“(O Prophet), good and evil are not equal. Repeal (evil) with that which is good, and you will see that he, between whom and you there was enmity, shall become as if he were a bosom friend (of yours). But none attains to this except those who are steadfast; none attains to this except those endowed with mighty good fortune. And if you are prompted by a provocation from Satan, seek refuge with Allah. He, and He alone, is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
(Al-Qur’ān – 41:34-36)
Islamophobic incidents do irritate and infuriate the target. But these ayats of the Holy Qur’ān guide the believers that ‘good and evil are not equal’. Here the words ‘provocation from Satan’ denote Satan’s arousing the believer’s anger. When someone becomes infuriated at an opponent’s abuse and slander and feels like paying them back in the same coin, he should alert himself to the danger that has set in. He should become conscious that Satan is prompting him to stoop to the level of his ignoble opponents.
It means that it does not behove the Muslims to defeat the opponents with evil. Such incidents must be repealed with ‘that which is good’; hate with love and abuse with good wishes. It requires utmost patience and fortitude, wisdom and sagacity. The benefit of being good even to the opponents even when having been infuriated is, as teaches the Qur’ān, that you would win your opponents. This victory will be yours as well as your opponents’; yours, because you followed the Divine guidance and your opponents’, because they realised the truth.