The Sign of Excellence in Islam
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Creator: Nathim Sultan
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Identifier: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=384
Language: en
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Subject: character
Title: The Sign of Excellence in Islam
Created on: Wed Dec 26 14:17:18 -0500 2007
Updated on: Wed Dec 26 14:17:18 -0500 2007
Version: 1
Abstract: ... or done. The Muslim should only participate in what concerns him, such as anything that is his property, right, obligation or under his control. To be concerned with something entails preserving and taking care of this thing that one is allowed to be concerned with. As for the matters that do not concern one, they are in abundance. Usually, when a person tries to interfere in such matters that do not concern him, the tool frequently used for this is the tongue. Muslims are ordered to utter only good words, for Allah said, what translated means, “Not a word he (man) utters, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).” [50:18] Many people ignore the fact that in Islam, words are considered actions. Such people care not to preserve their tongues from uttering evil or nonsense. Mu`ath ibn Jabal did not know the importance of discretion in the words one utters, so he asked the Prophet, “Are we going to be held responsible for what we say?” The Prophet answered, “May your mother lose you! What else will lead people to be dragged in the Fire on their faces, but the result of what they utter with their tongues.” [Irwaa’ al-Ghaleel] An-Nawawi said in his book, “Riyadh as-Saliheen”, “Know that everyone should only talk about what might lead to benefit. When talking and being silent are equal in benefit, then the Sunnah is to be silent. This is because to be talkative will usually lead to uttering evil, even if it starts with seemingly harmless words. One should always be on the safe side, a state that is indeed desired.” When a person utters only good words, he gains respect in his community. Likewise, if he is talkative and nosy, disrespect and a bad reputation are the result. This Hadith indicates that ignoring what does not concern one, is a sign of his excellence in the religion. Being successful in working the righteous deeds and gaining an increase in the number of good deeds are all results of this better behavior. The number of sins will also decrease if one protects his tongue from uttering evil. Abu Hurayrah said, “If you improve your Islam, then every good deed you work will increase (and will be multiplied) by ten folds to seven hundred times in reward. On the other hand, each sin is recorded according to its weight, until one meets Allah, the Exalted One.” [Muslim] Ignoring What Does Not Concern You The only way to know right from wrong is through the Islamic Shari`ah (Law). What one wishes and desires do not count in t... [Full Article...]
