For any entity — whether an alliance, state, or party — to confront its external enemy, it must first maintain the strength and resilience of its internal front. To achieve this, national unity must be strengthened, morale must be elevated, and the enemy’s attempts to psychologically influence the community to lower morale must be thwarted.
However, there are two types of people living among us who offer free services to the enemy, whether knowingly or unknowingly: the deserters and the rumor-mongers. Who are they? What danger do they pose? How should we deal with them? This is what we will attempt to answer in this article, seeking Allah’s guidance and success.
First: How to Deal with Deserters
Firstly, it is necessary to define deserting. Ibn Faris said: To abandon or sit out of something. Meaning to abandon assistance. Al-Raghib stated: It refers to abandoning someone whom one would have been expected to support. Someone is called a deserter if they frequently let others down. Allah says, “And ever is Satan, to man, a deserter.” (Al-Furqan: 29) Al-Biqa’i commented: “He is extreme in his abandonment — he leads one astray and then leaves him to the worst fate without assistance.”
Thus, deserting is a practice mastered and constantly carried out by Shaitan, and I believe that deserters are followers of Shaitan.
Letting down results in a loss of trust due to the absence of an expected stance or action from a specific person or entity.
Failing to meet expectations or fulfill promises leads the waiting individual to feel betrayed or disappointed. Deserting often occurs in human relationships when one expects support or loyalty from another and receives nothing. This feeling is typically linked to psychological pain because abandonment often comes from those we trust or love. Overcoming this feeling requires time and psychological effort to recover and regain balance.
How to Deal with Deserters
The primary goal in dealing with deserters should be to transform them into supporters. This is not easy but not impossible. Below are steps that may help achieve this:
- Understanding the Reasons for Deserting: Deserters should not all be treated the same way. Someone who deliberately deserts others differs from someone who does so out of ignorance or weakness, requiring different approaches.
It’s essential to listen to the deserters to understand their motivations. The cause might be a lack of motivation, fear, misunderstanding, or external circumstances. This necessitates having an honest dialogue by asking questions like: “What prevented you from supporting me?” or “What do you need to become a supporter?” The answers to such questions can reveal a lot.
After identifying the reasons for deserting, efforts should be made to rebuild trust with those who did not intend to be deserters.
- Rebuilding Trust: If deserting was due to misunderstanding, work to correct it and promote transparency in the relationship. Show the person that you appreciate their support and trust their ability to assist in the future.
- Setting Clear Expectations: Be clear about what you expect from them and how they can practically offer support. Sometimes, people abandon others simply because they do not understand their role well enough.
- Positive Encouragement: Use praise and encouragement when they take supportive actions. Focus on the positives rather than direct criticism.
- Involving Them in Decision-Making: Give them a role in making decisions or taking responsibilities related to the shared goal. This gives them a sense of importance and belonging.
- Promoting Shared Responsibility: Explain how their success or failure in supporting you affects the bigger picture for the Muslim Ummah as a whole, making them feel the weight of their decisions.
- Firmness When Necessary: If they persist in abandonment despite all efforts, it may be necessary to have an honest conversation about the impact of their behavior on the community and Muslim causes. Clarify the consequences of their actions in a way that motivates change rather than inducing guilt.
- Lead by Example in Support: Demonstrate how support can be powerful and impactful through your own actions. By being a loyal supporter, you inspire others to follow your lead.
Remember that change requires time and patience. Not everyone will immediately become a supporter, but through continuous communication and encouragement, significant transformation can be achieved, reflecting in firmness and determination for those deserving of support.
How to Handle Those Affected by Abandonment
- Encourage Them to Express Their Feelings: Whether feelings of sadness or anger, they should be expressed in healthy ways, such as writing, talking to a trusted friend, or using social media to share emotions. Their expressions should be accepted even if they occasionally deviate toward extremism because the feelings of someone deserted may throw them off balance.
- Acceptance: Accept that abandonment is part of the human experience and can happen to anyone. The Prophet (peace be upon him) described the victorious group by saying: “They will never be harmed by those who forsake them.” This implies that deserting is inevitable from some people.
- Reassess Expectations: The person who got deserted should reassess their expectations of others. Sometimes, the cause of abandonment is having high and unrealistic expectations. They should learn from the experience to choose more trustworthy parties in the future.
- Forgiveness and Letting Go of Anger: Forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting the situation or returning to the person who let them down. Rather, it means freeing oneself from the burden of anger, which can weigh heavily on the affected person. They should not let being deserted prevent them from trusting others.
Second: How to Deal with Rumor-Mongers
Definition of Rumormongering:
Spreading rumors comes from disturbing and causing unrest either through action or words. Allah says, “And those who spread rumors in al-Madinah.” (Al-Ahzab: 60)
Accordingly, gossipers seek to destabilize society and create disorder by spreading fear or anxiety among people through lies, misinformation, or exaggeration, often with the aim of undermining stability or inciting discord. The term rumormongering is used to describe the spreading of false or exaggerated information to cause psychological or societal disruption.
In the Quran, it appears in the following ayah: “If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease and those who spread rumors in al-Madinah do not cease, We will surely incite you against them; then they will not remain your neighbors therein except for a little. Accursed wherever they are found, [being] seized and massacred completely. (Al-Ahzab: 60-61) Al-Biqa’i commented: “The hypocrites are those who conceal disbelief and outwardly show Islam, and those with sickness in their hearts are inclined toward hypocrisy and sin. The rumormongers in al-Madinah are those who spread frightening news among Muslims that cause hearts to tremble, whether they belong to the first two groups or not.”
Traits of Rumormongers
To identify rumormongers, their traits can be summarized in three points:
- Spreading news without verifying its accuracy.
- Exploiting crises or events to incite fear and chaos.
- Working for personal or group interests aimed at destabilizing security and peace.
How to Deal with Rumormongering
- Verify news sources and avoid believing or sharing information without confirmation.
- Raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of rumors.
- Be firm and hold accountable those who spread rumors to cause harm, exclude them, and warn of their danger.
The Relationship Between Deserting and Rumormongering
There is a relationship between deserting and rumormongering, as both weaken morale and destabilize society. However, they differ in method and objective:
Similarities:
- Both weaken resolve: Abandonment dampens spirits and persuades people to withdraw, while rumormongering spreads fear and doubt, leading to the same result — weakened action or surrender.
- Both use words as weapons: Deserting involves discouraging phrases like “You can't do it” or “It’s pointless,” while rumormongering involves exaggerations or false information, such as “The situation is dire” or “The enemy is unbeatable.”
- Both harm the community: Deserting can lead to loss of trust and withdrawal, while rumormongering can incite division and weaken unity.
Differences:
- Deserying: Directly discourages determination and calls for withdrawal or abandoning goals, often in a personal or direct manner, such as persuading an individual or group not to continue a certain endeavor.
- Rumormongering: Spreads fear and unrest through rumors or lies, aiming to destabilize society in general, often on a larger scale (affecting an entire community or group).
The Connection:
Deserting can be a tool of rumormongering, as rumor spreaders may use tactics as part of their plans to incite chaos. For example, they may spread false news about the strength of the enemy (rumor-mongering), prompting some individuals to demoralize others (dissuading).
In conclusion, rumormongering is broader and more dangerous than abandonment because it relies on creating chaos on a larger scale, whereas deserting focuses on directly influencing individuals or groups. Both require decisive confrontation to promote hope and awareness.
We seek refuge with Allah from being among the dissuaders or the rumormongers.
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