Unrepentant Firemen Arsonists or Pot-stirrers, and Cover-up artists

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The fact that a statement regarding something is lies and falsehood is sometimes known based on the statement in and of itself, its contradictions, perplexity and the manifestation of those clear indications which shows that it is lies. Lies might be manifested based on what it is in reality, manifested based on what is apparent and what is being concealed. It is sometimes known based on the situation of the utterer of the lie, for indeed the one who is known for lying, wickedness and deception, his statements do not show anything else except a state of conformity with his deeds. He does not utter a statement or perform an action similar to that of a pious and truthful person – the one innocent of every evil, deception, lie and wicked behaviour; rather the heart, intention, statements and deeds of the truthful one have the same image; and the heart, statements, deeds and intentions of the liar have the same image. [1]

It used to be said that whoever perpetrates these three acts  will be haunted by them:

Rebellion against Allah’s commandments. Allah said: [ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِكُمْ – O mankind! Your rebellion (disobedience to Allah) is only against your ownselves]. [Yunus 23]

Evil plotting.  Allah said: [ وَلَا يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهْلِهِ – But the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it]. [Fatir. 43]

Breaking pledges. Allah said: [فَمَنْ نَكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنْكُثُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ – Then whosoever breaks his pledge only breaks it to his own harm]. [Al-Fath: 10] [2]

Firemen arsonists are a rare group of individuals who intentionally ignite fires and then hastily attempt to extinguish them in order to gain recognition. This situation – from one angle – is reminiscent of those who purposefully instigate conflict and discord, but from another angle they are worse than the firemen arsonists because they use different disgraceful tactics to escape while doing little or nothing to reform themselves after spreading their lies and propaganda against innocent people to thousands of others via their social media accounts. At least the firemen arsonists actively work to put out the flames—despite the fact that their initial act of arson is reprehensible and they are held responsible for it.

Furthermore, when these pot-stirrers, cover-up artists or obfuscators on social media – who claim to be spreading knowledge or that they are enjoining good and forbidding evil – are caught red-handed, reprimanded and exposed for their evil on social media, they either change the subject, disappear from social media, or change their location—remaining unrepentant and thinking the crimes they have committed will be forgotten in their absence.

However, wherever they go, some relentless pursuers follow them. And what is very interesting—or call it astonishing—is that wherever they start their trouble, the same pattern of behaviour or scheming is unveiled by the victims on social media. Therefore, no need to get involved when a known propagandist on social media is being pursued relentlessly – a dishonest one, persistent offender or an unrepentant arrogant slanderer who thought that no one can address him despite the manifest crimes of his tongue. Let us remind ourselves and them about Allah’s knowledge of everything we do. Allah said:

وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِى كِتَٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ

And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record. [Al-An’am 59]

[1] An Excerpt from As-Sawaa’iq Al-Mursalah 2/469-470. Slightly paraphrased
[2] Kitab Uyoon Al-Akhbar 1/149 By Al-Allamah Ibn Qutaybah, may Allah have mercy upon him.