THE PROHIBITION OF INSULTING THE FALSE gods OF THE DISBELIEVERS IS TO PREVENT THEM FROM INSULTING ALLĀH

 *THE PROHIBITION OF INSULTING THE FALSE gods OF THE DISBELIEVERS IS TO PREVENT THEM FROM INSULTING ALLĀH*

ALLĀH says,

> *وَلَا تَسُبُّوا۟ ٱلَّذِینَ یَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَیَسُبُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَدۡوَۢا بِغَیۡرِ عِلۡمࣲۗ كَذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ زَیَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمۡ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِم مَّرۡجِعُهُمۡ فَیُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ یَعۡمَلُونَ*

> *Do not insult what they invoke besides ALLĀH or they will insult ALLĀH spitefully out of ignorance. This is how WE have made each people’s deeds appealing to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and HE will inform them of what they used to do.*

Here ALLĀH forbids the believers to do something that had originally been permissible and even prescribed, which is reviling the gods of the polytheists, which they took as idols and gods besides ALLĀH, as scorning and reviling them was a means of drawing closer to ALLĀH.

But because this was something that may be a cause of the polytheists reviling the Lord of the worlds, Who should be declared to be exalted far above any faults, defects, reviling or defamation, ALLĀH forbade reviling the gods of the polytheists, because they would spring to defend their religion and rally around their gods. That is because ALLĀH has made fair-seeming to every nation its deeds, so they think that their ways are good and if the Muslims revile their gods, they will defend them by all means, even if that means reviling ALLĀH, the Lord of the worlds, reverence for Whom is instilled in the hearts of righteous and immoral alike.

But all people will return to ALLĀH on the Day of Resurrection, and they and their deeds will be presented before HIM, and HE will inform them of what they used to do, both good and bad.

This verse points to an important shar‘i principle, which is that means are to be judged by ends, and means that may lead to something prohibited - even if those means are permissible - are to be deemed prohibited also, if they will lead to evil.

*{Tafsi‌r As-Sa'di}*

Ibn Kathīr said: On this same subject -- abandoning what carries benefit to avert a greater evil - it is recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of ALLĀH (ﷺ) said: *"Cursed is he who insults his own parents!"*

They said, "O ALLĀH's Messenger! And how would a man insult his own parents!"

He (ﷺ) said: *"He insults a man's father, and that man insults his father, and insults his mother and that man insults his mother."*

*{Tafsi‌r Ibn Kathīr}*

#ibnkathir #sadi #Anam (6:108)