BEWARE OF DEFAMING THE PROPHETS

 FAJR REMINDER: BEWARE OF DEFAMING THE PROPHETS

By: Umm Affān

Ṣafar 8, 1448 (23-July-2026)

The fourth category of the nullifiers of Islām and Eemān is DEFAMATION OF THE PROPHETS, which includes rejecting any of Allāh’s Prophets and Messengers or speaking against their honour, truthfulness, or noble character. Since belief in all the Prophets and Messengers is one of the pillars of Eemān, denying or insulting any of them nullifies one’s Islām and Eemān.

Among the forms of this nullifier are the following:

• Denying any of the Messengers whom Allāh sent before Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ), or rejecting the authentic accounts of them, their nations, or their messages as reported in the Qur'ān or in the authentic Aḥadīth of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ). Allāh (ﷻ) says: “And whosoever disbelieves in Allāh, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away.” [Sūrah An-Nisā' (4): 136]

• Rejecting the Messengership of Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ). The testimony that Muḥammad (ﷺ) is the Messenger of Allāh is an essential part of faith. Therefore, whoever denies his Messengership has invalidated his Eemān.

• Insulting or belittling the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) by accusing him of falsehood, questioning his trustworthiness, integrity, or chastity, ridiculing him, making fun of him, speaking lightly of him, or criticizing any aspect of his authentically established conduct.

Allāh (ﷻ) says: “If you ask them (about this), they declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking.‘ Say: ‘Was it at Allāh, and His Āyāt (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (ﷺ) that you were mocking?‘ Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed...” [Sūrah At-Tawbah (9): 65-66]

Mocking the Messenger (ﷺ), even under the guise of humour or entertainment, is not a minor sin. It is an act of disbelief that expels a person from Islām.

• Hating the guidance revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ) or believing that the Qur'ān and the Sharī‘ah are too strict, outdated, or impose unnecessary hardship upon people.

Allāh (ﷻ) informs: “But those who disbelieve (in Oneness of Allāh- Islāmic monotheism), for them is destruction, and (Allāh) will make their deeds vain. That is because they hate that which Allāh has sent down (this Qur'ān and Islāmic Laws, etc.). So He has made their deeds fruitless.” [Sūrah Muḥammad (47): 8-9]

Allāh (ﷻ) also says: “But no, by your Lord, they have no faith, until they make you (O Muḥammad) judge in all dispute between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [Sūrah An-Nisā' (4): 65]

A true believer submits wholeheartedly to the judgement of Allāh and His Messenger (ﷺ), knowing that divine legislation is founded upon perfect wisdom, justice, and mercy.

• Rejecting the authentic Aḥadīth of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) after acknowledging that they are genuinely attributed to him. This includes denying the truthful information he conveyed about matters of the unseen, such as the emergence of the Dajjāl (the Antichrist), the descent of ‘Eesa (‘Alayhi Salām) near the end of time, and other prophecies established in the Qur'ān and authentic Sunnah.

Allāh (ﷻ) says: “And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muḥammad ﷺ) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination.” [Sūrah An-Nisā' (4): 115]

• Claiming Prophethood after Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ). Among those who falsely claimed Prophethood was Mirza Ghulam Aḥmad al-Qādiyānī, despite the clear and unequivocal texts proving that Muḥammad (ﷺ) is the final Prophet and Messenger.

Allāh (ﷻ) says: “Muḥammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allāh, and the Last) of the Prophets…” [Sūrah Al-Aḥzāb (33): 40] The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) also said: “I am the last one, after whom there will be no Prophet.” [Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhārī 3455]

• Describing the Prophet (ﷺ) with Attributes that belong exclusively to Allāh, such as ‘Allām al-Ghuyūb (The All-Knower of the Unseen), as found in some Ṣūfī devotional Qaṣīdah composed in praise of the Prophet (ﷺ).

• Similarly, it is impermissible to call upon the Prophet (ﷺ) for matters that only Allāh has the power to grant, such as victory over enemies, relief from hardship, healing from sickness, forgiveness of sins, or any other act of worship that belongs solely to Allāh.

Allāh (ﷻ) says: “…And there is no victory except by the Help of Allāh…” [Sūrah Al-Anfāl (8): 10]

A Muslim must therefore devote every act of worship—including Du‘ā’, Isti‘ānah (seeking Divine Help), and Istijārah (seeking refuge)—to Allāh alone, while loving, honouring, obeying, and following the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) in the manner prescribed by his Lord.

I beseech Allāh (ﷻ) to increase us in beneficial knowledge, bless us with sound understanding of His Religion, protect us from every statement and action that nullifies our Islām and Eemān, and keep our hearts firm upon the truth until we meet Him. Aameen.