The Clarity a Person Loses by Enlarging Others’ Flaws
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “One of you looks at the speck in his brother’s eye while forgetting the stump in his own eye.” [a]
Al-Allamah Zayd Bin Haadee Al-Madkhalee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
This narration shows that it is obligated to (a person) to pre-occupy himself with his own faults before looking at that of others. It is severe heedlessness that a Muslim is heedless of his faults and delays rectification of himself, yet he criticises others and even though his faults are more and greater than that of others. Therefore, what is obligated to a Muslim and a Muslimah is to strive to prevent oneself from violating Allah’s commands and prohibition. Also, one should strive to call others to the (path of) Allah, so that they are distanced from sins, as sins are a heavy burden on a person in this life and the next, and make them incline towards obedience to Allah that would make their scales of good deeds heavy, earn a person paradise and the pleasure of Allah, and saves him from the anger of Allah and His painful punishment. However, it must be borne in mind that warning against ahlul bidah – those who call to their bidah through speech and books – is not tantamount to seeking after the faults of others, for indeed to warn against ahlul bidah is an established Sunnah- obligated by the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This is because to abandon the mention of a Mubtadi in order to warn against him is tantamount to abandonment of enjoining good and forbidding evil”. Therefore, we must make a distinction in order to know what is commanded and what is prohibited, and the difference between warning and seeking after the faults of others. [Awnul Ahadis Samad Sharh Al-Adab Al-Mufrad’ 2 /205]
Who Is Not Without Hidden Shortcomings?!
Imam Al-Qahtaanee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
And You (Allah) have placed love for me within the hearts….And the affection from You is through mercy and kindness….And You have spread – amongst the people – good about me… And conceal my acts of disobedience from their eyes…And you have made my good mention amongst the people common (or widespread)…until you made them all my brothers….By Allaah, if they knew the repugnance of my secret affairs (or inner self)….The one who meets me would have refused to give me Salaams…And they would have turned away from me and loath my companionship…And I would have brought disgrace upon myself after being honored…But you conceal my faults and deficiencies…And you dealt with my sins and transgression with forbearance (i.e. gave me an opportunity to repent)…So all praise and commendations- by way of my thoughts, limbs, and tongue- is Yours….[Refer to first lines of Al-Qahtaanee’s Nooniyyah]
[a] [As-Saheehah 1/74-75- Saheeh Mawqoofan]