539. He gives ten causes that can save oneself from the evil of hasad. (cont.)

As the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, "The one who loves for the sake of Allah, hates for the sake of Allah, gives for the sake of Allah and withholds for the sake of Allah has completed the faith."1 In other words, if another Muslim commits some evil, then he should be hated for that evil. He is not hated completely, because he is still a Muslim and has some goodness in him, but he is hated to the extent of the evil that he commits. Similarly, when he does good deeds, he is loved for the good deeds that he does although overall he may have a lot of evil in him. Some people ask: How is it possible to hate and love something or somebody at the same time? lbn Uthaimeen responded to this question by giving the example of a medicine that smells and tastes bad. The person hates the medicine because of its taste but he likes it because he believes that, in the long run, it is going to be very good and helpful for him. Hence, he has combined both hatred and love for that medicine.2 Actually, if someone thinks about himself, he may understand this point better. Many people have aspects even about themselves that they hate, although as a whole they like themselves and the way they are. They say to themselves, "I hate it when I do that," "I don't know why I do such things," and so forth. Again, they have, in essence, combined the kind of love and hatred in themselves that one should combine for those Muslims who do evil. 1 Recorded by Abu Dawood. According to al-Albaani, it is sahih. See al-Albaani, sahih al­ Jaami, vol. 2, p. I 034. 2 Ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 4, p. 710. Hadith #35: "Do not be envious of one another . . . " As ibn Uthaimeen pointed out, it is not allowed, though, for a Muslim to dislike his brother to the extent-that he dislikes non-believers. 1 The greatest evil is kufr or disbelief and, therefore, that is what must be hated the most. Even if a Muslim should drink alcohol or do other forbidden acts, if he still has some faith and does some good deeds, his position is still better than the one who has completely refused to believe in and submit to Allah. Another important point to note is that hating someone for the sake of Allah does not mean that one does not advise them or try to correct them. If a person is committing evil, one should still try to advise him and change his ways. Perhaps, Allah will guide that person through another who hates the evil deeds that he is performing.2 As this hadith shall soon allude to, true piety is in the hearts. It is, therefore, known only to Allah. Muslims must deal with each other on the basis of their outward acts. Umar ibn al-Khattaab once said, "Whoever of you shows us good deeds, we will suspect that he is good and will love him for that. And whoever of you shows us evil deeds, we will expect that he is evil and we will hate him for that. Your secret aspects are between you and your Lord. "3 Al-Rabeeah ibn Khuthaim also said, "If you see a man who publicly shows good deeds and secretly does evil, you should love him [for what you know] and Allah will reward you for your loving of the good. And if you see a man who openly shows evil and hides his good deeds, then hate him [for what you know] and Allah will reward you for your hate of the evil."4 At the end of his discussion of this portion of the hadith, ibn Rajah adds some very important points. He says that when people begin to have different opinions regarding religious matters, they often times divide, hate and curse each other. All of them claim that they are hating for the sake of Allah. Sometimes they may be excused for what they are doing, while at other times they cannot be considered excused. This is because sometimes their hatred is based on their own personal likes and wants. They are following a certain scholar and they do not recognize that he could possibly be wrong. Hence, they hate everyone who opposes his opinion. In such a case, this hatred for the others is actually not for the sake of Allah and it is not correct according to the shareeah.5 "Do not turn one's back on each other" The Arabic expert, Abu Ubaid stated that this phrase means, "Cutting off relations and boycotting. It is derived from a person turning his back to 1 lbn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 4, p. 709. 2 Cf., ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 4, p. 710. 3 This was recorded by Ahmad and Abu Yala. Al-Hilaali (Eeqaadh, p. 476) says that its chain is "hasan, Allah willing." 4 Quoted in ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 267. 5 lbn Rajah, Jaami, vol.