزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ } أي: يسعى بين العباد بما يفسد عليهم دينهم ودنياهم. فدواء هذا أن لا يطيعوه في الأقوال غير الحسنة التي يدعوهم إليها، وأن يلينوا فيما بينهم لينقمع الشيطان الذي ينزغ بينهم فإنه عدوهم الحقيقي الذي ينبغي لهم أن يحاربوه فإنه يدعوهم { ليكونوا من أصحاب السعير } وأما إخوانهم فإنهم وإن نزغ الشيطان فيما بينهم وسعى في العداوة فإن الحزم كل الحزم السعي في ضد عدوهم وأن يقمعوا أنفسهم الأمارة بالسوء التي يدخل الشيطان من قبلها فبذلك يطيعون ربهم ويستقيم أمرهم ويهدون لرشدهم.

يأمر تبارك وتعالى عبده ورسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يأمر عباد الله المؤمنين أن يقولوا في مخاطباتهم ومحاوراتهم الكلام الأحسن والكلمة الطيبة فإنهم إن لم يفعلوا ذلك نزغ الشيطان بينهم وأخرج الكلام إلى الفعال ووقع الشر والمخاصمة والمقاتلة فإنه عدو لآدم وذريته من حين امتنع من السجود لآدم وعداوته ظاهرة بينة ولهذا نهى أن يشير الرجل إلى أخيه المسلم بحديدة فإن الشيطان ينزغ في يده أي فربما أصابه بها. وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا عبدالرزاق حدثنا معمر عن همام عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "لا يشيرن أحدكم إلى أخيه بالسلاح فإنه لا يدري أحدكم لعل الشيطان أن ينزغ في يده فيقع في حفرة من النار" أخرجاه من حديث عبدالرزاق. وقال الإمام أحمد: حدثنا عفان حدثنا حماد أنبأنا علي بن زيد عن الحسن قال حدثني رجل من بني سليط قال أتيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو في رفلة من الناس فسمعته يقول "المسلم أخو المسلم لا يظلمه ولا يخذله التقوى ههنا" قال حماد وقال بيده إلى صدره "وما تواد رجلان في الله ففرق بينهما إلا حدث يحدثه أحدهما والمحدث شر والمحدث شر والمحدث شر".

People should speak Good Words with Politeness

Allah commands His servant Muhammad ﷺ to tell the believing servants of Allah that they should address one another in their conversations and discussions with the best and politest of words, for if they do not do that, Shaytan will sow discord among them, and words will lead to actions, so that evil and conflicts and fights will arise among them. For Shaytan is the enemy of Adam and his descendants, and has been since he refused to prostrate to Adam. His enmity is obvious and manifest. For this reason it is forbidden for a man to point at his Muslim brother with an iron instrument, for Shaytan may cause him to strike him with it. (Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«لَا يُشِيرَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى أَخِيهِ بِالسِّلَاحِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي أَحَدُكُمْ لَعَلَّ الشَّيْطَانَ أَنْ يَنْزِعَ فِي يَدِهِ فَيَقَعَ فِي حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّار»

(No one of you should point at his brother with a weapon, for he does not know whether Shaytan will cause him to strike him with it and thus be thrown into a pit of Fire.) Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded this Hadith with the chain of narration from `Abdur-Razzaq.

And tell My servants the believers to speak to disbelievers that word which is finer. For Satan indeed incites ill feeling he makes trouble between them and Satan is indeed man’s manifest enemy his enmity is evident. The ‘finer word’ is to say this

Commentary

Using foul or harsh language is not correct, even against infidels

The first verse (53) prohibits Muslims from talking harshly to disbelievers. It means that a hard line should not be taken unnecessarily, and should there be the need, even killing would be in order - as succinctly put in two lines of Persian poetry:

کہ بےحکم شرع آب خوردن خطاست وگر خون بفتوٰی بریزی رواست

Whereas, without an injunction of the Shari` ah, to drink water is a sin,

In another case, to shed blood under Fatwa is permissible!

Since it is possible to suppress the aggressive might of disbelievers and their hostility to Islam through fighting and killing (as an inevitable measure of defense), therefore, it is allowed. However, by using foul language and harsh words, neither a castle stands conquered nor anyone guided right, therefore, it has been prohibited. Imam al-Qurtubi said that this verse was revealed in the background of an event relating to Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ . It so happened that someone used foul language against Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ who retaliated harshly and wanted to kill him. This posed the danger of a war breaking out between their two tribes. Thereupon, this verse was revealed.

And according to the interpretation of Imam al-Qurtubi, this verse contains a guideline for Muslims as to how they should address each other. It suggests that they should not speak harshly at the time of mutual difference, for this is a trap door through which the Shaitan pushes them into mutual infighting and disorder.

And say to My servants that they should say what is more beautiful. “O MuḤammad, say to My servants that the words they speak should be more beautiful, more true, and more pleasing. That is remembering and lauding God, mentioning Him on the tongue, and keeping His remembrance in the heart.” The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O You who open the tongues of those who whisper in prayer, who increase the intimacy of the seclusions of the rememberers, and who are present in the souls of the keepers of the mystery! I have no traveling companion but the mention of You, no supplies but keeping Your remembrance, no guidepost and no one to show the road to You but You. O God, look upon the need of someone who has nothing other than one need!” It has also been said, “The most beautiful word of sinners is attesting to offenses, and the most beautiful word of recognizers is attesting to the incapacity to recognize. The Prophet said, 'I do not number Thy laudations: Thou art as Thou hast lauded Thyself.'” The most beautiful words that a sinful man may say is to attest to his own offense and ac- knowledge his own sin so that the Exalted Lord may bestow on him the success of repentance and complete the work of his repentance for him by forgiving his sins, for that is the promise He has given: “And others who have acknowledged their sins. They mixed a wholesome deed with another, an ugly deed. Perhaps God will turn toward them” [9:102]. And the most beautiful word that a recognizing man may say is to attest to his own incapacity to recognize the Real. He knows that no one recognizes Him, nor can anyone do so, as is worthy of Him in the reality of His rightful due and the limits of His exaltedness. This is why Abū Bakr ṣiddīq said, “Glory be to Him who made no path for the creatures to recognize Him save the incapacity to recognize Him!” Pure and faultless is the Lord, who considers the servant's incapacity to recognize Him as recognition! Abū ʿAlī Daqqāq said, “O God, he who recognizes You has not recognized You. What then about the state of him who in fact has not recognized You?!” Naṣrābādī and Shāh [Kirmānī] disagreed with each other.