The Licentious Disputant or Arguer

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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

“When he disputes, he behaves in a sinful (excessive immoral manner)”. [1]

Meaning of Fujur [extreme immoral behaviour] is that a person deliberately exits the truth until turns truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth. This is from that which leads to lying, as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Beware of lying, for lying leads to Fujur (immoral behaviour), and Fujur leads to the Fire.”

And in the Sahihayn (Al-Bukhari and Muslim), the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “The most hated of men to Allah is the one who is the most quarrelsome”.

So, if a person, when disputing -whether in matters of religion or worldly affairs-has the ability to support falsehood and make it appear to the listener as truth, weakening the truth and presenting it as falsehood, this is one of the most repugnant prohibitions and one of the foulest traits of hypocrisy. In Sunan Abee Dawud, Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said: “Whoever argues in support of falsehood while knowing it will remain under Allah’s wrath until he stops.” [2]

When he disputes, he lies in his disputation, goes into excess in lying, immoral behaviour, and wrong doing (injustice, oppression) due to the absence or weakness of his Iman. Fujur means increasing in sin and manifesting it — we ask Allah for well-being — like the bursting forth of water. He increases in lying, transgression against his opponent, stubborn, and excessive in his disputation due to his weak Iman or the absence of his Iman. [3]

O student of knowledge! It is obligated to you to abandon (blameworthy) debate and argumentation because debate and argumentation is a means to cutting off the path to what is correct, makes a person speak to give the upper hand to himself. Even if the truth is made clear to him, you will find him either rejecting it or misconstruing the truth -out of disliking it- to give himself the upper hand and compel his opponent to accept his statement. Therefore, if you notice (blameworthy) debate and argumentation from your brother when the truth is very clear, but he does not follow it, flee from him like you would flee from a lion, and say, “I do not have anything other than the truth I have mentioned to you”. [4]

We ask Allah:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ مُنْكَرَاتِ الأَخْلاَقِ وَالأَعْمَالِ وَالأَهْوَاءِ

 O Allah! I seek refuge in You from evil character, evil actions, and evil desires. [5]

 

[1] Al-Bukhari 34

[2] Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam (1/432)

[3]https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/13138/%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%82-%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AB, paraphrased

[4] Sharh Hilyah Talib Al-Ilm page 246

[5] Sahih at-Tirmidhi 3591