THE ETHICS OF RESPONSE

In the Quran, believers are commanded: “Do not let the enmity of those who barred you from the Sacred Mosque lead you into sin. Help one another in goodness and in piety. Do not help one another in sin and transgression. Fear God! God is severe in punishment.” (5:2)

In 6 AH, the people of Makkah prevented the Prophet of Islam and his Companions from entering Makkah to perform ‘Umrah. On that occasion, they behaved in a highly provocative and unjust manner. As a result, the Muslims felt great anger toward the Makkan opponents and wanted to retaliate by blocking their trade caravans and taking revenge.

However, this verse of the Quran restrained them from doing so. They were instructed not to lose control in enmity and to uphold a path of peace and moderation under all circumstances.

Further, the verse commands: “Help one another in goodness and in piety. Do not help one another in sin and transgression.” (5:2)

Explaining this, Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, a renowned Muslim scholar of the Indian subcontinent, writes in his commentary:

“If someone, driven by the heat of revenge, ends up committing excess, the way to stop this is that the Muslim community should not support his aggression. Rather, the community should collectively exhibit righteousness and self-restraint, and take steps to prevent such injustice and extremism.” (Tafsir Usmani, p. 137)

Not everyone in a group is equally composed—some are more emotional and may react to provocation from the opposing side. At such moments, the rest of the group has to restrain those who are acting emotionally—to speak out against them rather than remain silent, and to condemn their actions rather than support them. If they fail to do so, then—according to the Quran—they too are guilty of “helping one another in sin and transgression.”