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INTRODUCTION ... ...................................... ............... .............................................................. ... .. 5 WHAT IS SUSPICION? .......................................... .... .............. ................................ ................ ... .. 6 WHY DO SUSPICIONS OCCUR? ........................................................................ ................... .. .. 7 Incomplete knowledge ............................................................................... ...................................................................... ........... .... ..... .. .............. .... ... ... 7 Pessimism ...................................................................................................................... .......................................... .... ..... ....... .......................................... .... ... 7 Hating or having a problem with a specific person .. ........................................................................... .......................................... .... ... 7 Misunderstanding ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 THE TYPES OF SUSPICION ............................................................................ ............... ... .. ........ 9 Being suspicious of Allah ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Being suspicious of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Being suspicious of people ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 THE HARMS OF SUSPICION IN THIS WORLD AND THE HEREAFTER ............................ 12 Suspicion is the most false of speech ................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Suspicion doesn’t benefit you whatsoever .................................................................................................................................................... 12 The hypocrites’ hypocrisy was due to suspicion ...................................................................................................................................... 12 The people of desire followed their desires due to suspicion ...................................................................................................... 12 No one became suspicious except they had bad things happen to them ....................................................................... 12 Suspicion is the root of bad manners ................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Suspicion is the reason why people rejected the Messengers .................................................................................................... 13 Suspicion makes you deserving of Allah’s curse, anger and wrath ......................................................................................... 14 THE CURE FOR YOU BEING SUSPICIOUS OF OTHERS ................................. ................... ... 15 Be grateful to Allah ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Recall .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Learn ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Interpret ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Control ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Strive ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Approach ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 THE CURE FOR OTHERS BEING SUSPICIOUS OF YOU ................................. ................... ... 16 Apathy .... ............................................................................................................................. ...................................... ..................................... ...................... ....... 1 6 Remember .... ............................................................................................................................. ...................................... ..................................... ............ ........ 1 6 Abandon ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Caution .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Introduction 5 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society INTRODUCTION All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whoever he misguides, none can guide him. I testify that none has the right to be worshipped in truth except Allah, who has no partners. And I testify that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and Messenger To proceed : I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, Ever- Merciful: O you who believe, avoid much of suspicion, for some suspicions are sin. Do not spy on one another, nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would surely hate it. So fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Accepting of Repentance, Most Merciful. [ 1] My respected brethren in Islam! Peace and security are in reality achieved through strong inter-personal relationships, mutual love and being humane. Whichever society possesses these qualities, you will find peace and security established in it. And whichever society has these qualities missing, you will find that establishing peace and security there will be difficult and dangerous. It is a standard observation that the areas or villages where people have stable inter-relationships are the foremost in displaying mutual love and humane behavior. And wherever these two traits are displayed and ruled by, the roots of humanity there will be strong. And wherever humanity exists, people are concerned and take care of others, ensuring that the belief of respecting one another is absolutely defended, so one can’t even picture someone’s honor and reputation being ruined here; in fact, efforts would be fully made to eradicate these defamation attempts. And the society possessing these qualities will be the cradle of peace and security. On the other hand, the essence of love, humanity and passion for brotherhood is killed when tensions arise among one another, since the hearts become full of hatred, resulting in envy and suspicion emerging on land. Picturing humanity in such a society is pointless and futile. If hoping for humanity to emerge in such a society isn’t stupidity, then what is? Without a doubt, the environment of this society will be like Hell; where it will be impossible to observe the name or even sign of peace and security. A furnace of resentment will keep on burning there, which will be sufficient to burn relationships to ashes. It will be accompanied by a storm of hatred and suspicion, sufficient to eradicate brotherhood and friendships from its roots. A detestable environment will be created where people will chase others to find their faults, and this is something every human seeks refuge from. To protect ourselves from such an ulcerous environment, the Qur’an has presented an excellent approach to save ourselves from suspicion. We will speak about this in today’s Friday sermon, so that our hearts are free of a destructive, evil and ugly habit like suspicion. [ 1 ] Surah Al-Hujurat (49:12). What is Suspicion? 6 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society WHAT IS SUSPICION? Linguistically, suspicion means to: 1) Have bad assumptions. 2) Think badly of others. 3) Have malicious thoughts about them. Suspicion usually refers to those bad thoughts which a person preoccupies himself with in regards to someone’s character or speech, then he displays these bad thoughts through his speech or actions. This person actually pictures these suspicious thoughts as being truthful. For example, a person sees a man having a conversation with a woman. This person’s thought wanders, assumes and suspects that both the man and woman are speaking like lovers and are having an illicit relationship. This results in the person picturing the man and woman as misbehaving wicked evildoers, and treats them as such. This is known as suspicion, and the one who has these bad assumptions and suspicious thoughts is called pretentious, malicious, evil- minded and intrusive. Why do Suspicions occur? 7 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society WHY DO SUSPICIONS OCCUR? Incomplete knowledge: The greatest cause for suspicion to arise is incomplete knowledge. This is when a person makes up his mind [ 1] regarding an individual based on what he observes [ 2] , without fully acquiring the necessary information regarding him and his situation. When in fact it is very much possible that what he suspected will appear differently if he took a second look at it, and this would oppose the suspicions he had earlier. It is a major sin to be suspicious of someone on the basis of incomplete knowledge. Until and unless you do not perform a complete research into the state of an issue or individual, refrain from having any opinions on it. For the order of performing this complete research was issued by Allah when he said: O you who believe, if an evildoer brings you some news, verify it, lest you harm people unknowingly, then you become regretful for what you did. [ 3] We learn from this blessed Ayah that it is neither reasonable nor permissible to suspect others and make bad assumptions about them on the basis of some news conveyed to you [ 4] , or on the basis of flying thoughts [ 5] occurring due to your observations. Pessimism: Suspicion occasionally occurs due to pessimism; meaning that a person looks at everything in the worst-possible manner and has terrible thoughts about it. For example, if a relative started to treat you with an abundance of good manners, you suspect that he desired some benefit [ 6] from you, while the relative never had this thought in mind. It is a must that we change our mindset and become optimistic in such situations. Hating or having a problem with a specific person: From the major causes of suspicion is to hate a specific person. In this situation, the suspected person’s good deeds are seen as a shortcoming. Even if he did something good, this malicious individual suspects and makes up his mind that there is some flaw, deception, error or shortcoming in the good deed he is performing. [ 7] [ 1 ] [T/N] i.e. he is firm in his belief regarding his suspicions and assumptions for this individual. [2] [T/N] i.e. what has been made apparent to him. [3] Surah Al-Hujurat (49:6). [4] [T/N] This point is quite relevant to those who browse social media and state their views regarding an issue, then change it as the ones informing them of that issue keep adding something new to it. Speaking about the honor of someone and suspecting them in general is not permissible under any circumstances, and the spread of such suspicion on social media has made this sin seem insignificant in the sight of some Muslims, who have followed the paths of the disbelievers in these matters; Allah’s refuge is sought from this. Sharing or forwarding such matters is not permissible as well. [5] [T/N] i.e. the first thought that crosses your mind. [6] [T/N] i.e. some favor in return. [7] [T/N] This point summarizes the state of some individuals and groups who invite others to Allah in the → Why do Suspicions occur? 8 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society In this situation, it is important that a person removes any form of envy, hate and malice from his heart for this individual. Then only will his suspicion of this specific individual be removed. Misunderstanding: It is not necessary that suspicion arises due to some preconceived notion of returning favors. Sometimes, it arises due to a misunderstanding. Once the misunderstanding is solved, it is a must that we retract and turn away from this suspicion. → English speaking community, where they use general statements to pass-off verdicts on specific individuals, to the point that they prevent people from entering the Masjid if they disagree with them on their hatred of a specific individual! They see these people wanting to come and pray the Friday prayer in congregation as a good or evil deed with a certain evil purpose! Allah’s refuge is sought! These people have a disease in their hearts, and may Allah guide these people and protect us from their evil. The Types of Suspicion 9 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society THE TYPES OF SUSPICION Being suspicious of Allah: The worst form of suspicion is to be suspicious of Allah. This means that you object to Allah’s decisions, suspect that Allah deliberately reveals this hardship only with me, complain to Allah [ 1] if something bad happens and attribute every bad thing [ 2] that happens to Allah. All of these are evil acts. Upon us it to always have good thoughts of Allah, because Allah will treat us in the manner we think about him, hence Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah said: I am as my slave suspects me to be. [ 3] Meaning that if he has good thoughts about Allah, then He will grant him a good result for his deeds. If he has negative thoughts of Allah, he will have a similar result for his thought. Another wording of this report states: I am as my slave suspects me to be. If he thinks well of me, it is better for him. If he thinks bad of me, then it is bad for him. [ 4] Being suspicious of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ : It is not permissible to be suspicious of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . Being suspicious of him ﷺ is to doubt his truthfulness as a Messenger, think he invented the Qur’an, believe that he did not fulfill the responsibilities conveyed to him by Allah, assume that the knowledge he ﷺ taught has not reached us, or that the Prophet ﷺ as a person was not a good father, husband, leader, ruler and judge. This suspicion takes one towards disbelief. An example for this type of suspicion is what Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: On the day (of the battle) of Hunain, Allah's Messenger ﷺ favored some people in the distribution of the war booty (to the exclusion of others); he gave Al-Aqra bin Habis one-hundred camels and he gave Uyaynah the same amount, and also gave to some of the eminent Arabs, giving them preference in this regard. Then a person came and said: By Allah, in this distribution justice has not been observed, nor has Allah's Pleasure been aimed at. I said (to him): By Allah, I will inform the Prophet ﷺ (of what you have said). I went and informed him, and he said: If Allah and His Messenger ﷺ did not act justly, who else would act justly? May Allah have mercy on Musa (peace be upon him) for he was harmed with more than this, yet he remained patient. [ 1 2 F 5 ] [ 1 ] [T/N] We have been commanded to be patient when something bad happens. Complaining is the opposite of patience. [2] [T/N] Whatever bad thing happens is only due to that which our hands have earned. [3] [Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (7405). [4] [Authentic] Narrated by Ahmad in ‘Al-Musnad’ (9076). Al-Arna’oot said: The hadith is Sahih (authentic). [5] [Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (7405) and Muslim in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (1062). The Types of Suspicion 10 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society Being suspicious of people: Being suspicious of people falls into two categories: 1) One form of suspicion is based and strengthened by evidences and clear indicators. Acting on this form of suspicion is permissible. Many rulings in the Islamic legislation are based on this, and nearly all work on earth runs on this. For example: Rulings issued by courts, the testimony of witnesses, mutual trading, authentic information conveyed through phones and letters, singular narrations [ 1] reported by reliable narrators etc. The knowledge acquired from these means through focus, verification and strive is from the permissible forms of suspicion and acting upon it is obligatory. It is called as suspicion because the opposing traits [ 2] remains. For example, it is possible that the witness’s testimony is false, the conveyer of some news is lying, the narrator made an error etc. No attention is paid to the possibilities [ 3] for overlooking suspicions arising in such matters. If attention was paid to such possibilities, nothing would be resolved on earth. [ 4] Hence, the knowledge you acquired from evidences collected through your efforts; this is from the permissible types of suspicion, and acting upon it is obligatory. 2) The second form of suspicion is that which arises in your heart, but you have no evidence for it. If the evidence doesn’t exist, it makes no difference if the suspicion exists in your heart or not. This is also known as doubt. To suspect if the occurrence of this suspicion is more likely to happen than it not happening, this is known as delusion. These forms of suspicion are reprehensible and refraining from them is obligatory. Allah said: Some suspicions are sin. [ 5] He also said: Suspicions are of no avail against the truth. [ 6] My dear listeners! We have been commanded to protect ourselves from making assumptions (being suspicious) if no evidence exists for it. For example: A person who appears to be righteous, his sins and shortcomings have been concealed by Allah, he is chaste and trustworthy in people’s sight and we find no clear-cut sign or evidence for his ill-intentions or sinning. In this instance, being suspicious of him is prohibited. However, if a clear-cut sign or evidence exists for being suspicious, then it is permissible to be suspicious. This is why Allah did not prohibit from all forms of suspicion. He said: Avoid much of suspicion, for some suspicions are sin. [ 7] This means that some suspicions are to be considered as a sin, not all of them. Hence, Ayesha (may [ 1 ] [T/N] i.e. those authentic hadith’s which were narrated by only one person. These are an evidence in our religion by consensus of the Sahabah. Anyone who rejects this has fallen into serious error and is speaking about Allah’s religion without knowledge. [2] [T/N] i.e. the essence of the definition of suspicion is preserved in some form, and no alternative word can substitute it. [3] [T/N] i.e. excuses. [4] [T/N] i.e. it would be impossible to move on. If one can’t take the first step, how will he reach the end of his destination? [5] Surah Al-Hujurat (49:12). [6] Surah Yunus (10:36). [7] Surah Al-Hujurat (49:12). The Types of Suspicion 11 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I do not suspect [ 1] that so-and-so and so-and-so know anything about this religion. Layth (may Allah have mercy on him) said: These two people were hypocrites. [ 2] [ 1 ] [T/N] i.e. I have no doubt. [2] [Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (6067). The Harms of Suspicion... 12 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society THE HARMS OF SUSPICION IN THIS WORLD AND THE HEREAFTER Being suspicious has many harms. We will mention a few: Suspicion is the most false of speech: The greatest harm of suspicion is that a person commits to lying due to his suspicion. Hence, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Beware of suspicion! For suspicion is the most false of speech. [ 1] This is why the Prophet ﷺ said while prohibiting suspicion: Beware of suspicion! For suspicion is the most false of speech. Do not spy, hate or eavesdrop. And be brothers to one another. [ 2] Suspicion doesn’t benefit you whatsoever: A person can be as suspicious as he wants; in reality this suspicion brings no benefit to him. As Allah said: Suspicions are of no avail against the truth. [ 3] The hypocrites’ hypocrisy was due to suspicion: Allah said regarding the hypocrites: While another group cared only about themselves, having false thoughts about Allah, the untrue thoughts of ignorance, saying: Do we have any say in the matter? Say: All matters belong to Allah. They conceal in their hearts what they do not reveal to you. [ 4] The people of desire followed their desires due to suspicion: Those who live their lives following their desires do so on the basis of suspicion. Allah said: These [idols] are no more than names you and your forefathers have made up, for which Allah has not sent down any authority. They follow nothing but suspicions and what their souls desire. [ 5] No one became suspicious except they had bad things happen to them: It is from Allah’s law that one is treated in a manner similar to how he thinks of Allah. In explanation of the Ayah: Such was your suspicion that you entertained about your Lord that ruined you, so you became losers. [ 6] People perform deeds in accordance to their thoughts regarding Allah. A believer has good thoughts [ 1 ] [Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (2748). [2] [Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (5143). [3] Surah Yunus (10:36). [4] Surah Aal-Imran (3:154). [5] Surah Al-Najm (53:23). [6] Surah Fussilat (41:23). The Harms of Suspicion... 13 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society of Allah, so he performs good deeds. A disbeliever and hypocrite have suspicions against Allah, so they perform bad deeds. [ 1] Suspicion is the root of bad manners: The truth is that suspicion is the root of many evils. The pretentious being suspicious of others also envies them, hates them, becomes malicious, becomes an enemy, and to validate and prove his suspicions as true, he spies on them. From this aspect, this is a major sin. Suspicion is the reason why people rejected the Messengers: If we study the previous nations, we learn that they rejected the Messengers purely due to suspicion. The polytheists said to our Noble Prophet ﷺ : Those who associate partners with Allah will say: If Allah had willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated anything with Him, nor would we have made anything forbidden. Likewise, those who came before them rejected the truth until they tasted Our punishment. Say: Do you have any knowledge that you can present to us? You follow nothing but suspicion and you do nothing but lie. [ 2] The people of Shu’ayb (peace be upon him) rejected him due to this suspicion and said: We only see you a human being like ourselves, and we do not see those who follow you except the lowest among us apparently. We do not see you superior to us, rather, we think that you are liars. [ 3] Allah mentions in another Ayah: The disbelieving chiefs of his people said: Indeed, we see you as foolish, and we suspect that you are one of the liars. [ 4] Pharaoh also declared Musa (peace be upon him) to be afflicted by magic due to suspicion: Pharaoh said to him: O Musa, I certainly suspect that you are afflicted with magic. [ 5] Allah mentioned in another place: Pharaoh said: O chiefs, I do not know for you any god other than myself. So bake for me bricks out of clay, O Haman, and build for me a tower so that I may have a look at the God of Musa, for I certainly suspect that he is from the liars. [ 6] The reason why Pharaoh was arrogant and boastful on earth was due to his suspicion that he will not be brought back to life after he dies. Allah said: He and his soldiers were arrogant in the land without any right, and suspected that they will not be brought back to Us. [ 7] This was the suspicion Pharaoh had about Allah, which is why Allah ruined his plans and made him a lesson for those who came after him: [ 1 ] [Authentic] Narrated by Al-Tabari in ‘Al-Tafseer’ (21/457). [2] Surah Al-An’aam (6:148). [3] Surah Al-Hud (11:27). [4] Surah Al-A’raaf (7:66). [5] Surah Al-Isra (17:101). [6] Surah Al-Qasas (28:38). [7] Surah Al-Qasas (28:39). The Harms of Suspicion... 14 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society The pathways to the heavens , so that I have a look at the God of Musa , for I suspect him to be a liar. This is how Phara oh’s evil deeds were made appealing to him and he was hindered from the [right] way, and the plan of Pharaoh led only to ruin. [ 1 ] Suspicion makes you deserving of Allah’s curse, anger and wrath: From the harms of suspicion is that it makes one deserving of Allah’s curse, anger and wrath. Allah said: And so that He may punish hypocrite men and women and polytheist men and women, who suspect evil thoughts about Allah. An evil fate will befall them. Allah is angry with them, and has cursed them and prepared for them Hell. What a terrible destination! [ 2] [ 1 ] Surah Ghafir (40:37). [2] Surah Al-Fath (4:23). The Cure for you being suspicious of others 15 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society THE CURE FOR YOU BEING SUSPICIOUS OF OTHERS Some means to be purified from being suspicious include: Recall: If you have suspicions regarding any person, recall the Ayat in the Qur’an and the hadith’s which prohibit you from being suspicious. Recall the fate of such people in this life and the Hereafter as well. Learn: If you suspect someone regarding a serious issue which is important to you, eliminate this suspicion by striving to completely research and learn about the situation. Interpret: Similar to how we expect people to interpret our speech in a good manner, interpret other’s speech in a good manner as well. Control: Control your negative thoughts and swipe away any unpleasant assumptions. Strive: If you become suspicious, strive against these suspicions till the end. For example, someone misbehaved with you and you suspect that he is your enemy. Instead, suspect that he isn’t’ your enemy and it is possible that he has some issues going on in his home which have made him worried, so he took out his frustrations on you. An example for this can be found from the time of the Prophet ﷺ Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: A man from Banu Fazarah came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: My wife has given birth to a black son. He ﷺ said: Do you have any camels? He said: Yes, they are red. He ﷺ asked: Is there a dusky colored one among them? He replied: Some of them are dusky. He ﷺ asked: How do you think they have come about? He replied: Due to heredity. He said: Perhaps his color is because of heredity as well. [ 1] This means that it is not necessary that you suspect based on that which you see, it can also mean something else and have different interpretations you are unaware of. Approach: Immediately approach the person regarding whom you have a suspicion. Ask him for his forgiveness, letting him known what suspicions your heart had about him. Ask him to forgive you. Constantly asking for forgiveness will be hard for the heart to tolerate, so it will stop suspicions from entering it if Allah wills. [ 1 ] [Authentic] Narrated by Abu Dawud in ‘Al-Sunan’ (2260). Al-Albani said: Sahih (Authentic). The Cure for others being suspicious of you 16 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society THE CURE FOR OTHERS BEING SUSPICIOUS OF YOU If we complain that we are correct but people become suspicious of us, some cures for this are: Apathy: If you truly are in the right and have no shortcomings in that affair, don’t care about what others say about you. Remember: Remember that you can never shut other people’s mouths, so strive in rectifying yourselves. For regardless of how much we are in the right, it is still important that we rectify ourselves. Abandon: Abandon suspicious people and places. Even if we are right, we can be pictured as wrong due to a problematic society. Caution: Protect yourself from those matters which open the doors to suspicion. Ali bin Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: Safiya (may Allah be pleased with her) went to the Prophet ﷺ while he was in I`tikaf. When she returned, the Prophet ﷺ accompanied her walking. An Ansari man saw him. When the Prophet ﷺ noticed him, he called him and said: “Come here. She is Safiya. (I found it important to mention) That Shaytan circulates in the body of Adam's offspring as his blood circulates in it.” This means that save yourselves from any deed which will make the people develop bad assumptions and suspicions for us. 9/12/2022 14/05/1444 17 Suspicion: An Ulcer to our Society Authored by: Zubayr bin Khalid Marjalwi To obtain our works and lectures, contact us through Call: Zubayr bin Khalid Marjalwi +92-3086222418 +92-3111701903 Whatsapp: +92-3111701903 +92-3036604440 +92-3086222416 Translated by: Ibn Badar al-Salafi To contact me: Telegram: @Ibnbadarsalafi Call/WhatsApp: +92-3227950889 Twitter: @ibnbadrsalafi