Bullying is a phenomenon that we are surrounded by it in our daily lives. It doesn’t happen just to kids but to adults too. You might not understand that yet but any form of physical or mental abuse is considered bullying.
For instance, if you are at work and you are doing your best for the company’s success but are still faced with bad words, and harmful opinions to make you feel little and powerless and make you feel useless that is bullying.
If a man is mistreating his wife, he hits her, treats her badly, or hurts her feelings with words, that is bullying. When parents compare their kids to others, making them feel less confident about themselves and useless, that is bullying.
Bullying doesn’t have to come from outsiders or people that we don’t know, it can happen from the closest people to us, and sometimes from our families. What is worse nowadays is that people think that bullying is some kind of humor, and if you don’t laugh when they hurt your feelings then the problem is in you.
If you seek to discover, what does Islam says about bullying? What does the Quran say about bullying? How to prevent it? then keep reading.
What Does the Quran Say About Bullying?
Bullying in Quran and Islam is prevented. No one has the right to harm another person physically or mentally. Something that you might not know is that bullying has been around from the beginning of time, the difference now is that people are more aware of it and trying their best to stop it from happening.
Bullying is not a simple problem, it can and has destroyed many lives over the years. If you haven’t heard about it, many students and adults suicide to just make it stop. Not in a certain country but all around the world. it is a serious problem that needs to come to an end.
Fortunate for us, bullying in the Quran and Islam is forbidden. When a child is raised to the right Islamic values and believes he won’t bully others he would try his best to prevent it from happening around his watch.
Islam considers bullying as a form of oppression and injustice. Our beloved prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prevented all kinds of oppression and said:
“Be on your guard against oppression for oppression is a darkness on the day of resurrection” (Sahih Muslim).
In another Hadith: “Help your brother whether he is an oppressor or he is oppressed”. The prophet was then asked, “It is right to help someone who is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” He replied: “By preventing him from oppressing others.”(Sahih Bukhari).
The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: “He who amongst you sees something abominable should modify it with the help of his hand; and if he has not strength enough to do that, then he should do it with his tongue; and if he has not strength enough to do even that, then he should (at least abhor it) from his heart; and that is the least of faith”.
Our beloved prophet instructed us to stand for the weak and to try our best to stop any kind of bullying or oppression, whether by standing for the truth, or using our words, or actions to stop it from happening. Additionally, if you don’t have the power to say or do anything then at least you should hate it.
Here is what the Quran says about bullying: Allah Almighty says: “And let there be (arising) from you a nation inviting to (all that is) good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful” [Quran 3:104]
How to Respond to Bullying in Islam?
Bullying in Islam is prohibited because it is considered some kind of oppression. And our beloved prophet instructed us to stand up and take action when we see someone being oppressed.
For instance, if a man is hitting his wife or kids in the middle of the street will you stand and watch it happen? Of course not, you would go and try to stop him, and try to fix the problem. Normally you will be faced with words like, it’s none of your business, it’s a matter between a husband and his wife stay out of it, or any kind of response to get you out of the way. But you have to try anyway.
The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us how to respond to bullying in Islam and said: “He who amongst you sees something abominable should modify it with the help of his hand; and if he has not strength enough to do that, then he should do it with his tongue; and if he has not strength enough to do even that, then he should (at least abhor it) from his heart; and that is the least of faith”.
In the Qur’an Allah Almighty says:
“O you who believe, let not one people make fun of another people (for) they may be better than those who make fun of them. And let not women (make fun of) other women, (for) it may be that the women (being made fun of) are better than the women (making fun of).
Do not revile one another and call one another by bad names. The worst of calls is that of the wicked after faith. Those who do not repent are the wrongdoers.” [surah Al-Hujurat verse 11]
Bullying is against Islamic teachings, but even though some Muslims bully and make fun of each other it was some kind of humor or breaking the ice. Now that we know what Islam and Quran say about bullying, it is time to discover how to prevent it from happening.
How to Prevent Bullying?
To prevent bullying from happening as a parent you should raise kids based on Islamic teachings and beliefs. Teach them how to be good Muslim, and that bullying is not tolerated in Islam. Raising a child with the right beliefs will help him understand that oppression is haram and that he/she should stand for the truth.
Here is how to prevent oppression and bullying in Islam from Hadith and the sunnah of the prophet:
1. Build a spiritual awareness.
It is essential to raise kids’ understanding of bullying from a young age. Therefore it should be taught in schools, conduct sessions about what harm it can do, and that Islam forbids it, then kids will be raised with the right beliefs and understand that bullying is haram and that they should stand up for anyone who is being bullied.
It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A Muslim is one who saves all Muslims from his tongue and hands. And the one who migrates is the one who leaves all the prohibitions of Allah.” (Muslim no 6706)
From this hadith, we understand that in order to be a good Muslim you shouldn’t harm anyone with your words or actions.
Meaning, not to say harmful words to others, calling them names as a sort of humor, spreading rumors, and speaking badly of others. the second aspect discussed in the hadith is staying away from any kind of forbidden actions, and trying to become better versions of ourselves.
2. Break the cycle of conflict
Abdullah bin Umar RA narrated that our beloved prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘A Muslim is a brother to his fellow Muslim, not to mistreat him and not to be mistreated by others.
And whoever fulfills his brother’s desire, Allah will fulfill his desire. And whoever relieves the distress of a Muslim, Allah will relieve his distress on the Day of Judgement, and whoever covers the ‘awrah of a Muslim, Allah will cover it on the Day of Judgement’.” (Bukhari and Muslim).
We are instructed to stand up for each other and try to prevent bullying or any kind of oppression from happening. If you see someone mocking his colleague, family members, or anyone else try to prevent it.
3. Self-defense.
Allah Almighty says in the Quran about bullying: “O you who believe, let not one people make fun of another people (for) they may be better than those who make fun of them. And let not women (make fun of) other women, (for) it may be that the women (being made fun of) are better than the women (making fun of).
Do not revile one another and call one another by bad names. The worst of calls is that of the wicked after faith. Those who do not repent are the wrongdoers.” [surah Al-Hujurat verse 11]
This verse is about a woman making fun of the prophet’s wife Shafiyah bint Huyay bin Akhtab for being of Jewish descent. Our beloved prophet asked her: “Why don’t you tell them that my father is Prophet Aaron, my uncle is Prophet Moses, and my husband is Prophet Muhammad?”
From this hadith, we understand that one of the methods of breaking the cycle of violence and bullying toward us is standing up for ourselves. Don’t let anyone treat you badly or make fun of you, defend yourself and express your thoughts and opinions out loud. Only then no one would dare to make fun of you again.
In the end, I would like to say that it falls upon us to prevent bullying from happening. Don’t say, “What can I do? I’m just one person.” Instead, think of how you can stop it. You have your voice. Speak up, and don’t let anyone hurt you for any reason. No one deserves to be bullied, and if we start from ourselves, we can bring it to an end and make a difference.
Conclusion.
We have seen what the Quran says about Bullying in addition to hadiths. Now we understand that bullying is forbidden in Islam and is considered a form of oppression. If we seek to stop it, we should start with ourselves and try to make a difference. We are more than capable of doing so on our own.
Now you know everything you need to know about bullying in Islam. We hope you found what you were looking for. If you like the article, share it with your family and friends, and don’t hesitate to drop a comment below.
