In my life in the USA, I met some people who told me: “I
used to be Muslims, but not anymore. Islam is too much for me. I am not
perfect. I am a sinner. I believe in the
faith of Islam but I have addiction issue,” or “Islam makes a lot of senses to
me but I cannot pray five times a day,” or “I respect the modesty of Islam but hijab is still a hard decision for me,” or “I love the
equality in Islam but I have an issue growing my beard.” Also, they told me
that they met some strict Muslims who judge them all the time, like they are
the Haram police: “Oh brother! That is Haram! Muslims do not do that! You
cannot do that if you are Muslim! You are not Muslim anymore since you do
that!”
Of course, Islam is not an open buffet to choose what you
like and leave what you do not. But not every sin invalidates your religion.
The only unforgivable sin is polytheism.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن
يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ
Indeed,
God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than
that for whom He wills. (4:48)
For
example, drinking alcohol is a sin in Islam. It is one of the seven destructive
sins, and it has a punishment. But does drinking alcohol invalidate the drinker’s religion?
There are two stories in Sahih al-Bukhari, the book of Limits and Punishments set by Allah
(Hudood), Chapter five: Cursing is disliked against the drunkard and he is not
regarded as a non-Muslim. In both stories, the prophet punished a Muslim
because he drank alcohol, and companions cursed
him. So, The Prophet
told them:
" لاَ تَلْعَنُوهُ، فَوَاللَّهِ مَا
عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ".
"Do
not curse him, for by Allah, I know for he loves Allah and His Apostle."
And
he said in the other hadith:
" لاَ تَكُونُوا عَوْنَ الشَّيْطَانِ
عَلَى أَخِيكُمْ ".
"Do
not help Satan against your (Muslim) brother."
So,
the sinner is not a disbeliever if he does not deny that his action is a sin.
For example, drinking alcohol does not invalidate the drinker’s religion if he does not deny that drinking alcohol is a sin in Islam. In the same way, shaving
beard does not invalidate
men’s religion, and showing women hair does not nullify their Islam. Plus, what
is better: to die as a sinning Muslim or disbeliever? Of course, it is better
to be a Muslim who tries to make amends for his sin, and seek forgiveness. You
will never be a perfect Muslim, but it is better to die on Islam. You should
try to reach the destination of being perfect, even though you will never reach
it. But it is better to die on this path. This journey is the goal, not the
destination; because you will never reach it. You will never be perfect. You
will never be a god. You will never be angel.
Angels do not need a religion. God describes the angles in
his Quran:
لَّا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا
أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
They
do not disobey God in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.
(66:6)
God sent all religions to us... the humans; because we are
sinners, so do not think that you cannot be Muslim because you are a sinner.
The prophet said:
كُلُّ بَنِي
آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ وَخَيْرُ
الْخَطَّائِينَ التَّوَّابُونَ
“All the sons of Adam are sinners,
but the best of sinners is the one who repent often.”
Do not forget that we are human, not angels. The prophet
said:
والذى نفسى
بيده لو أنكم
لا تذنبون فتستغفرون
الله فيغفر لكم
، لذهب بكم
ثم جاء بقوم
يذنبون فيستغفرون فيغفر
لهم ولو أنكم
تخطئون حتى تبلغ
خطاياكم السماء ثم
تتوبون لتاب الله
عليكم
If you were not to commit sins,
Allah would have swept you out of existence and would have replaced you by
another creation who have committed sin, and then asked forgiveness from Allah,
and He would have granted them pardon.
So, why do some Muslims try to give a perfect image about themselves and blame other Muslims for their mistakes, as they should
be perfect; just because they are Muslims? Why do they make our religion too
hard to be practiced? If they are lairs, they just show off, but if they are honest,
they are perfectionist. In both cases, they
have a big problem, and create many problems for Muslims.
Showing off
The Quranic chapter that describes the Islamic monotheism
creed, is called "The sincerity”;
because the
sincerity is the condition for validity of the faith. That is why Prophet
Muhammad, after the Islamic migration from Mecca to Madinah,
gave us this golden rule:
عَنْ
عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّةِ وَإِنَّمَا لاِمْرِئٍ
مَا نَوَى فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَهِجْرَتُهُ
إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ لِدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ
امْرَأَةٍ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ " .
Narrated
‘Umar bin Al-Khattab: The
Messenger of God
said: “Actions are but by intentions and
every man shall have but that which he intended. Whosoever
has emigrated for the sake of Allah and His messenger, then his emigration was
for Allah and His messenger. Whosoever emigrated for the sake of worldly gain,
or a woman [whom he desires] to marry, then his emigration is for the sake of
that which [moved him] to emigrate." Bukhari: Book 1: Volume 1: Hadith 1
The opposite of sincerity is showing off,
which is to behave in
a way that is intended to attract attention or admiration of other people. The
prophet described it as hidden polytheism.
الشِّرْكُ الْخَفِيُّ
أَنْ يَقُومَ الرَّجُلُ يُصَلِّي فَيُزَيِّنُ صَلاَتَهُ لِمَا يَرَى مِنْ نَظَرِ
رَجُلٍ " .
The
secret Shirk is when a man gets up to pray and strives to beautify his prayer
because people are looking at him.
Showing off is polytheism. because when you worship God for
people, you actually worship people. People can see your prayer and charity but
only God sees your intention.
من صلى
مراءاة الناس فهو مشرك ومن زكى مراءاة الناس فهو مشرك ومن صام مراءاة الناس فهو
مشرك ومن حج مراءاة الناس فهو مشرك ومن عمل عملا مما امر الله به مراءاة الناس فهو
مشرك ولا يقبل الله عمل مراءاة.
"One who offers the ritual prayers in an ostentatious way
is a polytheist. One who keeps the fast, or gives alms, or performs the Hajj to show the public his righteousness
or to earn good name is a polytheist."
However, there are two different type of polytheism. The
great polytheism is to worship or associate other with God, while the lesser
polytheism is showing off. The prophet Muhammad was not worry if Muslims will
go back to worship other than God. He knows that nobody will go back to the
dark after seeing the light. But he was worry if we will show off our worship
and good deeds.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم :"إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا
أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ اَلشِّرْكُ اَلْأَصْغَرُ: اَلرِّيَاءُ"
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said: “The thing I fear most for you is
the lesser shirk (polytheism), showing-off (of good deeds).” Related by Ahmad
with a good chain of narrators.
If you did any good deed for God you will get the reward
from Him, but if you did it for people you will get the reward from them, as
the prophet said:
يَقُولُ
اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِذَا جُزِيَ النَّاسُ
بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ : " اذْهَبُوا
إِلَى الَّذِينَ كُنْتُمْ تُرَاءُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا ، فَانْظُرُوا هَلْ تَجِدُونَ
عِنْدَهُمْ جَزَاءً "
Allah
will say on the Day of Resurrection when people are receiving their rewards,
'Go to those for whom you were showing off in the material world and see if you
can find any reward from them.'"
Also, Quran teaches us that showing off invalidate your
worship and good deeds.
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقَاتِكُم بِالْمَنِّ وَالْأَذَىٰ
كَالَّذِي يُنفِقُ مَالَهُ رِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ
الْآخِرِ ۖ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌ فَأَصَابَهُ وَابِلٌ
فَتَرَكَهُ صَلْدًا ۖ لَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا ۗ
O you who have believed, do not invalidate
your charities with reminders or injury as does one who spends his wealth
[only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day.
His example is like that of a [large] smooth stone upon which is dust and is
hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable [to keep] anything of
what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.
(2:264)
Perfectionism
Perfectionism
is the refusal to accept any standard short of perfection. Actually, Prophet
Muhammad warned us of the perfectionism as a reason of extinction.
عَنْ
أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ صَخْرٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ:
سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ: "مَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ
عَنْهُ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ، وَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ فَأْتُوا مِنْهُ مَا
اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ كَثْرَةُ
مَسَائِلِهِمْ وَاخْتِلَافُهُمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ ".
On
the authority of Abu Hurayrah (ra): I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say,
“What I have forbidden for you, avoid. What I have ordered you [to do], do as
much of it as you can. For verily, it was only the excessive questioning and
their disagreeing with their Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were
before you.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
There
are many rules to facilitate the obligatory worship. For example, if you did
not find water to clean yourself before prayer, you can perform Tayammum. If
cannot stand up to pray, you can pray while you are sitting or lying down. If
you cannot fast Ramadan, you can give charity or fast in others days. Also, Hajj
is not obligatory if you cannot perform it.
Quran
tells us a very interesting story that show us how some nations before us
excessively questioned and disagreed with their Prophets. The longest chapter
of the Quran is the second chapter. It is called “The Cow” because it includes
this story:
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن
تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا ۖ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ
أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ . قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ ۚ قَالَ
إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَلَا بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ
ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَافْعَلُوا مَا تُؤْمَرُونَ . قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن
لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ
فَاقِعٌ لَّوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ . قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن
لَّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ
لَمُهْتَدُونَ . قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ
الْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا
الْآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ .
And [recall] when Moses said to his people:
- "Indeed, Allah commands you to
slaughter a cow."
They said,
- "Do you take us in ridicule?"
He said,
- "I seek refuge in Allah from being among the
ignorant."
They said,
"Call upon your Lord to make clear to
us what it is."
[Moses] said,
- "[ Allah ] says, 'It is a cow which is
neither old nor virgin, but median between that,' so do what you are
commanded."
They said,
- "Call upon your Lord to show us what
is her color."
He said,
- "He says, 'It is a yellow cow, bright
in color - pleasing to the observers.' "
They said,
- "Call upon your Lord to make clear to
us what it is. Indeed, [all] cows look alike to us. And indeed we, if Allah
wills, will be guided."
He said,
"He says, 'It is a cow neither trained
to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot
upon her.' "
They said,
- "Now you have come with the
truth."
So, they slaughtered her, but they could
hardly do it. (2:67-71)
Ibn Abbas said: “If they had slaughtered a cow, any cow, it
would have been sufficient for them. Instead, they made the matter difficult,
and this is why Allah made it even more difficult for them.”
But why is the perfectionism a reason of
extinction? Because perfection is not a human ability, so we can seek it, or
try it for a while, but we cannot continue with.
سُئِلَ
النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ
" أَدْوَمُهَا وَإِنْ قَلَّ ". وَقَالَ " اكْلَفُوا مِنَ
الأَعْمَالِ مَا تُطِيقُونَ ".
The
Prophet (ﷺ) was asked, "What deeds are loved most by Allah?" He said,
"The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few." He
added, 'Don't take upon yourselves, except the deeds which are within your
ability."
That is why the prophet
advised us to not make the religion a rigor.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ
النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِنَّ الدِّينَ يُسْرٌ،
وَلَنْ يُشَادَّ الدِّينَ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ غَلَبَهُ، فَسَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا
وَأَبْشِرُوا، وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالْغَدْوَةِ وَالرَّوْحَةِ وَشَىْءٍ مِنَ الدُّلْجَةِ
".
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ)
said, "The religion is easy, and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be
able to continue in that way. So, follow a middle course (in
worship); if you can’t do this, do something near to it and give glad tidings, and gain strength by worshipping in
the mornings, the afternoons, and during the last hours of the nights." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (39) and Muslim (2816). (See Fath-ul-Bari, Page 102, Vol
1).
Ibn
Hajar al-Asqalani said in his book (Fath al-Baari
'Victory of the Creator') about
this Hadith: “What is meant
is that no one goes to extremes in religious deeds and forsakes the easy
approach but he will become incapable and will be unable to continue in that
way.
Ibn
al-Muneer said: This hadeeth is one of the signs of Prophethood. We have seen
and the people before us saw that everyone who goes to extremes in religious
matters will be cut off and doomed.
It does
not mean that we should not seek to be more perfect in worship, for that is
something praiseworthy. Rather what is forbidden is the kind of extremism that
leads to getting bored with it, or going to such extremes in doing voluntary
acts that one ends up forsaking that which is better, or it leads to delaying
the obligatory act until the time for it is past, like one who stays up and
prays all night, until sleep overcomes him at the end of the night and he
sleeps and misses offering Fajr prayer in congregation, or until the preferred
time for it is over, or until the sun rises and the time for the obligatory
prayer ends.” (1/94).
Also, the prophet described those who overburden themselves
in their religion as not of his followers.
حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي
مَرْيَمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا حُمَيْدُ بْنُ أَبِي
حُمَيْدٍ الطَّوِيلُ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ
يَقُولُ جَاءَ ثَلاَثَةُ رَهْطٍ إِلَى بُيُوتِ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه
وسلم يَسْأَلُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَةِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا
أُخْبِرُوا كَأَنَّهُمْ تَقَالُّوهَا فَقَالُوا وَأَيْنَ نَحْنُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ
صلى الله عليه وسلم قَدْ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَا
تَأَخَّرَ. قَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَمَّا أَنَا فَإِنِّي أُصَلِّي اللَّيْلَ
أَبَدًا. وَقَالَ آخَرُ أَنَا أَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَلاَ أُفْطِرُ. وَقَالَ
آخَرُ أَنَا أَعْتَزِلُ النِّسَاءَ فَلاَ أَتَزَوَّجُ أَبَدًا. فَجَاءَ رَسُولُ
اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " أَنْتُمُ الَّذِينَ قُلْتُمْ
كَذَا وَكَذَا أَمَا وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَخْشَاكُمْ لِلَّهِ وَأَتْقَاكُمْ لَهُ،
لَكِنِّي أَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ، وَأُصَلِّي وَأَرْقُدُ وَأَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ، فَمَنْ
رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي ".
Narrated Anas bin Malik: A group of three men came to the
houses of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ)
asking how the Prophet (ﷺ) worshipped (Allah),
and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship
insufficient and said, "Where are we from the Prophet (ﷺ) as his past and future sins have been forgiven." Then one
of them said, "I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever."
The other said, "I will fast throughout the year and will not break my
fast." The third said, "I will keep away from the women and will not
marry forever." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
came to them and said, "Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By
Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I
fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So, he who does not
follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers).
That is why God said:
فَاتَّقُوا
اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ
So, fear Allah as much as you are able (So
fear Allah as much as you can) (64:16)
With good intentions, contemporary Muslim scholars preferred
to follow old scholars as a safe method to protect themselves from mistakes and
the religion from innovations, although the prophet Muhammad encouraged Muslim
scholars to strive to reach the right conclusion about any new issues.
عن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنه سمع رسول الله صلى الله
عليه وسلم يقول: "إذا حكم الحاكم، فاجتهد، ثم أصاب، فله أجران، وإن حكم
واجتهد، فأخطأ، فله أجر" ((متفق عليه)).
'Amr bin 'Al-'As
(May Allah be pleased with him) said:
I heard the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "When a judge utilizes his skill of judgement and
comes to a right decision, he will have a double reward, but when he uses his
judgement and commits a mistake, he will have a single reward."
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Sunnah.com
reference : Book 19, Hadith 49
Arabic/English
book reference : Book 19, Hadith
1856
However, following is easier than using reasoning, conscientiousness,
diligence, diligent or assiduity which need a deep and long study. In addition,
disallowing something that could be allowed, is better than allowing a sin,
although the jurisprudential rule states that everything is permissible except
what God forbids.
فَكُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا
وَاشْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ . إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ
عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ
اللَّهِ بِهِ ۖ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ
رَّحِيمٌ . وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ
هَٰذَا حَلَالٌ وَهَٰذَا حَرَامٌ لِّتَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ ۚ إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ
Then eat of what
God has provided for you [which is] lawful and good. And be grateful for the
favor of God, if it is [indeed] Him that you worship. He
has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that
which has been dedicated to other than God. But whoever is forced [by
necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed,
God is Forgiving and Merciful. And do not say about what
your tongues assert of untruth, "This is lawful and this is
unlawful," to invent falsehood about God. Indeed, those who invent
falsehood about God will not succeed. (Quran 16:114-116)
Contemporary Muslim scholars considered many things,
especially modern inventions, as Haram (forbidden and sinful) just for
precaution and to be on the safe side, without understanding the nature and
impact of these things, and even without a thorough study from a religious
perspective to search for a jurisprudential ruling.
For
example, the Ottoman scholars considered printing as a sin until 1727.
Moreover, some scholars do not want to disagree to the public opinions in order
not to confuse the public or lose their trust. As a result, the Muslim
scholars became stricter by the time. That explains why the most lenient
Islamic school of thought is the oldest (The Hanafi) and the strictest one is
the newest (The Hanbali).
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُم
مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ فَجَعَلْتُم مِّنْهُ حَرَامًا وَحَلَالًا
قُلْ آللَّهُ أَذِنَ لَكُمْ ۖ أَمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَفْتَرُونَ
Say, "Have
you seen what Allah has sent down to you of provision of which you have made
[some] lawful and [some] unlawful?" Say, "Has Allah permitted you [to
do so], or do you invent [something] about Allah?" (Quran 10:59)
Some Muslims think that the most important goal of the
Islamic message is to guide others to it. Actually, the first goal should be
you not others. Apply it by yourself.
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ
يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
Indeed, [O
Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And
He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided. (28:56)
It might be good to use this strict way to judge yourself.
But it is not good to use it to judge others; because you do not guide them in
this way. Rather, you alienate them from Islam. Imam Malik said:
لاَ
تَنْظُرُوا فِي ذُنُوبِ النَّاسِ كَأَنَّكُمْ أَرْبَابٌ وَانْظُرُوا فِي
ذُنُوبِكُمْ كَأَنَّكُمْ عَبِيدٌ فَإِنَّمَا النَّاسُ مُبْتَلًى وَمُعَافًى
فَارْحَمُوا أَهْلَ الْبَلاَءِ وَاحْمَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى الْعَافِيَةِ .
(Do not look for people's sins as you are a
god, but look for your sins as you are slave or servant worshiper. Some people
are afflicted by wrong action and some people are protected from it. Be
merciful to the people who are tested and thank God for your wellness.)
Muwatta Malik » Speech - كتاب الكلام »
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 56, Hadith 8
Arabic reference : Book 56, Hadith 1821
Never say: "This one will be in hell fire and this one
will be in heaven." Do not disrespect a sinner but pray to God to guide
him/her. Your piety is from God who guides you, and He can misguide you. So, do
not be proud of your piety, but ask God for constancy and stability, as Prophet
Muhammad (ﷺ) supplicated frequently:
يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ
"O God who overturns the hearts,
establish my heart in your faith."
Reference : Jami`
at-Tirmidhi 3522
In-book reference : Book 48, Hadith 153
English translation : Vol. 6, Book 45, Hadith 3522
There
is a big difference between a judgement and an advice. We cannot judge others. If
God told his prophet:
فَمَا
يُكَذِّبُكَ بَعْدُ بِالدِّينِ . أَلَيْسَ
اللَّهُ بِأَحْكَمِ الْحَاكِمِينَ
Then
what can, after this, contradict thee, as to the judgment (to come)? Is not
Allah the most just of judges? (Quran 95:7-8)
If
the prophet cannot judge the disbelievers, who are we to judge others? On the
other hand, we are encouraged to advise each other.
وَالْعَصْرِ . إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ
. إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ .
By
time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done
righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to
patience. (103)
But
how can we advise others? First, do not give people an advice and then refuse
to get an advice. Second, you should advise people to the truth, not to feel as
an advisor. Third, you should advise people with wisdom and good instruction,
as God commands us:
ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ
وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ
رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ۖ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ
بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
Invite to the
way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way
that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His
way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided. (16:125)
Also,
you should advise people with leniency, as the prophet treated his companions.
فَبِمَا
رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ
لَانفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ
فِي الْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ
يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
So, by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient
with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would
have disbanded from about you. So, pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and
consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah.
Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]. (3:159)
All praise is due to
God, the most Gracious, and the most Merciful, who said:
لَا
يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.
(2:286)
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Showing off
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Perfectionism
|
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It means
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To behave in a way
that is intended to attract attention or admiration of other people.
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The refusal to accept
any standard short of perfection.
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Prophet considered it
as
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Lesser or hidden polytheism.
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A reason of extinction.
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It will result to
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Invalidate your faith,
worship and good deeds.
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Unfollow the prophet’s
tradition in religion, and be:
-
incapable,
-
unable to continue in that way,
-
cut off,
-
and doomed.
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