Beware of Hatred and Malice in Islam

[bamalli]

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Islam teaches us to beware of hatred and malice. Malicious hatred is a desire to harm people and to bring evil to them. It is a disease of the heart whose consequences are destructive to the individual, the community, and the religion.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَا تَبَاغَضُوا وَلَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا

Do not hate each other, do not envy each other, do not turn away from each other, but rather be servants of Allah as brothers.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2559, Grade: Sahih

Ibn Hajar said:

وَلَا يَتِمُّ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِتَرْكِ الْحَسَدِ وَالْغِلِّ وَالْحِقْدِ وَالْغِشِّ

The faith is not complete until a Muslim abandons envy, rancor, malice, and fraud.

Source: Fath ul-Bari

Islam teaches us not to hate people. Rather, we should hate for evil to come to people. This is a necessary element of our love for good to come to people.

Mu'adh ibn Anas reported: He asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about virtuous faith. The Prophet said:

أَفْضَلُ الْإِيمَانِ أَنْ تُحِبَّ لِلَّهِ وَتُبْغِضَ فِي اللَّهِ وَتُعْمِلَ لِسَانَكَ فِي ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ

The most virtuous faith is to love for the sake of Allah, to hate for the sake of Allah, and to work your tongue in the remembrance of Allah.

Mu'adh said, "How is it, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet said:

وَأَنْ تُحِبَّ لِلنَّاسِ مَا تُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِكَ وَتَكْرَهَ لَهُمْ مَا تَكْرَهُ لِنَفْسِكَ وَأَنْ تَقُولَ خَيْرًا أَوْ تَصْمُتَ

That you love for the people what you love for yourself, and you hate for the people what you hate for yourself, and you speak goodness or remain silent.

Source: Musnad Ahmad 21627, Grade: Hasan

Al-Kirmani said:

وَمِنَ الْإِيمَانِ أَيْضًا أَنْ يُبْغِضَ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُبْغِضُ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنَ الشَّرِّ

It is also a part of faith to hate for his brother what he hates for himself of evil.

Source: Fath ul-Bari

Another way to understand this is that we should hate sinful deeds, but we do not hate the sinners themselves.

Allah said:

وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ

Allah has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance, and disobedience. Those are the rightly guided.

Surah Al-Hujurat 49:7

So Allah has made it a condition of faith to hate evil deeds, but He does not make us hate the people who do them. This is called hatred for the deed (karrahiya li amal). This was the method of the righteous predecessors (salaf as-salih).

Ibn Rajab reported:

قَالَ بَعْضُ الصَّالِحِينَ مِنَ السَّلَفِ أَهْلُ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ نَظَرُوا بِنُورِ اللَّهِ وَعَطَفُوا عَلَى أَهْلِ مَعَاصِي اللَّهِ مَقَتُوا أَعْمَالَهُمْ وَعَطَفُوا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيُزِيلُوهُمْ بِالْمَوَاعِظِ عَنْ فِعَالِهِمْ

Some of the righteous predecessors said: The people who love Allah look by the light of Allah, and they are compassionate with those who disobey Allah. They find their deeds reprehensible but show mercy to them so that through their admonitions they might leave their actions.

Source: Jami' Ulum wal-Hikam

The Messenger of Allah has warned us about the destructive effects of hatred on the heart and the religion. He informed us of the virtues we should practice in its place, love for good and spreading peace.

Allah said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا ۚ اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ

O you who believe, be persistently standing firm for Allah as witnesses in justice, and let not the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just, for it is closer to righteousness.

Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:8

Az-Zubair ibn Awwam reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

دَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ دَاءُ الْأُمَمِ قَبْلَكُمْ الْحَسَدُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ هِيَ الْحَالِقَةُ حَالِقَةُ الدِّينِ لَا حَالِقَةُ الشَّعَرِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَا تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا أَفَلَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ

There have come to you the diseases of the nations before you: envy and hatred, and hatred is the razor. It shaves the religion and it does not shave hair. By the one in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something which, if you did, you would love each other? Spread peace between yourselves.

Source: Musnad Ahmad 1415, Grade: Sahih

The proper way to purify our hearts from hatred is to pray for guidance and goodness for the oppressors whom we hate. By doing so, the angel will pray for similar goodness for us.

Abu Ad-Darda reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ مُسْلِمٍ يَدْعُو لأَخِيهِ بِظَهْرِ الْغَيْبِ إِلاَّ قَالَ الْمَلَكُ وَلَكَ بِمِثْلٍ

There is no Muslim servant who supplicates for his brother behind his back except that the angel says: And for you the same.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2732, Grade: Sahih

We should never pray for evil or destruction, nor should we invoke the wrath of Allah and the Hellfire.

Allah said:

وَيَدْعُ الْإِنسَانُ بِالشَّرِّ دُعَاءَهُ بِالْخَيْرِ ۖ وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ عَجُولًا

Man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good, for man is ever impatient.

Surah Al-Isra 17:11

Samrah ibn Jundab reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَا تَلَاعَنُوا بِلَعْنَةِ اللَّهِ وَلَا بِغَضَبِهِ وَلَا بِالنَّارِ

Do not invoke the curse of Allah, or His wrath, or the Hellfire.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 1976, Grade: Sahih

Therefore, all of our supplications should be for goodness. By supplicating for goodness and guidance for sinners, we will overcome our desire to cause them harm and replace this evil desire with love of goodness for them.

Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.