Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Advising in private: Is it a condition?!

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

`Adee bin Haatim رضي الله عنه reported that a person delivered a sermon in the presence of the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم saying: ‘He who obeys Allaah and His Apostle, he in fact follows the right path, and he who disobeys both of them, he has gone astray.’ Upon this the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “[Get up! or he said: Go away!] What a bad speaker you are! (Rather) say: ‘He who disobeys Allaah and His Apostle’”. [Saheeh Muslim (1890), Sunan Abu Dawood (1099, 4981) and Sunan al-Nasaa`ee (3281). The words within the brackets are from Sunan Abu Dawood.]

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“What a bad speaker you are”: The Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم rebuke was because the man mentioned Allaah تعالى and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم in one pronoun (Ya`sihimaa), “disobeys”, which creates the notion that Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم are equivalent in rank, while there is absolutely no comparison between the Creator and the created.

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1. Since the man gave a public talk, he was corrected publicly.
2. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم corrected him straightaway and did not wait to advise him in private.
3. The correction had to be made in public so that those who were listening to the speaker would also benefit from this and that they are made aware of the mistake and that they too do not do the same.

Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said: “Thus if it (the innovation or the mistake) is done publicly, then its recompense must be done in public as well, in accordance with conceivable justice.” [Majmoo` al-Fataawa (15/286)]

4. Advising the Muslims in that which will benefit them or repel some harm from them is not considered as backbiting:

Narrated Faatimah bint Qays: I mentioned to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that Mu`aawiyah ibn Abu Sufyaan and Jahm had sent proposals of marriage to me. Thereupon Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “As for Abu Jahm, he does not put down his staff from his shoulder (i.e. he is always travelling), and as for Mu`aawiyah, he is a poor man, having no property. Marry Usaamah ibn Zayd.” I objected to him, but he صلى الله عليه وسلم again said: “Marry Usaamah.” So I married him. Allaah blessed our marriage and I was envied (by others). [Saheeh Muslim (3526, 3527, 3528)]

If advising the Muslims about what is good for them in their daily life is important, then advising them about what is beneficial for them regarding their Hereafter takes precedence.

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Hadeeth: Open repentance for open mistakes.

`Ataa reported from Mu`aadh bin Jabl that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “(O people!) Keep your duty to Allaah and fear him as much as you can. And remember Allaah عز وجل near every stone and tree (i.e. remember Allaah a lot). And if you committed a sin, follow it up with repentance – a secret (mistake to be repented) secretly; and an open (mistake to be repented) publicly.”

[Reported by Imaam Ahmad in “al-Zuhd” (26) and Tabaraanee in “al-Mu`jam al-Kabeer” (20/159/331). Shaikh al-Albaanee said in al-Saheehah (3320): “the narrators of this narration are reliable, they are the narrators of al-Bukhaaree and Muslim; except for Shareek (one of the narrators) who is weak, and the chain is Mursal (broken) as `Ataa did not meet Mu`aadh.” This Hadeeth also has supporting chain which takes it to the level of “Hasan li ghairihee”, see al-Saheehah (1475)]

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Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:
“Thus if it [the innovation] is done publicly, then its recompense must be done in public as well, in accordance with conceivable justice. For this reason, it is not considered backbiting to talk about one who openly publicizes his innovations and wickedness, as has been reported from Al-Hasan Al-Basree and others. This is because when one publicizes that, he justifies himself to be punished by the Muslims. The least of these forms of punishment is that he should be dispraised and dishonored so that the people may avoid and refrain from him and his deviance. And if he is not dispraised and the evil or disobedience or innovation that lies within him is not conveyed (to the public), then the people will be deceived by him. Then it is likely that this will bring some of them to act upon what he believes in. At the same time, it will only cause him to increase in his daringness, evil and disobedience.”

[Majmoo` al-Fataawa (15/286), see also (28/219)]

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