By Zeinab Hassan Ashry
`Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him), said, “The Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands Muslims are safe. And the Muhajir (immigrant) is he who abandons all what Allah has forbidden.” (Al-Bukhari)
The hadith warns Muslims not to rely only upon their declaration of Islam, acts of worship, and their good deeds such as Hijrah -migration from the land where one cannot practice his faith freely to a land where he can- and urges them to continue fulfilling their duties toward Allah and toward people in order to perfect their Islam.
It reminds them that they could not be true Muslims unless their deeds and sayings are free from all sorts of defects and imperfections. And they could not be true Muhajirs (migrating for Allah’s sake) unless they abstain fully from all sorts of evil.
Respect People’s Rights and Feelings
Islam guards the life, money, property, religion, mind, dignity, and honor of every human being whether he is a Muslim or a Non-Muslim. The Prophet said in his farewell pilgrimage sermon:
“Your lives, your honor, and your properties are sacred to each other as the sacredness of this, your day, in this, your month, and in this, your year.” (Muslim)
It is not permissible to say or do anything, no matter how little it is, that might hurt others’ feelings such as laughing at someone’s physical handicap, deformity, or poverty.
It is reported that Abdullah ibn Mas`ud had thin legs. Once his leg was uncovered and upon seeing his leg some people laughed. The Prophet said, ”Are you laughing at his leg? By Him in whose hand is my soul, his leg in the scale of Allah is heavier than the mountain of Uhud.”
Think Good about People
In Islam, every person is innocent unless there is a strong evidence against him. The relationships amongst Muslims should be based upon mutual trust not upon mistrust, doubts, and bad suspicion. Allah (Exalted be He) enjoined Muslims to avoid suspicion as much as they can so that they would not commit something wrong:
O you who believe! Avoid indulging in much suspicion as much as possible for suspicion in some cases is a sin and spy not on each other. (Al-Hujurat 49:11)
It is not permissible for Muslims to indulge in baseless and unjustified suspicion, for this kind of suspicion is a sin that would lead to many other evils such as severing good relationship between people, accusing people of defects which are not in them and maybe entangling them in baseless charges.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ”Avoid suspicion, for spreading suspicion is the most dishonest form of speech.” (Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, ”If you have suspicion, do not pursue it.” (At-Tabarani)
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The article is excerpted from the author’s The True Muslim, published by Islam Presentation Committee (IPC), Kuwait.