Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterTaking revenge for offensive remarks
Question
Please give me some advice on how to deal with people who write offensive posts in forums about me and the best way to avenge myself without transgressing the limits of Allah.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {The recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof, but whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allâh. Verily, He likes not the Zâlimûn (oppressors, polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)}[42:4].
Al-Qurtubi said: ‘The scholars said: ‘Allah divided the Mu’mins into two categories, one category forgives those who wrong them and Allah started by mentioning this category by Saying: {…and when they are angry, they forgive….}[42:37], and a second category are those who take revenge on whoever wronged them, and Allah described the extent of the revenge Saying: {The recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof,….}[42:40], so they take revenge exactly in the same way they are wronged and do not go beyond that.
The scholars differed about the manner how a person would take revenge against someone who swore at him or insulted him whether he should insult and swear at him as someone does with him or the verse is about physical revenge only.
Imam Shafi’e and Abu Hanifa and others are of the view that the revenge is taken only in the body and not by insulting and swearing.
Other scholars are of the view that the punishment here is in a general context, as Shawkani stated ‘What we conclude from this is that the punishment mentioned is in its general context’.
Al-Sadi said, ‘If somebody swears at you, swear at him in the same way without exceeding the limits’.
Ibn Abi Najih stated in relation to the above:
If someone was told, “may Allah disgrace you”, he can respond, “may Allah disgrace you”. [Al-Tabari]
However, even if we say that it is permissible to insult someone who insults us, or swear at somebody who swears at us; there is a condition that one should not tell a lie about them or falsely accuse them of something.
The person who is wronged can pursue the matter with the person who wronged him and complain to somebody who can advise him by relating what the person exactly said in his regard, Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {Allâh does not like that the evil should be uttered in public except by him who has been wronged.}[4:148].
However, it is better to forgive the person who wronged you, Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allâh.}[42:40].
Allah knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
