“Who are you to
judge?” “Worry about your own sins”…, ”It’s not your business what I
choose to do with my life”…, ”You don’t know what’s in my heart”….
Such
statements are all too common nowadays but have we ever asked ourselves
if they are actually correct? In this article we will very briefly
examine some Āyāt of the Qurʾān, Aḥādīth of Rasūlullāh (saws) and
narrations from the Salaf that prove why such sentiments are in fact not
in accordance with the teachings of Islām.
Believers as Shāhid (Witnesses)
Allāh says: “And
say: do (as you will), for Allāh will see your deeds, and (so will) his
Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the knower of
the unseen and the witnessed, and he will inform you of what you used to
do.” [9:104]
In this āyah Allāh warns that just as Allāh and
His Prophet (saws) will see your actions, the believers will also
observe your actions. This shows that the judgement of the believers
regarding a person is also important. This understanding is further
supported by the following three narrations.
Once a funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (saws) said, “It
has been obligatory for him.” Then another funeral procession passed
and the people spoke badly of the deceased. The Prophet (saws) said, “It
has become obligatory on him”. ʿUmar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb asked, “What has
become obligatory?” He replied, “You praised this person, so Paradise
has become obligatory for him; and you spoke badly of this person, so
Hell has become obligatory for him. You people are Allāh’s witnesses on
earth.” [Bukhārī]
Rasūlullāh (saws) once addressed the ṣahābah saying:
“Soon you will be able to tell the people of Paradise from the people
of Hell.” They said: “How O Messenger of Allāh?” He said: “By praise and
condemnation. You are Allāh’s witnesses over one another.” [Sunan ibn Mājah]
A man said to Rasūlullāh (saws):
“How can I know when I have done well and when I have done something
bad?” Nabi (saws) said: “If you hear your neighbours saying that you
have done well, then you have done well, and if you hear them saying
that you have done something bad, then you have done something bad.” [Sunan ibn Mājah]
It should be clear that there is a common message that all three of these traditions quoted above convey.
Judging by the Apparent
While
it is true that we are unaware of what is in the hearts of people, this
in no way stops us from pointing out to them their mistakes. The fuqahā
(jurists) have a generally accepted principle which states that we
judge people according to their apparent condition and leave their
secrets to Allāh. This principle is supported by numerous aḥādīth as
well as āthār (reports).
When Khālid expressed doubt in the
belief of a particular person and said: “How many observers of prayer
are there who profess with their tongue what is not in their heart?”
Rasūlullāh (saws) replied: “I have not been commanded to pierce through the hearts of people.” [Bukhārī]
In
another incident Usāmah bin Zayd killed an enemy combatant who had said
the shahādah, but Usāmah suspected the person said it insincerely. The Prophet (saws) reprimanded Usāmah saying: “Why did you not cut his heart open to find out whether he had done so sincerely or not?” [Muslim].
This shows that since we are unable to ascertain what is in the hearts
of people, we are expected to deal with them based on their outward
actions. This person’s outward action showed that he had accepted Islām
and he was to be dealt with as such.
In another ḥadith Rasūlullāh (saws) said: “I
am only a human being and litigants with cases of disputes come to me,
and maybe one of them presents his case eloquently in a more convincing
and impressive way than the other, and I give my verdict in his favour
thinking he is truthful. So, if I give a Muslim’s right to another (by
mistake), then that (property) is a piece of Fire, which is up to him to
take it or leave it.” [Bukhārī]
From the above we can
clearly see that even Rasūlullāh (saws) would judge according to the
apparent in situations where he was not given knowledge of the unseen
from Allāh.
The Practice of the Salaf
The Companions had inherited a similar understanding from Rasūlullāh (saws). ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: “Verily,
people were (sometimes) judged by revelation in the time of Rasūlullāh
(saws), and the revelation has ceased. We only judge now what is
manifested outwardly of your deeds. Whoever shows us good, we will trust
him and bring him close. It is not for us to judge anything of his
inner secrets; Allāh will hold him accountable for his inner secrets.
Whoever shows us evil, we will never trust him or believe him even if it
is said his intentions are good.” [Bukhārī]
This statement
clearly mentions that regardless what the intentions of a person may be,
it is his outward actions by which we judge him. If those outward
actions are bad then it is the duty of his fellow Muslims to point that
out to him and rectify his ways.
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar also shared a similar understanding. He is reported to have said: “We would think badly of a person if we did not see him for ʿIshā and Fajr ṣalāh.” [Muṣannaf ibn AbĪ Shaybah]
This
judgment is based on the clear actions of people. We have been warned
in the Qur’ān as well as aḥādīth against judging people based on mere
suspicion and speculation as well as scrutinizing them to find their
faults
The Correct Understanding of Surah al-Ḥujurāt
Allāh says in the Qurʾān: “O
you who have believed, avoid much ẓan (negative assumption) Indeed,
some ẓan (assumption) is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other.”
[49:12]
Rasūlullāh (saws) said, “Beware of ẓan (suspicion), for ẓan is the worst of false tales.” [Bukhārī]
Mujāhid said: “The meaning of this āyah is take what is apparent and leave what Allāh has concealed.”
Zajjāj
said: “it refers to having bad thoughts regarding people of goodness.
As for people of evil and sin, then we are allowed to have thoughts in
accordance with what is manifest from them.”
Qāḍī Abū Yaʿlā said: “This ayah indicates to the fact that all Ẓan has not been prohibited.”
In
his commentary the famous Mufassir Imām al-Qurṭubī says: “Ẓan in this
āyah means accusation. The caution and prohibition in the āyah is
regarding that accusation which is baseless. For example, a person
accused of lewdness or drinking wine who did nothing to warrant such an
accusation.”
It is clear from the explanation of the above āyah
provided by the mufassirūn that there is no contradiction between these
āyāt and the principle of judging people based on the apparent.
Likewise, there is no contradiction between the principle of judging
people by the apparent and the aḥādīth where Rasūlullāh (saws)
reprimanded the ṣaḥābah for speaking about certain individuals.
To Whom Does the Prohibition Apply
One such incident is the incident of Māʿiz
al-Aslamī who had confessed to committing adultery and insisted that
the punishment be carried out on him so that he may be purified. After
he had been stoned Rasūlullāh (saws) heard one of his companions saying
to another: “Look at this man whose fault was concealed by Allāh but who
would not leave the matter alone, so that he was stoned like a dog.” He
said nothing to them but walked on for a time till he came to the
corpse of a donkey with its legs in the air. He then asked: “Where are
so and so?” They said: “Here we are oh Messenger of Allāh!” He said: “Go
down and eat some of this donkey’s corpse.” They replied: “Messenger of
Allāh! Who can eat this? He said: “The dishonour you have just shown to
your brother is more serious than eating some of it. By Him in Whose
hand my soul is, he is now among the rivers of Paradise and plunging
into them.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd]
Another such incident is the incident of the Ghāmidiyyah
woman who had also confessed to adultery and asked that she be
punished. While the stoning was being carried out Khālid bin Walīd flung
a stone at her head causing blood to spurt onto his face so he cursed
her. Rasulullah (saws) heard his curse and responded: “Be gentle oh
Khālid. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, she has made such a repentance
that even if a wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would have been
forgiven.” Then he commanded that her body be brought and he prayed
over her and she was buried. [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]
A third such incident is that of the woman
from Juhayna who was also stoned for committing adultery. After the
stoning Rasūlullāh (saws) performed her Janāzah ṣalāh. ʿUmar found this
strange and asked: “You offer prayer for her, whereas she had committed
adultery oh Messenger of Allāh!” Rasūlullāh (saws) said: “She has made
such a repentance that if it were to be divided among seventy men of
Madinah, it would be enough for them. Have you found any repentance
better than this that she sacrificed her life for Allāh, the Majestic?” [Ṣāḥīḥ Muslim]
These
incidents and others like them are regarding people of piety and
righteousness who had committed a sin in a moment of weakness and then
showed great remorse and repented for their mistakes.
The same
applies to pious upright people who, in their attempt to do good,
unknowingly do something wrong. In the battles of riddah (apostasy),
fought during the caliphate of Abū Bakr, for example, Khālid ibn Walīd
did certain things which infuriated ʿUmar and he complained of this to
Abū Bakr and demanded that he take action. Abū Bakr responded saying: “He interpreted (the situation according to his understanding) and erred.”
These
incidents should not be exploited to give free reign to people to
openly sin and promote evil without fear of being called to account by
their fellow Muslims.
Sayings of the Salaf that Provide the Context
Ḥassan
al Baṣrī says: “Do you people abstain from mentioning the sinner?
Mention him as he is, so that people may be weary of him.”
ʿUmar says: “Assume
the best of your brother unless you learn something about him which you
cannot reconcile, and do not think badly of any statement your brother
makes as long as there is a good interpretation of it, and the one who
exposes himself to suspicion should not blame anyone who has a bad
opinion of him.” [Rawḍah al-ʿUqalāʾ]
Zayd ibn Wahb said: “A
man was brought to Ibn Masʿūd. He was told: This is so and so, and wine
was dropping from his beard. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd thereupon said: We
have been prohibited from seeking out faults, however, when something
becomes manifest to us, we shall seize it.” [Sunan Abū Dāwūd]
Exercising Personal Judgement
When
people say, “Don’t judge others,” what they are effectively saying is
that nobody has the right to pass judgment on the action of someone else
as being correct or incorrect. This belief stems from the acceptance of
the modern idea of moral relativity, something totally foreign to
Islām. Right and wrong are not personal judgments or relative to
personal beliefs, but rather they are dictated by Allāh. Waḥī is the
absolute truth. The Qurʾān and Sunnah are clear regarding what is wrong
and right. We as believers are the vicegerents of Allāh on this earth.
We are tasked with implementing and enforcing the laws of Allāh. Part of
this mandate is enjoining good and forbidding evil.
Allāh says in the Qurʾān: “You
are the best nation produced (as an example) for mankind. You enjoin
what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allāh.” [3:110]
Enjoining
good and forbidding evil necessitates that we judge the actions of
people as either good or evil. This judgement is not made at our own
discretion, rather it is made with the Sharīʿah as our standard. Only
after we judge a person’s action as wrong is it possible to advise him
regarding it or warn others against following him in it. In other words,
if we are not allowed to judge, the entire concept of enjoining good
and forbidding evil dissolves.
When others transgress the
boundary of Sharīʿah, it is our business. As believers we should want
the best for others. It is our responsibility towards them, as well as
those who may be following them, to stop them from evil.
Jarīr says: “I gave my pledge of allegiance to the Messenger of Allāh to be sincere and well-wishing to every Muslim.” [Sunan al Nasāʾī]
Rasūlullāh (saws) said: “Help
your brother whether he is an oppressor or an oppressed,” A man said,
“Oh Allāh’s Messenger (saws)! I will help him if he is oppressed, but if
he is an oppressor, how shall I help him?” The Prophet (saws) replied,
“By preventing him from oppressing (others), for that is how to help
him.” [Bukhārī]
Abū Hurayrah says: “A Muslim is the mirror of his brother, when he sees a fault in it, he corrects it.” [al-Adab al-Mufrad]
Rasūlullāh (saws) said: “I
swear by Allāh, you must enjoin what is good and prohibit what is evil,
prevent the wrongdoer, bend him into conformity with what is right, and
restrict him to what is right.” [Sunan Abū Dāwūd]
Furthermore,
the harmful effects of sin, if left unchecked, affect not just the
sinner but the community at large. Therefore, not enjoining good and
forbidding evil comes with severe consequences which Allāh and His
Messenger teach us.
Allāh very emphatically provides us with a reminder from those nations who have gone before when He states: “Those
among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue
of Dāwūd and ʿIsā, son of Maryam. That was because they disobeyed and
were ever transgressing beyond bounds. They used not to forbid one
another from wrong which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used
to do.” [5:78-79]
Rasūlullāh (saws) said: “By Him in
whose hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allāh
will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make
supplication and it will not be accepted.” [Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhi]
Abū Bakr narrates that he heard Rasūlullāh (saws) say: “When people see an oppressor but do not prevent him (from doing evil), it is likely that Allāh will punish them all.” [Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhi]
The Salaf’s Appreciation of Good Advice
The way of the Salaf in this regard is also proof that the commonplace understanding nowadays of “Don’t judge,” is incorrect.
The Ṣaḥābah understood the importance of correcting each other’s mistakes and advising each other.ʿUmar would ask Salmān to point out to him his faults. He would also ask Ḥudhaifah saying: “You
were the secret keeper of Rasūlullāh (saws) who informed you about the
names of the Munāfiqīn. Do you see any signs of nifāq in me?”
ʿUmar would also say: “There is no good in people who do not give advice, and there is no good in people who do not like to be advised.”
When
Dāwūd al-Ṭāʾī was asked regarding why he isolated himself from people,
he replied: “What should I do with people who hide my faults from me?”
This
was the way of the Salaf. They appreciated that their faults be brought
to their attention so that they could better themselves. On the other
hand, Allāh says regarding the munāfiqīn: “And when it is said to
him, ‘Fear Allāh’, pride in the sin takes hold of him. Sufficient for
him is Hellfire, and how wretched is the resting place.” [2:206]
Rasūlullāh (saws) also warns us of having such an attitude saying: “The most hated speech to Allāh is when a man says to another man, ‘Fear Allāh!’ and he replies, ‘Worry about your own self!’” [Shuʿab al- Īmān]
Conclusion
A
Muslim’s life revolves around two interrelated sets of relationships.
The first is the relationship with his Creator, the ultimate Lawmaker,
Allah. In addition, the affairs of a believer are bound by the Sharīʿah
to that of every other human being. Both these dimensions and the nature
of our interactions that arise out of them are, as we can expect,
guided by clear teachings of Dīn based on the Qur’ān, our ultimate
guide, the blessed sunnah, the continuous practice of the pious
predecessors and the interpretative tradition of Islamic heritage.
An
unbiased reading of these sources all point to the fact that it is our
bounden duty as believers and members of a common Ummah to, whenever the
need arises and in accordance with the guidance of the Sharīʿah, point
out the faults and shortcomings in the actions of others. Anyone who
thinks otherwise and allows all actions to be relativized is in grave
error and as a result of this mindset has in fact undermined the birr
(good) as considered by the Qur’ān and Sunnah. The Sharīʿah provides the
Ummah with the mechanisms to keep one another in check and provides a
corrective to our actions. This is dependent on nusḥ li kulli Muslim
(well wishing for all believers) and ʿamr bi al-maʿrūf wa al-nahi ʿan
al-munkar (enforcing the right and forbidding the evil). Failure to
frame this aspect of our relationship with our fellow Muslim brothers
and sisters correctly would not only be a failure to practice on an
important aspect of Dīn with clarity but also will reveal two more
weaknesses and fissures. The first is a weakness in the correct
understanding of the faith and the second is, sadly, the extent to which
foreign ideas and notions have crept into our own beliefs.
As
Muslims our salvation in the ākhirah depends on sound thinking. Good
deeds are dependent on a sound set of beliefs and convictions. We pray
that Allāh grants us all correct belief and good actions - Ameen Ya
Rabb!
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