On the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abee Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the one much loved by him, who said: I memorized from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“Leave what makes you doubtful for what does not.”
Related by Tirmidhi & Nasai.
Commentary Summary
Written commentary compiled by volunteers utilizing Sh. Jamaal Diwan’s audio commentary above and English translation of Ibn Daqiq Al-Id’s commentary on The Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi.
This hadith is part of a longer hadith, and tells us that heart of a believer can be an indicator for him or her. However, this is only so when the heart is clean. The believer who is truly seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt) and is engaging in a process of purification for Allah (swt)’s pleasure can use their heart to help separate doubtful matters from what is certain.
Heightened Awareness of Allah (swt)
When your heart is sensitive and connected to Allah, it may happen that you come across situations that don’t feel right. This hadith tells us that in these cases, the individual should leave what is unclear and causes discomfort for that which does not. Ar-Rayb, the word used in the hadith to refer to doubt, can refer to discomfort or instability. It is the opposite of tranquility; it upsets the person at some level. Many of the early scholars, from the angle of wara’a or heightened awareness of God, would be very careful about things that caused discomfort and doubt. For example, one of the scholars, Yazid ibn Zariya, did not take 500,000 dinars of inheritance from his father because his father used to work for rulers whom were corrupt.
Differences in Opinion
One issue that arises is that we may start to think it is better across the board to take the more difficult opinion when there is a difference of opinion. This is not necessarily the case. Ibn Rajab (ra) said about this “It’s possible that someone would derive from this that it is better to stay away from the difference of opinion between the scholars, because it is farther from the grey area, but the true and strong amongst the scholars are of the opinion that this is not in all cases.”
For example, there is a difference among the scholars regarding someone who knows that he made wudu but is not sure if he broke his wudu. Some of the scholars say it would be better if that person re-made their wudu, since there is doubt. But Ibn Rajab (ra) comments on this and says that this actually is not true, because it’s established that the Prophet (sas) said that the person should not make their wudu until they hear a sound or find a smell. The point is that there could be two differing opinions and one of them may be harder, but both could have a very strong foundation in the example of the Prophet (sas). If that is the case then it is not necessary to take the harder one.
Check Your Priorities
Sometimes a person may be committing major sins and suddenly have God-consciousness (wara’a) in small matters. Such a person is misplacing their attention and priorities. An example of this is a group of people who came to Makkah to ask ibn Umar (ra) if it was permissible to kill a mosquito in the state of ihram. Ibn Umar (ra)’s response was that they came from Iraq, where the grandsons of the Prophet (sas) had been killed, and yet they asked about the blood of a mosquito. He asked them to recheck their priorities. In another case, Bashir ibn al-Harith (ra) was asked if one should divorce his wife if his mom commanded him to do so. Bashir ibn al-Harith (ra) responded that if you are following the command of your mother in every other issue, then follow her in this issue as well. But if you don’t respect your mother and give her full regards in every other issue, or if you don’t treat your mother well, then don’t divorce your wife. This means that it’s not a sign of piety to pay attention to small things while letting the big matters slide.
Imam Ahmed also used to be very strict in these issues. For example, one time he asked someone to buy him some fat, and when it was brought it came on a piece of paper. He didn’t pay for the paper, only for the fat, so he commanded the person to return the piece of paper out of the heightened awareness of Allah (swt). It’s also said that he would never borrow ink from his companions and would always use his own ink.
How to Determine What is Doubtful
In some other narrations of the hadith, the addition to the end is “Verily good is what settles in one’s heart and evil is that which is doubtful.” This will be discussed in some of the ahadith coming up later in the 40 Hadith. The last thing to mention is that one of the ways to know what is doubtful is to look at things as opposites. If you’re trying to figure out if something is doubtful or permissible, you can look at its opposite. When you see the opposite sometimes it’s easier and clearer to understand the nature of that thing.
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Leaving that Which Does Not Concern You
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“Part of the perfection of one’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him.”
[Tirmidhi]
Commentary Summary
Written commentary compiled by volunteers utilizing Sh. Jamaal Diwan’s audio commentary above and English translation of Ibn Daqiq Al-Id’s commentary on The Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi.
This hadith explains an important but often overlooked aspect of completing and perfecting our practice of Islam. We should not concern ourselves with matters that are none of our business, but should stay focused on the priorities that do concern us. When our practice of Islam becomes more complete and more perfected, the good deeds we perform are multiplied to higher and higher exponents. By instilling this quality of focusing on what is of concern to you and disregarding what is not, deeds may become more weighty and valuable in the sight of Allah swt.
One of the great scholars of the Maliki school of fiqh, Imam Abu Zaid al-Maliki, said that all attributes of goodness stem from four hadiths[a]:
- The hadith in which the Prophet (sas) says to speak well or remain silent.
- The present hadith.
- The hadith in which the Prophet (sas) said to a man asking for advice- “Do not get angry. Do not get angry. Do not get angry.”
- “You will not attain true belief until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.”
This hadith outlines a valuable approach to life, especially in our age of information overload and constant connection. In order to recognize the situations in which this characteristic can be applied, you must practice a degree of sensitivity and humility. Shaikh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah mentions that even when someone must cancel an appointment or meeting with you, it is inappropriate to ask why since not every person can or wishes to explain the reason. Al-Hasan Al-Basri once said that one of the signs that Allah has turned away from a servant is that the servant finds himself continuously preoccupied and engaged in matters which are none of his concern.
How to Attain this Quality
There are three recommendations that can help someone stay focused on what is of concern to him or her, and not being distracted by superfluous issues.
- Exercise a degree of shyness and modesty, as rare and endangered as these qualities are today. Haya’, the qualities of humility, shyness, and modesty before Allah, is a valuable possession that the Prophet (sas) praised very highly. Allah says in the Quran, “Do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private counsels? Indeed We do, and Our messengers are by them, to record.”
- Control your speech. Once a man noticed the Prophet Luqman surrounded by his followers and asked him, “Weren’t you the slave of so and so? Didn’t you used to be a shepherd for so and so? How did you get to such a respectful position among people?” Prophet Luqman, peace be upon him, answered, “Truthful speech, and long silence upon what does not concern me.”
- Think about how you spend time. Al-Hasan al-Basri once said, “You are nothing but a compilation of breaths.” Every time you exhale, a piece of your life, a part of you, is lost. How many of our interactions are worthwhile and how many are useless? Allah says, “Most of their discussions do not contain any good, except of the one who enjoins charity or goodness or peace-making among people.” (4:114)
Understanding Priorities
The fiqh of priorities is in itself a large field of study in Islam. It is important that every person grasps enough of this concept to be able to recognize the priorities in their time and concerns. Imam Al-Ghazali said, “Disregarding the prioritization of good deeds in itself is a bad deed.” It is not simply a matter of identifying what concerns us and what not, but also the degrees of relevance and priority. In face of the avalanche of information, talk, social interactions, and distractions around us, an understanding of priorities can help us make choices, stay focused on what concerns us, and behave with beautiful manners and a more complete Islam.
