Ibad ar-Rahman and How They Respond to Ignorance with Peace in Islam

Ibad ar-Rahman, the Servants of the Most Merciful, answer a daily test for British Muslims: rude or ignorant comments online, at work, in a queue or even the masjid car park. Instead of responding in kind, Surah Al-Furqan 25:63 says:

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا

"And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say: 'Peace.'"
(Qur'an 25:63)

Drawing on Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan's tafsir, this guide shows how to answer hostility without losing your composure, faith or dignity.

Who Are the Ibad ar-Rahman?

Verses 63 to 77 of Surah Al-Furqan describe the believers Allah names Ibad ar-Rahman, the Servants of the Most Merciful (read the full passage). Unusually, Allah links their servitude to His name ar-Rahman.

Across these fifteen verses, they walk humbly, worship at night and spend moderately. In addition, they avoid shirk, unjust killing and zina, repent to Allah, and do not ignore His verses when reminded.

Yet Allah begins with one verse: how they walk in humility and reply to the ignorant. In other words, their first sign is not prayer, charity or knowledge, but humility and their reply to provocation.

The Words of the Ayah — Word by Word

إِذَا — Idhaa: "when", not "if"

The ayah does not say in (if); it says idhaa (when). This distinction matters, because Arabic grammarians note that in suggests a mere possibility, while idhaa points to something that will surely happen. So Allah is telling the believer that this situation is inevitable. Ignorant, uncontrolled or outrageous people will address you, and there is no way around this reality.

For a British Muslim in 2026, this framing is worth sitting with. You are not being asked to imagine a hypothetical hostile encounter. Rather, you are being told: this is coming, and it is the very situation in which Allah will recognise His servants.

خَاطَبَهُم — Khaatabahum: "they addressed them"

The ignorant are the grammatical subject of this verb. In other words, they start the encounter. The believer did not go looking for trouble, start the argument or seek the conversation. Instead, trouble came to the believer. This detail matters for a British Muslim who worries whether they are somehow to blame for the hostility they face. Clearly, the wording shows that the ignorant come to them, not the other way round.

Even so, conflict may still arrive when you are not looking for it. It may come in a comment under a YouTube video, a hostile email, a slur on public transport or an aggressive remark at a family gathering. Fortunately, the ayah is prepared for all of it.

الْجَاهِلُونَ — Al-jaahiloon: "the ignorant"

In Arabic, al-jaahiloon carries a range of meanings beyond a simple lack of knowledge. Classical commentators note that it can describe the foolish, the uncontrolled, the rude or the deliberately outrageous. So it is not only about people who lack facts. It is also about people who lack composure and whose speech and behaviour have no restraint.

This matters, because the ayah is not telling you to avoid someone with a genuine question. That is a different situation entirely, and the Qur'an encourages sincere discussion elsewhere. Instead, this ayah addresses how to respond when someone behaves outrageously and tries to pull you into their emotional state.

قَالُوا سَلَامًا — Qaaloo salaama: "they say 'peace'"

Classical scholars read qaaloo salaama in two complementary ways.

Reading 1: They say the word "peace"

The believer says "peace" to end the encounter, meaning "we will leave it here", not a greeting. They do not fire back; they calmly walk away. This is not weakness but a refusal to argue with every foolish comment.

Reading 2: They speak gently and soundly

Mujahid and others explained salaama as gentle, harmless speech. Even when provoked, the believer's words stay peaceful, and hostile words simply roll off them.

In short, both are true: sometimes one word and a walk-away, sometimes a calm conversation.

How the Ibad ar-Rahman Ayah Applies to British Muslim Life in 2026

The settings in which this ayah is tested have expanded since the 7th century. Nevertheless, the rule applies to all of them. Consider how it reads in several situations British Muslims actually face.

Online Abuse and Trolling

A Muslim posts something ordinary, such as a photo from Eid, a reflection on Ramadan or a comment on a news article. Then the thread descends into hostility, with slurs, sarcasm and deliberately offensive remarks. Here, the ayah's instruction is clear: you do not have to engage. You are not obliged to correct every bad-faith comment. Instead, "peace", or silence, is the response. So mute the thread, report it if necessary, and move on. Above all, do not let the troll control your emotional state.

Workplace Comments and Microaggressions

A colleague makes a "joke" about your fasting, your hijab, your name or your religion. Naturally, the temptation to respond in kind is strong. However, the ayah offers a different path: a calm "I'm going to leave that alone", or simply a polite non-response. If the pattern continues, keep a record and raise it with HR. After all, the goal is not to win the exchange. Rather, it is to stay composed and protect your dignity.

Public Incidents — A Bus, a Queue, a Street

A stranger makes a hostile remark on public transport or in a shop. British law protects you, so report genuine hate incidents to the police. You can also report anti-Muslim incidents to Tell MAMA, which records and supports victims. Still, in the moment, the Qur'an's instruction remains: do not escalate. A calm "peace" and a steady exit is both legally safer and spiritually better than a heated reply you will regret.

Aggressive Encounters in the Masjid

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan highlights this one specifically, and it is painfully familiar to many British Muslims. You go to the masjid, and an older brother approaches you aggressively: "Why are you standing like that?" "Why are you wearing that?" "Astaghfirullah, you don't know how to pray!" Naturally, you want to defend yourself, explain or shoot back. Yet the ayah suggests a different response. Make dua for the uncle, let him keep his opinion, and quietly move to another corner to pray. After all, you went there for Allah, not for the confrontation, so do not let the confrontation win.

Family Gatherings and Community Politics

Extended family tensions, committee disputes and the endless politics of local Muslim organisations all have their moments of ignorance and provocation. However, the verse does not ask the believer to have no opinions or to be a pushover. Instead, it asks them to choose which battles are worth fighting and to step away from the rest. Indeed, the Ibad ar-Rahman simply do not take part in many conflicts, because engaging would cost more than walking away.

The Deeper Lesson: This Is Da'wah

Here, the verse becomes especially powerful for a British Muslim community aware of how Islam appears in public life. Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan makes this point explicitly: the believer who answers hostility with peace is doing da'wah. Their refusal to escalate, their composure and their kindness make an argument for Islam that no lecture can match.

Think of the neighbour who watches you being insulted and sees you respond with dignity. Likewise, think of the colleague who notices that you never take the bait, or the stranger on the bus who expected a row and got a quiet "peace". Each of these moments is a small proof, visible in real time, of the character Islam builds. In this way, the evidence comes not through words but through conduct.

Moreover, Allah loves these people. Verse 63 gives the first qualities of the Ibad ar-Rahman. The verses that follow describe more, such as night prayer (qiyam al-layl), moderate spending, avoiding major sins and asking Allah for righteous families. Even so, humility and a peaceful response come first.

A Practical Reflection

Try this for one week. Each day, notice one moment when you were tempted to respond aggressively to a comment, a remark, a message or a situation. Then apply the ayah instead. Afterwards, notice what it cost you (usually very little) and what it gave you (usually a clearer head and a better day).

The ayah is also an excellent one to memorise. Verse 63 is short, and its meaning is vivid. As a result, it is exactly the kind of verse British Muslims benefit from carrying every day. Our online Hifz course shows how UK families build memorisation into weekly life. Similarly, our online Quran classes with Tajweed teach correct recitation alongside understanding. To go deeper into the meaning, explore our online Tafsir course.

A Final Dua

The ayah describes a character that most of us know we have not yet fully reached. The prayer at the end of Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan's reflection captures this well:

"May Allah give us the strength of character, and really the common sense and the wisdom to act on this ayah when the situation arises."

For a British Muslim in a society that is not always welcoming, the temptation to react is constant, and social media amplifies it. Therefore, this single verse of the Qur'an is both shelter and instruction. Walk humbly, and when the ignorant address you, say peace — just like the Ibad ar-Rahman.

Learn to Recite This Ayah with Tajweed

Reciting the Ibad ar-Rahman passage (Al-Furqan 25:63–77) with correct Tajweed deepens your connection to its meaning. Eaalim Institute teaches British Muslim children and adults the full Qur'an with Al-Azhar certified teachers. Lessons are live and one-to-one, scheduled around UK evenings and weekends. In addition, pricing is in pounds per month, and a free 30-minute trial lesson is available for any UK family.

Book your free trial, or read our guide to online Quran classes for kids in the UK to see how British families build the Qur'an into daily life.