# Was the Prophet harsh with people?

*Misplaced dawah zeal and the Prophet's gentleness*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oag-f3hxcdy/s/2/
- Date: 2023-05-09 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Converts And The YouTube Dawah Scene | Mufti Abu Layth (6:18–10:04)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAG-F3hxCDY&t=378s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oag-f3hxcdy/

**Topics:** The life of the Prophet; Dawah and debate culture; Character and virtue

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet was soft and attentive with people and came from mercy, unlike harsh dawah that puts others down.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet did not come from intimidation but from mercy and compassion for the world.

**Evidence, his words at 8:46:** “even if they do work they work from a fear angle an intimidation the prophet came from a mercy a compassion for the world” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAG-F3hxCDY&t=526s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says the caller is right that some dawah figures are harsh, and that he refrains from that kind of dawah because, although their intentions and love for the faith may be good, their efforts can be misplaced into showing Islam is strong by putting others down. He says the Prophet lived in a warrior society and stood his ground and fought when pressed, but was not a figure of bravado walking around with a sword. Mufti describes the Prophet as so soft with people and so attentive when speaking to them that one man thought he was the Prophet's closest friend. He says the Prophet did not throw his weight around, since intimidation works only through fear, and refers to an assassination attempt on the Prophet he has discussed elsewhere as showing the same nature.

## Sources and names cited

- dawah

## Transcript (machine tier, 6:18–10:04)

[5:40] and it's so important because the world without Justice just wouldn't wouldn't work and it's such a fundamental core you know when a person has been wronged they in their like their heart cries that they know how they've been wronged and they so this at the Primacy Allah says and okay so people can get what they are entitled to they are not wrong and then kindness compassion that's it and what follows

[6:18] it's an extent it's an explanation of that yes sir of just so yeah the fact that you identified that and you and you're right that look there are sometimes some people I refrain from that kind of tower that was seen I uh the reason is I do feel that show people's intentions may be good you know maybe they they love is you know they they have a love for the Deen but the efforts at times can be misplaced like the love can be slightly misplaced into this thing of let's get

[6:57] people let's you know either love for Islam I'm going to show Islam is strong I will just you know I'll put down other people and I'll have this and sometimes maybe unbeknownst to them maybe they do know but what it brings out this very harsh hashing this kind of you know in Arabic this this side of um which is not a side of the faith the prophet salallahu wasn't like that he was not this person look the prophet lived in a warrior Society he lived in a warrior Society

[7:34] um he when when pressed and pushed he fought he fought back he did he took and he stood his ground but he was never a kind of um you know when people see this this image of not enough the prophet but they have this image of people who are like all this bravado or all this kind of hard work he would not walk around with a sword and walk around and do you think he was very

[8:09] he was very soft with people when he spoke to them they say one of the things about the prophet salallahu when he spoke to someone he gave them all his attention and in such a way that they thought you know what this I I'm this guy's number one that there's a famous incident that somebody was so taken aback when the prophet would speak to him with so much uh kind of com so much kind of kindness and focus that person thought he was the prophet's best friend and there's an incident where he goes and he and he tells someone that you

[8:46] know oh and like he says okay guess who guess who like he thinks they're gonna say him that he's the the closest they just confused that why he thinks that and but this was the this thing of this compassion the prophet was not this this person throwing his weight around like I'm a tough guy or I'm it's not that these things don't work and even if they do work they work from a fear angle an intimidation the prophet came from a mercy a compassion for the world

[9:25] and it's I had this video as well and I was going to say this incident where they wanted to come and assassinate the prophet you have the story of Ahmed and this whole thing and I've spoken about it previously but in that incident the the person's calling the prophet to the side see the prophet wouldn't know he wouldn't walk around they did people did own the prophet did own a sword and did own these things everybody did in that Society but he would walk around with these kind of things and do things like this it was not it was the The Prophet's nature see this is the the beauty there was

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment oAG-F3hxCDY/s/2. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oag-f3hxcdy/s/2/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.