[contents]
Points
to be noted when dealing with mistakes
Before we embark on our discussion we
should note some issues and considerations that we should
bear in mind before and when dealing with and correcting
the mistakes of others.
Sincerity towards Allaah
When correcting the mistakes of others,
it is essential that one’s intention be to earn the
pleasure of Allaah, not to demonstrate one's superiority
or to vent one’s anger or to impress others.
Al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported from Shufayy al-Asbahi that he entered
Madeenah and saw a man with people gathered around him. He
asked, “Who is this?” They said, “Abu Hurayrah.” [Shufayy
said:] “So I approached him and sat down in front of
him. He was speaking to the people, and when he finished
and they had gone away, I said to him, ‘I ask you by
Allaah, to narrate to me a hadeeth that you heard from the
Messenger of Allaah 
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and understood
fully.’ Abu Hurayrah said, ‘I will do that, I will
tell you a hadeeth I heard from the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and understood
fully.’ Then Abu Hurayrah began to gasp, and remained in
this condition until he recovered, then he said, ‘I will
tell you a hadeeth that the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told me in
this house when there was no one else present except me
and him.’ Then Abu Hurayrah began to gasp again, then he
recovered and wiped his face, and said, ‘I will tell you
a hadeeth that the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told me in
this house when there was no one else present except me
and him.’ Then he gasped, then he recovered and wiped
his face and said, ‘I will tell you a hadeeth that the
Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told me in
this house when there was no one else present except me
and him.’ Then Abu Hurayrah began to gasp severely, and
his head fell forward, and I supported him with my
shoulder for a long time, then he recovered, and said:
‘The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told me:
‘When the Day of Judgement comes, Allaah will come down
to judge between the people. And every nation will be
kneeling in submission. The first people to be called
forth will be a man who had learned the Qur’aan by
heart, a man who was killed for the sake of Allaah and a
man who had a lot of wealth. Allaah will say to the
reader, ‘Did I not teach you that which I had revealed
to My Messenger?’ He will say, ‘Of course, My Lord.’
Allaah will say, ‘What did you do with what you were
taught?’ He will say, ‘I stayed up at night and during
the day (to recite it).’ Allaah will say, ‘You have
lied,’ and the angels will say, ‘You have lied.’
Allaah will say, ‘You only wanted it to be said that
so-and-so is a reader, and it was said.’ The one who had
a lot of wealth will be brought and Allaah will say to
him, ‘Did I not give generously to you so that you were
not in need of anyone?’ He will say, ‘Of course, O
Lord.’ Allaah will say, ‘What did you do with what I
gave you?’ He will say, ‘I used to give it to my
relatives and in charity.’ Allaah will say, ‘You have
lied,’ and the angels will say, ‘You have lied.’
Allaah will say, ‘You only wanted it to be said that
so-and-so is generous, and it was said. Then the one who
was killed for the sake of Allaah will be brought and
Allaah will say to him, ‘What were you killed for?’ He
will say, ‘I was commanded to fight in jihaad for Your
sake so I fought until I was killed.’ Allaah will say,
‘You have lied,’ and the angels will say, ‘You have
lied.’ Allaah will say, ‘You only want it to be said
that so-and-so was courageous, and it was said.’ Then
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) struck my
knees and said, ‘O Abu Hurayrah, these three are the
first people for whom the Fire will be heated on the Day
of Resurrection.’” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi,
no. 2382, Shaakir edn. Abu ‘Eesa said: this is a ghareeb
hasan hadeeth).
If the intention of the person giving
advice is sincere, he will earn reward and his advice will
be accepted and acted upon, by the permission of Allaah.
- Making mistakes is part of human
nature.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every
son of Adam makes mistakes, and the best of those who make
mistakes are those who repent.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi,
no. 2499, and by Ibn Maajah, who narrated this version –
al-Sunan, ed. by ‘Abd al-Baqi, no. 4251)
Bearing this fact clearly in mind will
put things into their proper perspective, so the educator
should not expect people to be perfect or infallible or
judge them according to what he thinks they should be, and
then consider them to have failed if they make a big
mistake or err repeatedly. He should deal with them in a
realistic manner, based on his knowledge of human nature
which is subject to ignorance, negligence, shortcomings,
whims and desires and forgetfulness.
Understanding this fact will also
prevent an educator from being greatly shocked by the kind
of sudden mistake that could lead him to react in an
inappropriate fashion. This will remind the da’iyah and
educator who is striving to enjoin what is good and forbid
what is evil that he too is a human being who could also
make the same mistake, so he should deal with him on a
footing of compassion rather than harshness, because the
basic aim is to reform, not to punish.
But this does not mean that we should
leave people who are making mistakes alone, or find
excuses for those who are committing sins on the basis
that they are only human or that they are just youngsters,
or that the modern age is full of temptations and so on.
We must denounce the actions and call the people to
account, but at the same time we must evaluate their
actions according to Islam.
- Saying that someone is wrong should
be based on shar'i evidence and proper understanding, not
on ignorance and that fact that one happens not to like
it. Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir reported that Jaabir prayed
wearing only an izar (lower garment wrapped around
the waist) tied at the back [the reason for this is
that they did not have trousers, and they would
wear their izar tied at the back because this was more
concealing when they did rukoo’ and sujood. Fath al-Baari,
al-Salafiyyah edn., 1/467], and his
other clothes were on a clothes hook. Someone said to him,
‘Are you praying in one garment?’ He said, ‘I only
did it so that some foolish person like you would see me.
Who among us had two garments at the time of the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?’” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 352). Ibn
Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “What is
meant by ‘foolish’ here is ‘ignorant’… The
purpose was to explain that it is permissible to pray
wearing only one garment, although wearing two garments is
preferable. It is as if he was saying, ‘I did it on
purpose to show that it is permissible, so that one who
does not know could follow me in that or he could rebuke
me so that I could teach him that it is permissible.’
The reason why his answer was so harsh was so that he
could teach them not to rebuke the scholars and to urge
them to look into shar'i matters themselves.” (al-Fath,
1/467)
- The more serious a mistake is, the
more effort should be made to correct it.
Efforts to correct mistakes that have
to do with ‘aqeedah should be greater than those
to correct mistakes that have to do with etiquette, for
example. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was intensely
concerned about dealing with and correcting mistakes that
had to do with shirk in all its forms, because this
was the most important matter. Examples of this follow:
Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah said:
“There was an eclipse of the sun on the day that [the
Prophet’s infant son] Ibraaheem died, and the people
said, ‘This eclipse is because of the death of Ibraaheem.’
The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The
sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allaah, they do
not become eclipsed for the death or life of anyone. If
you see them (eclipsed) then call on Allaah and pray to
Him until the eclipse is over.’” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, Fath, 1061).
Abu Waaqid al-Laythi reported that when
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to
Hunayn, he passed by a tree belonging to the mushrikeen
that was called Dhaat Anwaat, on which they used to hang
their weapons. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, make
for us a Dhaat Anwaat like they have.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
‘Subhaan-Allaah! This is like what the people of Moosa
said, “Make for us a god as they have gods.” By the
One in Whose hand is my soul, you will follow the ways of
the people who came before you.’” (Reported by
al-Tirmidhi, no. 2180. He said, This is a saheeh hasan
hadeeth).
According to another report narrated by
Abu Waaqid, they went out from Makkah with the Messenger
of Allaah to Hunayn. He said: “The kuffaar had a
lotus-tree to which they were devoted and on which they
used to hang their weapons; it was called Dhaat Anwaat. We
passed by a big, green lotus-tree, and we said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, make this a Dhaat Anwat for us.’
The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘By
the One in Whose hand is my soul, you have said what the
people of Moosa said to him, “Make for us a god as they
have gods,” and he said, “Verily, you are a people who
know not.” It is the same thing, and you will follow the
ways of the people who came before you, step by
step.’” (Reported by Ahmad, al-Sunan,
5/218).
Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani said: “The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led us in Subh
(Fajr) prayer at al-Hudaybiyah just after it had rained in
the night. When he finished, he turned to the people and
said, ‘Do you know what your Lord says?” They said,
‘Allaah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘This
morning one of My slaves became a believer in Me, and one
a disbeliever. As for the one who said, we have been given
rain by the Grace and Mercy of Allaah, he is a believer in
Me and a disbeliever in the stars; and as for him who
said, we have been given rain by such-and-such a star, he
is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.’” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 846).
Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that a man said,
“O Messenger of Allaah, whatever Allaah and you will.”
He said, “Are you making me equal to Allaah? [Say
instead:] What Allaah alone wills.” (Reported by
Ahmad, al-Musnad, 1/283).
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with
them both) reported that he caught up with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab
who was with a group of people and was swearing by his
father. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called them
and told them that Allaah had forbidden them to swear by
their forefathers; the one who wanted to swear an oath
should swear by Allaah or else keep quiet. (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6108)
Note: Imaam Ahmad reported in his Musnad:
Wakee’ told us that al-A’mash told us from Sa’d ibn
‘Ubaydah who said: “I was with Ibn ‘Umar in a circle
and he heard a man in another circle saying, ‘No, by my
father.’ So Ibn ‘Umar threw pebbles at him and said,
‘This is how ‘Umar used to swear, and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade him to
do this and said that it was shirk.’” (al-Fath
al-Rabbaani, 14/164).
Abu Shurayh Haani’ ibn Yazeed said:
“A delegation of people came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he heard
them calling one of them Abd al-Hajar (“slave of the
stone”). He asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said,
‘ ‘Abd al-Hajar.’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘No,
you are ‘Abd-Allaah (slave of Allaah).’” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 813. Al-Albaani
said in Saheeh al-Adab al-Mufrad that it is saheeh,
no. 623).
- Taking into account the position of
the person who is striving to correct the mistake
Some people’s advice may be more
readily accepted than others’ because they have a status
that others do not, or because, unlike others, they have
authority over the person who has made the mistake, for
example, a father with his child or a teacher with his
student or a government official with the one whom he is
inspecting. One who is older is not like one who is
younger, a relative is not like a stranger, a person with
authority is not like one with no authority. Understanding
these differences will make the reformer put things into
perspective and evaluate them properly, so that his rebuke
or correction will not lead to a greater evil. The
position of the one who is rebuking and the esteem in
which he is held by the one who has made the mistake are
very important in judging how strong the rebuke should be
and deciding how harsh or gentle the tone should be. From
this we learn two things:
Firstly, that the person to whom Allaah
has given status or authority should use that to enjoin
what is good and forbid what is evil, and to teach people.
He should understand that he has a great responsibility
because people will accept more from him than from other
people – usually – so he can do more than others can.
Secondly, the person who seeks to
enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil should not
misjudge the situation and put himself in a higher
position than is in fact the case and behave as if he has
qualities that he does not have, because this will only
put people off.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made the most
of the position of respect that Allaah had given him when
he was rebuking and teaching people. He did things that
would not have been appropriate if they were done by
anyone else, examples of which follow:
Ya’eesh ibn Tihfah al-Ghiffaari
reported that his father said: “I was a guest of the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), one of the
poor to whom he played host. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out to
check on his guests during the night, and saw me lying on
my stomach. He kicked me and said, ‘Don’t lie like
this; this is the kind of lying that Allaah hates.’”
According to another report: “He kicked him and woke him
up, and said, ‘This is how the people of Hell lie.’”
(Reported by Ahmad, al-Fath al-Rabbaani,
14/244-245. Also reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2798,
Shaakir edn.; by Abu Dawood in Kitaab al-Adab in
his Sunan, no. 5040, al-Da’’aas edn. The
hadeeth is also in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2270-2271).
This method of rebuking was appropriate
for the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) because of his
position and status, but it is not appropriate for
ordinary people. It is not alright for any person who
wants to rebuke another for sleeping on his stomach to
kick him whilst he is asleep and wake him up, and then
expect him to accept this advice and thank him for it. The
same applies to hitting a person who is making a mistake
or throwing something like pebbles or whatever at him.
Although some of the salaf did that, it was because of
their particular status. Some stories of this nature
follow:
Al-Daarimi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported from Sulaymaan ibn Yassaar that a man called
Sabeegh came to Madeenah and started to ask about the
ambiguous texts of the Qur’aan. ‘Umar sent for him,
and he had prepared some date palm branches for him (to
hit him with). [‘Umar] asked him, “Who are you?’ He
said, “I am the slave of Allaah, Sabeegh.” ‘Umar
took hold of one of the palm branches and hit him, saying,
“I am the slave of Allaah, ‘Umar.” He kept hitting
him until his head began to bleed, and he said, “O Ameer
al-Mu’mineen, enough! [The ideas that] were in my head
have gone!” (Sunan al-Daarimi, ed. by
‘Abd-Allaah Haashim Yamaani, 1/51, no. 146).
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported that Ibn Abi Layla said: “Hudhayfah was in
al-Madaa’in and asked for a drink, and a grandee gave
him a vessel of silver. He threw it at him and said, ‘I
would not have thrown it, but I told him not to do it and
he didn’t stop. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us
from wearing silk and brocade, and from drinking from
vessels of gold and silver. He said, ‘These are for them
in this world and for you in the Hereafter.’” (al-Fath,
no. 5632).
According to a report narrated by
Ahmad, describing the same incident, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn
Abi Laylaa said: “I went out with Hudhayfah to one of
these areas, and he asked for something to drink. A
grandee brought him a vessel of silver and he (Hudhayfah)
threw it in his face. We said, ‘Be quiet, be quiet, if
we ask why he did it, he might not tell us.’ So we were
quiet, and a little while later he said, ‘Do you know
why I threw it in his face?’ We said, ‘No.’ He said,
‘I had told him not to do it. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do
not drink from vessels of gold,” and Mu’aadh said,
“Do not drink from vessels of gold or silver, and do not
wear silk or brocade; these are for them in this world and
for you in the Hereafter.”’” (al-Musnad,
5/396)
Al-Bukhaari narrated that Seereen asked
Anas to write him a contract of manumission, as he had
plenty of money, but Anas refused. Seereen went to ‘Umar
(may Allaah be pleased with him), who told Anas to write
the document, and Anas still refused, so ‘Umar hit him
with a whip whilst reciting the words (interpretation of
the meaning): “… give them [slaves seeking
emancipation] such writing [of a document of manumission],
if you know that they are good and trustworthy…” [al-Noor
24:33], so he wrote the document for him. (Al-Fath,
5/184).
Al-Nisaa'i reported from Abu Sa’eed
al-Khudri that he was praying when a son of Marwaan came
in front of him, so he checked him, and when he did not go
back, he hit him. The boy went out crying, and went to
Marwaan and told him what had happened. Marwaan asked Abu
Sa’eed, “Why did you hit the son of your brother?”
He said, “I did not hit him, I hit the Shaytaan. I heard
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘If any
one of you is praying and someone wants to pass in front
of him, let him stop him as much as he can, and if he
refuses then fight him, for he is a devil.’” (al-Mujtaba
min Sunan al-Nisaa'i, 8/61; Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa'i,
no. 4518)
Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him)
reported from Abu’l-Nadr that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri was
suffering from a sore leg, and his brother came in and saw
him lying with one leg crossed over the other, so he hit
him on the sore leg, making it hurt even more. He said,
“You hurt my leg! Didn’t you know it is sore?” He
said, “Of course I knew.” He said, “What made you do
that?” He said, “Did you not hear that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to
sit like this?” (al-Musnad, 3/42)
Maalik reported from Abu’l-Zubayr al-Makki
that a man proposed marriage to another man’s sister,
and he [the brother] told him that she had committed zinaa.
News of this reached ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, so he hit
him or nearly hit him, and said, “Why did you tell
him?” (Muwatta’ Maalik, no. 1553, report
of Abu Mus’ab al-Zuhri, ed. by Bashshaar Ma’roof and
Mahmood Khaleel. Mu’sasat al-Risaalah).
Muslim reported in his Saheeh
from Abu Ishaaq who said: “I was with al-Aswad ibn
Yazeed in the Great Mosque, and al-Sha’bi was with us.
Al-Sha’bi told us about what Faatimah bint Qays had said
about the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) not providing
housing or an income for her. Al-Aswad took a handful of
pebbles and threw them at him, saying, ‘Woe to you! You
talk about something like this? ‘Umar said that we
should not leave the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of our
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for the words of a
woman who we cannot be sure has remembered things properly
or not. Women have the right to accommodation and an
income. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…
and turn them not out of their homes, not shall they
(themselves) leave, except in case they are guilty of some
open illegal sexual intercourse…” [al-Talaaq 65:1].’”
(Saheeh Muslim, no. 1480).
Abu Dawood reported, with an isnaad in
which two men are maqbool, that two men entered from the
doors of Kindah, when Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari was sitting
in a circle. The two men said, “Is there any man who
will judge between us?” A man in the circle said, “I
will.” Abu Mas’ood took a handful of pebbles and threw
them at him, saying, “Shut up! It is disliked to hasten
to judgement.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, Kitaab
al-Aqdiyah, Bab fi talab al-qada’ wa al-tasarru’
ilayhi)
We should also note that the
Prophet’s rebuking of some of his closest Companions
was, on occasions, harsher than his rebuking of a bedouin,
for example, or a stranger. All of this has to do with
wisdom and proper evaluation in rebuking.
- Making a distinction between one who
errs out of ignorance and one who errs despite his
knowledge
One of the stories that illustrate this
clearly is what happened to Mu’aawiyah ibn al-Hakam
al-Salami when he came to Madeenah from the desert, and he
did not know that it is forbidden to speak during the
salaah. He said: “Whilst I was praying behind the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man
sneezed, so I said ‘Yarhamuk Allaah (may Allaah
have mercy on you).’ The people glared at me, so I said,
‘May my mother lose me! What is wrong with you that you
are looking at me?’ They began to slap their thighs with
their hands, and when I saw that they were indicating that
I should be quiet, I stopped talking (i.e., I
nearly wanted to answer them back, but I controlled myself
and kept quiet). When the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished
praying – may my father and mother be sacrificed for
him, I have never seen a better teacher than him before or
since – he did not rebuke me or hit me or put me to
shame. He just said, ‘This prayer should contain nothing
of the speech of men; it is only tasbeeh and takbeer and
recitation of the Qur’aan.’” (Saheeh
Muslim, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn., no. 537).
The ignorant person needs to be taught;
the one who has doubts needs to have things explained to
him; the negligent person needs to be reminded; and the
one who wilfully persists in error needs to be warned. It
is not right to treat one who knows about a ruling and one
who is ignorant of it in the same manner when rebuking
them. Treating one who does not know too harshly will only
put him off and make him refuse to follow your advice,
unlike teaching him with wisdom and gentleness, because an
ignorant person simply does not realize that he is making
a mistake. It is as if he is saying to the one who is
rebuking him: “Why don’t you teach me before you
launch an attack on me?”
The one who is making a mistake without
realizing it may think that he is right, so we should take
this into account and deal with him tactfully. Imaam Ahmad
(may Allaah have mercy on him) reported in al-Musnad from
al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate some food,
then got up to pray. He had already done wudoo’ before
that, but I brought some water for him to do wudoo’, He
rebuffed me and said, ‘Go away!’ I felt upset, by
Allaah. He prayed, and I complained to ‘Umar about what
had happened. He said, ‘O Prophet of Allaah, al-Mugheerah
feels hurt by your rebuff, and he is worried that you may
be angry with him for some reason.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I see
only good in him, but he brought me water to do wudoo’
after I had eaten some food, and if I had done wudoo’
then, the people would have followed suit [i.e., they
would have thought that they had to do wudoo’ every time
they had eaten something].’” (al-Musnad,
4/253)
We should note here that when the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) pointed out the
mistakes of these great Sahaabah, it did not have a
negative impact on them or put them off; rather, it had a
positive effect on them, and having been corrected in this
manner by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), they would
remain anxious and worried, watching their behaviour and
feeling concerned until they could be sure that the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was pleased
with them.
We may also note from this story that
when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) pointed out
al-Mugheerah’s mistake, he was not angry with al-Mugheerah
himself; he did this out of mercy to the people and to
explain things clearly to them, so that they would not
impose something on themselves that was not waajib and
that would cause them a great deal of hardship.
- Making a distinction between mistakes
stemming from an honest effort to find out what is right (ijtihaad),
and mistakes done deliberately, out of negligence or
because of shortcomings
There is no doubt that in the first
case, a person is not to be blamed; indeed he will earn
one reward even if he is mistaken, so long as his
intention was sincere and he tried to reach the right
conclusion, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a
ruler judges and strives to make the right decision, and
his decision is correct, he will have two rewards, and if
his decision is wrong, he will still have one reward.” (Reported
by al-Tirmidhi, 1326, Shaakir edn. Abu ‘Eesa al-Tirmidhi
said it is a ghareeb hasan hadeeth in this version. )
This is a different case from one who
errs deliberately or because of shortcomings. In the first
instance, the person should be taught and advised; in the
second, he should be warned and rebuked.
The ijtihaad which may be excused
should be done on the part of one who is qualified, not
one who gives fatwas without knowledge and without taking
circumstances into account. This is why the Prophet
severely denounced the people who made the mistake in the
case of the man with the head wound. Abu Dawood narrated
in his Sunan from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased
with him) who said: “We went out on a journey, and one
of the men with us was struck in the head with a stone and
started bleeding. Then he slept and when he woke up he
needed to do ghusl (he was in state of janaabah
or impurity). He asked his companions, ‘Do you think I
could get away with doing tayammum?’ They said,
‘We don’t think you have any excuse because water is
available.’ So he did ghusl, and he died. When we came
to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he was
told about this, he said, ‘They have killed him, may
Allaah kill them! Why did they not ask if they did not
know? The cure of the one who does not know is to
ask…’” (Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitaab
al-Tahaarah, Baab al-majrooh yatayammam; al-Albaani
classed it as hasan in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 325, and
indicated that the extra material added at the end of the
hadeeth is da’eef)
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that
judges are of three types, one will be in Paradise and the
other two in Hell. The type that will be in Paradise is a
man who knows the truth and judges accordingly. A man who
knows the truth but judges unjustly will be in Hell, and a
man who judges between people without proper knowledge
will also be in Hell. (Sunan Abi Dawood, no.
3573; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Irwa’,
2164). The third type is not regarded as having
any excuse.
Another factor in gauging the degree of
rebuking is paying attention to the environment in which
the mistake occurred, such as whether it was an
environment in which the Sunnah is followed or bid’ah is
widespread, or how prevalent evil is, or whether there are
ignorant or overly lenient people, whose opinions are
widely followed, issuing fatwas to say that it is
permissible.
- A good intention on the part of the
one who makes the mistake does not mean that he should not
be rebuked
‘Amr ibn Yahya said: “I heard my
father narrating from his father who said: ‘We were at
the door of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood before the early
morning prayer. When he came out we walked with him to the
mosque. Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari came up to us and said,
“Did Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan come out to you yet?” We
said, “No.” He sat down with us until [Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan]
came out. When he came out, we all stood up to greet him,
and Abu Moosa said to him: “O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan,
earlier I saw in the mosque something that I have never
seen before, but it seems good, al-hamdu Lillaah.” He
said, “And what was it?” He said, “if you live, you
will see it. I saw people in the mosque sitting in circles
waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man,
and they had pebbles in their hands. He would say, ‘Say Allaahu
akbar one hundred times,’ and they would say Allaahu
akbar one hundred times; then he would say, ‘Say Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times,’ and they would
say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times; then
he would say, ‘Say Subhaan Allaah one hundred
times,’ and they would say Subhaan Allaah
one hundred times.’ He asked, ‘What did you say to
them?’ He said, ‘I did not say anything to them; I was
waiting to see what your opinion would be and what you
would tell me to do.’ He said, ‘Why did you not tell
them to count their bad deeds and guarantee them that
nothing of their good deeds would be wasted?’ Then he
left, and we went with him, until he reached one of those
circles. He stood over them and said, ‘What is this I
see you doing?’ They said, ‘O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan,
these are pebbles we are using to count our takbeer,
tahleel and tasbeeh.’ He said, ‘Count
your bad deeds, and I guarantee that nothing of your good
deeds will be wasted. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad, how
quickly you are getting destroyed! The Companions of your
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are still alive, his
garment is not yet worn out and his vessels are not yet
broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, either you
are following a way that is more guided than that of
Muhammad or you have opened the door of misguidance!’
They said, ‘By Allaah, O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, we only
wanted to do good.’ He said, ‘How many of those who
wanted to do good failed to achieve it! The Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that people
recite Qur’aan and it does not go any further than their
throats. By Allaah, I do not know, maybe most of them are
people like you.’ Then he turned away from them. ‘Amr
ibn Salamah said, ‘I saw most of the members of those
circles fighting alongside the Khawaarij on the day of
Nahrawaan.’” (Reported by al-Daarimi, al-Sunan,
no. 210, ed. by ‘Abd-Allaah Haashim al-Yamaani. Al-Albaani
classed its isnaad as saheeh in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah
under hadeeth no. 2005. See Majma’ al-Zawaa’id
by al-Haythami, 1/181).
- Being fair and not being biased when
correcting those who make mistakes
Allaah says (interpretation of the
meanings):
“And whenever you give your word
(i.e., judge between men or give evidence), say the
truth…” [al-An’aam 6:152]
“… and when you judge between men,
you [should] judge with justice…” [al-Nisa’ 4:58]
The fact that Usaamah ibn Zayd was the
beloved of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the son of
his beloved [Zayd] did not stop the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from rebuking
him most sternly when he tried to intercede regarding one
of the punishments (hudood) prescribed by Allaah.
‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) reported
that Quraysh were concerned about a woman who stole at the
time of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), at the time
of the Conquest of Makkah. They said, ‘Who will speak to
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about her? Who
will dare to do this other than Usaamah ibn Zayd, the
beloved of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?’ She was
brought to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and Usaamah
ibn Zayd spoke to him concerning her. The face of the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) changed colour
and he said: ‘Are you interceding concerning one of the
punishments prescribed by Allaah?’ Usaamah said to him,
‘Pray for forgiveness for me, O Messenger of Allaah.’
When evening came, the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up and
addressed the people. He praised Allaah as He deserves to
be praised, then he said: ‘The people who came before
you were destroyed because if one of their nobles stole,
they would let him go, but if one of the weak among them
stole, they would carry out the punishment on him. By the
One in Whose hand is my soul, if Faatimah the daughter of
Muhammad were to steal, I would cut off her hand.’ Then
he ordered that the woman who had stolen should have her
hand cut off.” (The hadeeth was reported by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim; this version was narrated by Muslim, no.
1688).
According to a report narrated by al-Nisaa'i
from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), she
said: “A woman borrowed some jewellery, claiming that
she wanted to lend it to someone else, but she sold it and
kept the money. She was brought to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). Her family went to
Usaamah ibn Zayd, who spoke to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning
her. The face of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) changed colour
whilst Usaamah was speaking, then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him:
‘Are you interceding concerning one of the punishments
prescribed by Allaah?’ Usaamah said, ‘Pray for
forgiveness for me, O Messenger of Allaah.’ In the
evening, the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up,
praised Allaah as He deserves to be praised, then said,
‘The people who came before you were destroyed because
if one of their nobles stole, they would let him go, but
if one of the weak among them stole, they would carry out
the punishment on him. By the One in Whose hand is my
soul, if Faatimah the daughter of Muhammad were to steal,
I would cut off her hand.’ Then he ordered that the
woman’s hand should be cut off.” (Sunan al-Nisaa'i,
al-Mujtabaa, Dar al-Fikr edn., 8/73. Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa'i,
no. 4548).
The Prophet’s attitude towards
Usaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) indicates that he
was fair and just, and that Islam came before love of
people in his view. A person may put up with the personal
faults of whoever he wishes, but he has no right to be
tolerant or biased towards those whose mistakes transgress
the limits set by Islam.
Sometimes, when a relative or friend
makes a mistake, a person does not rebuke him as he would
a person whom he does not know, so one may see unIslamic
bias or discrimination in his dealings because of this,
and a person may turn a blind eye to his friend’s
mistake while harshly criticizing another person.
[An Arab poet once said:]
“If you are happy with a person, you
do not see his mistakes, but if you are angry with him,
you see them all.”
This may also be reflected in the way
in which actions are interpreted. An action on the part of
a person one loves will be taken one way, and the same
deed on the part of another person will be taken quite
differently.
All of the above applies only when
circumstances are the same, otherwise there could be
different considerations as we will see below.
- Being careful lest correcting one
mistake leads to a bigger mistake
It is a well-established fact that
Islam allows the lesser of two evils in order to repel a
greater evil. So a da’iyah may keep quiet about one
mistake lest saying something lead to a more serious
mistake.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept quiet
about the munaafiqeen and did not execute them, even
though their kufr was well-established. He bore their
insults with patience, lest people say, “Muhammad is
killing his companions,” especially since their true
nature was not known to everyone. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not
destroy the Ka’bah in order to rebuild it on the
foundations laid by Ibraaheem, out of consideration
towards Quraysh who were still new in Islam and too close
to their recent jaahiliyyah. He
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) feared that it
might be too much for them, so he left it as it was, with
part missing, and the door set high up and closed to the
masses, even though this contains an element of zulm
(wrongdoing or oppression).
Before this, Allaah had told the
Muslims not to insult the gods of the mushrikeen, even
though this is a form of worship, because this could lead
to people insulting Allaah, which is the worst of evil.
A dai’yah may keep quiet about a
wrong action, or defer rebuking, or change his approach,
if he thinks that by doing so he will avoid a greater evil
or mistake. This is not considered to be shortcoming or
negligence so long as his intention is sincere and he does
not fear anyone except Allaah, and it was only concern for
the best interests of Islam, not cowardice, that stopped
him from saying anything.
We may note that what causes a greater
evil when rebuking for one mistake is zealousness which is
not checked or controlled.
- Understanding the human nature from
which the mistake sprang
There are some mistakes which can never
be fully eradicated, because they have to do with the way
Allaah has created people. It is possible to reduce them a
little, but going to extremes in dealing with them will
lead to a disaster. Such is the case of women. The Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Woman was
created from a rib, and she will not behave consistently
towards you. If you enjoy her company, then enjoy it
despite her crookedness. If you try to straighten her you
will break her, and her breaking is her divorce.” (Reported
by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him), no. 1468).
According to another report: “Be kind
to women, for they were created from a rib, and the most
crooked part of the rib is the top. If you try to
straighten it, you will break it, and if you leave it
alone, it will stay crooked. So be kind to women.” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari from Abu Hurayrah. Al-Fath, no.
5186).
Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: “The words ‘treat women kindly’ indicate
that you should try to put them right gently, because if
you go to extremes in trying to straighten them you will
break them, and if you leave them they will remain
crooked… What we learn from this is that we should not
leave them crooked if they go beyond the natural expected
shortcomings and commit sins or neglect duties. What is
meant is that we can leave them crooked with regard to
permissible matters. We also learn from the hadeeth that a
gentle approach wins people over and opens their hearts.
It also tells us to deal with women by being easy going
with them, and to bear their crookedness with patience.
Whoever insists on putting them right will not benefit
from them, and as a man cannot do without a woman to enjoy
the pleasure of living with her and to be his support in
life, it is as if he said: you cannot enjoy her company
unless you put up with her.” (Fath,
9/954).
- Making a distinction between mistakes
that transgress the limits of Islam and mistakes that only
affect other people
If Islam is dearer to us than our own
selves, we must defend it and protect it and get angry for
its sake more than we get angry for our own sakes and
defend our own selves. It is a sign of not having
religious feelings if we see a man getting angry for his
own sake if someone insults him, but not getting angry for
the sake of Allaah’s religion if anybody insults it; at
most, we may see him feebly defending it in an embarrassed
manner.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) often used to
forgive those who made mistakes in their interactions with
him, especially the hard-hearted Bedouin, in order to
soften their hearts. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported in his Saheeh that Anas ibn Maalik
said: “I was walking with the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he was
wearing a Najraani cloak with a stiff collar. A Bedouin
accosted him, grabbing his cloak in such a manner that the
collar left a mark on the Prophet’s neck, and said, ‘O
Muhammad! Give me some of the wealth of Allaah that you
have!’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned to him
and smiled, then ordered that he should be given
something.” (al-Fath, 5809).
But if the mistake had to do with some
issue of religion, then the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would become
angry for the sake of Allaah. Examples of this will be
given below.
There are some other matters which
should also be borne in mind when dealing with people’s
mistakes, such as:
- Making a distinction between major
mistakes and minor mistakes, just as Islam makes a
distinction between major sins (kabaa’ir) and minor sins
(saghaa’ir).
- Making a distinction between a person
who has a track record of many good deeds, which will more
or less cancel out the significance of his mistake, and a
sinner who transgresses against himself (by doing evil
deeds). People may put up with actions on the part of the
one with the good track record that they will not put up
with on the part of others. This is what happened to al-Siddeeq
(Abu Bakr), as the following story illustrates: Asma’
bint Abi Bakr said: “We went out with the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as pilgrims, and when
we reached al-‘Arj, the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stopped to
rest, and we stopped with him. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah
be pleased with her) sat beside the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I sat
beside my father. The riding beast shared by Abu Bakr and
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was with a
slave belonging to Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr sat down, waiting
for him to catch up, and when he caught up, the camel was
not with him. Abu Bakr said, ‘Where is the camel?’ The
slave answered, ‘I lost it yesterday.’ Abu Bakr said,
‘One camel, you lost it?’ and started to hit him. The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled and
said, ‘Look at what this muhrim (person in a
state of ihraam for Hajj) is doing.’” Ibn Abi Rizmah
said, ‘The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do any
more than saying, ‘Look at what this muhrim is doing,’
and smiling.” (Reported by Abu Dawood in his Sunan,
Kitaab al-Manaasik, Baab al-Muhrim yu’addib
ghulaamahu. Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh
Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 1602)
- Making a distinction between the one
who makes mistakes repeatedly and the one who is making a
mistake for the first time
- Making a distinction between the one
who frequently makes mistakes and the one who rarely does
so.
- Making a distinction between the one
who makes mistakes openly and blatantly, and one who tries
to cover up his mistakes
- Paying attention to cases where a
person’s adherence to Islam may not be strong and his
heart needs to be opened to the religion, so we should not
be too harsh with him
- Taking into account a person’s
situation as regards status and authority
The considerations that we have
mentioned above do not contradict the fairness and justice
referred to earlier.
- Rebuking a youngster who makes a
mistake should be done in a manner appropriate to the
child’s age.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported that al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali took one of the
dates that had been given in charity, and put it in his
mouth. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in
Persian, “Kikh, kikh, do you not know that
we do not eat the sadaqah (things given in charity)?” (Fath,
3072).
Al-Tabaraani (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported from Zaynab bint Abi Salamah that she
entered upon the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst he was
performing ghusl. She said, “he took a handful of water
and threw it in my face, saying, ‘Go away, foolish
girl!’” (al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, 24/281.
Al-Haythami said, its isnaad is hasan, al-Majma’,
1/269)
From this it is clear that a child’s
tender years do not mean that his mistakes should not be
corrected; indeed, correcting his mistakes is giving him
the best upbringing, as it will be imprinted in his memory
and will benefit him in the future. The first hadeeth
shows how a child is taught to fear Allaah and restrain
himself, and the second hadeeth shows how he is taught
good manners, how to seek permission to enter, and to
refrain from looking at the ‘awrah (that which
should be covered) of others.
Another brilliant example of correcting
children is the story of the young boy ‘Umar ibn Abi
Salamah. Al-Bukhaari reported that he said: “I was a
young boy under the care of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and my hand
used to wander all over the plate (at mealtimes). The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me:
‘O young boy! Say Bismillah, eat with your right hand,
and eat from what is directly in front of you.’ This
remained my way of eating from that time on.” (al-Fath,
no. 5376)
We may note that when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) advised that
young boy who made the mistake of letting his hand go
everywhere in the food, his words were short, brief and
clear, which made it easy for the child to remember and
understand; the effect on the boy’s heart lasted for a
lifetime, as he said, “This remained my way of eating
from that time on.”
- Exercising caution when advising non-mahram
women, so that the advice is not taken wrongly, and so
that fitnah (temptation, trouble) is avoided. No young man
should use the excuse of speaking to young women in order
to correct their mistakes or teach them. How often has
this led to disasters! When it comes to correcting women,
a large role should be given to ahl al-hisbah
(“religious police”) and older people who could help
them in this regard. The person who is seeking to enjoin
what is good and forbid what is evil must act in
accordance with what he thinks will be the outcome of his
rebuking. If he thinks that it is likely to be of benefit,
he should speak up, otherwise he should refrain from
speaking to ignorant women who may make false accusations
against him whilst still persisting in their wrongdoing.
The state of the society at large and the status of the
one who is seeking to enjoin what is good and forbid what
is evil play a fundamental role in the success of his
efforts to rebuke, convey the message or establish
evidence. The following story illustrates this:
The freed slave of Abu Raham, whose
name was ‘Ubayd, reported that Abu Hurayrah met a woman
who was wearing perfume, heading for the mosque. He said,
“O female slave of al-Jabbaar (the Compeller), where are
you going?” She said, “To the mosque.” He said,
“And you have put on perfume for this?” She said,
“Yes.” He said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying, “If
any woman puts on perfume and then goes out to the mosque,
Allaah will not accept her prayers until she does ghusl.”
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, no. 4002; see also Saheeh
Ibn Maajah, 2/367).
According to Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah:
A woman passed by Abu Hurayrah and her perfume was
overwhelming. He said to her, “Where are you going, O
female slave of al-Jabbaar?” She said, “To the
mosque.” He said, “Are you wearing perfume?” She
said, “Yes.” He said, ‘Go back and do ghusl, for I
heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying that
Allaah does not accept the prayer of any woman who goes
out to the mosque with overwhelming perfume, until she
goes back and does ghusl.” (Saheeh Ibn
Khuzaymah, no. 1682. In his footnote, al-Albaani said,
it is a hasan hadeeth. See also al-Musnad, 2/246.
Ahmad Shaakir classed it as saheeh with this isnaad in his
footnote to al-Musnad, no. 7350)
- Not occupying oneself with putting
the symptoms right whilst neglecting to deal with the
cause of the mistake
- Not exaggerating about the mistake
- Not going to extremes to prove the
mistake happened or trying to force an admission of guilt
from the one who made the mistake
- Allowing enough time for correcting
the mistake, especially in the case of one who has been
accustomed to doing it for a long time, whilst still
following up the matter and continuing to advise and
correct
- Not making the one who makes the
mistake feel like an enemy, because the aim is to win
people over, not score points against them
Now we will move on to our discussion of the methods
used by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when dealing
with the mistakes of people, as recorded in the saheeh
ahaadeeth narrated by the scholars.
[contents]
The
Prophet’s methods of dealing with people’s mistakes
1- Hastening to deal with people’s
mistakes and not putting it off
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to hasten
to deal with people’s mistakes, especially when it was
not right for him to delay doing so at the moment when
this was needed. His task was to explain the truth to
people, teach them to do good, and warn them off from
doing evil. So he hastened to correct people on many
occasions, as is seen in the stories of the man who was
not doing his salaah properly, the Makhzoomi woman, Ibn
al-Latbiyyah, Usaamah, the three who wanted to go to
extremes in worship, and others. These stories will be
related in the course of this discussion, in sha Allaah.
Not hastening to deal with mistakes
goes against the interests of Islam and misses out on the
opportunity to strike while the iron is hot, as it were.
2 - Dealing with mistakes by explaining
the ruling (hukm)
Jarhad (may Allaah be pleased with him)
reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by him
when his thigh was uncovered. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Cover
your thigh, for it is part of the ‘awrah.”
(Sunan
al-Tirmidhi, no. 2796. Al-Tirmidhi said, this is a
hasan hadeeth).
3 - Referring people back to Islam when
they make mistakes, and pointing out to them the principle
that they are breaking
When someone is indulging in a mistake,
the Islamic principle is far from their minds and is lost
in the clamour of the moment. In such cases reiterating
the Islamic principle and announcing it loudly can be an
effective way of stopping the person in his tracks and
making him wake up from the stupor that has overtaken him.
When we look at what happened between the Muhaajiroon and
Ansaar, because of the flames of fitnah stirred up by the
munaafiqoon, we will see an example of how the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used this
tactic. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him)
reported in his Saheeh that Jaabir (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: “We went out on a military
campaign with the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and some of
the muhaajiroon went with him too, and they were very
many. Among the muhaajiroon was a man who was very playful
(a joker). He shoved an Ansaari (in jest), and the Ansaari
got very angry with him and called others to support him,
saying, ‘O Ansaar!’ The Muhaajir called out, ‘O
Muhaajireen!’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out and
said, ‘What is this call of the people of Jaahiliyyah
all about?’ Then he said, ‘What is the matter with
him?’ He was told about how the Muhaajir had shoved the
Ansaari in jest. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Let
it be, for it (tribalism) is evil.’” (al-Fath,
3518). According to a report narrated by Muslim,
he said: “Let a man help his brother whether he is an
wrongdoer or the victim of wrongdoing. If he is a
wrongdoer, he should stop him, and if he is the victim of
wrongdoing, he should come to his aid.” (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 2584).
4 - Correcting misconceptions that are
due to something not being clear in people’s minds
In Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Humayd
ibn Abi Humayd al-Taweel reports that he heard Anas ibn
Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) saying: “Three
people came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), asking about
how the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) worshipped.
When they were told about it, they thought that it was
little. They said, “Who are we, compared to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? All his sins,
past and future, have been forgiven.” (They
thought that the one who does not know that his sins have
been forgiven needed to go to extremes in worship and do
far more than the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in the hope
that their sins might be forgiven). One of them
said, “As for me, I will pray every night from now
on.” Another said, “As for me, I will fast for the
rest of my life and will never break my fast.” The third
said, “As for me, I will have nothing to do with women
and I will never marry.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to them
and said, “Are you the people who said such-and-such? By
Allaah, I am the one who fears Allaah more than anyone,
but I fast and I break my fast, I pray and I rest, and I
get married.”
Muslim reported from Anas that a group
of the Companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked the
wives of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about what he
did in secret. One of them (those Sahaabah) said, “I
will never marry women.” Another said, “I will never
eat meat.” Another said, “I will never sleep on a
bed.” [The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] praised and
thanked Allaah, then he said, “What is the matter with
some people who say such-and-such? But as for me, I pray
and I sleep, I fast and I break my fast, and I marry
women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah has nothing to do
with me.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 1041).
Here we may note the following points:
- The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to
them and addressed them directly; when he wanted to
teach all the people, he did not refer to them by name
or expose them, he merely said, “What is the matter
with some people…?” In this way he was gentle with
them and covered up for them whilst at the same time
acting in the common interest by teaching everybody.
- The hadeeth describes finding out about the action
of good people and seeking to emulate them.
Investigating such things is the sign of a sound mind
and efforts to improve oneself.
- This report indicates that when it comes to useful
matters of religion, if it is not possible to learn
them from men, it is permissible to learn them from
women.
- There is nothing wrong with a person talking about
his deeds so long as there is no element of showing
off and it is for the benefit of others.
- We also learn that going to extremes in worship may
cause a person to get bored, which in turn could lead
him to stop worshipping altogether; the best of things
are those that are moderate. (see al-Fath,
9/104).
- Mistakes generally come about as a result of
misconceptions; if the ideas are put right, mistakes
will decrease. It is clear from the hadeeth that the
reason why those Sahaabah adopted those concepts of
extreme worship and monasticism was that they thought
they had to go beyond the Prophet’s actions in
worship in order to attain salvation, because he had
been told that all his sins were forgiven, but they
did not have this advantage. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set them
straight, and told them that even though he was
forgiven, he was the most fearing of Allaah among
mankind, and he commanded them to follow his Sunnah in
worship.
A similar thing happened to another
Sahaabi, whose name was Kahmas al-Hilaali (may Allaah
be pleased with him), who narrated his story: “I
became Muslim and came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told
him that I had become Muslim. I stayed away for a
year, during which I became very skinny, and when I
came back, he looked me up and down. I said, ‘Do you
not know me?’ he said, ‘Who are you?’ I said,
‘I am Kahmas al-Hilaali.’ He said, ‘What
happened to you?’ I said, ‘After I saw you, I
never spent a day without fasting, and I never slept
at night.’ He said, ‘Who told you to torture
yourself? Fast the month of patience [i.e., Ramadaan],
and one day of every month besides that.’ I said,
‘Let me do more.’ He said, ‘Fast the month of
patience and two days of every month besides that.’
I said, ‘Let me do more, I am able for it.’ He
said, ‘Fast the month of patience and three days of
every month besides that.’” (Musnad al-Tayaalisi.
Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 19/194,
no. 435. Also in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no.
2623).
Some misconceptions may be based on
how one judges people and regards them. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was very
keen to correct this and put people straight in this
regard. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari, there is a report from
Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi who said: “A man passed
by the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who asked
a man sitting by him, ‘What do you think of this
man?’ He said, ‘He is one of the noblest of the
people. By Allaah, if he proposes marriage he deserves
to be accepted and if he intercedes he deserves to
have his intercession accepted.’ The Messenger of
Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said
nothing. Then another man passed by and the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked the
man with him, ‘What do you think of him?’ The man
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he is one of the poor
Muslims. If he proposes marriage he does not deserve
to be accepted, if he intercedes he does not deserve
to have his intercession accepted, and if he speaks he
does not deserve to be heard. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
‘This man is better than an earth full of men like
the other man.’” (al-Fath, 6447).
According to a report narrated by
Ibn Maajah: a man passed by the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said (to
his Companions), “What do you think of this man?”
They said, “We think that he is one of the noblest
of people. If he proposes marriage he deserves to be
accepted, if he intercedes he deserves to have his
intercession accepted, and if he speaks he deserves to
be heard.” The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said
nothing. Another man passed by and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked,
“What do you think of this man?” They said, “By
Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, he is one of the poor
Muslims. If he proposes marriage he does not deserve
to be accepted, if he intercedes, he does not deserve
to have his intercession accepted, and if he speaks he
does not deserve to be heard.” The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“This man is better than an earth full of men like
the other one.” (Sunan Ibn Maajah, ‘Abd al-Baaqi
edn., no. 4120)
5 - Dealing with mistakes by
repeatedly reminding people to fear Allaah
Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Bajali
reported that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent a group
of Muslims to fight some mushrikeen, and they met
in battle. One of the mushrikeen was ambushing individual
Muslims and killing them. One of the Muslims wanted to
catch him out and kill him. [Jundub said:] “We used to
think that that man was Usaamah ibn Zayd. When he raised
his sword, the mushrik said ‘La ilaaha ill-Allaah,’
but he [Usaamah] killed him. A messenger came to the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and reported to him
about what had happened in the battle. When he told him
about what had happened to the mushrik who said Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent for
Usaamah and asked him, ‘Why did you kill him?’ He
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he had caused much grief
to the Muslims, he killed So-and-so and So-and-so,’ –
and he named a number of people – ‘I attacked him and
when he saw the sword he said Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah.’
The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘And
then you killed him?’ Usaamah said, ‘Yes.’ He said,
‘What will you do when Laa illaha ill-Allaah
comes on the Day of Resurrection?’ He said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, pray for forgiveness for me.’”
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) simply said,
“What will you do when Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah
comes on the Day of Resurrection?”; he did not say any
more than that. (Reported by Muslim, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn.,
no. 97).
According to a report narrated by
Usaamah ibn Zayd, he said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent us out on
a military campaign and we reached al-Haraqaat near
Juhaynah in the morning. [During the battle] I caught a
man and he said, ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah,’
but I stabbed him. Then I felt bad about that, and I
mentioned it to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘He
said Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah and you killed him?’ I
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he only said it because he
was afraid of my weapon.’ He said, ‘How can you know
what is in his heart? How can you be sure whether he was
sincere or not?’ He kept repeating this until I wished
that I had not become Muslim until that day [because
embracing Islam wipes out all sins that came before -
Translator].” (Reported by Muslim, no. 69)
One issue that may be included under
the heading of reminders is reminding people about the
power of Allaah. An example of this follows:
Muslim (may Allaah have mercy on him)
reported that Abu Mas’ood al-Badri said: “I was
beating a slave of mine with a whip, and I heard a voice
behind me saying, ‘Listen Abu Mas’ood!’ but I did
not pay any attention to the voice because I was so
angry. When the voice got nearer to me, I realized that
it was the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he was
saying, ‘Listen Abu Mas’ood, listen Abu Mas’ood!’
I dropped the whip from my hand (according to another
report: the whip fell from my hand out of respect for
him). He said, ‘Listen Abu Mas’ood, Allaah has more
power over you than you have over this slave.’ I said,
‘I will never hit a slave again.’” According to
another report he said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of
Allaah, he is free for the sake of Allaah.’ He said,
‘If you did not do this, the Fire of Hell would blow
in your face, or the Fire would touch you.’”
According to another report also
narrated by Muslim, “the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
‘Certainly Allaah has more power over you than you
have over him.’ So he freed him.” (Saheeh Muslim,
no. 1659)
Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari said: “I
was beating a slave of mine when I heard someone saying
from behind me, ‘Listen, Abu Mas’ood, listen, Abu
Mas’ood.’ I turned around and saw that it was the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said,
‘Allaah has more power over you than you have over
him.’… I never beat any slave of mine after that.”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 1948. Abu ‘Eesa said,
this is a hasan saheeh hadeeth).
6 - Showing compassion to the one who
is making a mistake
This applies in the case of those who
deserve compassion, who feel remorse and show that they
have repented, as is sometimes the case when people come
to ask questions and find out, as in the following story:
Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that a man who
had divorced his wife by zihaar and then had
intercourse with her came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “O
Messenger of Allaah, I divorced my wife by zihaar then I
had intercourse with her before I offered kafaarah
(expiation).” He said, “What made you do that, may
Allaah have mercy on you?” He said, “I saw her anklets
in the moonlight.” He said, “Then do not go near her
until you have done that which Allaah commanded you to
do.” (Abu ‘Eesa said, this is a hasan ghareeb saheeh
hadeeth. Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 1199)
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: “Whilst we were sitting with the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man came to him and
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I am doomed!’ He said,
‘What is the matter with you?’ He said, ‘I had
intercourse with my wife whilst I was fasting.’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Are
you able to set a slave free?’ He said, ‘No.’ He
said, ‘Can you fast for two consecutive months?’ He
said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Do you have the wherewithal to
feed sixty poor persons?’ He said, ‘No.’ The Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said nothing more about
the matter for a while, and whilst we were sitting there
like that, a large basket full of dates was brought to the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said, ‘Where is
the one who was asking?’ The man said, ‘Here I am.’
He said, ‘Take this and give it in charity.’ The man
said, ‘Who is poorer than me, O Messenger of Allaah? By
Allaah, there is no family in Madeenah poorer than
mine.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled until
his eyeteeth were visible, then he said, ‘Feed your
family with it.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath,
1936).
This person who had made a mistake and
came to ask about it was not joking or taking the matter
lightly. He felt remorseful and guilty, as is clear from
his saying “I am doomed.” For this reason, he deserved
pity and compassion. The report narrated by Ahmad (may
Allaah have mercy on him) makes the man’s state even
clearer:
Abu Hurayrah reported that a Bedouin
came, hitting his cheeks and tearing out his hair, and
saying, “I am sure that I am doomed!” The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him,
“What makes you doomed?” He said, “I had
intercourse with my wife during Ramadaan.” He said,
“Can you free a slave?’ He said, “No.” He said,
“Can you fast for two consecutive months?” He said,
“No.” He said, “Can you feed sixty poor
persons?” He said, “No,” and mentioned how poor he
was. A large basket containing fifteen saa’ of
dates was brought to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“Where is that man? … Feed the poor with this.” He
said, “O Messenger of Allaah, there is no one in
Madeenah who is poorer than my family.” The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled until
his eyeteeth were visible and said, “Feed your
family.” (Al-Musnad, 2/516. Al-Fath al-Rabaani,
10/89)
7- Not hastening to tell someone he is wrong
Something happened to ‘Umar which he
himself told about: “I heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem ibn
Hizaam reciting Soorat al-Furqaan during the
lifetime of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). I listened to
his recitation, and he was reciting it differently to the
way that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite
it. I nearly interrupted his prayer, but I waited until he
had said the salaam, then I grabbed him by his cloak and
said, ‘Who taught you to recite this soorah I heard you
reciting?’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me to
recite it.’ I said, ‘You are lying! The Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me to recite
it differently.’ I took him to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘I
heard him reciting Soorat al-Furqaan differently
than the way you taught me to recite it.’ The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Let
him go. Recite, O Hishaam.’ He recited it as I had heard
him recite it. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘This
is how it was revealed.’ Then he said, ‘Recite, O ‘Umar.’
So I recited it as he had taught me. The Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘This is how
it was revealed. This Qur’an was revealed with seven
ways of recitation, so recite it in the way that is
easiest for you.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath,
4992).
Among the educational methods we learn
from this story are the following:
- Telling each one to recite in front of the other and
approving their recitation was more effective in
confirming that both were correct and neither was
wrong.
- When the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told
‘Umar to let go of Hishaam, this was preparing both
parties to listen in a calm manner. This was an
indication that ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with
him) had been too hasty.
- A person who is seeking knowledge should not be too
hasty to condemn any opinion that differs from that
with which he is familiar; he should first be sure of
what he is saying, because that opinion may turn out
to be a valid scholarly opinion.
Another relevant point is that one
should not hasten to punish someone who makes a mistake,
as we see in the following story:
Al-Nisaa'i (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported from ‘Abbaad ibn Sharhabeel (may Allaah
be pleased with him) who said: “I came with my
(paternal) uncles to Madeenah, and we entered one of the
gardens of the city. I rubbed some of the wheat, and the
owner of the garden came and took my cloak and hit me. I
came to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asking for
his help. He sent for that man and they brought him to
him. He said to him, ‘What made you do that?’ He
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he went into my garden
and took some of my wheat and rubbed it.’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘You
did not teach him if it was the matter of him not
knowing, and you did not feed him if it was the matter
of him being hungry. Give him back his cloak.’ And the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ordered that
I should be given a wasq or half a wasq (
measure of wheat).” (Al-Nisaa'i, al-Mujtabaa,
Kitaab Aadaab al-Qudaat, Baab al-Isti’daa’; Saheeh
Sunan al-Nisaa'i, no. 4999).
From this story we learn that we should
find out the circumstances of the one who is making a
mistake or acting in an aggressive manner, so that we may
know the right way to deal with him.
We may also note that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not punish
the owner of the garden, because he was in the right, but
he had handled the matter wrong. He pointed out to him
that the way he had dealt with someone who knew not better
was inappropriate in such circumstances, then he taught
him how to handle the matter properly, and told him to
give back the garment he had taken from the hungry man.
8 - Remaining calm when dealing with
people’s mistakes
- especially when being too harsh could
make matters worse and do more harm than good. We can
learn this from looking at how the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) dealt with the
mistake made by the Bedouin who urinated in the mosque, as
was reported by Anas ibn Maalik, who said: “Whilst we
were in the mosque with the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a Bedouin
came and stood urinating in the mosque. The Companions of
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Stop
it! Stop it!’ But the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do
not interrupt him; leave him alone.’ So they left him
until he had finished urinating, then the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called him and said
to him, ‘In these mosques it is not right to do anything
like urinating or defecating; they are only for
remembering Allaah, praying and reading Qur’aan,’ or
words to that effect. Then he commanded a man who was
there to bring a bucket of water and throw it over the
(urine), and he did so.” (Saheeh Muslim, no.
285).
The principle which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) followed in
dealing with this mistake was to treat the man gently, not
to be harsh with him. Al-Bukhaari reported from Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “A Bedouin
urinated in the mosque, and the people got up to sort him
out. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to them,
‘Leave him alone, and throw a bucket of water over it.
You have been sent to make things easy for people, not to
make things hard.’” (Fath, 6128).
The Sahaabah, may Allaah be pleased
with them, were very keen to denounce the bad thing they
had seen and to keep their mosque clean and pure, as is
indicated in the various reports of this hadeeth, which
describe them as shouting at him, getting up to sort him
out, rebuking him and hastening to deal with him, or
telling him to “Stop it!” (Jaami’ al-Usool,
7/83-87). But the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was thinking
of the likely consequences of the two options – stopping
him or leaving him alone. If they tried to stop him,
forcing a man to suppress his urination could do him harm,
and if he was unable to stop but moved away because he was
afraid of them, the impurity would be spread over a wider
area of the mosque and on the man’s body and clothing.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the
farsightedness to see that leaving the man alone until he
had finished urinating was the lesser of two evils,
especially since the man had already started doing it, and
it was a problem that they would be able to do something
about by cleaning it afterwards. So he told his companions
to leave him alone and not to interrupt him. He told them
to leave him alone because this was in the better
interests of all and would ward off a worse evil by
putting up with the lesser evil.
It was also reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked the man
the reason for his action. Al-Tabaraani reported in al-Kabeer
that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“A Bedouin came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and pledged
allegiance to him in the mosque. Then he went away and
started to urinate. The people wanted to stop him, but the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not stop
a man when he is urinating.’ Then he asked him, ‘Are
you not a Muslim?’ He said, ‘Of course.’ He said,
‘What made you urinate in our mosque?’ He said, ‘By
the One Who sent you with the truth, I thought it was just
like any other place so I urinated in it.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called for a
bucket of water and poured it over the urine.” (Reported
by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, no. 11552, vol. 11,
p.220. Al-Haythami said in al-Majma’: its men are
the men of saheeh, 2/10).
This wise manner of dealing with the
problem had a far-reaching effect on the Bedouin, as is
clear from his reaction. Ibn Maajah reported that Abu
Hurayrah said: “A Bedouin entered the mosque where the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting,
and said, ‘O Allaah, forgive me and Muhammad, and do not
forgive anyone else.’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled and
said, ‘You are narrowing something vast.’ Then (the
Bedouin) went away to the furthest part of the mosque,
opened his legs, and began to urinate. After he had learnt
better, the Bedouin said, ‘He got up, may my mother and
my father be sacrificed for him, he did not rebuke me or
insult me. He just said, “We do not urinate in this
mosque; it was only built for the remembrance of Allaah
and for prayer.” Then he called for a bucket of water
and poured it over the urine.’” (Sunan Ibn Maajah,
‘Abd al-Baaqi edn., 529; Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 428).
Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on
him) mentioned in his commentary a number of things we
learn from the hadeeth about the Bedouin, among which are
the following:
- we should be gentle when dealing with one who is
ignorant and teach him what he needs to know without
rebuking him, so long as he is not acting out of
stubbornness, especially if he is one who needs to be
won over.
- The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was kind
and dealt nicely with him.
- The idea of taking precautions against impurity (najaasah)
was well-established in the minds of the Sahaabah,
which is why they hastened to denounce it in the
presence of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) without
first asking his permission. The idea of enjoining
what is good and forbidding what is evil was also
well-established in their minds.
- We should also hasten to remove anything
objectionable when there is nothing to stop us from
doing so, because when the man had finished urinating,
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued
instructions that the place should be cleaned with
water.
9 - Explaining the seriousness of the
mistake
Ibn ‘Umar, Muhammad ibn Ka’b, Zayd
ibn Aslam and Qutaadah reported (the following is compiled
from their reports) that during the campaign of Tabook, a
man said, “We have never seen anyone who loves food and
tells lies more than our reciters, or anyone who is more
cowardly on the battlefield” – referring to the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his
Companions. ‘Awf ibn Maalik said, ‘You are lying! You
are a hypocrite, and I am going to tell the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ ‘Awf went to
the Messenger of Allaah to tell him, but found that
Qur’aan had already been revealed concerning it. That
man came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who was
riding his camel, and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, we
were only talking idly and joking, just to pass time on
the journey.” Ibn ‘Umar said, “It is as if I can see
him hanging onto the reins of the Prophet’s camel, with
the stones hitting his feet, saying, “We were only
talking idly and joking,” whilst the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was reciting
(interpretation of the meaning), ‘Say: Was it at
Allaah and His aayaat (signs) and His Messenger that you
were mocking?’ [al-Tawbah 9:65], no more, no
less.”
Ibn Jareer reported that Ibn ‘Umar
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “During the
campaign of Tabook a man said in a gathering, ‘We have
never seen anyone who loves food and tells lies more than
our reciters, or anyone who is more cowardly on the
battlefield.’ A man who was present said, ‘You are
lying! You are a hypocrite, and I am going to tell the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),’ and
Qur’aan was revealed.” ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar said,
“I saw him hanging on to the reins of the Prophet’s
camel, kicking up the stones and saying, ‘O Messenger of
Allaah, we were only talking idly and joking,’ and the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was saying
(interpretation of the meaning), “Say: Was it at
Allaah and His aayaat (signs) and His Messenger that you
were mocking?” [al-Tawbah 9:65]. (Tafseer
ibn Jareer al-Tabari, 14/333, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah,
first edn., 1412. Its men are the men of saheeh, except
Hishaam ibn Sa’d, from whom Muslim did not report except
as a corroborating report, as in al-Meezaan. It was
also reported by al-Tabari with his isnaad, and there is a
corroborating report with a hasan isnaad recorded by Ibn
Haatim from the hadeeth of Ka’b ibn Maalik. Saheeh
al-Musnad min Asbaab al-Nuzool, p.71).
10 - Explaining the harmful effects of
the mistake
Abu Tha’labah al-Khashani said:
“Whenever the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) broke his
journey in a place, the people would disperse in the
valleys and mountains. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Your
dispersing in these valleys and mountains is from Shaytaan.’
After that he never stopped anywhere but they all stayed
close together, so much so that if a cloak was spread over
them, it would cover them all.” (Reported by Abu
Dawood (may Allaah have mercy on him), in his Sunan,
2286; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan
Abi Dawood, no. 2288). According to another
report: “… until you would say that if you were to
spread a cloth over them, it would cover them.” (Ahmad,
al-Fath al-Rabbaani, 14/44).
Here we may note the Prophet’s
concern for his Companions, which was the leader’s
concern for his troops. The army’s dispersing when they
made camp was a trick of the Shaytaan to make the Muslims
scared and to lead the enemy to attack them. (See ‘Awn
al-Ma’bood, 7/292). Dispersing in this
manner would make it hard for one part of the army to come
to the aid of another part. (See Daleel al-Faaliheen,
6/130).
We may also note that the Companions of
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) obeyed him in
whatever instructions they received from him.
Another example of how the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained how
serious and dangerous a mistake was is to be seen in the
hadeeth of al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer, according to which
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Straighten your rows (for prayer), or Allaah will make
you divided.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh,
Fath, no. 717).
Muslim reported in his Saheeh
from Sammaak ibn Harb, who said: “I heard al-Nu’maan
ibn Basheer saying, ‘The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
straighten our rows strictly, until he realized that we
had got the message. One day he came out and was about to
say takbeer when he noticed a man whose chest was sticking
out. He said, “O slaves of Allaah, straighten your rows,
or Allaah will make you divided.”’” (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 436).
Al-Nisaa'i reported from Anas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Make
your rows firm and close together, and make your necks in
a straight line, for by the One in Whose hand is the soul
of Muhammad, I see the shayaateen (devils) coming
among your ranks as if they are small black sheep.” (al-Mujtabaa,
2/92. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan
al-Nisaa'i, no. 785).
Explaining bad effects and negative
consequences is very important when it comes to convincing
people that they are making a mistake. The consequences
may affect the person himself, or they may spread to other
people. An example of the former is the report narrated by
Abu Dawood (may Allaah have mercy on him) in his Sunan
from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both),
in which a man cursed the wind. Muslim said that a man’s
cloak was snatched away by the wind at the time of the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he cursed the
wind. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do
not curse it, for it only does as it is commanded, and if
a person curses something that does not deserve to be
cursed, his curse will come back upon him.” (Abu
Dawood, no. 4908; Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 4102).
An example of the latter was narrated by al-Bukhaari (may
Allaah have mercy on him) in his Saheeh from ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakrah from his father, who said: “A
man praised another man in the presence of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” According
to a report narrated by Muslim: a man said, ‘O Messenger
of Allaah, there is no one other than the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who is better than
him in such-and-such.’ (Saheeh Muslim, no.
3000). [The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said to him,
‘Woe to you! You have cut your companion’s throat! You
have cut your companion’s throat!’ several times, then
he said, ‘If any one of you insists on praising his
brother, let him say, “I think so-and-so is
such-and-such, and Allaah knows the exact truth, and I do
not confirm anyone’s good conduct before Allaah, but I
think him to be such-and-such,” if he knows that this is
the case.’” (2662, Kitaab al-Shahaadaat).
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab
al-Mufrad, Mihjan al-Aslami (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: “… until when we were in the mosque,
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man
praying, prostrating and bowing. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me,
‘Who is this?’ I started to praise him and said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, this is so-and-so, and he is
such-and-such.’ (According to another report also in al-Adab
al-Mufrad, he said, ‘This is so-and-so and he is one
of the best people in Madeenah in prayer.’) He said,
‘Be quiet, lest he hear you and you destroy him.’” (Saheeh
al-Adab al-Mufrad, 137; al-Albaani said, it is hasan).
Al-Bukhaari reported that Abu Moosa
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard a man
praising another man and going to extremes in that. He
said, ‘You have destroyed him’ or ‘You have broken
the man’s back.’” (Fath 2663).
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that
exaggeration when praising someone is a mistake which can
have bad consequences. It may make the person who is
praised feel proud, so that his heart is filled with
arrogance and self-admiration, and he rests on his laurels
or starts to show off because he enjoys the praise so
much. This in turn may lead to his utimate doom, which is
what the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant when he
said, “You have destroyed him,” or “You have cut the
man’s throat,” or “You have broken the man’s
back.”
Moreover, if a person goes to extremes
in praising someone, and says something he is not certain
of, or affirms something he could not possibly know, or
maybe even tells lies or says something to please the
person he is praising, this will be a disaster, especially
if the person he is praising is an oppressor or wrongdoer.
(See al-Fath, 10/478).
Generally speaking, it is not forbidden
to praise people. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praised some
people in their presence. An important explanation of this
topic is to be found in Saheeh Muslim, where there
is a chapter entitled Baab al-Nahy ‘an al-Madh idhaa
kaana feehi ifraat wa kheefa minhu fitnatan
‘ala’l-mamdooh (Chapter: Prohibition of praising
others if it is exaggerated or if there is the danger of
fitnah for the one who is praised). (Kitaab al-Zuhd
wa’l-Raqaa’iq, Saheeh Muslim).
The person who sees himself as falling
short will not be damaged by praise, and if he is praised
he will not become arrogant, because he knows his own true
nature. Some of the salaf said: “If a man is praised to
his face, let him say: ‘O Allaah, forgive me for what
they do not know, do not hold me responsible for what they
say, and make me better than what they think.” (Fath,
10/478).
11 - Practical teaching of the one who
is making a mistake
In many cases practical teaching is
more effective than theoretical teaching. This is what the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did. Jubayr ibn
Nufayr reported from his father that he came to the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who called
for water, then said, “Do wudoo’, O Abu Jubayr.” Abu
Jubayr started with his mouth, and the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do not start
with your mouth, O Abu Jubayr, for the kaafir starts with
his mouth.” Then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called for
water, and washed his hands until they were clean, then he
rinsed his mouth and nose three times, washed his face
three times, washed his right arm up to the elbow three
times, and his left arm three times, wiped his head and
washed his feet. (Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan,
1/46; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 2820).
We may note here that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) deliberately
put this Sahaabi off from doing an incorrect action by
telling him that the kaafir starts with his mouth; the
meaning may be that the kaafir does not wash his hands
before putting them in the vessel (I was told this
by Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Ibn Baaz when I asked him
about the interpretation of this hadeeth), and
that this is not hygienic. And Allaah knows best.
12 - Offering a sound alternative
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said,
“When we prayed with the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we used to
say, “Peace be upon Allaah from His slaves, peace be
upon so-and-so.” (According to a report narrated by al-Nisaa'i,
he said, “Pecae be upon Jibreel, peace be upon
Mikaa’eel.” Al-Mujtabaa: Kitaab al-Tatbeeq,
Baab Kayfa al-Tashahhud al-Awwal. See also Saheeh
Sunan al-Nisaa'i, no. 1119). The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do
not say, ‘Peace be upon Allaah,’ for Allaah is ‘The
Peace’ (al-Salaam). But you should say, ‘Al-Tahiyyaatu
Lillaahi wa’l-salawaatu wa’l-tayyibaat, al-salaamu
‘alayka ayyuha’l-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allaahi wa
barakaatuhu, wa’l-salaamu ‘alaynaa wa ‘alaa
‘ibaad-Illaah il-saaliheen.’ If you say this, it
will include every slave of Allaah in heaven or between
heaven and earth. [Then say:] ‘I bear witness that there
is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger.’ Then choose whichever
du’aa’ you like, and recite it.” (al-Bukhaari, Fath,
835).
Another report that deals with this
topic was narrated by Anas (may Allaah be please with
him), who said that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw some
sputum in the direction of the qiblah and this upset him
so much that his anger could be seen on his face. He stood
up and removed it with his hand, then said, “When any
one of you stands up to pray, he is talking to his Lord.
His Lord is between him and the qiblah, so no one of you
should spit in the direction of the qiblah; he should spit
to his left or under his feet.” Then he took the edge of
his cloak, spat on it and rubbed part of it against
another part and said, “Or do like this.” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, Fath, 405).
Another example was reported by Abu
Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), who
said: “Bilaal came to the Prophet with some good-quality
dates, and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him,
‘Where is this from?’ Bilaal said, ‘We had some
poor-quality dates, and I sold two measures of those for
one measure of these so that we could give them to the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ When he heard
that, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Oh,
oh! The essence of ribaa, the essence of ribaa! Do not do
that. If you want to buy, sell your dates for something
else, then buy it.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath,
2312). According to another report, one day a slave
belonging to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought him
some fresh dates, but the Prophet’s dates were dry, so
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Where
did you get these dates from?’ He said, ‘We bought a
measure of these for two measures of our dates.’ The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not do
this, because it is not right. Sell your dates first, then
buy whatever dates you want.’ (Musnad Ahmad,
3/67).
But in the case of some da’iyahs and
people who seek to enjoin what is good and forbid what is
evil, we notice that there is a shortcoming in their
methods when they denounce some of the mistakes that
people make. They only point out the mistakes and denounce
them as haraam, without offering an alternative or
explaining what must be done if one makes a mistake. It is
known that the method of Islam is to offer alternatives to
make up for any benefits that may have been gained through
the haraam practice. When zinaa (fornication,
adultery) was forbidden, marriage was allowed and
prescribed; when ribaa (usury, interest) was
forbidden, trading was allowed; when pork, dead meat and
the flesh of every creature that has fangs or talons were
forbidden, the meat of properly-slaughtered cattle and
other animals was allowed, and so on. If a person does
fall into error, Islam shows him the way out, through
repentance and expiation, as is explained in the texts on kafaaraat
(acts of expiation). So those who seek to call others to
Islam must follow the sharee’ah in offering alternatives
and finding acceptable ways out. (Another example of
offering an alternative is to quote saheeh ahaadeeth which
will replace da’eef and fabricated ahaadeeth).
It is worth pointing out here that
offering alternatives is something that depends on what is
possible. Sometimes a mistake may be something that has to
be stopped, but there is no realistic alternative, either
because the general situation is bad and people are far
removed from the sharee’ah of Allaah, or because the one
who is seeking to enjoin what is good and forbid what is
evil cannot remember what the alternative is – all he
wants to do is denounce the mistake and change it, even if
he has no alternative to offer. This happens a great deal
in the case of financial dealings and investment
organizations, which emerged in kaafir societies and were
brought, complete with all their Islamically unacceptable
features, to Muslim societies; the Muslims have
shortcomings and weaknesses that prevent them from
creating Islamic alternatives and applying them
everywhere. So those shortcomings and weaknesses remain,
even though the divine methodology contains alternatives
and ways out that could alleviate the Muslims’
hardships, and there are some who know this and some who
do not.
13 - Guiding people to that which will prevent them
from making mistakes
Abu Umaamah ibn Sahl ibn Haneef
reported that his father told him that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out, and they
travelled with him in the direction of Makkah, until they
reached the ravine of al-Khazzaar near al-Juhfah. Sahl ibn
Haneef did ghusl, and he was a white man with a handsome
body and beautiful skin. ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah, the
brother of Banu ‘Adiyy ibn Ka’b looked at him whilst
he was doing ghusl and said, ‘I have never seen anything
like what I have seen today, not even the skin of the
virgin who is hidden away!’ [referring to the whiteness
of his skin]. Sahl fell to the ground (he had an
epileptic fit). The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and it
was said to him, ‘Do you want to see Sahl? By Allaah, he
cannot raise his head or wake up.’ He asked, ‘Whose
fault is this?’ They said, ‘ ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah
looked at him.’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called
‘Aamir and rebuked him angrily, and said, ‘Why would
any one of you kill his brother? If any one of you sees
that his brother has something he likes, let him pray for
blessing for him.’ Then he said to him, ‘Wash yourself
to help him’. So he washed his face, his hands up to the
elbows, his knees, the sides of his feet and inside his izaar
(lower garment) in a vessel. Then the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Pour
that water over him.’ So he poured the water over his
head and back from behind, tilting the vessel, and Sahl
went with the people and there was nothing wrong with
him.” (Al-Musnad, 3/486. Al-Haythami said,
the men of Ahmad are the men of saheeh. Al-Majma’,
5/107)
According to a report narrated by
Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him), Muhammad ibn Abi
Umaamah ibn Sahl ibn Haneef said that he heard his father
saying: “Abu Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl in al-Kharraar
and took off the garment he was wearing. ‘Aamir ibn
Rabee’ah was looking at him, and Sahl was a white man
with beautiful skin. ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah said to him,
‘I have never seen anything like what I have seen today,
not even the skin of the virgin!’. Sahl fell ill on the
spot and became seriously ill. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and was
told, ‘Sahl has fallen ill, and cannot go with you, O
Messenger of Allaah.’ Sahl told him what had happened
with ‘Aamir, and the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Why
would any one of you kill his brother? You should have
asked for blessing for him. The (evil) eye is real. Do
wudoo’ to help him.” So ‘Aamir did wudoo’, and
Sahl went with the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there was
nothing wrong with him. (Al-Muwatta’,
hadeeth no. 1972).
What we learn from this story is:
- The teacher (i.e., the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) got angry
with the one who caused harm to his Muslim brother.
- He explained the harmful effects of the mistake and
that it could lead to death.
- He pointed the way to that which would prevent harm
befalling a Muslim.
14 - Not confronting people directly with their
mistakes and addressing the issue in general terms may be
sufficient
Anas ibn Maalik said: “The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘What
is the matter with some people who raise their gaze to the
heavens whilst they are praying?’ He spoke so harshly
about them that he said, ‘They should stop doing that,
or else Allaah will take away their sight.’” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, Fath, hadeeth no. 750).
When ‘Aa’ishah wanted to buy a
slave-woman whose name was Bareerah, her owners refused to
sell her except with the condition that she would still be
connected to them. When the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) found out
about this, he stood up to address the people, praised and
thanked Allaah, then said, “What is wrong with men who
impose conditions which are not mentioned in the Book of
Allaah? There is no condition that is not mentioned in the
Book of Allaah but it is invalid, even if there were one
hundred such conditions. The decree of Allaah is more
true, the conditions laid down by Allaah are more binding,
and wala’ (connection, loyalty, allegiance) is to
the one who sets the slave free.” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) in numerous
places in his Saheeh. See Fath, 5636).
‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her) said: “The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did something
and made it permissible, but some people felt that they
were above doing that. News of this reached the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so he
addressed the people. He praised and thanked Allaah, then
he said, ‘What is the matter with people who think
themselves above doing the things that I do? By Allaah, I
know more about Allaah than they do, and I fear Him more
than they do.’” (Fath, 6101).
Abu Hurayrah reported that the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw sputum in
the qiblah of the mosque, so he turned to the people and
said, “What is wrong with one of you that he stands
facing his Lord and spits in front of Him? Would any of
you like someone to face him and spit in his face? If any
one of you wants to spit, let him spit towards his left,
under his feet, and if he cannot do this, let him do
this” – and al-Qaasim described how he spat on his
garment and rubbed one part of it against another part. (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 550).
Al-Nisaa'i reported in his Sunan
that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Salaat
al-Subh and recited Soorat al-Room, but got mixed
up in his recitation. When he had finished praying, he
said, “What is the matter with people who pray with us
but do not purify themselves properly? Such people are the
ones who make us get mixed up when we recite Qur’aan.”
(Sunan al-Nisaa'i, al-Mujtabaa,
2/156. Its men are thiqaat, but al-Haafiz said about
‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr that he was thiqah but his
memory changed and he may have fabricated reports).
Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him)
reported that Abu Rawh al-Kalaa’i said: “The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led us in
prayer and recited Soorat al-Room, but he got mixed up in
part of the recitation. He said, ‘The Shaytaan made us
get mixed up in our recitation, because of some people who
come to the prayer without wudoo’. When you come to
pray, do wudoo’ properly.’”
He also reported from Shu’bah from
‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr, who said: “I heard Shabeeb
Abu Rawh narrating from a man from among the Companions of
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said that
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Salaat
al-Subh and recited Soorat al-Room, and got mixed
up, and he narrated (the same hadeeth).” (It was
also reported from Zaa’idah and Sufyaan from ‘Abd al-Malik.
Al-Musnad, 3/473).
There are many examples, all of which
indicate that the identity of the person who has made the
mistake need not be exposed. This indirect approach and
avoiding a direct confrontation has a number of benefits,
including the following:
- It avoids a negative reaction on the part of the
person who has made the mistake, and prevents him from
being tempted by the Shaytaan to avenge himself or
defend himself.
- It is more acceptable to people and is more
effective.
- It conceals the person’s mistake in front of other
people.
- It increases the status of the educator and makes
the advisor more beloved.
It must be pointed out that this method
of using hints to convey a ruling to a person who has made
a mistake, without exposing him and causing him
embarrassment, is only to be used when what he has done is
not known to the majority of people. If most of the people
do know what he has done, and he knows that they know,
then this method would be more in the nature of a rebuke
and scolding, and exposing him in the most hurtful manner.
The one who has made a mistake would most likely rather be
confronted directly than be dealt with in this manner.
Among the factors that can make a difference are: who is
giving the advice, in the presence of whom the advice is
being given, and whether the advice is given in a
provocative and aggressive manner, or in a kindly and
gentle manner.
Indirect methods of teaching people may be of benefit
to the one who has made the mistake and to others, if they
are used wisely.
15 - Provoking public opinion against
the one who has made the mistake
This method is only to be used in very
limited circumstances, when a great deal of thought has
been given to the matter, to avoid any negative escalation
of the situation. There follows an example of how the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used this method:
Abu Hurayrah said: “A man came to the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and complained to him
about his neighbour. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Go
and put up with him.’ The man came back two or three
times, then the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Go
and put your belongings out in the street.’ So he went
and put his belongings out in the street. People started
to ask him what was going on, so he told them, and the
people started to curse (the neighbour), saying, ‘May
Allaah do such-and-such to him.’ Then the neighbour came
to him and said, ‘Put your stuff back, you will not see
anything else from me that you dislike.’” (Reported
by Abu Dawood, Kitaab al-Adab, Baab fi Haqq al-Jiwaar,
no. 5153; Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4292).
This method has an opposite counterpart
which is used in other circumstances to protect people
from the public’s harm, as will be explained below:
16 - Avoiding helping the Shaytaan
against the one who is making a mistake
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab reported that
at the time of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), there was a
man called ‘Abd-Allaah whose nickname was Himaar
(donkey), who used to make the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) laugh. The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had him whipped for
drinking – he was brought to him one day and the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave orders that he
should be whipped. One of the men present said, “O
Allaah, curse him! How often has he been brought [to be
punished because of drinking]!” The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do
not curse him, for by Allaah, all I know of him is that he
loves Allaah and His Messenger.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
Fath, 6780).
Abu Hurayrah said: “A drunkard was
brought to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he ordered
that he should be beaten, so some of us hit him with our
hands, others with shoes and garments. When he went away,
a man said, ‘May Allaah put him to shame!’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do
not be a help to the Shaytaan against your brother.’” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 6781).
Abu Hurayrah also said: “A man who
had been drinking was brought to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said,
‘Beat him.’ Some of us hit him with our hands, others
with shoes and clothes. When he went away, some of the
people said, ‘May Allaah put you to shame!’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do
not speak like this. Do not help the Shaytaan against
him.’” (Al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6777)
According to another report: “Then
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to his
Companions, ‘Rebuke him.’ So they turned to him and
said, ‘You did not think of Allaah, you did not fear
Allaah, you did not feel ashamed before the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ Then they let him
go, and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Say,
“O Allaah, forgive him, O Allaah, have mercy on
him”’ and some of them added similar sentiments.” (Abu
Dawood, Kitaab al-Hudood, Baab al-Hadd fi’l-Khamr,
no. 4478, 4/620. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
Abi Dawood, no. 3759).
According to another report: “When he
went away, some of the people said, ‘May Allaah put you
to shame!’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do
not speak like this, do not help the Shaytaan against him.
Say “May Allaah have mercy on you.”’” (Reported
by Ahmad, 2/300. Ahmad Shaakir said, its isnaad is saheeh.
Al-Musnad, ed. by Ahmad Shaakir, no. 7973).
What we learn from all of these reports
is that if the Muslim falls into sin, he is still
basically a Muslim and still basically loves Allaah and
His Messenger, and this should not be denied. It is not
permitted to pray against him in a manner that helps the
Shaytaan against him; rather we should pray for him and
ask Allaah to guide him, forgive him and have mercy on
him.
17 - Asking the person to stop doing
the wrong action
It is very important to make the person
stop the wrong deed so that it does not get any worse and
so that there is no delay in the denunciation of evil.
‘Umar reported that he said, “No,
by my father.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Stop!
Whoever swears by something other than Allaah, is guilty
of shirk.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/47. Ahmad
Shaakir said, its isnaad is saheeh. No. 329)
Abu Dawood reported in his Sunan
that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Busr (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said, “A man came stepping over the necks on the
people (in the mosque) one Friday, whilst the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was delivering
the khutbah. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Sit
down! You are causing a disturbance.’”
Al-Tirmidhi reported that Ibn ‘Umar
said: “A man burped in the presence of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said,
‘Keep your burps away from us! The ones who fill their
stomachs most in this world, will be the ones who remain
hungry longest on the Day of Resurrection. (Abu
‘Eesa said, this is a ghareeb hasan hadeeth with this
isnaad. Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2478; al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, no. 343.)
These ahaadeeth show a direct request
to the person who is making the mistake to stop what he is
doing.
18 - Explaining to the person who is
making a mistake how to put things right
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this in a
number of ways, including the following:
- Drawing an individual’s attention
to his mistake so that he could put it right himself.
An example of this is the report
narrated by Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased
with him), who said that he was with the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and “the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered and
saw a man sitting in the middle of the mosque, clasping
his fingers together and talking to himself. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gestured
towards him, but he did not notice. So he turned to Abu
Sa’eed and said, ‘If one of you is praying, he should
not clasp his fingers together, because this clasping
comes from the Shaytaan, and you are in a state of prayer
so long as you are still in the mosque, until you go
out.’” (Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad,
3/54. Al-Haythami said in al-Majma’ (2/25): its
isnaad is hasan).
- Asking the person to do something
again, correctly, if this is possible.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) reported that a man entered the mosque whilst
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting in
a far corner. He prayed, then he came and greeted him with
salaam. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Wa
‘alayka al-salaam, go back and pray, because you
have not prayed.” So he went back and prayed, then he
came back and greeted the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said, “Wa
‘alayka al-salaam, go back and pray, because you
have not prayed.” On the second occasion, or
subsequently, the man said, “Teach me, O Messenger of
Allaah.” He said, “When you stand up to pray, do wudoo’
properly, then face the qiblah and say Takbeer (‘Allaahu
akbar’). Then recite whatever is easy for you of
Qur’aan, then bow until you are at ease in rukoo’,
then stand up until your back is completely straight. Then
prostrate until you are at ease in sujood, then sit up
until you are at ease in your sitting, then prostrate
again until you are at ease in your sujood, then sit up
again until you are at ease in your sitting. Do this in
all your prayers.” (Reported by all; this version
reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6251).
We should note that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pay
attention to the actions of the people around him so that
he could teach them. According to a report narrated by al-Nisaa'i:
“A man entered the mosque and prayed, whilst the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was watching
him and we did not realize. When he finished, he turned
and greeted the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who told him,
‘Go back and pray, for you have not prayed’…” (2/193
Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa'i, no. 1008).
Among the qualities of the educator is
that he should be aware of the actions of those who are
with him.
- It is a part of educational wisdom to ask a person
who has made a mistake to re-do his action, so that he
can notice his mistake and put it right himself,
especially when it is an obvious mistake that does not
befit him. He may have done it out of forgetfulness,
so this will remind him.
- If the person who has made a mistake does not
realize it, it must be pointed out and explained to
him.
- Giving information to a person who is interested and
has asked about it himself is more effective and is
more likely to be remembered than handing it out to
someone who has not made any such enquiries.
The methods of teaching are many, and
the educator can choose whichever are best suited in any
given circumstances.
Another example of asking a person to
repeat his action correctly is given by Muslim (may Allaah
have mercy on him) in his Saheeh, where he reports
that Jaabir said: “‘Umar ibn al-Khattab told me that a
man did wudoo’, but missed an area on his foot the size
of a fingernail. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw him and
said, ‘Go back and do your wudoo’ properly.’ So he
went and did it again, then he prayed.” (Saheeh
Muslim, 243).
A third example was narrated by al-Tirmidhi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) in his Sunan from
Kildah ibn Hanbal, who said that Safwaan ibn Umayyah sent
him with some milk, yoghurt and daghaabees [an
edible plant] to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was at the top of the
valley. He said, “I entered upon him, and I did not
greet him with salaam or ask permission to enter, so the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Go out and
say “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum, may I enter?”’”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2710. Al-Tirmidhi
said, a ghareeb hasan hadeeth. The hadeeth is also in Saheeh
Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2180).
- Asking the person who has made the
mistake to correct it as much as he can.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
it) reported from Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “No
man should be alone with a woman unless he is a mahram
(close blood relative to whom marriage is permanently
forbidden).” A man stood up and said, “O Messenger of
Allaah, my wife has gone out for Hajj and I have signed up
for such-and-such a military campaign.” He said, “Go
back and do Hajj with your wife.” (al-Fath,
5233).
- Putting right the consequences of the
mistake
Al-Nisaa'i (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported in his Sunan from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
‘Amr that a man came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “I
have come to pledge allegiance to you and to make hijrah
(migration) to you. I have left my parents weeping.” He
said, “Go back to them and make them smile as you made
them weep.” (Al-Majmaa 7/143. Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa'i,
no. 3881).
- Offering kafaarah (expiation)
for the mistake
If some mistakes cannot be corrected or
reversed, then there are other ways offered by Islam for
wiping out their effects. One of these ways is kafaaraat
or acts of expiation, of which there are many types, such
as kafaarat al-yameen (expiation for swearing an
unfulfilled oath), and expiation for zihaar (a
jaahili form of divorce in which one says to one's wife
“You are to me as my mother’s back”), manslaughter,
having intercourse during the day in Ramadaan, and so on.
19 - Denouncing only the mistake whilst
accepting the rest
It may be the case that not all of what
a person says or does is wrong, so it is wise to limit our
denunciation only to that which is wrong, and not to
generalize by condemning everything that is said or done
as being wrong. This is indicated in the report narrated
by al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) in his Saheeh
from al-Rubay’ bint Mu’awwadh ibn ‘Afraa’, who
said: “The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and
entered, and sat down on my bed the way you sat down. Some
young girls of ours began beating on the daff
(hand-drum) and singing songs eulogizing those of our
forefathers who had been killed at Badr. Then one of them
said, ‘Among us there is a Prophet who knows the
future.’ He [the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said: ‘Do
not say that; say what you were saying before.’” (Fath,
5147). According to a report narrated by al-Tirmidhi:
“… The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to her:
‘Do not say this; say what you were saying before.’”
(Abu ‘Eesa said: this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Sunan
al-Tirmidhi, Shaakir edn., 1090). According to
a report narrated by Ibn Maajah, he said: “Do not say
this; no one knows the future except Allaah.” (Sunan
Ibn Maajah, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn., no. 1879. Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah,
no. 1539).
There is no doubt that this kind of
treatment makes the person feel that the one who is
striving to point out mistakes and correct them is fair
and just, and this makes him more likely to accept his
advice. This is in contrast to some of those who want to
denounce errors, but get so angry with the mistake
committed that they go to extremes in their denunciation
and condemn everything done and said by the one who has
made the mistake, good and bad alike. This makes the
person reject what they say and refuse to follow their
advice.
In some cases, the mistake consists not
of the words themselves, but the occasion or context in
which they are uttered. For example, when somebody dies,
one person may say, “Al-Faatihah,” and everyone
present will recite it. They believe that there is nothing
wrong with this because what they are reciting is
Qur’aan, not words of kufr. It has to be explained to
them that what is wrong with this action is thinking that
we should recite al-Faatihah on such occasions as
an act of worship without any shar'i evidence for doing
so, which is the essence of bid’ah. This is what Ibn
‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) pointed out to a
man who sneezed beside him and said, “Al-hamdu
Lillaahi wa’l-salaam ‘ala Rasool- Illaah (Praise
be to Allaah and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah).”
Ibn ‘Umar said, “I could say ‘Al-hamdu Lillaahi
wa’l-salaam ‘ala Rasool- Illaah’, but this is
not how the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us. He
taught us to say ‘Al-hamdu Lillaahi ‘ala kulli haal
(Praise be to Allaah whatever the circumstances).” (Sunan
al-Tirmidhi, no. 2738).
20 - Restoring rights and preserving
positions
Muslim reported that ‘Awf ibn Maalik
said: “A man of Humayr killed one of the enemy and
wanted to take his possessions as booty, but Khaalid ibn
al-Waleed, who was in charge of the campaign, prevented
him from doing so. ‘Awf ibn Maalik came to the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him
about it. He asked Khaalid, ‘What stopped you from
giving him his booty?’ Khaalid said, ‘I thought it was
too much, O Messenger of Allaah.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Give
it to him.’ Then Khaalid passed by ‘Awf, who pulled
his cloak and said, ‘Did I not do what I told you I
would do with regard to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard him and
got angry, and said, ‘Do not give it to him, O Khaalid!
Do not give it to him, O Khaalid! Why do you not leave my
commanders alone? The likeness of you and them is that of
a man who is asked to take care of camels or sheep, so he
takes care of them, then when it is time for them to
drink, he takes them to a trough and they start to drink,
and they drink the clean water and leave the dregs behind.
You take the clean water and leave the dregs for them [the
commanders].’” (Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi,
12/64)
Imaam Ahmad transmitted a more complete
version of this report from ‘Awf ibn Maalik al-Ashja’i,
who said: “We went out on a military campaign on the
border of Syria, and Khaalid ibn al-Waleed was appointed
as our commander. A man belonging to Humayr came and
joined our band, and he had nothing but a sword, no other
weapon. One of the Muslims slaughtered a camel and that
man kept trying to snatch something until he managed to
grab a piece of skin the shape of a shield. He spread it
on the ground and cured it until it was dry, then he made
a handle for it, like a shield. We met with the enemy, who
were a mixed group of Romans and Arabs from (the tribe of)
Qudaa’ah. They fought us fiercely. Among them was a
Roman on a palomino horse with a golden-coloured saddle
and a gold-plated belt, and a sword of similar material.
He started attacking and challenging the people, and that
Madadi man kept dodging around the Roman until he
approached him from behind and struck the horse’s
hamstring with his sword. The Roman fell off, and the man
followed that with a blow from his sword that killed him.
When Allaah granted them victory, the man came asking
about the booty, and the people bore witness that he had
killed [that Roman], so Khaalid gave him some of the booty
and withheld the rest. When he came back to ‘Awf’s
band, he told him about it, and ‘Awf said, ‘Go back to
him and let him give you the rest.’ So he went back, but
[Khaalid] refused to give it to him. ‘Awf went to
Khaalid and said, ‘Do you not know that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ruled that the booty
should go to the one who kills?’ He said, ‘Of
course.’ He said, ‘So what is stopping you from giving
him his booty?’ He said, ‘I thought it was too much to
give to him.’ ‘Awf said, ‘When I see the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) I am going to
tell him about this.’ When he came to Madeenah, ‘Awf
sent the man and he complained to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called Khaalid,
whilst ‘Awf was sitting there, and said: ‘O Khaalid,
what stopped you from giving this man his spoils of
war?’ He said, ‘I thought it was too much for him, O
Messenger of Allaah.’ [The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said, ‘Give
it to him.’ [Khaalid] passed by ‘Awf, and ‘Awf
pulled on his cloak and said, ‘Wasn’t it enough for
you what I told you about the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard him and
got angry, and said, ‘Do not give it to him, O Khaalid.
Why do you not leave my commanders alone? The likeness of
you and them is that of a man who is asked to take care of
camels or sheep, so he takes care of them, then when it is
time for them to drink, he takes them to a trough and they
start to drink, and they drink the clean water and leave
the dregs behind. You take the clean water and leave the
dregs for them [the commanders].’”
We may note here that when Khaalid made
a mistake in his decision (ijtihaad) to withhold the large
amount of booty from the killer, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that
the matter should be put right by giving the booty to its
rightful owner, but he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got angry when
he heard ‘Awf (may Allaah be pleased with him) making
insinuations about Khaalid and poking fun at him by
saying, “Did I not do what I told you I would do with
regard to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?” and
pulling on Khaalid’s cloak when he walked past him, so
he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do not give it
to him, O Khaalid.” This was for the purpose of
reinstating and reinforcing the position of the commander
and leader, because upholding the leader’s position in
front of the people serves an obvious purpose.
But the following question may arise:
If the killer had the right to the booty, how could he
deny it to him? Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
answered this query with two possible outcomes:
Either he gave the booty to the man
later on, and he delayed it as a punishment to him and to
‘Awf for saying what they said to Khaalid (may Allaah be
pleased with him) and showing disrespect to the commander
and the one who had appointed him; or the one who had the
right to take it gave it up willingly and donated it for
the Muslims, and the point of this was to make Khaalid
(may Allaah be pleased with him) feel better for the
purpose of upholding the position of leaders. (Al-Fath
al-Rabbaani, 14/8 4)
Further evidence concerning restoration
of the position of the person who has been wronged comes
in the report narrated in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad
from Abu Tufayl ‘Aamir ibn Waathilah, that a man passed
by a group of people and greeted them with salaam, and
they returned the greeting, but when he had gone, one of
them said, “By Allaah, I hate this man for the sake of
Allaah.” The others present said, “What a bad thing to
say! By Allaah, we are going to tell him. Get up, O
So-and-So – one of the people present – and tell
him.” So their messenger caught up with him and told him
what had been said. The man went to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “O
Messenger of Allaah, I passed by a group of Muslims among
whom was So-and-So. I greeted them with salaam and they
returned the greeting, and when I had left, one of them
caught up with me and told me that So-and-So had said,
‘By Allaah, I hate this man for the sake of Allaah.’
Call him and ask him why he hates me.” So the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called him and
asked him about what the man had said. He admitted it and
said, “I did say that, O Messenger of Allaah.” The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Why
do you hate him?” He said, “I am his neighbour and I
know him very well. By Allaah, I have never seen him pray
any prayer except the prescribed prayer which everyone,
good and bad alike, prays.” The man said, “Ask him, O
Messenger of Allaah, has he ever seen me delaying any
prayer, or not doing wudoo’ properly, or not doing rukoo’
and sujood properly?” He said, “No,” then he said,
“By Allaah, I have never seen him fast at all except
this month which everyone, good and bad alike, fasts.”
He said, “O Messenger of Allaah, has he ever seen me
breaking my fast during [that month], or doing anything to
invalidate my fast?” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him, and
he said, “No,” then he said, “By Allaah, I have
never seen him giving to any needy person or spending any
of his wealth for the sake of Allaah except for this
charity [zakaah] which everyone, good and bad alike,
gives.” He said, “Ask him, O Messenger of Allaah, have
I ever withheld any part of the zakaah or kept it back
from the one who asked for it?” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him and
he said, “No.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “I
don’t know, maybe he is better than you.”
Immediately following this report in al-Musnad,
it says the following: “Ya’qoob told us, my father
told us from Ibn Shihaab, that he was told that a man at
the time of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by a
group of people. He did not mention Abu al-Tufayl. Abu
‘Abd-Allaah said: I heard that Ibraaheem ibn Sa’d
reported this hadeeth from his memory and said concerning
Abu al-Tufayl that his son Ya’qoob narrated from his
father, but he did not mention Abu al-Tufayl. I think he
is mistaken, and the report of Ya’qoob is saheeh, And
Allaah knows best.” (Al-Musnad, 5/455. Al-Haythami
said: the men of Ahmad are thiqaat. Athbaat al-Majma’,
1/291).
It is very important to maintain a
person’s position after he has repented from his mistake
and set matters straight, so that he will remain on the
right path and live a normal life among people. It was
reported in the story of the Makhzoomi woman who had her
hand cut off (for stealing), which was reported by
‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), that
“she repented properly later on, and she got married and
used to come to me and I would tell the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon her) what she needed.” (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 1688).
21 - Addressing both parties in cases
where the blame is shared
In many cases, the blame is shared and
the person who makes a mistake may himself have been
wronged, but the blame is not to be shared equally. In
this case both parties must be addressed and advised.
There follows an example:
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfaa said:
“‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf complained about Khaalid
ibn al-Waleed to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do
not upset any of those who were present at Badr, for even
if you were to spend gold equal to the size of Uhud, your
deeds would not equal theirs.’ He said, ‘They insulted
me first, and I responded.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do
not upset Khaalid, for he is one of the swords of Allaah
sent against the kuffaar.’” (Al-Haythami said:
the men of al-Tabaraani are thiqaat. Al-Majma’,
9/349. See also al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer by al-Tabaraani,
hadeeth no. 3801).
22 - Asking the person to forgive the
one who wronged him
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: “The Arabs used to serve one another
when they were travelling, and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar had a
man with them who was serving them. They fell asleep then
woke up, and he had not prepared any food for them. One of
them said to the other, ‘This man sleeps too much.’ (This
is in Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Daar al-Sha’b edn.
According to the version quoted by al-Albaani in al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, no. 2608, …). They woke him up
and said, ‘Go to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and tell him
that Abu Bakr and ‘Umar send their salaams to you and
are asking for food.’ He (the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) said: ‘Send
my salaams to them and tell them that they have already
eaten.’ They got worried, so they came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, we sent word to you asking for food,
and you told us that we had already eaten? What have we
eaten?’ He said, ‘The flesh of your brother. By the
One in Whose hand is my soul, I can see his flesh between
your teeth” – meaning the flesh of the one about whom
they had backbitten.’ They said, ‘Ask for forgiveness
for us.’ He said, ‘Let him ask for forgiveness for
you.’” (Al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no.
2608. It was attributed to al-Kharaa’iti in Masaawa’
al-Akhlaaq and to al-Diya’ in al-Mukhtaarah.
Ibn Katheer mentioned it in his tafseer of Soorat al-Hujuraat,
7/363, Dar al-Sha’b edn.)
23 - Reminding a person of the good
qualities of the one whom he has wronged, so that he will
regret what he has done and will apologize
This is what the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did in the
situation that arose between Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may
Allaah be pleased with them. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have
mercy on him) reported in his Saheeh, Kitaab al-Tafseer,
that Abu’l-Darda’ said: “There was a dispute between
Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Abu Bakr made ‘Umar angry, so he
went away angry, and Abu Bakr followed him, asking him to
seek forgiveness for him, but he did not do that, and he
shut his door in his face. Abu Bakr turned around and went
to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we were
sitting with him. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘This
companion of yours has gotten involved in a dispute.’
Then ‘Umar regretted what he had done, so he came, gave
the greeting of salaam, and sat down by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He told the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) what had
happened. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got angry, and
Abu Bakr started to say, ‘By Allaah, O Messenger of
Allaah, I am more wrong.’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Are
you going to leave my companion alone? Are you going to
leave my companion alone? I have told the people: I am the
Messenger of Allaah to all of you, and you (all) said,
“You are a liar,” but Abu Bakr said, “You are
telling the truth.”’” (Fath 4640).
Al-Bukhaari also narrated this story in
Kitaab al-Manaaqib (the Book of Virtues) in his Saheeh,
from Abu’l-Darda’, who said: “I was sitting with the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when Abu Bakr came
along, holding the hem of his garment up in such a way
that his knees could be seen. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Your
companion has gotten involved in a dispute.’ [Abu Bakr]
gave the greeting of salaam, then said: ‘There is
something between me and the son of al-Khattaab. I upset
him, then I regretted it, and I asked him to forgive me,
but he refused, so I have come to you.’ He said, ‘May
Allaah forgive you, O Abu Bakr,’ three times. Then
‘Umar regretted (what he had done), so he came to Abu
Bakr’s house, asking, ‘Is Abu Bakr there?’ They
said, ‘No.’ So he came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and signs of
anger were so visible on the Prophet’s face that Abu
Bakr felt sorry. He knelt down and said. ‘O Messenger of
Allaah, by Allaah, I was more wrong,’ twice. The Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Allaah sent me
to all of you, and you (all) said, “He is a liar,” but
Abu Bakr said, “He is telling the truth”, and helped
me with his self and with his wealth. Are you going to
leave my Companion alone?’ He said this twice, and Abu
Bakr was never hurt after that.” (Fath,
no. 3661).
24 - Intervening to calm people down
and put a stop to the fitnah (discord) between those who
are making mistakes
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this on a
number of occasions when fighting was about to break out
among the Muslims, so he intervened, as was reported in
the incident of the slander (al-ifk) against
‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). She said:
“The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up that
day and asked for someone to deal with ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Ubayy for him, whilst he was on the minbar. He said, ‘O
Muslims! Who will deal with a man who I have heard is
attacking me with regard to my family? By Allaah, I know
nothing about my family but good, and they have mentioned
a man about whom I know nothing but good, and he has never
entered upon my family except with me.’ Sa’d ibn
Mu’aadh, the brother of Bani ‘Abd al-Ashhal, stood up
and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I will deal with him
for you. If he is from Aws, I will strike his neck [cut
his head off], and if he is from among our brothers of
Khazraj, tell us what to do, and we will do it.’ Then a
man of Khazraj stood up; Umm Hassaan was his cousin from
the same clan, and he was Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah the leader
of Khazraj. Before that he was known to be a righteous
man, but on this occasion a spirit of tribalism took hold
of him, and he said to Sa’d [ibn Mu’aadh], ‘You are
lying! By Allaah, you will not kill him and you will not
be able to kill him. If he were one of your people, you
would not like him to be killed!’ Usayd ibn Hudayr, the
cousin of Sa’d, stood up and said to Sa’d ibn
‘Ubaadah: ‘You are lying! By Allaah, we will kill him!
You are a hypocrite defending the hypocrites!’ The two
parties of Aws and Khazraj got so angry that they nearly
began to fight whilst the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was standing
on the minbar. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept smoothing
things over until they calmed down.” (Agreed
upon. Fath, 4141)
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to Bani
‘Amr ibn ‘Awf to reconcile between them, and stayed
there for that purpose until the time for one of the
congregational prayers came, as is reported in al-Saheehayn
and in a report narrated by al-Nisaa'i. Sahl ibn Sa’d
al-Saa’idi (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “A
dispute arose between two parties among the Ansaar, to the
point that they were throwing stones at one another. The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to reconcile
between them, and the time for prayer came, so Bilaal
called the Adhaan and waited for the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he did
not come. So he made the iqaamah (call immediately
preceding congregational prayer) and Abu Bakr, may Allaah
be pleased with him) led the prayer…” (Al-Mujtabaa,
Kitaab Aadaab al-Qadaah, 8/243). According
to a report narrated by Ahmad, Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi
said: “Someone came to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said:
‘Bani ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf are fighting and throwing stones
at one another.’ So the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to
them to reconcile between them…” (Al-Musnad,
5/338)
25 - Showing one’s anger about a
mistake
When the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw or heard
about a mistake, he would show his anger, especially if it
had to do with matters of belief (‘aqeedah). This
includes indulging in disputes about al-qadar
(divine decree) and the Qur’aan. In Sunan Ibn Maajah
there is a report from ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb from his
father from his grandfather, who said: “The Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out to his
companions, who were disputing about al-qadar, and
it was as if a pomegranate seed had burst on his face,
i.e., his face was red with anger. He said, ‘Is this
what you were commanded to do? Is this what you were
created for? Are you using some parts of the Qur’aan to
contradict others? The nations before you were destroyed
by this!’ ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: ‘I never felt
happy about missing any gathering with the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but I was happy
about missing that gathering.’” (Reported by
Ibn Maajah, no. 85. He said in al-Zawaa’id: this
is a saheeh isnaad and its men are thiqaat. It says in Saheeh
Ibn Maajah: hasan saheeh. No. 69).
According to Ibn Abi ‘Aasim in Kitaab
al-Sunnah: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out to
his Companions, and they were disputing about al-qadar,
one quoting one aayah and another quoting another aayah.
It was as if a pomegranate seed had been thrown in his
face [because it was red with anger]. He said, ‘Is this
what you were created for? Is this what you were ordered
to do? Do not use parts of Allaah’s book against other
parts. Look at what you are commanded to do, and do it,
and what you are forbidden to do, avoid it.’” (Al-Sunnah
by Ibn Abi ‘Aasim, edited by al-Albaani, no. 406. He
said: its isnaad is hasan).
Another example of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) becoming angry
at the denial of one of the basic principles was what
happened in the case of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him), with regard to sources. Ahmad (may Allaah have
mercy on him) reported in his Musnad from Jaabir
ibn ‘Abd-Allaah that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab came to the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with a book which he
had got from some of the People of the Book. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got angry. He
said, “Are you confused about it, O son of al-Khattaab?
By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I have brought you
[the Message] pure and white, so do not ask them about
anything, lest they tell you something true and you reject
it, or they tell you something false and you accept it. By
the One in Whose hand is my soul, if Moosa
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were alive, he
could not but follow me.” (Musnad Ahmad,
3/387. Classed by al-Albaani as hasan because of
corroborating reports in al-Irwa’, no. 1589).
The hadeeth was also narrated by al-Daarimi,
may Allaah have mercy on him, from Jaabir, who said that
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab came to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with a copy of
the Tawraat (Torah), and said, “O Messenger of Allaah,
this is a copy of the Tawraat.” [The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] did not say
anything. [‘Umar] began to read it, and the face of the
Messenger of Allaah changed [i.e., he was angry]. Abu Bakr
said, “May your mother lose you! Do you not see the
expression of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?” ‘Umar
looked at the face of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “I
seek refuge with Allaah from the anger of Allaah and the
anger of His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). We are
content with Allaah as our Lord, with Islam as our
religion and with Muhammad as our Prophet.” The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “By
the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if Moosa
were to appear among you and you followed him and left me,
you would go astray from the straight path. If he had
lived until the time of my Prophethood, he would have
followed me.” (Sunan al-Daarimi, no. 441, al-Muqaddimah,
Baab maa yutaqqaa min Tafseer Hadeeth al-Nabi
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wa Qawli
ghayrihi ‘inda Qawlihi
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The
editor, ‘Abd-Allaah Haashim Yamaani, said: it was also
narrated by Ahmad with a hasan isnaad, and by Ibn Hibbaan
with a saheeh isnaad).
Among the corroborating reports is the
hadeeth of Abu’l-Darda’, who said: “‘Umar brought
some pages of the Tawraat to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, (these are) some pages of the Tawraat
which I took from a brother of mine from Bani Zurayq.’
The face of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) changed, and
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Zayd – the one who was shown
the Adhaan in a dream – said: ‘Have you gone
mad? Do you not see [the expression] on the face of the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?’ ‘Umar
said: ‘We are content with Allaah as our Lord, with
Islam as our religion, with Muhammad as our Prophet and
with the Qur’aan as our guide. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) relaxed and
said: ‘By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad,
if Moosa were among you, and you followed him and left me,
you would go far astray. You are my share among the
nations and I am your share among the Prophets.’” (Al
Haythami said in al-Majma’: It was reported by
al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, and it includes Abu
‘Aamir al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad al-Asadi, and I have not
seen anyone giving his biography, but the rest of its men
are mawthooq. Al-Majma’ 1/174).
We may note from these reports that the
educator (the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) had support
from the other people present when they noticed how his
expression changed and took their stance based on what
they saw. There is no doubt that this combination of
events had a great impact on the person who was being
reprimanded.
The process went through the following
stages:
Firstly, the anger that welled up in
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so that his
expression changed even before he spoke.
Secondly, [Abu Bakr] al-Siddeeq and
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Zayd noticed this and pointed it out to
‘Umar.
Thirdly, ‘Umar realized his mistake
and hastened to put it right and to apologize for what he
had done, seeking refuge with Allaah from the anger of
Allaah and the anger of His Messenger, and reaffirming the
basic principle of being content with Allaah, His
Messenger and His Religion.
Fourthly, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) relaxed and
calmed down when ‘Umar retracted and realized his
mistake.
Fifthly, the Prophet’s comment
confirmed and reinforced this basic principle by
reaffirming the obligation to follow the way of the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and warning against
taking any other source of guidance.
Another example of the Prophet’s
anger when he saw something objectionable was reported in Saheeh
al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) from Anas
ibn Maalik, who said that when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw some
spittle in the mosque in the direction of the qiblah, he
was so upset that it was clearly visible on his face. He
wiped it with his hand and said, “When one of you gets
up to pray, he is talking to his Lord, or his Lord is
between him and the qiblah, so he should not spit in the
direction of the qiblah, but to his left or under his
feet.” Then he took the edge of his garment, spat on it
and rubbed part of it against another part and said, “or
he can do this.” (Fath, 405).
An example of the Prophet’s anger
when he heard a mistake that led to wrongdoing was also
reported by al-Bukhaari, from Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari,
who said: “A man came to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, I am going to go late to the prayer
tomorrow because of so-and-so, who makes the prayer too
long for us.’ I never saw the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) more angry in
his rebuking than on that day, when he said, ‘O people!
Some of you are putting others off. When any of you leads
the people in prayer, let him keep it short, for among
them are the elderly, the weak and those with pressing
needs.’” (Fath,
7159).
Another example is for the mufti to
show anger towards the person who is asking questions when
he starts to nit-pick in a ridiculous fashion. Zayd ibn
Khaalid al-Juhani (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“A Bedouin came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and asked him
about lost property that he finds. He said, ‘Announce it
for a year. Remember the description of its container and
the string with which it is tied, and if someone comes and
claims it, and describes it correctly, give it to him,
otherwise, utilize it.’ He said, ‘O Messenger of
Allaah, what about a lost sheep?’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘It is
for you, for your brother (i.e., its owner), or for the
wolf.’ He said, ‘What about a lost camel?’ The face
of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) became red
(with anger), and he said, ‘You have nothing to do with
it. It has its feet, and access to water, and can eat
trees.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath,
2436).
The educator may show anger in
proportion to the mistake at the time when the mistake is
made, or when he sees or hears it, in such a way that the
anger may be seen in his face or recognized from his tone
of voice. This is a sign that his heart is alert to
wrongdoing and will not keep silent about it, so that the
others present will feel afraid of making the same
mistake. Speaking out when you are angry can have a
greater impact than remaining silent and waiting until
things have cooled down, because then the impact of your
comments will be lost.
On the other hand, it may be wise to
delay commenting on a regrettable incident or seriously
mistaken words until all the people have been called
together or until a time when they meet, because of the
seriousness of what is involved or because there are not
enough people around to understand and convey the
information to others. There is nothing wrong with
addressing an individual immediately and delaying general
discussion of the matter until later. According to Saheeh
al-Bukhaari, Abu Humayd al-Saa’idi reported that the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) appointed
someone (to collect the zakaah). When he had finished his
work, he came and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, this is
for you, and this is what was given to me as a gift.” He
said, “Why don’t you sit in your parents’ house and
see whether anyone brings you a gift or not?” In the
evening, the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up after
the prayer, pronounced the Shahaadah and praised Allaah as
He deserves to be praised, then he said, “What is wrong
with an employee whom we appoint, then he comes to us and
says, ‘This is for you and this is what I was given as a
gift”? Why does he not sit in his parents’ house and
see whether anyone brings him a gift or not? By the One in
Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no one of you
unlawfully withholds something from us, except he will
come on the Day of Judgement carrying it around his neck:
if it is a camel, he will bring it bellowing, if it is a
cow he will bring it mooing, and if it is a sheep he will
bring it bleating. I have conveyed (the message).” Abu
Humayd added, “Then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his arm
so high that we could see his armpit.” (Fath,
6636)
26 - Turning away from the one who has
made a mistake, and avoiding argument with him, in the
hope that he may come back to the right way
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to him
and Faatimah’s (peace be upon her, the daughter of the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) one night and
said to them, “Are you not coming to pray?” ‘Ali
said, “O Messenger of Allaah, our souls are in the hand
of Allaah. If He wants to bring us back to life (from
sleep), He will do so!” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went away when
‘Ali said that to him, and he did not respond to it at
all, but ‘Ali heard him as he was walking away, slapping
his thigh and saying, “ ‘… But, man is ever more
quarrelsome than anything.’ [al-Kahf 18:54 –
interpretation of the meaning].” (The words
of ‘Ali could be understood in different ways. See al-Fath,
7347).
27 - Rebuking the one who has made a
mistake
This is what the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did with
Haatib (may Allaah be pleased with him) when he heard that
he had sent word to the kuffaar of Quraysh, informing them
of the Muslims’ intention to head for Makkah to conquer
it. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him,
“What made you do that, O Haatib?” He said, “I
believe in Allaah and His Messenger and I never changed,
but I wanted to make some gesture towards them through
which Allaah might protect my family and my wealth. All
your other companions have someone there through whom
Allaah will protect their families and their wealth.”
[The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said: “He
has spoken the truth, so do not say anything but good to
him.” ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said, “But he has
betrayed Allaah and Messenger and the believers! Let me
strike his neck [cut off his head]!” [The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ] said: “How
do you know? Maybe Allaah looked at the people of Badr and
said, ‘Do what you like, for Paradise is guaranteed for
you.’” Tears welled up in ‘Umar’s eyes and he
said, “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” (Fath,
6259)
There are a number of important
educational points we learn from this story:
1 – The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) rebuked the
Sahaabi who had make a serious mistake by asking him,
“What made you do that?”
2 – Enquiring as to the reason that
motivated him to make the mistake undoubtedly has an
effect on the way in which he is treated.
3 – Those who have an excellent track
record are not immune from committing major sins.
4 – The educator must be open-minded
in dealing with his companions’ mistakes so that they
continue progressing on the straight path. The aim is to
reform them, not alienate them.
5 – The educator must appreciate the
moments of human weakness that may overcome some of those
who are with him, and he should not be shocked by a
serious mistake on the part of one who is advanced or
senior.
6 – Defending one who deserves to be
defended even though he has made a mistake.
7 – If a person who makes a mistake
has a great deal of good works to his credit, this should
be taken into account when evaluating the level of his
mistake and dealing with it.
28 - Blaming the person who has made a
mistake
An obvious mistake cannot be ignored;
blame must be directed at the person who has made the
mistake, and he must be rebuked from the outset, so that
he will realize that he has made a mistake. Al-Bukhaari
narrated in his Saheeh that ‘Ali (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: “I had a she-camel from my share
of the booty of Badr, and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had given me
another she-camel from the khums. When I wanted to
marry Faatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), I made an
appointment with a goldsmith from Banu Qaynuqaa’ to go
with me to Idhkhur. I wanted to sell him the two gold
bracelets and use the money for my waleemah
(wedding celebration). Whilst I was gathering together the
saddles, sacks, ropes and other gear, my camels were
sitting beside a room belonging to one of the Ansaar.
After collecting the things I had to collect, I came back
and found my camels with their backs cut open, their sides
stabbed and their livers removed. I could hardly bear to
look at this scene. I said, ‘Who did this?’ They said,
‘Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He is in that house
drinking with one of the Ansaar.’ I went to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and Zayd ibn
Haarithah was with him. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) knew something
was wrong from my expression. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘What
is the matter with you?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of
Allaah, I have never seen anything like today! Hamzah
attacked my two she-camels and cut their backs open and
stabbed them in their sides. He is in a house,
drinking.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called for his
cloak and put it on, then he went walking, and Zayd ibn
Haarithah and I followed him, until he reached the house
where Hamzah was. He asked permission to enter, and they
gave permission. They were drinking, and the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started to hurl blame
at Hamzah for what he had done, but then he noticed that
Hamzah was drunk and red-eyed. Hamzah looked at the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He looked up
at his knees, then at his navel, then at his face, then he
said, ‘You are no more than a slave to my father.’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) realized that
he was drunk, so he turned on his heels and we went out
with him.” (Fath, no. 3091). This
happened before drinking alcohol was forbidden.
29 - Shunning the one who has made a
mistake
Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported that Humayd said: “Al-Waleed came to me
and a friend of mine and said, ‘Come with me, for you
are younger than me and you know more about hadeeth.’ He
took us to Bishr ibn ‘Aasim. Abu’l-‘Aaliyah said to
him: ‘Will you tell these two your hadeeth?’ He said,
‘ ‘Uqbah ibn Maalik told us, Abu’l-Nadr al-Laythi
said, Bahz, who was one of his group, said: the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent an
expedition to attack some people. A man drifted away from
the people, and one of the (Muslim) expedition followed
him with his sword unsheathed. The man who had wandered
off said, “I am a Muslim,” but the Muslim paid no
attention to him, and struck him and killed him. Word of
this reached the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he spoke
out angrily against it. News of this reached the killer,
and whilst the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was delivering
a speech, the killer said, “O Messenger of Allaah, by
Allaah he only said that to protect himself.” The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned away from him
and the people around him, and continued with his speech.
The man said again, “O Messenger of Allaah, he only said
that to protect himself.” The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) again turned
away from him and the people around him, and continued
with his speech. The man did not put up with that; a third
time he said, “O Messenger of Allaah, by Allaah he only
said that to protect himself.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned to him,
and it was clear from his expression how upset he was. He
said, “Allaah scorns the one who kills a believer”
three times.’” (al-Musnad, 5/289. See
also al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 2/309)
Al-Nisaa'i (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that a man came
from Najraan to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), wearing a
ring of gold. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned away
from him and said, “You have come to me with an ember
from the Fire of Hell in your hand.” (Al-Mujtaba,
8/170; Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa'i, 4793).
Ahmad reported a more detailed version of this from Abu
Sa’eed al-Khudri: a man came from Najraan to the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wearing a ring
of gold. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned away
from him and did not ask him about anything. The man went
back to his wife and told her about it. She said, “There
has to be a reason for that. Go back to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” So he went back,
and threw away his ring and the garment he was wearing.
When he asked permission to enter, it was given to him. He
greeted the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who returned
the greeting. He said, “O Messenger of Allaah, you
turned away from me when I came before.” The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You
came to me with a coal from the fire of Hell in your
hand.” He said, “O Messenger of Allaah, I came with a
lot of coals.” He had brought some suits of clothing
from Bahrain. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “What
you have brought is not going to help us in any way (with
regard to the Hereafter). It is no more use than the rocks
of al-Harrah, but they are luxuries of this world.” The
man said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, explain
this to your Companions, so that they do not think you
were angry with me for some reason.” The Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up and
explained this, and said that the problem had been with
his gold ring.” (al-Musnad, 3/14).
According to a report narrated by Ahmad
(may Allaah have mercy on him) from ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb
from his father from his grandfather, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw one of his
Companions wearing a ring of gold, and turned away from
him. The Sahaabi threw it away and put on a ring of iron,
and [the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said, “This
is evil, this is the jewellery of the people of Hell,”
so he threw it away and put on a ring of silver, and the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said nothing. (al-Musnad,
163. Al-Musnad edited by Ahmad Shaakir, no. 6518.
He said its isnaad is saheeh).
30 - Boycotting the one who has made a
mistake
This is one of the effective methods
used by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) especially
when a very serious mistake was made, because of the
far-reaching effect that a boycott has on the person
concerned. An example of this is what happened to Ka’b
ibn Maalik and his two companions who stayed behind from
the campaign of Tabook. After the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had
ascertained that they had no valid excuse, and they had
admitted it, as Ka’b said:
“The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade the
Muslims to speak to any of the three of us who had stayed
behind. So the people avoided us and their attitude
towards us changed so that even the earth I was walking on
looked different to what I had known. We stayed like that
for fifty days. As for my two companions, they resigned
themselves and stayed in their homes, weeping, but I was
the youngest and the most determined, so I used to go out
and attend the prayers with the Muslims and go around in
the market places, and no one would speak to me. I would
come to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst he was
in a gathering after prayer, and greet him with salaam,
asking myself whether he had moved his lips in response or
not. I would pray near him, stealing glances at him. When
I would turn to pray, he would turn towards me, and when I
would turn towards him, he would turn away from me. When
the people’s harshness had gone on too long for me, I
went away and climbed over the wall of the garden of Abu
Qutaadah, who was my cousin [son of my paternal uncle] and
the dearest of people to me. I greeted him with salaam,
but by Allaah he did not answer me. I said, ‘O Abu
Qutaadah, I ask you by Allaah, do you not know that I love
Allaah and His Messenger?’ He remained silent, so I
repeated what I had said, pleading with him, but he
remained silent. I repeated it again, pleading with him,
and he said, ‘Allaah and His Messenger know best.’ My
eyes filled with tears and I turned away and went and
climbed back over the wall…
When fifty nights had passed since the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had forbidden
anyone to talk to us, after I had prayed Fajr on the
morning of the fiftieth day, and I was on the roof of our
house, whilst I was sitting as Allaah has described, with
my own self straitened to me and the earth, vast as it is,
straitened to me [cf. Al-Tawbah 9:118], I heard the sound
of someone shouting from the mountain of Sal’ at the top
of his voice: ‘O Ka’b ibn Maalik, rejoice!’” (Fath,
4418).
We learn many great lessons from this
story, which should not be ignored in any way. We read
about some of them in the scholars’ commentaries on this
story, as in Zaad al-Ma’aad and Fath al-Baari.
Another indication that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used this
method was narrated by al-Tirmidhi from ‘Aa’ishah, who
said: “No behaviour was more hateful to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) than lying. If a man
told lies in the presence of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he would
remain upset about it until he knew that he had repented
from that.” (Abu ‘Eesa said: this is a hasan
hadeeth. Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 1973).
According to a report narrated by
Ahmad: “ … he would remain upset with him…” (al-Musnad,
6/152)
According to another report: “If it
happened that one of the members of his household told a
lie, he would keep turning away from him until he
repented.” (Reported by al-Haakim. Saheeh al-Jaami’,
4675).
It is clear from the reports mentioned
above that turning away from the person who is making a
mistake until he gives it up is an effective educational
method, but in order for it to be effective, the person
who is forsaking and turning away from the other must have
some status in the eyes of the latter, otherwise it will
not have a positive effect, and may even give the person
something to be happy about.
31 - Praying against someone who
stubbornly persists in making a mistake
Muslim (may Allaah have mercy on him)
reported that a man ate with his left hand in the presence
of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said,
“Eat with your right hand!” The man said, “I
cannot” He said, “May you never be able to!” Nothing
was stopping him except pride, and he never raised it to
his mouth after that. (No. 2021).
According to a report narrated by
Ahmad: “Iyaas ibn Salamah ibn al-Akwa’ reported that
his father told him: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) telling a man
called Bisr ibn Raa’i al-‘Eer, whom he saw eating with
his left hand, to eat with his right hand. He said, ‘I
cannot.’ He said, ‘May you never be able to!’ And
his right hand never reached his mouth after that.”
(4/54)
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: “This hadeeth shows that it is permissible to
pray against the one who goes against a shar'i ruling for
no good reason. It also demonstrates enjoining what is
good and forbidding what is evil in all matters, even in
the matter of eating.” (Sharh Saheeh Muslim, 13/192).
We may also note here that the du’aa’
against him was not for something that would help the
Shaytaan against him, it was for something that was more
like a rebuke or telling-off.
32 - Turning a blind eye to some
mistakes and being content to just hint about them, out of
respect to the person who is making the mistake
“And (remember) when the Prophet
disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (Hafsah),
so when she told it (to another, i.e., ‘Aa’ishah), and
Allaah made it known to him, he informed part thereof and
left a part. Then when he told her (Hafsah) thereof, she
said: ‘Who told you this?’ He said, ‘The All-Knower,
the All-Aware (Allaah) has told me.’” [al-Tahreem 66:3
– interpretation of the meaning]
Al-Qaasimi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said in Mahaasin al-Ta’weel:
“‘And remember when the
Prophet’ refers to Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). ‘To one
of his wives’ refers to Hafsah. ‘A matter in
confidence’ means that she was not allowed to
disclose it, or what he forbade for himself although
Allaah had allowed it. ‘When she told it’ means
that she told the secret to her companion (‘Aa’ishah).
‘Allaah made it known to him’ means that Allaah
told him what Hafsah had told ‘Aa’ishah. ‘He
informed part thereof’ means that he told her part
of what she had divulged as a rebuke; ‘and left a
part’ means that he did not say some of it, out of
respect to her.”
It is noted in al-Ikleel: “The
aayah indicates that there is nothing wrong with speaking
in a secretive way to one whom you trust such as a spouse
or friend, and that he or she is obliged to keep the
secret. The aayah also indicates good treatment of wives,
gentleness when rebuking and refraining from seeking out
every fault.” (Mahaasin al-Ta’weel,
16/222)
Al-Hasan said: “No noble person will
pick on every little fault.” Sufyaan said: “Turning a
blind eye is the action of noble people.”
33 - Helping a Muslim to correct his
mistake
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: “Whilst we were sitting with the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man came to him and
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I am doomed!’ He said,
‘What is the matter with you?’ He said, ‘I had
intercourse with my wife whilst I was fasting.’ The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Are
you able to set a slave free?’ He said, ‘No.’ He
asked, ‘Can you fast for two consecutive months?’ He
said, ‘No.’ he said, ‘Can you feed sixty poor
persons?’ He said, ‘No.’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said nothing
more about the matter for a while, and whilst we were
sitting there like that, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was brought a
large vessel full of dates. He said, ‘Where is the one
who was asking just now?’ The man said, ‘Here I am.’
He said, ‘Take this and give it in charity.’ The man
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, is there anyone poorer
between al-Harratayn [i.e., in Madeenah] than my
family?’ The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled so
broadly that his eyeteeth could be seen, then he said,
‘Feed it to your family.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
no. 1936).
According to a report narrated by Ahmad
from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her),
whilst the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting in
the shade of a large tree, a man came to him and said,
“I am burnt, O Messenger of Allaah!” He said, “What
is the matter with you?” He said, “I had intercourse
with my wife whilst I was fasting.” ‘Aa’ishah said:
this was in Ramadaan. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him,
“Sit down.” So he sat down at the edge of the group of
people. Then a man brought a donkey on which was a vessel
of dates, and said, “This is my sadaqah (charity), O
Messenger of Allaah.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Where
is the burnt one who was here just now?” The man said,
“Here I am, O Messenger of Allaah.” He said, “Take
this and give it in charity.” He said, “To whom should
I give it except myself? By the One Who sent you with the
truth, I do not have anything for myself and my
children.” He said, “Then take it,” so he took it. (al-Musnad,
6/276)
34 - Meeting with the person who has
made the mistake to talk it over
In Saheeh al-Bukhaari it is
reported that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: “My father
married me to a woman from a good family. He used to come
and check on his daughter in law, and ask her about her
husband. She would say, ‘What a good man he is. He has
never slept in our bed or disturbed us since we got
married.’ When this had gone on for a long time, he
mentioned it to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said,
‘Let me meet with him.’ So I met with him after that,
and he said, ‘How often do you fast?’ I said, ‘Every
day.’ He said, ‘How often do you complete the
Qur’aan?’ I said, ‘Every night.’ He said, ‘Fast
three days of every month, and complete the Qur’aan once
a month.’ I said, ‘I can do more than that.’ He
said, ‘Fast three days every week.’ I said, ‘I can
do more than that.’ He said, ‘Don’t fast for two
days, then fast for one day.’ I said, ‘I can do more
than that.’ He said, ‘Observe the best kind of fast,
the fast of Dawood, fasting one day then not fasting the
next, and complete the Qur’aan once every seven days.’
I wish that I had accepted the dispensation of the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because when
I became old and weak I started to read one seventh of the
Qur’aan to my family during the day, and whatever I read
during the day makes it easier to complete it at night. If
I want to help myself, I do not fast for a number of days,
then I count the number of days I did not fast and fast
the same number of days. I do not want to give up
something that I promised the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) I would do
before he died.” Abu ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Some of them
said in three, and in five, and most of them said in
seven.” (al-Fath, 5052)
A report narrated by Ahmad describes
the matter more clearly and contains important lessons:
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: “My father married me to
a woman from Quraysh. When she entered upon me I did not
approach her because I was so enthusiastic about
worshipping Allaah by fasting and praying. ‘Amr ibn
al-‘Aas came to his daughter in law and asked her,
‘How do you find your husband?’ She said, ‘He is the
best of men, or he is like the best of husbands among men.
He has never disturbed us and he has never slept in our
bed.’ So he came to me and told me off. (Ibn al-Atheer
said: … according to another hadeeth, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas said: ‘So my father came to me and
told me off.’ Al-Nihaayah 3/200). He
said, ‘I married you to a woman from a good family of
Quraysh, and you are neglecting her (i.e., not
treating her as a wife) and you are doing such and
such.’ Then he went to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and complained
about me. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent for me
and I came to him. He said to me, ‘Do you fast during
the day?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Do you pray (qiyaam)
at night?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘But I fast and
I break my fast, I pray and I sleep, and I touch women [my
wives]. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah has nothing to
do with me.’ He said, ‘Read the Qur’aan once a
month.’ I said, ‘I can do more than that.’ He said,
‘Read it once every ten days.’ I said, ‘I can do
more than that.’ One of them – either Husayn or
Mugheerah – said, ‘Read it every three days.’ He
[the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said: ‘Fast
three days of every month.’ I said, ‘I can do more
than that.’ He kept increasing the number until he said,
‘Fast one day and do not fast the next day. This is the
best of fasts, the fast of my brother Dawood.’ Husayn
said in his narration of the hadeeth: then the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Every
worshipper has a time when he is motivated and keen, and
after every such time comes a time of slackening, where he
either follows the Sunnah or follows bid’ah. The one
whose slackening follows Sunnah is guided, but the one
whose slackening follows bid’ah is doomed.’”
Mujaahid said: “When ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr grew old
and weak, he would fast for several days at a time, so
that he could grow stronger, then he would break his fast
for a similar number of days. He would read his portion of
the Qur’aan in like manner, sometimes reading more,
sometimes reading less, so that he would finish the entire
Qur’aan in seven days or in three days. After that he
would say, ‘I wish that I had accepted the dispensation
of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for it would
be better for me than what I chose for myself, or I left
him saying that I would do something and I would hate to
do something else.’” (Al-Musnad, 2/158.
Ahmad Shaakir said: its isnaad is saheeh. Tahqeeq al-Musnad,
no. 6477).
Among the things we learn from this
story are:
- The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) understood
the cause of the problem, which was that [‘Abd-Allaah
ibn ‘Amr] was exhausting himself in worship to the
point that he did not have time to take care of his
duties towards his wife, so he was falling short.
- The principle of paying due attention to everyone
who has rights over one applies to anyone who is
preoccupied with matters of worship, such as a student
who is giving so many lessons, or a daa’iyah who is
so busy with his da’wah that his wife complains of
mistreatment. This can lead to a loss of balance in
carrying out different acts of worship and dividing
one’s time among all those who are making rightful
claims on it. So there is nothing wrong with the
teacher reducing the number of lessons he gives, or
the daa’iyah reducing his activities so as to allow
himself enough time to take care of his home, wife and
children, and give them their rights as regards
guidance, companionship and education.
35 - Speaking bluntly to a person
about the mistake he is making
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) reported that Abu Dharr said: “There was an
argument between me and another man. His mother was a
non-Arab, and I said something insulting about her. He
mentioned this to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who asked me,
‘Did you trade insults with so-and-so?’ I said,
‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Did you say something insulting
about his mother?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘You
are a man who still has something of jaahiliyyah in
you.’ I said, ‘I said what I said because I am getting
old.’ He said, ‘Yes, but they are your brothers.
Allaah has given you power over them, but whoever is given
power over someone, let him feed him as he feeds himself,
clothe him as he clothes himself, and not give him more
work to do than he is able. If he does give him too much
work, let him help him.’” (Fath, 6050)
In Saheeh Muslim it is reported
that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I
had an argument with one of my brothers. His mother was
non-Arab, and I said something insulting to him about his
mother. He complained about me to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) met me, he said, ‘O
Abu Dharr, you are a man who still has something of
jaahiliyyah in him.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah,
whoever insults a person, people will insult his father
and mother.’ He said, ‘O Abu Dharr, you are a man who
still has something of jaahiliyyah in him. They are your
brothers, and Allaah has given you power over them, so
feed them as you feed yourself and clothe them as you
clothe yourself. Do not give them more work than they can
do, and if you give them too much to do, then help
them.’” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 1661).
[It appears that the man's mother was a
slave. Translator]
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke in this
straightforward and open manner to Abu Dharr because he
knew he would accept it. Such a blunt approach can be a
useful method that saves times and energy, and gets the
point across in the easiest manner, but it should only be
done when it is appropraite to the situation and the
people involved.
This direct approach may be better not
used if it will lead to something worse or if it means
that a greater interest will not be achieved, for example
if the person making the mistake is in a position of power
and authority and would not accept such frank comments, or
if a direct approach would cause too much embarrassment to
the person who is doing wrong. It should also not be used
if the person is extra sensitive and is likely to react
badly. Undoubtedly a direct approach will be too much for
a person to take if it is made in a spirit of
confrontation and with the aim of causing embarrassment
and showing him up at the time when his critic appears
superior. Similarly it is essential to be cautious about
using “indirect” methods whose multiple negative
effects may outweigh the benefits of a direct approach,
because they may make the wrongdoer think that the one who
is advising him thinks he is stupid or that he is playing
about, or because they may offend him because he thinks he
is making snide remarks. This way of pointing out what is
right may not be effective, because what is being said may
not be clear to the person addressed, so he will keep on
making the mistake. Generally speaking, people differ when
it comes to accepting advice, and the right approach will
differ in each case, but a good attitude in discussing
mistakes and guiding people will also have the greatest
effect in achieving the desired goal.
36 - Persuading a person that he is
making a mistake
Engaging in a discussion with a
wrongdoer with the aim of convincing him may lead to the
removal of the blinkers over his eyes and bringing him
back to the Straight Path. An example of this is the
report narrated by al-Tabaraani (may Allaah have mercy on
him) in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer from Abu Umaamah (may
Allaah have mercy on him), who said that a young man came
to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “O
Messenger of Allaah, give me permission to commit zinaa
(fornication or adultery).” The people shouted [at him]
and [the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said, “Stop
it!’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Let
him calm down. Come here.” He came and sat in front of
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said to
him, “Would you like it for your mother?” He said,
“No.” He said, “Likewise, people do not like it for
their mothers. Would you like it for your daughter?” He
said, “No.” He said, “Likewise, people do not like
it for their daughters. Would you like it for your
sister?” He said, “No.” He said, “Likewise, people
do not like it for their sisters. Would you like it for
your (paternal) aunt?” He said, “No.” He said,
“Likewise, people do not like it for their (paternal)
aunts. Would you like it for your (maternal) aunt?” He
said, “No.” He said, “Likewise, people do not like
it for their (maternal) aunts.” Then the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put his hand on his
chest and said, “O Allaah, forgive his sins, purify his
heart and make him chaste.” (Al-Tabaraani, al-Mu’jam
al-Kabeer, 7679 and 7759. Additional material is
included between square brackets).
37 - Making a person understand that
his flimsy excuse is not acceptable
Some people who make mistakes try to
offer made-up, unacceptable excuses, especially when they
are caught red-handed. Indeed, some of them may appear to
be stammering when they give their flimsy excuses,
especially those who are not good at lying because they
are basically good at heart. How should the educator act
when he comes across a situation like this? The following
story demonstrates the brilliant attitude of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when dealing
with one of his Companions in a situation of this nature.
The story also shows us how the educator should
persistently follow up until the person gives up his wrong
attitude.
Khuwwaat ibn Jubayr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: “We made camp with the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at Mar al-Zahraan
(a place near Makkah). I came out of my tent and saw some
women talking amongst themselves. I liked them, so I went
back, got out my trunk and took out a hillah (a
suit of clothes). I put it on and came and sat with them.
The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out and
said, ‘O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah!!” (i.e., he was
reprimanding him for sitting with those non-mahrem women).
When I saw the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), I got scared
and started stammering (trying to come up with an excuse).
I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, my camel got lost and I
am looking for a rope to restrain it” (i.e., he came up
with a false excuse to justify what he had done). He left,
and I followed him. He threw his cloak at me and went in
among some araak trees – and it is as if I can see the
whiteness of his back against the greenness of the araak
trees. He answered the call of nature and did wudoo’,
and turned (to me) with the water dripping from his beard
onto his chest, and said: “O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, what
happened to your lost camel?” Then we continued on our
journey, and whenever he caught up with me, he would say,
“Assalaamu aleika Abu ‘Abd-Allaah. What happened to
that lost camel?” When I realized this, I hastened on to
Madeenah and avoided the mosque and gatherings where the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was present. When
this had gone on for a long time, I tried to go to the
mosque when no one else was around. I went to the mosque
and started to pray, but the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out of
one of his apartments and started to pray two short
rak’ahs. I made my prayer long, hoping that he would go
away and leave me. He said, ‘Make it as long as you
like, O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, for I am not leaving until you
finish.’ I said to myself, ‘By Allaah, I should
apologize to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and make him
happy.’ When I had finished, he said, ‘Al-salaamu
‘alayka, O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah. What happened to your
lost camel?’ I said, ‘By the One Who sent you with the
truth, that camel has never gotten lost since the time I
became a Muslim.’ He said, ‘May Allaah have mercy on
you’ three times, then he never mentioned it again.”
(Al-Haythami said: al-Tabaraani reported it with two
isnaads. The men of one of them are all saheeh apart from
al-Jarraah ibn Mukhallad, who is thiqah. Al-Majma’,
9/401. Upon referring to al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer by
al-Tabaraani, 4/203, it becomes clear that the report from
Zayd ibn Aslam is talking about Khuwwaat ibn Jubayr, who
said, ‘We made camp …’ In the biography of Khuwwaat
(may Allaah be pleased with him) in al-Tahdheeb it
says: Zayd ibn Aslam reported mursal from him. In al-Isaabah
it says that Khuwwaat died in 40 or 42 AH, and in al-Siyar
it says that Zayd ibn Aslam died in 136 AH; on this basis
there is a break in the isnaad).
This is a brilliant study in training
and the use of wise strategies to achieve the desired
result. We may also learn the following points from this
story:
- A person who has committed a sin will feel shy of a
respected leader when he catches him out.
- The way the educator looks at and questions a person
– even though it may be very brief – will have a
great impact on him.
- Not discussing a false excuse at the time of hearing
it – even though it is clearly made up – and
turning away from the person may be enough to make him
realize that his excuse is not acceptable, which will
motivate him to repent and apologize. This is what we
understand from the phrase “he left.”
- The good educator is the one who makes the person
who has made a mistake feel too shy of him, so that he
tries to hide away from him, but at the same time, his
need for him makes him want to come to him. Then the
latter takes precedence over the former.
- The change of attitude towards the wrongdoer is
based – in this case – on the wrongdoer’s
admission that he was wrong and his giving up the
thing he had done.
If the educator or leader is held in
high esteem by his companions, then if he rebukes one of
them or tells him that he has made a mistake, this will
have an effect on him. The leader should pay attention to
the interests of others when rebuking one of his
companions, so that all may benefit from it. However, this
should not mean that he should ignore any negative effect
on that particular individual. That can be dealt with and
its effects limited in many ways, even though a third
party, as al-Mugheerah did when he asked ‘Umar to be a
mediator whilst at the same time explaining the situation
and affirming how highly the leader thinks of the
follower.
38 - Paying attention to things that
are inherent in human nature
An example of this is the jealousy of
women, especially in the case of co-wives, some of whom
may make mistakes that, if they were made by anyone else
under normal circumstances, would be treated quite
differently. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pay
special attention to the issue of jealousy among his wives
and the mistakes that were made by them as a result, and
the patience, justice and fairness with which he handled
the matter are plain to see. An example of this is the
report narrated by al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) in his Saheeh from Anas, who said: “The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was with one of his
wives when another of the Mothers of the Believers sent a
big vessel full of food to him. The wife in whose house
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was struck the
hand of the servant, and the vessel fell and broke in two.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) picked up the
pieces and put them together, then he gathered up the food
that had been in the vessel and said, ‘Your mother is
jealous.’ Then he asked the servant to wait until he was
given the vessel belonging to the wife in whose house he
was, and he sent the whole vessel to the wife whose vessel
had been broken, and kept the broken vessel in the house
of the one who had broken it.” (Fath,
5225)
According to a report narrated by al-Nisaa'i
(Kitaab ‘Ishrat al-Nisaa’), Umm
Salamah brought some food in a vessel belonging to her to
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his
companions, then ‘Aa’ishah came wrapped in a garment,
carrying a stone, which she threw and broke the vessel.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put the two
halves back together and said, “Eat, your mother is
jealous” twice, then he took ‘Aa’ishah’s vessel
and sent it to Umm Salamah, and gave Umm Salamah’s
vessel to ‘Aa’ishah.
According to a report narrated by al-Daarimi
(Kitaab al-Buyoo’, Baab man kasara shay’an
fa ‘alayhi mithluhu) from Anas, he said:
“One of the wives of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent him a
vessel in which was some thareed [a dish of sopped
bread, meat and broth], when he was in the house of one of
his other wives, who struck the vessel and broke it. The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started to pick up
the thareed and put it back into the vessel,
saying, ‘Eat, your mother is jealous…’”
Women’s jealousy is an inherent part of their nature,
that may cause them to do bad things and prevent them from
seeing the consequences of their actions. It was said that
when a woman is jealous, she cannot see the bottom of a
valley from its top.
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Conclusion
Following this exploration of the
Sunnah and the methods which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used in
dealing with people’s mistakes, we should conclude by
mentioning the following points:
- Correcting mistakes is obligatory and very
important. It is part of naseehah (giving sincere
advice) and forbidding what is evil, but it should be
remembered that Islam is not only about forbidding
what is evil; we are also commanded to enjoin what is
good.
- Education and training are not merely the matter of
correcting mistakes; they also involve teaching and
showing the basic principles of religion and the rules
of sharee’ah, and using various methods to establish
these concepts firmly in people’s minds and hearts,
by example, by exhorting them, by telling stories, by
discussing incidents, etc. From this it is clear that
some parents and teachers are falling short by
confining their efforts only to addressing mistakes
without paying due attention to teaching the basics or
dealing with mistakes before they happen by instilling
that which will protect people from committing
mistakes in the first place, or at least reduce their
impact.
- It is clear from the incidents and stories mentioned
above that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used
different approaches in dealing with different
mistakes. This is because circumstances and
personalities vary. Whoever understands this and wants
to follow suit must compare the situation he is
dealing with, with these examples to find the one that
most closely resembles it, so that he can determine
the most appropriate approach to use.
We ask Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, to
guide us and protect us, to make us openers of good and
closers of evil, and to guide others through us, for He is
the All-Hearing, the Ever-Near, Who answers prayers. He is
the Best of supporters and the Best of helpers, and He is
the Guide to the Straight Path. May Allaah bless the
Unlettered Prophet and all his family and companions.
Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
