By Mawlana Qari Muhammad Tayyib al-Qasimi
Amongst the clearest signs of ignorance are disrespect, mockery, and name calling. When Musa (may peace be upon him) advised his nation, informing them of a certain victim of murder who would come alive should a cow be slaughtered and its meat rubbed against his body, the Banu Isra’il mockingly exclaimed, “Do you jest with us?” What, after all, would rubbing a piece of meat on a corpse do? Musa (may peace be upon him) replied, “I seek refuge in Allah from being included amongst the ignorant.”
From this it is deduced that mockery is the work of the ignorant and not appropriate for the people of knowledge, for it contradicts Islamic etiquette. One thing is to hold a difference in opinion or differ with a scholar in methodology, academic disposition, or school of thought (maslak), while it is an entirely different thing to show disrespect. Differences of opinion are permissible and tolerable while disrespect is not permissible under any circumstances.