Respect for religious personalities is one of the essential principles of peaceful coexistence, ethical communication, and meaningful interfaith dialogue. Every religious community has personalities whom its followers regard as sacred, honorable, exemplary, or spiritually significant. These may include prophets, messengers, saints, scholars, reformers, spiritual leaders, or founders of religious traditions. To deliberately insult or ridicule such personalities is therefore rarely experienced merely as criticism of an individual; it is often perceived by believers as an attack on their faith, identity, history, and deepest convictions. Islam presents a remarkably balanced approach to this question. It firmly upholds the truth of Islamic belief, rejects doctrines that it considers false, and calls humanity to the worship of the One God. At the same time, it does not permit Muslims to employ abusive language, mockery, or humiliation when discussing the beliefs or sacred personalities of others. Islam makes an important distinction between intellectual disagreement and personal insult, between criticism of an idea and contempt for a person, and between presenting the truth and deliberately provoking hatred.
The Qur’an states: “Do not insult those whom they invoke besides Allah, lest they insult Allah in hostility without knowledge. Thus We have made the deeds of every community appealing to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do.” (Al-An‘am 6:108). This verse provides one of the clearest Qur’anic foundations for respectful religious dialogue. The Qur’an unequivocally rejects polytheism and affirms that worship belongs to Allah alone. Yet Muslims are instructed not to insult the idols and objects of worship of others. This does not mean that Islam accepts false beliefs as true. Rather, it establishes the principle that even when opposing falsehood, the method of doing so must remain ethical, wise, and responsible. Ibn Kathir explains that although insulting the idols of the polytheists might appear to serve a religious purpose, it could cause them, out of ignorance and hostility, to insult Allah. Therefore, Muslims were prohibited from such conduct. Reports from Ibn Abbas indicate that the polytheists threatened to respond to the condemnation of their gods by insulting the Muslim God. Qatadah similarly explained that when Muslims insulted the idols of the unbelievers, they responded by insulting Allah. Thus, the verse prevents a cycle of reciprocal religious abuse (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim, 3/314). The verse also establishes a profound principle of Islamic ethics: a good intention does not justify a method that produces a greater evil. If an action intended to defend truth predictably results in a greater violation of what is sacred, that method must be abandoned. The purpose of religious guidance is not simply to express anger or win an argument; it is to communicate truth, reform hearts, preserve dignity, and guide people toward what is right.
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) expressed the same principle in a well-known hadith: “Cursed is the one who insults his parents.” When the Companions asked how a person could insult his own parents, he explained that someone might insult another man’s father, causing the other person to retaliate by insulting his father, and similarly with his mother. In this way, the first person becomes indirectly responsible for the insult of his own parents. This teaching demonstrates that Islam prohibits not only direct wrongdoing but also conduct that foreseeably leads to greater wrongdoing. The same principle applies to religious insults. Deliberately mocking the sacred personality of another community can provoke retaliation against one’s own prophets, scriptures, and religious symbols. It can create hatred, disorder, and reciprocal abuse. Islam therefore requires believers to consider not only what they say but also the consequences of their words. Imam al-Qurtubi, commenting on this verse, explains that its ruling remains relevant to the Muslim community and that when there is a genuine fear that insulting another community’s religious symbols will lead to the insult of Allah, Islam, or the Prophet (SAW), such provocation must be avoided (Al-Jami‘ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an, 7/61). Al-Sa‘di likewise derives from the verse the broader principle that the ruling of a means is connected to the consequences to which it leads. A means that is permissible in itself may become impermissible when it predictably leads to a prohibited result (Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman, p. 268).
The Qur’an therefore commands: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in the best manner” (Al-Nahl 16:125). And concerning the People of the Book, it says: “Do not argue with the People of the Book except in the best manner” (Al-‘Ankabut 29:46). These verses do not require Muslims to abandon their convictions or to regard all doctrines as equally true. They require Muslims to discuss differences with wisdom, evidence, fairness, patience, and good character. Firmness in belief and gentleness in conduct are not contradictory.
“True religious dialogue requires intellectual maturity and moral strength, not hostility. By distinguishing criticism from contempt and disagreement from hatred, we can defend our faith and uphold sacred truths with knowledge and dignity—without resorting to abuse, provocation, or the humiliation of others.”
Islam permits the examination and refutation of false beliefs through reason and evidence. The prophets themselves challenged idolatry, superstition, injustice, and false claims. But their mission was not based on vulgarity or personal abuse. They sought to awaken conscience and establish truth, not to satisfy anger or humiliate opponents. This distinction is especially important today. Criticism addresses an idea, doctrine, interpretation, or historical claim; insult attacks the dignity of a person or community.
Criticism may be serious, direct, and even forceful while remaining evidence-based and intellectually responsible. Insult, by contrast, replaces reasoning with contempt and deepens hostility rather than clarifying truth. A person may disagree with the theology of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, or any other religious tradition. One may question a doctrine, examine its historical development, or present arguments for one’s own faith. Such discussion is legitimate when conducted responsibly. But deliberately mocking a prophet, sacred scripture, religious symbol, or revered personality is not necessary for intellectual freedom. It is provocation rather than scholarship. Islamic respect for religious personalities is also rooted in the Muslim belief in all prophets. Muslims believe in Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace be upon them all, as messengers of God. The Qur’an states: “We make no distinction between any of them” (Al-Baqarah 2:136). This does not mean that Muslims accept every doctrine associated with other religions. Rather, it means that the prophets sent by God are honored as part of Islamic faith. A Muslim can honor Jesus as a prophet while rejecting doctrines that Islam considers inconsistent with monotheism. Thus, respect for a religious personality is not the same as theological agreement.
The Qur’an further commands: “Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence” (Al-Nahl 16:90). Justice requires that people not be judged through stereotypes, hatred, or collective blame. Excellence requires moral discipline even in disagreement. Sacred personalities should never become targets of ridicule for entertainment, political provocation, social resentment, or the deliberate humiliation of another community. This principle is particularly important in our contemporary world. Through social media, a provocative statement, image, or video can reach millions within minutes. What one person describes as satire or personal expression may be experienced by millions of believers as a deliberate attack on their deepest religious convictions. Freedom of expression is important, but responsible expression also requires consideration of the dignity and sensitivities of others. In a pluralistic society, every religious community should be able to maintain its beliefs without living under the fear that its prophets or sacred personalities will deliberately be humiliated. If every community responds to insult with counter-insult, society enters a destructive cycle of provocation and retaliation. Mutual respect, by contrast, allows people to disagree profoundly while continuing to live together with dignity. Muslims therefore have every right to explain why they believe Islam is true, to defend Tawhid, and to critically examine other theological doctrines. But the Qur’anic method requires that this be done through wisdom, evidence, good character, and the best form of argument. The strength of truth does not depend upon insulting those who disagree with it.
Ultimately, the Qur’anic message is clear: we may disagree without insulting; we may refute without humiliating; we may defend our faith without attacking the sacred personalities of others. Respecting the religious personalities of others does not require Muslims to compromise their beliefs. On the contrary, it demonstrates confidence in those beliefs and adherence to the ethical discipline taught by the Qur’an. In an age marked by religious diversity, social media, and increasing polarization, this Qur’anic principle is more relevant than ever. Let us learn to distinguish between criticism and contempt, disagreement and hatred, intellectual debate and deliberate provocation. Let us defend truth with knowledge rather than abuse, and let religious dialogue become a means of understanding rather than a source of hostility. We should love and honor our own prophets and sacred personalities while refusing to make the humiliation of others a tool of preaching. We can disagree deeply without becoming disrespectful. We can defend truth without abandoning dignity. And we can uphold our faith while respecting the religious sensitivities of others. That is not weakness. It is moral strength, intellectual maturity, and the Qur’anic ethic of religious dialogue.
(The author a veteran academician is a former Professor and Head Department of Islamic Studies, Kashmir University. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
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