Obstructors, discouragers, rumour-spreaders, doubters and mockers in the Qur’an

ByShaykh Haytham Tamim

In every community there are people who hold you back. You want to move forward, but they pull you backwards. All of us have experienced such people at different points in our lives. Some are within our own families, some in our mosques, some at work. They dislike seeing you succeed and are disturbed by any goodness that reaches you. Often, such people are driven by envy or bad intentions. They enjoy dwelling on the negative and dragging others into it.

The Qur’an draws our attention to these types and warns the believers about them. They appear in different forms, but their common aim is to weaken resolve, discourage good, and obstruct the path of obedience to Allah. Among them are those who openly obstruct, those who demotivate and discourage, those who spread rumours and alarming news, those who sow doubt, and those who mock the religion and its people.

Obstructors

One group are the “obstructors” who hinder people from obeying Allah, from striving in His path, and from supporting the truth. They put obstacles in the way of good works, offer endless excuses, and divert others from taking action. Allah says:

﴿قَدْ يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ الْمُعَوِّقِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالْقَائِلِينَ لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ هَلُمَّ إِلَيْنَا وَلَا يَأْتُونَ الْبَأْسَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا﴾

“Allah already knows those who hinder among you and those who say to their brothers, ‘Come to us,’ and they do not go to battle except a little.” (Al Ahzab, 18)

Discouragers

Closely related to them are the “discouragers”, those who weaken the morale of believers, exaggerate dangers, and make victory seem impossible. They reduce the value of any effort, and whenever a step towards good is proposed, they respond with fear, pessimism and talk of failure. Allah describes them during the expedition of Tabuk:

﴿فَرِحَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ بِمَقْعَدِهِمْ خِلَافَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَكَرِهُوا أَنْ يُجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَالُوا لَا تَنْفِرُوا فِي الْحَرِّ قُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّا لَوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُونَ﴾

“Those who stayed behind rejoiced in their sitting back behind the Messenger of Allah, and they disliked to strive with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah. And they said, ‘Do not go forth in the heat.’ Say, ‘The fire of Hell is fiercer in heat, if only they understood.’” (Al Tawbah, 81)

Rumour spreaders

Another group are the “rumour spreaders” or alarmists, who devote themselves to circulating frightening news, gossip and speculation that shakes the community and undermines trust. They do not simply convey information; they aim to provoke fear, suspicion and instability. Allah warns:

﴿لَئِنْ لَمْ يَنْتَهِ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْمُرْجِفُونَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ لَنُغْرِيَنَّكَ بِهِمْ﴾

“If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, and the rumour-mongers in Madinah do not desist, We shall certainly incite you against them…” (Al Ahzab, 60)

Historically, these types were very active in Madinah. During the Battle of the Trench, hypocrites spread demoralising statements such as, “Allah and His Messenger have promised us nothing but delusion,” and they withdrew whilst urging others to do the same. During the expedition to Tabuk, they circulated excuses about heat, distance, and lack of resources. At Uhud, rumours were spread that the Prophet ﷺ had been killed, which caused great confusion and turmoil within the Muslim ranks. In Madinah generally, there were people who spread false alarms about attacks or betrayals to disturb the community and weaken confidence in the Messenger ﷺ.

Linguistically, the verb “arjafa” carries the meaning of shaking and disturbance, like a heart trembling with fear. By extension, it came to refer to spreading alarming or false news that causes anxiety and instability among people. Similarly, the verb “thabbata” means to hinder someone, slow them down, weaken their motivation, or distract them from completing an action. It is the opposite of encouragement and stirring someone towards good.

If we look closely at these obstructors, discouragers and rumour spreaders, certain features are repeated. They habitually exaggerate problems and belittle any suggested solutions. They circulate news without verification. They criticise constantly without offering a constructive alternative. They speak in the language of fear and intimidation, always dwelling on worst-case scenarios. They present themselves as rational and realistic, but in reality their aim is to weaken the believers, sap energy and damage unity. They often pretend to advise, while their real intention is to turn people away from action.

Doubters and mockers

Beyond these three categories, the Qur’an also speaks about “doubters” and “mockers”. The doubters are those who aim to plant doubt in the truth of revelation, in the Prophet’s message, in the Hereafter, in Allah’s commands, or in the sincerity of the believers. They may do this by raising misleading questions, casting suspicion over the sources of guidance, or repeating hostile narratives. Allah quotes them saying about the Qur’an:

﴿إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ﴾

“This is nothing but the word of a human being.” (Al Muddathir, 25)

and:

﴿أَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ بَشَرًا رَسُولًا﴾

“Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?” (Al Isra, 94)

They also deny the Hereafter, saying that there is nothing beyond this worldly life, and they question Allah’s commands as Bani Israil did when they said:

﴿أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا﴾

“Do you take us in mockery?” (Al Baqarah, 67)

Such people think badly of Allah, as in His description:

﴿يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ﴾

“They assumed about Allah the assumption of ignorance.” (Al Imran, 154)

The mockers, on the other hand, go further and turn religion, the Qur’an, the Messenger ﷺ and the believers into objects of ridicule. They mock the Prophet ﷺ, saying things like:

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ﴾

“O you upon whom the reminder has been sent down, indeed you are mad.”

They claim the Qur’an is nothing but “ancient tales” that have been written down, and they look down on humble believers, saying:

﴿أَهَؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ بَيْنِنَا﴾

“Are these the ones whom Allah has favoured among us?”

They make the religion into something to laugh at and play with, and they dismiss the Prophet ﷺ as “only a man like yourselves” in order to belittle his message.

Dividing the community

When we place these groups side by side, the relationship between them becomes clearer. The doubter opens the door by creating intellectual confusion and sowing seeds of suspicion. The mocker then closes that door by using ridicule and contempt, making it socially embarrassing to show faith or commitment. All of them share a single objective: to weaken certainty, divide the community and distort the truth.

Dealing with negative people

The Qur’an therefore gives us a method for dealing with such people and limiting their influence. The first step is to strengthen certainty in Allah through knowledge: learning Qur’an, tafsir and seerah, studying sound ‘aqidah, and understanding the evidences of Islam. As certainty deepens, shallow doubts and fashionable slogans lose their power to shake the heart.

The second step is to verify information and claims before accepting or repeating them. Allah says:

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَنْ تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ﴾

“O you who believe, if an ungodly person brings you any news, verify it, lest you harm a people in ignorance and then become regretful for what you have done.” (Al Hujurat, 6)

This principle applies to political rumours, community gossip and religious controversies alike. A believer does not forward every message and link. They investigate, and if there is no clear benefit or if the source is doubtful, they simply do not spread it.

The third step is to choose good company. The people closest to you shape your mindset, your ambitions and your emotional state. Sitting with the righteous and the people of high aspiration strengthens your heart, while sitting with cynics and habitual critics slowly kills your motivation. The Prophet ﷺ taught us not to take as close companion except a believer. Part of dealing with modern “obstructors” and “discouragers” is to limit their influence over our time and emotional space.

Fourthly, we are taught to ignore deliberately demotivating messages. Many discouragers are not looking for solutions; they are looking to extinguish enthusiasm. If every constructive idea is met only with, “It will never work,” “You are naïve,” or “Everyone is corrupt anyway,” then there is nothing to be gained from that conversation. Instead of engaging endlessly with such negativity, a believer focuses on planning, taking action, making du‘a, and relying on Allah.

We are also commanded to remain emotionally steady and not allow the words of such people to break us inside. Allah says:

﴿فَلَا يَحْزُنْكَ قَوْلُهُمْ﴾

“Let not their words grieve you.”

The truth is not measured by how many people mock it, nor by the noise made around it, but by what Allah has revealed. At the same time, we do not fuel their influence by constantly sharing their doubts, clips and jokes. Even when refuting, one has to be careful not to give more platform and visibility to falsehood than it already has.

In all of this, our greatest example is the Prophet ﷺ. Allah tells us in the Qur’an that in him we have the best role model. He faced obstructors, discouragers, rumour-mongers, doubters and mockers in Makkah and Madinah, yet he remained firm, dignified and focused on his mission. He chose his companions carefully. His close circle were people of truthfulness, sacrifice and insight, and they were the ones who carried the message after him and spread it across the world. He educated them, trained them and nurtured them to combine excellence in ihsan – acts that connect them to Allah – with excellence in action, doing things in the best, most correct way.

Following his sunnah means reviving this approach. We must select our close circle with care, paying attention to their character, their understanding and their aims. We aim to excel on our journey to Allah – in worship, in character, in family life, in our work and businesses, and in our service to the community. That requires avoiding those who spread rumours, bad news, obstacles and doubts, and drawing close instead to those who encourage, remind and inspire.

We ask Allah to enable us to be among the righteous who encourage and spread goodness, not among those who hold others back. We ask Him to grant us certainty, sound understanding, good companions and protection from every obstructor, discourager, rumour-monger, doubter and mocker, and to make us followers of the Prophet ﷺ in patience, wisdom and excellence.

Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 5th December 2025

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