. I '/ } (cont.)

A Muslim who is making naseehah wants what is best. It is not his intention to harm or injure his brother Muslim. Furthermore, no Muslim would like that evil or sins are announced publicly and spread about. Hence, he will do his best to advise his brother privately and in the best manner.2 On this point, al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh stated, "The believer conceals [the sin] and advises the person while the evildoer exposes the sin and disgraces the person."3 The Importance of al-Naseehah Every Muslim should think about this hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) described this religion by just one word: naseehah. This is the religion of Islam. The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were the people who best understood this hadith and how this hadith is to be applied. One time a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Jareer, had his slave buy a horse and the slave paid three hundred dinars for the horse. Jareer went back to the person who sold the horse and he told him that it was worth 400 dinars and the man was also willing to accept that. Then Jareer said it was worth 500 dinars and so on, until he reached 800 dinars and he paid the man 800 dinars for the horse that his slave had bought for him for only 300 dinars. His explanation was the following: "I made the oath of allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to do the following: establish the prayer, give the zakah and make naseehah to every Muslim.'..4 Al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh said, "The one who attains the most in our sight is not the one who has the most prayers or fasts. But the one who has attained the most in our sight is due to the generosity of the soul, the heart being free of [unjustified hatred and rancor] and the sincere conduct to the Muslim nation." Ibn al-Mubaarak was asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "Having sincere conduct for the sake of Allah." Mamar said, "It is said that the one who 1 lbn Rajab, al-Farq, p. 8. lbn Rajab goes on to point out that if the refutation is done with improper speech or harsh words, this approach should be objected to but not the act of refutation in itself. 2 al-Baitaar, p. 6 1 . 3 Quoted in ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 1 , p . 225. 4 This story was recorded by al-Tabaraani. See ibn al-Salaah, Siyaanah, p. 225. 41 1 Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi has the most sincere conduct and advice for you among the people is the one who fears Allah the most with respect to you."1 It should be noted that this naseehah to Allah, His Book, the messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and the common folk of the Muslims is something that affects every second of the Muslim's life. If one looks at the examples mentioned above one will note that there is really no moment that passes except that the person must exemplify this quality of naseehah. Therefore, if a Muslim cannot truly characterize himself as making naseehah then he should, in fact, question his religion as a whole. Ifhe is not making the minimum requirements of naseehah to Allah or His book or messenger, and so on, can he really call himself a Muslim? Where is his Islam or lmaan without this naseehah? This is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) clearly pointed out when he said, "This religion is naseehah." Naseehah also plays an important role for the health of the Muslim society as a whole. It is one of key aspects protecting Muslim society from the spreading of evil, as those who may slip and commit evil are sincerely, out of love and brotherhood, encouraged and helped to stop. Such behavior genders love, cooperation and togetherness among Muslims while removing selfishness and hatred. 2 Is Naseehah Only a Communal Obligation? In many of the commentaries on this hadith, one will note the statement that naseehah is a communal obligation only.3 If some members of the community fulfill that responsibility, the others are absolved from any responsibility. Most likely, when scholars make statements of that nature, they have in mind only particular aspects of the general concept of naseehah. As can be seen from the above commentary on this hadith, one cannot make such a general statement. There are definitely acts of naseehah that are obligatory upon every individual at all times. There are other acts that can clearly be called communal obligations, such as some aspects of enjoining good and removing evil. There are acts of naseehah that may be considered less than obligatory, such as recommended acts and the like. Therefore, the statement that naseehah is a communal obligation only cannot be considered an acceptable statement. Allah knows best. Ibn Rajah gives an example of a particular type of naseehah that is obligatory only on a specific population of the Muslims.