Title of the Sermon: There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm
Elements of the Sermon:
The prohibition of causing harm without justification.
The punishment for harming a Muslim without right.
The general principle of Shariah: There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.
Harm must be removed.
In the religion of secularism, no one is safe.
All praise is due to Allah, the Wise, the All-Knowing, who commands justice and kindness and forbids wrongdoing, harm, and tyranny. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah exalt and send peace to him, his family, and his companions in abundance.
To proceed:
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, as He should be feared, and be mindful of Him in private and in public, as Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
"O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims" (Al-Imran: 102).
O servants of Allah:
An immense and noble army was devoted by its leader to the service of Islam and the call to worship the Holy and Peaceful One. As they passed by a valley of ants, one ant, fearing for the lives of its kind, cried out to them:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
"O ants, enter your dwellings so that Solomon and his soldiers do not crush you while they are unaware" (An-Naml: 18).
Such was this army, the likes of which the world had never seen. Despite their overwhelming numbers and deadly might, they did not deliberately destroy even a group of ants out of intention and willfulness because they had a godly leader. It was Solomon, peace be upon him, a noble prophet who neither wronged nor oppressed, even the ants in their burrows.
Indeed, Allah loves righteousness and those who do good, and He forbids corruption and despises the corrupt. For this reason, Allah has forbidden all actions that harm His creation without cause or justification.
The Prophet ﷺ established one of the greatest principles of Sharia, saying: "There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm." (Narrated by Ahmad). This means that it is not permissible for anyone to harm themselves or harm others without a legitimate right.
The Prophet ﷺ also warned those who cause harm to others, saying: "Whoever harms (others), Allah will harm him, and whoever causes difficulty to others, Allah will cause difficulty to him." (Narrated by Al-Hakim). This means that whoever inflicts harm or hardship on a Muslim in their religion, wealth, life, or honor without right, Allah will inflict harm and hardship on them as a recompense.
The Prophet ﷺ even invalidated the jihad of those who make life difficult for people or cause them harm without right, saying: "Whoever narrows down a residence or cuts off a road, then there is no jihad for him." (Narrated by Abu Dawood).
Whoever contemplates the magnificent rulings of Sharia will find this principle running through all its laws.
See how Allah has eased and lightened the burdens on His servants when fulfilling obligations causes harm. He, the Exalted, alleviates this harm and lifts the obligation, either by substituting it with something easier or by lifting it entirely. Similarly, if there is a valid necessity that requires violating a prohibition, it is permissible to do so to the extent that repels the harm, as Allah says:
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ بِهِ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced by necessity, neither desiring it nor transgressing its limit, there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (Al-Baqarah: 173).
Brothers in Islam:
Because it is in human nature to be greedy and self-serving, and because the soul often inclines towards injustice and aggression during disputes, the emphasis on prohibiting harm is reiterated in many verses of the Quran.
During divorce, emotions change, and each party might seek to harm the other in any possible way. Therefore, Allah has warned against this, saying:
وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَلَا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًا لِتَعْتَدُوا وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ
"And when you divorce women and they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or release them according to acceptable terms. But do not retain them, intending harm, to transgress [against them]. And whoever does that has certainly wronged himself." [Al-Baqarah: 231].
This means that one should not retain their wife with no intention of reconciliation. In the past, a man would divorce his wife and let her near the end of her waiting period, then take her back only to harm her. Allah forbade this to prevent harm.
Allah has also made it obligatory to provide housing for a divorced woman during her waiting period according to one's ability, and He forbade any form of harm or discomfort that might force her out of her residence, as He said:
أَسْكِنُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ سَكَنْتُمْ مِنْ وُجْدِكُمْ وَلَا تُضَارُّوهُنَّ لِتُضَيِّقُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ
"Lodge them [in a section] of where you dwell out of your means and do not harm them in order to oppress them." [At-Talaq: 6].
Moreover, in cases where each parent might seek to harm the other through their child, the verses came to prohibit such harm, as Allah says:
لَا تُضَارَّ وَالِدَةٌ بِوَلَدِهَا وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ لَهُ بِوَلَدِهِ
"No mother should be harmed through her child, and no father through his child." [Al-Baqarah: 233].
Allah has prohibited causing harm to either parent or the child. He forbade the father from preventing the mother from breastfeeding her child, and He forbade the mother from refusing to breastfeed her child to harm the father and the child. If Allah forbids preventing a mother from breastfeeding her child, then how much worse is it to prevent her from seeing her child? The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever separates a mother from her child, Allah will separate him from his loved ones on the Day of Resurrection." (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi).
Because wealth is a trial, and a person might seek to harm some of his heirs before his death, Allah has forbidden harm in wills, saying:
مِنْ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصَى بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ غَيْرَ مُضَارٍّ وَصِيَّةً مِنَ اللَّهِ
"[This is] after any bequest he [may have] made or debt, without intent to harm [others]. This is an ordinance from Allah." [An-Nisa: 12].
Allah has established a general principle prohibiting harm and causing injury without right, saying:
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا اكْتَسَبُوا فَقَدِ احْتَمَلُوا بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُبِينًا
"And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin." [Al-Ahzab: 58].
Harm must be removed in all rulings of the Sharia, which encompass all aspects of people's lives. Consider how Allah, in His generosity, granted those who repented from usury their capital so that they would not be harmed, saying:
وَإِنْ تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ
"But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged." [Al-Baqarah: 279].
When it comes to contagious diseases, Allah has laid down rules to prevent harm, such as prohibiting bringing the sick into contact with the healthy. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The owner of a sick camel should not take it to the healthy camels." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
In the matters of buying and selling, Sharia has forbidden all forms of harm to others. It has prohibited usury, gambling, hoarding, and consuming wealth unjustly. It has also forbidden bribery, cheating, deception, and fraud in weights and measures—all to prevent harm to Allah's servants.
Notice how the Prophet ﷺ forbade the sale of fruits before their ripeness and explained the wisdom behind this prohibition, saying: "What if Allah withholds the fruit? Then what right would one of you have to take his brother's money?" (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Allah has prohibited alcohol, intoxicants, and drugs that corrupt the mind, saying:
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُنْتَهُونَ
"Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?" [Al-Ma'idah: 91].
When Allah legislated retribution for the oppressed against their oppressor, He allowed the punishment to match the crime without excess, saying:
وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ
"And if you punish [an enemy, O believers], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed." [An-Nahl: 126].
In legislating retribution for wounds, He forbade exceeding the limit and causing more harm than what was inflicted. One of the conditions for retribution in wounds is the assurance of justice without excess. Therefore, Allah has legislated either full or partial compensation (blood money) when retribution is not possible, saying:
الشَّهْرُ الْحَرَامُ بِالشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ وَالْحُرُمَاتُ قِصَاصٌ فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ
"The sacred month for the sacred month, and for the prohibited things, there is legal retribution. So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you." [Al-Baqarah: 194].
Moreover, in Allah's Sharia, He has forbidden even causing harm to animals without a legitimate reason.
Here is a story of a cat that caused a woman to enter Hell because she harmed it without right. The Prophet ﷺ said: "A woman was punished in Hell because of a cat which she had confined until it died. She did not give it to eat or drink when it was confined, nor did she free it so that it might eat the insects of the earth." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
The Prophet ﷺ also forbade using animals as chairs to sit on, saying: "Beware of taking the backs of your animals as pulpits, for Allah has made them subject to you to carry you to a place which you could not have reached without difficulty. He has made the earth for you to sit upon, so fulfill your needs on it." (Narrated by Abu Dawood).
If one is unable or unwilling to provide for an animal, he must be compelled to do so, or he must sell it or slaughter it if it is an animal that can be slaughtered, to prevent harm to it.
Indeed, in our Sharia, even harming the dead is prohibited. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Breaking the bone of a dead believer is like breaking it while he is alive." (Narrated by Ahmad).
May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quran and benefit us with its verses and wise reminders. I ask Allah for forgiveness for myself and for you, so ask Him for forgiveness; indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Second Sermon
All praise be to Allah, and may Allah exalt and send peace to the Messenger of Allah, his family, and all his companions.
Servants of Allah,
These are the rulings of the divine Shariah, a straight religion from a wise, knowledgeable, and merciful Lord. However, in the religion of secularism and the era of materialistic tyranny, where religion and Shariah are removed from people's lives, souls are crushed, minds are poisoned, and honor is degraded. Injustice and oppression prevail, harm and aggression are rampant, and no one is safe.
They have harmed people in the most precious thing they possess—their religion—by confining it to the mosque, detaching it from their reality and lives. They have then proceeded to squander innocent lives by making the murderer feel secure from death. Where is the just retribution in the laws of the jungle?
They have legislated laws that allow the unlawful consumption of people's wealth, and they have robbed their sustenance through usurious loans on the one hand, and through gambling and games of chance on the other. As a result, people have ended up in poverty and prisons, with both their worldly lives and their religion in ruins.
They have enacted laws to commodify women under the guise of freedom, paving the way for women to rebel against men and the family. The outcome has been misery, caught between the hammer of feminism and the anvil of capitalism, leading to suffering in the corridors of family courts and mental health issues.
They have granted licenses to sell alcohol and intoxicants, causing the minds of young men and women to be lost, and bringing about the destruction of both their worldly lives and their hereafter.
So, praise be to Allah for the blessing of Islam, and what a great blessing it is. We ask Allah for steadfastness upon it until death.
O Allah, we ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise, and we seek refuge in You from Your wrath and the Hellfire. O Allah, help us to remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in the best way.
O Allah, grant victory to Islam and honor the Muslims. Destroy the criminal Jews. O Allah, send tranquility into the hearts of those who strive in Your cause, save Your oppressed servants, and raise the banner of religion with Your strength, O Mighty, O Powerful.
O Allah, guide our leader to what You love and are pleased with, and take him by the forelock to righteousness and piety.
Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of the Fire.
