Part 33

Having low opinions of others is a condition by which Satan nails people’s hearts, because it is one of the ways of dismantling groups and severing relations. Using this gloomy state, Satan is able perform his work, executing his plan; so he captures one Muslim after another, because they are all divided. The Prophet # said: “Verily Satan is the wolf of a man, just as a wolf is an enemy of a flock (of sheep). He seizes a solitary sheep, straying from the flock or abandonning the flock. So avoid deviating paths; it is essential for you to remain with the community.”

Satan endeavours to separate loved ones, and cause rifts between friends and allies; but the merciful Prophet 4 has warned us against the dangerof this destructive attitude of the accursed, by saying: “Beware of suspicion, for it is the worst of false tales. Do not look for faults in another nor spy, nor hate one another, nor abandon (severe your relations with) one another. O Allah’s Servants, be brothers.”?

Al-Hafidh ibn Hajar said: “Al-Qurtubi said: ‘The meaning of suspicion here is unfounded accusation; such as a man accusing another of adultery, without having any proof to support it. For the Prophet 3% said: “Do not spy”, because he 3% knew that when a person had the feeling of accusation, his desire to check and certify his feeling, would lead him to spy, by searching and listening to others. So he 4 forbade such an action, and this Hadith confirms Allah’s Verse: (Avoid most suspicion; indeed some suspicion is a crime. And do not spy nor backbite one another)‘. The context of this Verse is characterised by the command to protect the honour and good reputation of a Muslim as the prohibition of spying is preceded by that of suspicion; for if a

' In the Shade of the Qur’an (6/3819).

? Recorded by al-Tirmidhi, on the authority of Mu‘adh ibn Jabal 2s. 3 Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

4 Surat al-Hujurat, verse 12.

suspicious man should say: ‘I am only checking to make sure’, it is said: (Do no spy), and if he should say: ‘I was checking without spying’, it is said: nor backbite one another).”!

AlQurtubi said: “There are two types of suspicion in Shariah: mahmoud (praiseworthy) and madhmoum (blameworthy).

A praiseworthy person is a suspicious person who. does not transgress the bounds of Islam, with regards to the suspected person; whereas the blameworthy one does the opposite. For Allah 3% said: (some suspicion is a crime), and He 8 also said: (Why, when you heard it, did you not, as believing men and women, instinctively think good thoughts)’.

What distinguishes some suspicions, which should be prevented, from others is that we should have good thoughts of these things which are not yet defined and acknowledged; especially if the person under suspicion is known for his/her goodness and trustwothiness. So, it would be unlawful to suspect such person, as opposed to a person who is known for spreading doubt and evil! The Prophet 4% said: “Allah has made it unlawful to shed the blood of a Muslim, attack his dignity, or have bad opinions of him.”

Zayd ibn Wahab # said: “A man was brought to Ibn Mas‘ud 2%, who was told: ‘This is so and so’, while wine was dripping from his beard. ‘Abdullah (Ibn Mas‘ud) thereupon said: ‘We have been prohibited to seek faults. But if anything becomes manifest to us, we shall seize it.””*

The Prophet 38 said: “Do you know what backbiting is?” They (the Companions) said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” Thereupon he 3 said: “Backbiting implies your talking about your brother in a manner which he does not like.” Someone asked him: “What is your opinion about this if I actually find that failing in my brother which I made a mention of?” He replied: “If that failing is actually found in

! Fath al-bari 10/481.

? Surat An-Nur, verse 12.

3 Transmitted by Ibn Maajah, with a weak chain of authority. * Recorded by Abu Dawud.

him as you assert, then you, in fact, backbited him, but if that is not in him, then it is slander.”

Sayyid Qutb, may Allah have Mercy upon him, said:

“Suspicions remain thoughts which settle in the heart, which man is unable to drive away, so he has to weaken their effect by thinking good only, but if one is unable to do so, then one has to remember his defects and his hidden sins, to prevent oneself from thinking only of others. Again, if one is unable to remove the bad opinions of others from one’s mind, then one should not talk about them, nor try to find them. Thereby, one would be safeguarded from committing a sin; as the Prophet 38 said: “Verily, Allah will not judge the people of my Ummah for its inner thoughts (bad thinking), as long as they do not perform or talk about them.””

14. Despising the Muslims

Despising and abasing a Muslim is one of the greatest sins before Allah a. The Prophet 4 said: “It is a seriously evil (sins) for a Muslim that he should look down upon his Muslim brother”. Even if a Muslim, sometimes, displays some habits which are outside the social ethics, people should make excuses for him/her. ‘Abdullah ibn Zumi‘ah said: “The Prophet #¢ advised not to laugh if somebody should break wind, saying: ‘How could anybody laugh at what he himself does?”

Therefore, there should be mutual respect and esteem among members of the Muslim community; for Allah 3 said: €O you who believe, let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor defame one another, not insult one another by nicknames. How

‘ Recorded by Muslim.

2 Recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. > Recorded by Muslim.

bad to insult on’s brother after having Faith. Whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed the wrongdoers.)!

This is Divine Guidance for a better Muslim community, and its purification from any suspicion, rancour and hatred, which once adhered to by all the members of society, would generate love between them, so that happiness would fill their hearts.

Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “No person should even dare to show any sign of mockery if he sees somebody with a shabby appearance or physical disability; for he might be more sincere and have a purer heart than a person with the opposite description, so this would lead to despising someone whom Allah 3% had dignified.

This concerned physical deficiencies. As for a person who neglects his religious obligations, he should not be regarded with contempt or mockery, We should dislike his bad deeds, and advise him wisely, with good counselling, to give up his bad habits; the Prophet 2% said: “Allah does not look at your outward structures or property, but looks into your hearts and deeds.””

Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “This is a great Hadith which determines the fact that no one should be mocked at, whether he observes his religious obligations or not; for Allah % knows the state of their hearts, for one who observes his religious duties might possess an evil heart which does not correspond to those deeds.

And maybe the person, whom we witness as being negligent or sinful, might have a praiseworthy heart, which would be one reason for attaining Allah’s Forgiveness; in fact, deeds are outward signs, which cannot be used as definite proof (of intention), It also determines the fact that we should not excessively exalt a person who performs good deeds, or despise someone with bad ones; rather, our contempt should be directed to the evil act itself, not the sinful body...”?

' Surat al-Hujurat, Verse 11. ? Recorded by Muslim. 3 Tafsir al-Qurtubi.

What al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said regarding the distinction between detesting an offence and hating the wrongdoer is indeed accurate; yet it is rarely highlighted by scholars, let alone other people. It is well supported by the saying of the Prophet 4%: “By Allah, a person among you may perform the deeds of the People of the Fire, till there is an armsbreadth distance between him and the Fire, but then the Writing (Divine Destiny) will precede, so he would perform the deeds of the People of Paradise and enter it; and a person among you may perform the deeds of the People of Paradise, till there is only one armsbreadth distance between him and Paradise, and then the Writing will precede and he would perform the deeds of the People of the Fire and would enter it.”

This Hadith may seem complex for some people, but the meaning - of which Allah knows best — is that a man may display good deeds in public while his heart may be hypocritical. So, according to other people, the man performs the deeds of the People of Paradise, yet Allah 4 is Aware of the evil concealed in the man’s heart, so He 3% makes him end his life with bad deeds; for the most significant deeds are the ones performed in the final stage of one’s life! Likewise, a man may have been doing the deeds (sins and misdeeds) of the People of Hell, but then sincerely repents, starting a new phase of obedience to Allah 3, observing his religious obligations, and so Allah 38, accepting his repentance because He 3% is Aware of his Servant’s good intentions and purity of heart, lets him end his life with good deeds.

This is supported by the Hadith narrated by Sahl ibn Sa‘d al-Sa‘idi -, in which the Prophet 38 said: “A person performs deeds that appear to people as the deeds of the People of Paradise while in fact, he is one of the Dwellers of the Hellfire; and similarly a person performs deeds that apear to people as the deeds of the People of the Hellfire while in fact, he is one of the Dwellers of Paradise. Verily, the results of deeds done depend on one’s last actions.””

This is also explained in another Hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah who heard the Prophet 3 say: “The first man (whose case) will be decided on the Day of Judgment, will be a man who died as a martyr;

' Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. ? Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

he will be brought before the Judgment Seat. Allah will make him recount His Blessings (i.e. the blessings which Allah had bestowed upon him); he would recount them and admit having enjoyed them during his life. Then Allah will say: ‘What did you do to acquire these blessings?’ He will say: ‘I fought for Your Sake until I died as a martyr’. Allah will say: ‘You have told a lie. You fought so that you might be called a ‘brave warrior’, and you were (indeed) called so.’ Then orders would be passed against him, so he would be dragged with his face downwards and cast into Hell. Then there will be bought forward a man who acquired knowledge and imparted it to others and recited the Qur’an. He will be brought forward. Allah will make him recount His Blessings, so he would recount them and admit having enjoyed them during his lifetime. Then will Allah say: ‘What did you do. to require these Blessings?’ He would say: ‘I acquired knowledge and disseminated it and recited the Qur’an, seeking Your Pleasure’. Allah will say: ‘You have told a lie. You acquired knowledge so that you might be called a “scholar”, and you recited the Qur’an so that it might be said: he is a Qari’, and such has (indeed) been said’. Then orders will be passed against him, and he shall be dragged with his face downwards and cast into the Fire. Then will be brought a man whom Allah has made abundantly rich and had granted every kind of wealth. He will be brought; Allah will make him recount His Blessings and he would recount them and admit having enjoyed them during his lifetime. Allah will then ask: ‘What have you done to acquire these blessings?’ he would say: ‘I spent money in every cause in which you wished that it should be spent’. Allah will say: ‘You are lying. You did so that it might be said about you: ‘He is a generous man’, and so it was (indeed) said’. Then will Allah pass orders, so he would be dragged with his face and cast into the Fire.” The message is that man should not become conceited about his compliance to his (religious) duties, nor should he despise sinners, because he does not know whether or not his actions are accepted, nor what his last actions, in life, will be.