Q:
Salaam Teddy,
I don’t have a Youtube account, so I have to ask you an important question on here: is standing up against bullying virtuous? I remember reading something in the Quran about standing up against injustice, but I’m not sure if bullying counts as that.
Thank you for your time, and God bless you.
A:
Peace be with you.
Doing nothing about a situation that is awry, is supporting the foulness of that situation. Whether you educate yourself or others, whether you protect or fight, whether you defend or come to understand, in the situation where you need to act, action should be taken.
Because I do not have the details of the situation and because I do not have both sides of the story, I cannot judge on this for you. With that said, if one person is causing terror and threatening violence or is aggressive beyond control without provocation, then yes.
If there is a person incapable of defending themselves, then step in.
But be mindful and seek guidance. Do not judge in haste like David did during his test. Do not fall into accidents, like Moses did with his tribesman. Judge and find out the details in advance of your striking out and setting right. There is far more forgiveness for the seeking of knowledge and the justice setter, as there is also for the peace maker, than the person who acts on whim and without knowledge. Battle should be sought cautiously and with knowledge and care.
Peace be with you. Thanks for e question. Now time for me to make sure that I am correct, inshallah.
Discussion -
Bullying is a popular topic in our culture now, as it should be. We see bullying everywhere, and it is not just on the individual level, but is also an aspect of the societal level as well. The United states is a world bully. The New York Yankees are bullies. North Korea bullies its population. Democrats and Republicans are bullies. The fact is that in our lives most of us are bullies.
Bullying requires two things in my opinion. First it is the feeling that you are better, the superiority feeling over someone else. It also calls for an insecurity, based out off the fear of inadequacy. Bullies are just regular entities responding to the pressure of the social environment, and are attempting to hold onto power. They believe that they have the power, and that others don’t, therefore they show that outwardly because they crave the acknowledgement, but don’t realize that this outward aggression spells the end of their rein and dominance.
Bullies need to be faced head on. First with words and a warning. Then with tolerance and encouragement with a positive attitude. The work to find out the stem of the issue of their insecurities is the first step to solving the problem. If the effort is not taken to find out the real problem, you may strike out against a person that could have turned around and done right, making you a bully yourself.
What if you were to find out the underlying problem and coached them out of despair? What if your compassion was the only thing that they needed to see in order to be able to trust others?
See, there is more to every situation that meets the eyes. Yes, bullying is wrong, but it is often a response that can be understood through loving interaction.
Yes, fight in the cause of justice, but maybe that fight can be won with love and care rather than fist and fury.
If you want to know what the Truth is, then you must ask for it. Who is better at providing the Truth than the one who has created it. "Arise and Deliver thy warning"
