Do not behave in this manner, especially when dealing with truthful, bona fide carriers of knowledge

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Abdullāh ibn Masʿūd, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, said: “Whoever cheats (deceives) is not one of us, and plotting and deception are in the Fire.” [1]

Al-Allamah Al-Munāwī said:

“Plotting and deception are in the Fire’ means that the person who engages in them deserves to enter the Fire. This is because such behaviour is driven by greed for worldly things and a strong desire for them, which leads a person to the Fire.” [2]

One of the companions of Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, may Allāh have mercy upon him, reported:

“I entered upon Jaʿfar while Mūsā was sitting before him, and Jaʿfar was advising him. Among the things I remembered from this advice was that he said:

‘My dear son, accept my advice and remember my words. Whoever considers their own mistake insignificant will regard the mistake of another person as great. And whoever considers the mistake of another person insignificant will regard their own mistake as great.

My dear son, whoever exposes the faults of another person will have the private affairs of their own household exposed. Whoever uses the sword of transgression will be killed by it. And whoever digs a pit for their brother will fall into it themselves.’”[3]

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said:

“Indeed, when people plot against a believer who places their trust in Allah, Allah plans for them and grants them victory, without any power or strength on their part.” [4]

It used to be said that whoever commits these three acts will suffer the consequences of their own actions:

1. Rebelling Against Allah’s Commands

Allah, The Most High, said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِكُمْ

“O mankind! Your rebellion (disobedience to Allah) is only against your own selves.” [Yūnus: 23]

2. Evil Plotting

Allah, The Most High, said:

وَلَا يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهْلِهِ

“But the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it.” [Fāṭir: 43]

3. Breaking Pledges

Allah, The Most High, said:

فَمَنْ نَكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنْكُثُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ

“Then whosoever breaks his pledge only breaks it to his own harm.” [Al-Fatḥ: 10] [5]

Al-Allamah Ṣāliḥ Al-Fawzān, may Allah preserve him, said:

“The meaning of ‘Naṣīḥah’ is Al-Khulūṣ (purity). Something that is ‘Nāṣiḥ’ is free from deceit. It is also said: ‘ʿAsalun Nāṣiḥun’ (pure honey) and ‘Labanun Nāṣiḥun’ (pure milk), meaning that they are free from deceit and bad mixtures. This is how it is with the religion of Islam, for indeed, it is free from every falsehood, deception, cheating, and treachery. It is a pure and unadulterated religion.

Likewise, a Muslim’s outward affairs should be the same as their hidden affairs: pure and free from evil manners, treachery, betrayal, and other such things. As for the person who cheats, deceives, and plots, or whose outward behaviour is different from what they conceal within themselves, this trait is not from the religion.” [6] [end of quotes]

One of the concerning behaviours we have been witnessing from some people since the death of many of the most influential senior scholars is the covert attempt to damage people’s reputations and discredit them before they have an opportunity to present the truth. This was very clear recently when audio tapes were concealed, cut, and pasted in ways that distorted statements. By the great mercy of Allah, the truth of what had taken place was exposed as clearly as the midday sun and rebutted with Sidq (truthfulness). Indeed, such behaviour is not befitting even common people like us, let alone those who carry some of the inheritance left behind by the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Wallaahul Musta’an.

Therefore, I remind myself and the brothers in Manchester, let us do our best to be truthful, regardless of our level of understanding. All of us should strive to stay far away from behaviour that may harm others. When we give people the impression that they are safe from our tongues in public, we must uphold this in private as well.

There should be no attempts – in the name of so-called advice or preventing harm – to discredit people before they have an opportunity to speak, secretly damaging their reputations, silencing them out of fear, or influencing others through private warnings, while presenting a different face in public to good people. In such cases, private warnings are nothing but a desperate attempt to shape people’s opinions while allowing culprits to evade accountability.

If we give others the impression that we respect their right to hold a different opinion in a matter of Ijtihad between the carriers of knowledge, portraying an appearance of tolerance and fairness, then not only should we refrain from violating this commitment but also we must remind everyone who seeks to violate such commitment -whether in private and public.

There is no harm in robust discussion when presenting one’s views in a matter regarding which the upright carriers of knowledge pursue their Ijtihad without overstepping the boundaries, neither being opinionated, over-stringent nor over-confident until it leads one to selective discrediting of others- unfairly damaging their reputations, attacks on their character, and attempts to undermine them through social relationships and private warnings.

Do not pursue character assassination disguised as Naseehah, especially when dealing with bona fide students of knowledge. Indeed, we have already witnessed the evil that resulted from this troubling behaviour during the distortion of audio tapes and statements, and it should not carry on in way or form. May Allah guide us all to truthfulness, fairness, and good character, both in public and in private. Let us be cautious of the pitfalls of trust-induced disinhibition and socially induced authority when speaking about others Wallaahul Musta’an. Do not warn against the study circles of any upright student of knowledge -those who do not condone transgression, rather, they either employ silent defiance or open denunciations to repel falsehood. Do not discourage anyone from attending the study circles of the people of sound Aqeedah and Manhaj. May Allah bless Shaikh Abu Iyaad, Shaikh Abdul Ilah and all our other Mashayikh in the East and the West. Amin

[1] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ, no. 6408

[2] Al-Taysīr bi-Sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, 2/432

[3] Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ by Abū Nuʿaym al-Aṣbahānī, 3/195

[4]Iʿlām al-Muwaqqiʿīn by Ibn al-Qayyim, 3/220]

[5] Kitāb ʿUyūn al-Akhbār by Al-Allamah Ibn Qutaybah, p. 149]

[6] An Excerpt from Minḥat ar-Rabbāniyyah fī Sharḥ al-Arbaʿīn an-Nawawiyyah, p. 12]