The Ruling on Responding to Insults with Retaliation or Forgiveness
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Question:
Hadeel. Our sister has a case in which she says: If a person is subjected to mistreatment and harm from people, such as backbiting, talebearing, mockery, and injustice, should he retaliate in kind, in accordance with the noble verse[An-Nahl 16:126], or should he act in accordance with the other verse [Ali 'Imran 3:134]? I am in a state of confusion; if I act according to the first verse, I find that I have lost many people and enmity has begun to resurface, but if I act according to the other verse, I feel that the one who spoke will persist in his action because of my silence. Also, when I remain silent, I am constantly thinking about what they said about me. Please guide us, and may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. After that, the better course is to act according to the second verse. To act according to the second verse. And that is His saying, the Exalted and Majestic:[Fussilat 41:34]. This is the better and the most excellent. And this removes the harm of the adversary and his arrogance over his opponent.
Rather, it will shame him at that time. If he acts according to the first verse, which is qisas (retaliation in kind), then this is a permissible matter,[Ash-Shuraa 42:40]. However, He said, [Ash-Shuraa 42:40]. Thus, Allah has permitted qisas based on equivalence without any excess, and He encouraged forgiveness, promising the reward that Allah grants to those who forgive the wrongdoers. This is a noble promise from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and this is better for him, better, and better than qisas. The outcome is that both matters are permissible: qisas and forgiveness, but forgiveness is better and more beneficial for him.
Hadeel. Our sister has a case in which she says: If a person is subjected to mistreatment and harm from people, such as backbiting, talebearing, mockery, and injustice, should he retaliate in kind, in accordance with the noble verse
And if you punish [an enemy, O believers], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed
وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُم بِهِand who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good;
وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَAnswer:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. After that, the better course is to act according to the second verse. To act according to the second verse. And that is His saying, the Exalted and Majestic:
And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.
وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌRather, it will shame him at that time. If he acts according to the first verse, which is qisas (retaliation in kind), then this is a permissible matter,
And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it
وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِّثْلُهَاbut whoever pardons and makes reconciliation - his reward is [due] from Allah
فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، إذا تعرض الإنسان في حياته للإساءة هل يقابلهم بالمثل تمشيا مع الآية الكريمة ﴿وإن عاقبتم فعاقبوا ...؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.