Insulting Islam unknowingly

28-10-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

What if a person insults Islam while not knowing that he did so? For example, a person mocks someone's prostration because they think the prostration is to an idol. But the prostration was in fact part of a Sunnah prayer.

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger. 

Allaah, The Exalted, pardoned the sinful action done out of mistake, forgetfulness, or coercion for the Muslim nation. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {...Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred...} [Quran 2:286] It has been narrated in the relevant hadeeth that Allaah said, 'I have done so (as requested).' [Muslim] Moreover, Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred but (only for) what your hearts intended. And ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 33:5]

Hence, when a Muslim mistakenly mocks any of the Islamic rites, as is the case in the mentioned example, then his action is pardoned because he did not deliberately mock the Islamic rites or he did not know that such actions are among the Islamic rites. His sinful action is done out of mistake and he bears no sin for it in this case as he did not do so on purpose; rather, he mocked what he perceived to be an act opposite to the religion according to his belief.

Allaah knows best.

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