By Sheikh Saleh ibn Abdullah ibn Humaid – 13 Shaban 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh ibn Abdullah ibn Humaid –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “Warning against False Rumours (Al-Irjaaf) and Those Who Spread Them (Al-Murjifoon)” in which he talked about false rumours and those who spread them. He warned against such behaviour, showing that spreading false rumours is one of the most salient features characterising hypocrites. He also exhorted Muslims to verify any piece of news before spreading it. He urged them not to propagate whatever might thwart or demoralise Muslims. Finally, he called their attention to what should be done as to false rumours and those who spread them.

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, Who gladdened the hearts of believers with divine guidance and sealed the hearts of disbelievers that they can no longer recognise the Truth. I praise Him –May He be glorified– and show him gratitude for His uncountable blessings. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone, with no partner, exclusive in Divinity and Oneness. He is the One and Unrivalled Deity –May He be glorified and praised! He has taken neither spouse nor son. I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah. He is the noblest servant, the most estimable master, the most venerated Muhajir (i.e. who immigrated upon divine command to Madinah after persecution for faith in Makkah), and the most joyfully welcomed at birth. May Allah send His profuse and eternal Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his honourable, dignified, and kind-hearted family, his distinguished Companions who were known for championing religion and bravely facing the enemy, upon the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), along with those who follow in their footsteps till the Day of Judgement!

Now then!

O People! I do exhort you –as well as myself– to observe taqwa vis-à-vis Allah (fear of disobeying divine commands). So, adhere to taqwa ‒May Allah have mercy on you! Among the signs of felicity engendered by taqwa, we find: ease of the acts of worship, acting in harmony with the Sunnah, showing high moral standards, performing good deeds, saving one’s time, taking interest in Muslims’ concerns, and keeping company to virtuous people.

In addition, the believer serves as a perfect foil for his brother in faith. In fact, each one is preordained to act in accordance with the end for which he was originally created. Whoever supplicates his Lord to guide him to the path of good, seeks his friend’s counsel, and strives for the better will have acquitted himself of all responsibility and remained free of blame:

“Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islâmic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).”[Al-Nahl: 97]

O Muslims!

Just a little incident, a fabricated piece of news, a suspicious claim, or truncated information which might be partially true and partially erroneous is simply transformed into prime news or main headlines which dominate radio broadcasts and TV screens. Even more, symposia would be organised, photographs taken, featured articles and commentaries elaborately composed, social media bloggers followed, and tweets written. Consequently, such an insignificant incident or a fabricated piece of news would soon be turned into either a memorable marvel or a fatal blow, without any credibility, serenity, or appropriate treatment. Later on, when dust dissolves and the situation becomes clear, you will neither see a trace of the so-called news nor hear any echo of it in reality. It is intended to confuse people, distract their attention away from more important issues, and entice them away from the interests of the Ummah. Such a piece of news is always accompanied by filling people with horror, alarming, and deluding them.

O servants of Allah! I wonder who is doing all this and who is to be held responsible for such foolhardy adventures! This is what is called al-Irjaaf and those who do it are called al-Murjifoon. The al-Murjifoon, whose main concern is spreading false rumours, always stir up trouble and anxiety, spread whatever generates instability, circulate everything which breeds despondency and dejection, and indulge in discussing public affairs before even verifying the veracity of the facts or contemplating their far-reaching effects and repercussions.

O Dear Muslims!

In the discourse of al-Irjaaf, expressions are intentionally truncated; texts are taken out of their contexts and original settings, and commented upon in total disregard to ethical codes. They are misinterpreted or over-interpreted, and speech is improperly attributed to its alleged author.

Al-Irjaaf and defeatism weaken volition, impede people, undermine their strength, enfeeble them, cast doubt on their abilities and potentials, enhance the enemies’ might, and adopt stories, issues and events which revolve around dejection, pessimism, and failure.

With al-Irjaaf, societies are depicted as if they were entirely corrupt and devoid of any good. When the murjifoon talk about corrupt and delinquent people, you will have the impression that only a few hold fast to truth and that the righteous are even fewer. They disappoint righteous people and reformists; it would sound as if the righteous had lost their way and the reformists had failed to recognise their itinerary. They magnify faults, amplify pitfalls, appreciate the ignoble, depreciate the worthy, magnify the tiny, minimise the great, and reject any feedback. Besides, they deform, distort, embarrass, offend, and treat their rulers audaciously. They annihilate motivation, bury creativity alive, and undervalue the success of achievers. For them, the righteous should hold no positions while the advocates of falsehood should be in control of all affairs. As a result, virtuous people lose people’s confidence, and the idea of taking morally correct people as role model disappears.

Al-Murjifoon often engage in discussions about religious affairs, political events, economic issues, security incidents, social matters, as well as educational and health issues. They are present in all fields, dealing with issues haphazardly and chaotically. They amplify the merits of the enemies and adversaries, talk appreciatively about world superpowers in terms of number, equipment and strong influence while they, at the same time, undervalue the abilities of their own folks. While saying this, they are, knowingly or unknowingly, denigrating and subjugating themselves to the powerful amongst the enemies.

However, the blessed Islamic Coalition, Operation ‘Decisive Storm’, and other major changes do transmit a message of boosting confidence and pride, rebutting false claims, illuminating the right path, delineating the track, and exposing such erroneous practices (the spreading of false rumours).

O Brothers and Sisters in faith!

Al-Murjifoon tend to hinder people, impede them, and instigate dissention and discord amongst them:

“Allâh already knows those among you who keep back (men) from fighting in Allâh’s Cause, and those who say to their brethren “Come here towards us,” while they (themselves) come not to the battle except a little.”[Al-Ahzab: 18]

“Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder, …”[Al-Tawba: 47]

Al-Irjaaf is the path of hypocrites:

“If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease (evil desire for adultery, etc.), and those who spread false news among the people in Al­Madinah, cease not, We shall certainly let you overpower them, then they will not be able to stay in it as your neighbours but a little while.”[Al-Ahzab: 60]

The murjif speaks about the disease and never minds about the remedy; he mentions defects but conceals merits; he hunts for negative points but refrains from mentioning positive ones. Consequently, weaknesses appear to be the dominant feature of society and the prevailing characteristic of the Ummah, which leads to defeatism, deception, and hardly any truth. Al-Irjaaf consists in aggressive moves against the Ummah and insolent audacity vis-à-vis the followers and supporters of truth.

O Brothers and sisters in faith!

The scopes of irjaaf are wide; they manifest themselves in the newspapers, magazines, in the places of work, in the mosques, schools, and in the gathering public places where news are broadcast and events are given prominence through boldface type, disgusting pictures, and satirical styles. They spread confusion, iterate false claims, write comments, and provoke ridicule. They elevate the status of whomever they like and lower that of whomever they dislike. Those who bear a big responsibility, in all that, as well as a great sin are the social media when they hasten to publish lies, amplify events, disfigure reality, and exaggerate by sharing and circulating them.

O Servants of Allah!

Muslim scholars have made it clear that al-Irjaaf is a prohibited path that should not be trodden. Al-Qurtubi –May Allah bless his soul– said: “Al-Irjaf is prohibited due to the offence it entails for the community of believers. Even more, some scholars have listed it among the major sins, because Allah cursed al-Murjifeen and associated them with the hypocrites when He said in His Holy Book: ‘”Accursed, wherever found …’ [Al-Ahzab: 61], and ordered their Prophet [Muhammad] to send them to exile and to fight them.” This prohibition would be all the more intransigent in time of afflictions and supremacy of the enemies. This is so because if al-Irjaaf spreads in a given community, it will aggravate evil, corruption, weakness, slackness, sedition, and disunity.

O brothers and sisters in faith!

Next to al-Murjifeen come those who lend a sympathetic ear to falsehoods. While in social gatherings, they never get tired of regurgitating whatever they have heard and circulating false news in small and large communities.

“…and there are some among you who would have listened to them… “[Al-Tawbah: 47]

“And you see those in whose hearts there is a disease (of hypocrisy), they hurry to their friendship, saying: “We fear lest some misfortune of a disaster may befall us.” …”[Al-Ma’idah: 52]

They misread events and distort reality; even worse, they may counterfeit history. They may mistake a deserted well for a lofty castle!2 They shower with extravagant praise what they do not know. In fact, many a goer after such lies or a tweeter deserves pity when s/he follows the footsteps of al-Murjifeen, defeatists, and impeders. They are naïve and ignorant. They listen to those murjifoon and defeatists, as they are fascinated by them. Therefore, they rehearse, as it were, their statements and spread their false rumours. Such a joint enterprise by al-Murjifeen and their followers would result in an unhidden evil which befalls the Ummah and would undeniably serve the interests of its enemies.

O fellow Muslims!

Al-Irjaaf and al-murjifoon do have objectives and hidden agendas which include disseminating intellectual terrorism, waging a psychological war, undermining enthusiasm, fostering anxiety, saddening the followers of truth as well as the devout protectors of religion, the homeland, and the Ummah, besides of course spreading sedition and chaos among people, shaking up confidence, and defaming notables whose meritorious conduct is worth emulating, let alone the fact that some idiots impetuously and injudiciously spread some news and account for certain events. In fact, they pay no attention to what may yield interest or cause harm. They have no sense of objectives and repercussions associated with their action. While hastening to circulate such falsehoods, they get engaged in an unfair and dishonest competition which might be motivated by hatred, hideous fanaticism prompted by such base motives as waging a smear campaign to damage people’s reputation, harbouring denigration, as well as sowing instability and distrust.

For this reason ‒O servants of Allah‒ it has been noticed that al-Irjaaf is associated with chaos, fragmentation, instability, lack of discipline, and absence of peace. Thus, you will find al-Murjifeen always anxious, depressed, apprehensive, distrustful, constantly complaining, irritable, and frivolous in appearance. For a murjif, hope means deception and achievement is coterminous with pitfall. He can only perceive cruelty and evil; his irjaaf blinds him to the sight of joy on people’s faces and to their intrinsic integrity. It has to do here with a certain projection of the murjif’s inner psychological anguish and moral defects. Therefore, it is rather a form of escape from responsibility and a strategy of self-vindication to justify one’s misbehaviour. He seeks self-complacency and fabricates justifications for his conduct.

Dear Muslims!

Al-Murjifoon and defeatists would only harm themselves, as they have deprived themselves of being noticed by their Lord in positions He exhorted them to occupy, such as contributing to the victory, advancement, and being a driving force in their own Ummah. Quite frequently, al-Irjaaf is further amplified by enemies and hypocrites, who are in turn backed by naive and immature people. It is really a pity that such people are indigenous to our homeland; they are quite knowledgeable about all access routes, exits, and ambushes, so to speak. Common people rank third after the naive amplifiers of false rumours.

Now then ‒May Allah protect you all!

All the community of devout Muslims have to be fully aware of the perils of taking such a path whose sinful nature is quite apparent and adverse effects are gravely serious. It is therefore incumbent upon them to double-check the credibility of information they receive before forwarding it, avoiding verbal exaggeration and pictorial tricks. In fact, Muslims are in the same trench, and are boarding the same boat. However, believers will not be harmed by either those who disappoint them or those who disagree with them:

“…But if you remain patient and become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious – see V.2:2), not the least harm will their cunning do to you…”[Al Imran: 120]

Beware –O servant of Allah– lest you become a murjif or give in to such a practice. How nice of you if you just make of your ears a filter to screen out the voices of defeatists and the calls of al-Murjifeen, and to listen only to good talk and try to carry it out!

Beware –May Allah protect you– lest you fail your Ummah and side with its enemies, knowingly or unknowingly!

All writers, website holders, and bloggers must realize that they shall someday be brought to account before Allah; they are responsible for every letter or word they write and every picture or image they blog.

The steadfast among the benevolent, scholars, and believers are, by Allah’s grace and wisdom, made even more resolute in this regard. Their hearts would fall out in defiance and ardency for the sake of Allah’s religion and in rejection of falsehood. Allah would then raise them in status in a way that may probably not be accomplished through ample salat and fasting.

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:

“If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease (evil desire for illegal sex), and those who spread false news among the people in Al-Madinah stop not, We shall certainly let you overpower them: then they will not be able to stay in it as your neighbours but a little while. Accursed, they shall be seized wherever found, and killed with a (terrible) slaughter. That was the Way of Allâh in the case of those who passed away of old: and you will not find any change in the Way of Allâh.”[Al-Ahzab: 60-62]

May Allah benefit you and me with His Book’s guidance and the Sunnah of His Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! I say this and I ask Allah to forgive my sins, yours and those of all Muslims. Therefore, do ask Him for forgiveness, for He is truly Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!