Hate Speech, Takfīr, and the Theology of Mercy: A Corpus Study of Arabic Comments on Online Sermons

This study looks at hate speech in the digital preaching environment which includes social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok in the Arab world; we looked at the practice of takfīr and its role in the theological thought of mercy. We collected data from 9 representative comments posted between July and August 2025 and did a qualitative descriptive analysis and content analysis. We found that hate speech uses the same language which includes assertions of unbelief, innovation (bid‘ah), misguidance/polytheism (shirk), threats of the hereafter, and the Muslim vs non-Muslim divide. These are not only random outbursts but also what we may term as exclusive speech acts which put down other groups, promote in group vs out group dynamics in the Muslim community, and which in turn shut out interfaith dialogue. Also we saw that platform algorithms play a role in the spread of this type of content which in turn reaches wider audiences faster. We see in this the role of the theology of mercy which puts forth a message of compassion, gentleness and tolerance as the base of Islamic communication. We did a study which included linguistic and theological analysis which we present as a new framework for digital preaching that is more inclusive. Also we assert that the fight against hate speech is not just a technical issue but a theological mission to re claim digital spaces as forums for the promotion of brotherhood and peace.