In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Islam counsels us to follow a better path when people insult us by not responding to them in the same manner, but rather to respond to their evil with good. Gentleness and forbearance are the general rules we need to follow in most situations. But, like most rules, there are a few exceptions when harsh words are warranted.
The general rule (al-asl) is established by a report in which the Prophet salallahu alayhi wassalam was insulted and mocked to his face but he responded with forbearance.
Aisha reported: A group of Jews asked permission to visit the Prophet and when they were admitted, they said, “Death be upon you!” I said to them, “Rather, death and the curse of Allah be upon you!” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: O Aisha, Allah is gentle and he loves gentleness in all matters.
The Prophet salallahu alayhi wassalam had the power to take revenge for this personal insult but he chose not to do so. Instead, he used the incident as a teaching moment to demonstrate the importance of gentleness in speech.
There are many texts in Islam which command us to use the best words when speaking to others and not to resort to insults, name-calling, and harshness. This is even more important to appreciate when speech is magnified by the internet.#speakgoodwords
