May Allah Guide Them, or Break Their Backs

“May Allah Guide Them, or Break Their Backs”

A couple of days ago I typed this sentence in a blog post. I was referring to the people involved in making the low-budget film that portrayed Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, in a negative light. Worse than than, it was horrible, awful, blasphemous for Muslims. I got a lot of feedback from my post, much of it favorable, but there were several people who felt that this one sentence was brutal and unkind.

I could have said go to hell. I could have said, God damn you to hell. I could have said, burn in hell. I could have said may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits. I could have said a lot of things. What I said was heartfelt, and certainly not cruel. Let’s take it one part at a time:

“May Allah guide them.” My first sentence is the essence of reaching out, of mercy and kindness. I can think of no better fate than to be guided to Islam. To realize the truth of Allah’s Oneness, to submit to Him and to live a life where you goals are not hatred and strife, but love and peace. I don’t want anyone to be in the Hellfire. It is too horrible an end to contemplate. I would much rather my worst enemy become my best friend, my brother. I don’t care if it is “Sam Bacile” or Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, or Ann Coulter or any other enemy of Islam. My prayer for you, my du’a, my supplication to Allah, is that you be guided so that your sins will be forgiven and you can start your life anew. Let me say it again in all sincerity:

For those of you who created this film, who funded it, who acted in it, who distributed it, who uploaded it, who viewed it with glee, who profited from it, who committed violence on account of it, I ask Allah to guide you, to open your hearts to the truth of His Oneness and to turn your black hearts white so that when you are judged you will be granted Jannah, Ameen.

My, how barbaric….

Now, let’s deal with the second half of the sentence:

“…or break their backs.”  This is not so much a literal wish to see them broken in two, but rather a plea that their evil acts be undone. See, much as we might wish that there be a touchy-feely, kum-ba-ya resolution to all this, the reality is that some of these people most likely are going to die in the same state of hatred and disbelief that they lived in. And if they choose hatred over love, if they choose fearmongering over conciliation, if they choose the lie over the truth, then I pray with all my heart that Allah undoes their deeds and makes their plots fail and renders them impotent to hurt other human beings. That’s not being cruel, any more than praying for a murderer to be convicted of his crime is cruel. I don’t wish for anyone to be in the hellfire, but if they are running into the fire of their own accord, I ask Allah to prevent them from taking anyone else with them, Ameen.

I stand by my words: “May Allah guide them, or break their backs”.