The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Hastening to Deal with People’s Mistakes
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to hasten to
deal with people’s mistakes, especially when it was not right for him to delay
doing so at the moment when this was needed. His task was to explain the
truth to people, teach them to do good, and warn them off from doing evil. So
he hastened to correct people on many occasions, as is seen in the stories of
the man who was not doing his salaah properly, the Makhzoomi woman, Ibn
al-Latbiyyah, Usaamah, the three who wanted to go to extremes in worship,
and others. These stories will be related in the course of this discussion, in
sha Allaah.
Not hastening to deal with mistakes goes against the interests of Islam and
misses out on the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot, as it were.
Dealing with Mistakes by Explaining the Ruling
(HUKM).
Jarhad (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by him when his thigh was uncovered.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“Cover your thigh, for it is part of the ‘awrah.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2796.
Al-Tirmidhi said, this is a hasan hadeeth).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Referring People back to Islam when they Make
Mistakes, and Pointing out to them the Principle they
Break
When someone is indulging in a mistake, the Islamic principle is far from their
minds and is lost in the clamour of the moment. In such cases reiterating the
Islamic principle and announcing it loudly can be an effective way of stopping
the person in his tracks and making him wake up from the stupor that has
overtaken him. When we look at what happened between the Muhaajiroon
and Ansaar, because of the flames of fitnah stirred up by the munaafiqoon,
we will see an example of how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used this tactic. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him)
reported in his Saheeh that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“We went out on a military campaign with the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and some of the muhaajiroon went with
him too, and they were very many. Among the muhaajiroon was a man who
was very playful (a joker). He shoved an Ansaari (in jest), and the Ansaari got
very angry with him and called others to support him, saying, ‘O Ansaar!’
The Muhaajir called out, ‘O Muhaajireen!’ The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) came out and said, ‘What is this call of the people of
Jaahiliyyah all about?’ Then he said, ‘What is the matter with him?’ He was told
about how the Muhaajir had shoved the Ansaari in jest. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Leave it, for it (tribalism) is evil.’ ”
(al-Fath, 3518).
According to a report narrated by Muslim, he said:
“Let a man help his brother whether he is an wrongdoer or the victim of
wrongdoing. If he is a wrongdoer, he should stop him, and if he is the victim of
wrongdoing, he should come to his aid.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 2584).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Correcting Misconceptions Happend Because of
Something Unclear in People’s Minds
In Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Humayd ibn Abi Humayd al-Taweel reports that he
heard Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) saying:
“Three people came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), asking about how the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) worshipped. When they were told about
it, they thought that it was little. They said, “Who are we, compared to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? All his sins, past and
future, have been forgiven.” (They thought that the one who does not know
that his sins have been forgiven needed to go to extremes in worship and do
far more than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in the
hope that their sins might be forgiven). One of them said, “As for me, I will
pray every night from now on.” Another said, “As for me, I will fast for the
rest of my life and will never break my fast.” The third said, “As for me, I will
have nothing to do with women and I will never marry.” The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to them and said,
“Are you the people who said such-and-such? By Allaah, I am the one who
fears Allaah more than anyone, but I fast and I break my fast, I pray and I rest,
and I get married.”
Muslim reported from Anas that a group of the Companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked the wives of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about what he did in secret. One
of them (those Sahaabah) said, “I will never marry women.” Another said, “I
will never eat meat.” Another said, “I will never sleep on a bed.” [The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] praised and thanked Allaah, then
he said,
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
“What is the matter with some people who say such-and-such? But as for
me, I pray and I sleep, I fast and I break my fast, and I marry women. Whoever
turns away from my Sunnah has nothing to do with me.” (Saheeh Muslim, no.
1041).
Here we may note the following points:
• The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to them
and addressed them directly; when he wanted to teach all the people, he
did not refer to them by name or expose them, he merely said, “What
is the matter with some people…?” In this way he was gentle with them
and covered up for them whilst at the same time acting in the common
interest by teaching everybody.
• The hadeeth describes finding out about the action of good people and
seeking to emulate them. Investigating such things is the sign of a sound
mind and efforts to improve oneself.
• This report indicates that when it comes to useful matters of religion, if
it is not possible to learn them from men, it is permissible to learn them
from women.
• There is nothing wrong with a person talking about his deeds so long as
there is no element of showing off and it is for the benefit of others.
• We also learn that going to extremes in worship may cause a person to
get bored, which in turn could lead him to stop worshipping altogether;
the best of things are those that are moderate. (see al-Fath, 9104/).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
• Mistakes generally come about as a result of misconceptions; if the ideas
are put right, mistakes will decrease. It is clear from the hadeeth that
the reason why those Sahaabah adopted those concepts of extreme
worship and monasticism was that they thought they had to go beyond
the Prophet’s actions in worship in order to attain salvation, because he
had been told that all his sins were forgiven, but they did not have this
advantage. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set
them straight, and told them that even though he was forgiven, he was the
most fearing of Allaah among mankind, and he commanded them to follow
his Sunnah in worship.
A similar thing happened to another Sahaabi, whose name was Kahmas al-
Hilaali (may Allaah be pleased with him), who narrated his story:
“I became Muslim and came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and told him that I had become Muslim. I stayed away for a year,
during which I became very skinny, and when I came back, he looked me up
and down. I said, ‘Do you not know me?’ he said, ‘Who are you?’ I said, ‘I am
Kahmas al-Hilaali.’ He said, ‘What happened to you?’ I said, ‘After I saw you,
I never spent a day without fasting, and I never slept at night.’ He said, ‘Who
told you to torture yourself? Fast the month of patience [i.e., Ramadaan],
and one day of every month besides that.’ I said, ‘Let me do more.’ He said,
‘Fast the month of patience and two days of every month besides that.’ I said,
‘Let me do more, I am able for it.’ He said, ‘Fast the month of patience and
three days of every month besides that.’” (Musnad al-Tayaalisi. Reported by
al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 19194/, no. 435. Also in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no.
2623).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Some misconceptions may be based on how one judges people and regards
them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was very keen
to correct this and put people straight in this regard. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari,
there is a report from Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi who said:
“A man passed by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), so he asked a man sitting by him, ‘What do you think of this man?’
He said, ‘He is one of the noblest of the people. By Allaah, if he proposes
marriage he deserves to be accepted and if he intercedes he deserves to
have his intercession accepted.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said nothing. Then another man passed by and the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked the
man with him, ‘What do you think of him?’ The man said, ‘O Messenger of
Allaah, he is one of the poor Muslims. If he proposes marriage he does not
deserve to be accepted, if he intercedes he does not deserve to have his
intercession accepted, and if he speaks he does not deserve to be heard. The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘This
man is better than an earth full of men like the other man.’ ” (al-Fath, 6447).
According to a report narrated by Ibn Maajah: a man passed by the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said (to his Companions),
“What do you think of this man?” They said, “We think that he is one of the
noblest of people. If he proposes marriage he deserves to be accepted, if he
intercedes he deserves to have his intercession accepted, and if he speaks
he deserves to be heard.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said nothing. Another man passed by and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked, “What do you think of this man?”
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
They said, “By Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, he is one of the poor Muslims. If
he proposes marriage he does not deserve to be accepted, if he intercedes, he
does not deserve to have his intercession accepted, and if he speaks he does
not deserve to be heard.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, “This man is better than an earth full of men like the other one.”
(Sunan Ibn Maajah, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn., no. 4120)
Dealing with Mistakes by Repeatedly Reminding People
to Fear Allaah
Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Bajali reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent a group of Muslims to fight some
mushrikeen, and they met in battle. One of the mushrikeen was ambushing
individual Muslims and killing them. One of the Muslims wanted to catch
him out and kill him. [Jundub said:] “We used to think that that man was
Usaamah ibn Zayd. When he raised his sword, the mushrik said ‘La ilaaha
ill-Allaah,’ but he [Usaamah] killed him. A messenger came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and reported to him about what
had happened in the battle. When he told him about what had happened to
the mushrik who said Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) sent for Usaamah and asked him,
‘Why did you kill him?’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he had caused much
grief to the Muslims, he killed So-and-so and So-and-so,’ – and he named a
number of people – ‘I attacked him and when he saw the sword he said Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said, ‘And then you killed him?’ Usaamah said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘What
will you do when Laa illaha ill-Allaah comes on the Day of Resurrection?’
He said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, pray for forgiveness for me.’” The Prophet
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) simply said, “What will you do
when Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah comes on the Day of Resurrection?” He did not say
any more than that. (Reported by Muslim, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn., no. 97).
According to a report narrated by Usaamah ibn Zayd, he
said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent
us out on a military campaign and we reached al-Haraqaat near Juhaynah in
the morning. [During the battle] I caught a man and he said, ‘Laa ilaaha ill-
Allaah,’ but I stabbed him. Then I felt bad about that, and I mentioned it to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘He said Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah
and you killed him?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he only said it because he
was afraid of my weapon.’ He said, ‘How can you know what is in his heart?
How can you be sure whether he was sincere or not?’ He kept repeating this
until I wished that I had not become Muslim until that day [because embracing
Islam wipes out all sins that came before - Translator].” (Reported by Muslim,
no. 69)
One issue that may be included under the heading of reminders is reminding
people about the power of Allaah. An example of this follows:
Muslim (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported that Abu Mas‘ood al-Badri
said:
“I was beating a slave of mine with a whip, and I heard a voice behind me
saying, ‘Listen Abu Mas‘ood!’ but I did not pay any attention to the voice
because I was so angry. When the voice got nearer to me, I realized that it
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and
he was saying, ‘Listen Abu Mas‘ood, listen Abu Mas‘ood!’ I dropped the whip
from my hand (according to another report: the whip fell from my hand out
of respect for him). He said, ‘Listen Abu Mas‘ood, Allaah has more power
over you than you have over this slave.’ I said, ‘I will never hit a slave again.’”
According to another report he said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he is free
for the sake of Allaah.’ He said, ‘If you did not do this, the Fire of Hell would
blow in your face, or the Fire would touch you.’ ”
According to another report also narrated by Muslim, “the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
‘Certainly Allaah has more power over you than you have over him.’ So he
freed him.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 1659)
Abu Mas‘ood al-Ansaari said:
“I was beating a slave of mine when I heard someone saying from behind me,
‘Listen, Abu Mas‘ood, listen, Abu Mas‘ood.’ I turned around and saw that it
was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He
said, ‘Allaah has more power over you than you have over him.’… I never beat
any slave of mine after that.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 1948. Abu ‘Eesa
said, this is a hasan saheeh hadeeth).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Showing Compassion to the one Commiting a Mistake.
This applies in the case of those who deserve compassion, who feel remorse
and show that they have repented, as is sometimes the case when people come
to ask questions and find out, as in the following story. Ibn ‘Abbaas reported
that a man who had divorced his wife by zihaar and then had intercourse with
her came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said,
“O Messenger of Allaah, I divorced my wife by zihaar then I had intercourse
with her before I offered kafaarah (expiation).” He said, “What made you
do that, may Allaah have mercy on you?” He said, “I saw her anklets in the
moonlight.” He said, “Then do not go near her until you have done that which
Allaah commanded you to do.” (Abu ‘Eesa said, this is a hasan ghareeb saheeh
hadeeth. Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 1199)
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“Whilst we were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), a man came to him and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I am doomed!’
He said, ‘What is the matter with you?’ He said, ‘I had intercourse with my
wife whilst I was fasting.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Are you able to set a slave free?’ He said, ‘No.’ He
said, ‘Can you fast for two consecutive months?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Do
you have the wherewithal to feed sixty poor persons?’ He said, ‘No.’ The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said nothing more about
the matter for a while, and whilst we were sitting there like that, a large basket
full of dates was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). He said, ‘Where is the one who was asking?’ The man said, ‘Here
I am.’ He said, ‘Take this and give it in charity.’ The man said, ‘Who is poorer
than me, O Messenger of Allaah? By Allaah, there is no family in Madeenah
poorer than mine.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
smiled until his eyeteeth were visible, then he said, ‘Feed your family with it.’”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 1936).
This person who had made a mistake and came to ask about it was not joking
or taking the matter lightly. He felt remorseful and guilty, as is clear from his
saying “I am doomed.” For this reason, he deserved pity and compassion. The
report narrated by Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) makes the man’s
state even clearer:
Abu Hurayrah reported that a Bedouin came, hitting his cheeks and tearing
out his hair, and saying, “I am sure that I am doomed!” The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, “What makes
you doomed?” He said, “I had intercourse with my wife during Ramadaan.”
He said, “Can you free a slave?’ He said, “No.” He said, “Can you fast for
two consecutive months?” He said, “No.” He said, “Can you feed sixty poor
persons?” He said, “No,” and mentioned how poor he was. A large basket
containing fifteen saa’ of dates was brought to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, “Where is that man? … Feed the poor with this.”
He said, “O Messenger of Allaah, there is no one in Madeenah who is poorer
than my family.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) smiled until his eyeteeth were visible and said, “Feed your family.”
(Al-Musnad, 2516/. Al-Fath al-Rabaani, 1089/)
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Not Hastening to Tell Someone he is Wrong
Something happened to ‘Umar which he himself told about: “I heard Hishaam
ibn Hakeem ibn Hizaam reciting Soorat al-Furqaan during the lifetime of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). I listened to
his recitation, and he was reciting it differently to the way that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite it. I nearly
interrupted his prayer, but I waited until he had said the salaam, then I grabbed
him by his cloak and said, ‘Who taught you to recite this soorah I heard you
reciting?’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) taught me to recite it.’ I said, ‘You are lying! The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me to recite it differently.’
I took him to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and said, ‘I heard him reciting Soorat al-Furqaan differently than the way
you taught me to recite it.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said,
‘Let him go. Recite, O Hishaam.’ He recited it as I had heard him recite it. The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘This is
how it was revealed.’ Then he said, ‘Recite, O ‘Umar.’ So I recited it as he had
taught me. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, ‘This is how it was revealed. This Qur’an was revealed with seven
ways of recitation, so recite it in the way that is easiest for you.’ ” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 4992).
Among the educational methods we learn from this story are the following:
• Telling each one to recite in front of the other and approving their
recitation was more effective in confirming that both were correct and
neither was wrong.
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
• When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told ‘Umar
to let go of Hishaam, this was preparing both parties to listen in a calm
manner. This was an indication that ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with
him) had been too hasty.
• A person who is seeking knowledge should not be too hasty to condemn
any opinion that differs from that with which he is familiar; he should first
be sure of what he is saying, because that opinion may turn out to be a
valid scholarly opinion.
Another relevant point is that one should not hasten to punish someone
who makes a mistake, as we see in the following story:
An-Nisaa`i (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported from ‘Abbaad ibn
Sharhabeel (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “I came with my
(paternal) uncles to Madeenah, and we entered one of the gardens of the
city. I rubbed some of the wheat, and the owner of the garden came and took
my cloak and hit me. I came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) asking for his help. He sent for that man and they
brought him to him. He said to him, ‘What made you do that?’ He said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, he went into my garden and took some of my wheat and
rubbed it.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, ‘You did not teach him if it was the matter of him not knowing,
and you did not feed him if it was the matter of him being hungry. Give him
back his cloak.’ And the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) ordered that I should be given a wasq or half a wasq ( measure
of wheat).” (Al-Nisaa`i, al-Mujtabaa, Kitaab Aadaab al-Qudaat, Baab al-Isti’daa’;
Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa`i, no. 4999).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
From this story we learn that we should find out the circumstances of the
one who is making a mistake or acting in an aggressive manner, so that we may
know the right way to deal with him.
We may also note that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did not punish the owner of the garden, because he was in the right,
but he had handled the matter wrong. He pointed out to him that the way
he had dealt with someone who knew not better was inappropriate in such
circumstances, then he taught him how to handle the matter properly, and
told him to give back the garment he had taken from the hungry man.
Dealing with People Commiting Mistakes in a Calm
Way
We can learn this from looking at how the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) dealt with the mistake made by the Bedouin who
urinated in the mosque, as was reported by Anas ibn Maalik, who said:
“Whilst we were in the mosque with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), a Bedouin came and stood urinating in the
mosque. The Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Stop it! Stop it!’ But the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not interrupt him; leave him
alone.’ So they left him until he had finished urinating, then the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called him and said to him,
‘In these mosques it is not right to do anything like urinating or defecating;
they are only for remembering Allaah, praying and reading Qur`aan,’ or words
to that effect. Then he commanded a man who was there to bring a bucket of
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
water and throw it over the (urine), and he did so.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 285).
The principle which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
followed in dealing with this mistake was to treat the man gently, not to
be harsh with him. Al-Bukhaari reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him):
“A Bedouin urinated in the mosque, and the people got up to sort him out.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
them, ‘Leave him alone, and throw a bucket of water over it. You have been
sent to make things easy for people, not to make things hard.’ ” (Fath, 6128).
The Sahaabah, may Allaah be pleased with them, were very keen to denounce
the bad thing they had seen and to keep their mosque clean and pure, as
is indicated in the various reports of this hadeeth, which describe them as
shouting at him, getting up to sort him out, rebuking him and hastening to
deal with him, or telling him to “Stop it!” (Jaami’ al-Usool, 787-83/). But the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was thinking of the likely
consequences of the two options – stopping him or leaving him alone. If
they tried to stop him, forcing a man to suppress his urination could do him
harm, and if he was unable to stop but moved away because he was afraid
of them, the impurity would be spread over a wider area of the mosque and
on the man’s body and clothing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) had the farsightedness to see that leaving the man alone until
he had finished urinating was the lesser of two evils, especially since the man
had already started doing it, and it was a problem that they would be able to
do something about by cleaning it afterwards. So he told his companions to
leave him alone and not to interrupt him. He told them to leave him alone
because this was in the better interests of all and would ward off a worse evil
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
by putting up with the lesser evil.
It was also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) asked the man the reason for his action. Al-Tabaraani reported in al-
Kabeer that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“A Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and pledged allegiance to him in the mosque. Then he went away and
started to urinate. The people wanted to stop him, but the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not stop a man when he is
urinating.’ Then he asked him, ‘Are you not a Muslim?’ He said, ‘Of course.’
He said, ‘What made you urinate in our mosque?’ He said, ‘By the One Who
sent you with the truth, I thought it was just like any other place so I urinated
in it.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called for a
bucket of water and poured it over the urine.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in
al-Kabeer, no. 11552, vol. 11, p.220. Al-Haythami said in al-Majma’: its men are
the men of saheeh, 210/).
This wise manner of dealing with the problem had a far-reaching effect on the
Bedouin, as is clear from his reaction. Ibn Maajah reported that Abu Hurayrah
said:
“A Bedouin entered the mosque where the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting, and said, ‘O Allaah, forgive me and
Muhammad, and do not forgive anyone else.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled and said, ‘You are narrowing
something vast.’ Then (the Bedouin) went away to the furthest part of the
mosque, opened his legs, and began to urinate. After he had learnt better,
the Bedouin said, ‘He got up, may my mother and my father be sacrificed for
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
him, he did not rebuke me or insult me. He just said, “We do not urinate in
this mosque; it was only built for the remembrance of Allaah and for prayer.”
Then he called for a bucket of water and poured it over the urine.’ ” (Sunan
Ibn Maajah, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn., 529; Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 428).
Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned in his commentary a
number of things we learn from the hadeeth about the Bedouin, among which
are the following:
• We should be gentle when dealing with one who is ignorant and teach
him what he needs to know without rebuking him, so long as he is not
acting out of stubbornness, especially if he is one who needs to be won
over.
• The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was kind and
dealt nicely with him.
• The idea of taking precautions against impurity (najaasah) was wellestablished
in the minds of the Sahaabah, which is why they hastened to
denounce it in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) without first asking his permission. The idea of enjoining
what is good and forbidding what is evil was also well-established in their
minds.
• We should also hasten to remove anything objectionable when there is
nothing to stop us from doing so, because when the man had finished
urinating, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued
instructions that the place should be cleaned with water.
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Explaining the Seriousness of the Mistake
Ibn ‘Umar, Muhammad ibn Ka’b, Zayd ibn Aslam and Qutaadah reported (the
following is compiled from their reports) that during the campaign of Tabook,
a man said, “We have never seen anyone who loves food and tells lies more
than our reciters, or anyone who is more cowardly on the battlefield” –
referring to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and his Companions. ‘Awf ibn Maalik said, ‘You are lying! You are a
hypocrite, and I am going to tell the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him).’ ‘Awf went to the Messenger of Allaah to tell him, but
found that Qur`aan had already been revealed concerning it. That man came
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who was riding his
camel, and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, we were only talking idly and joking,
just to pass time on the journey.” Ibn ‘Umar said, “It is as if I can see him
hanging onto the reins of the Prophet’s camel, with the stones hitting his feet,
saying, “We were only talking idly and joking,” whilst the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was reciting (interpretation of
the meaning),
‘Say: Was it at Allaah and His aayaat (signs) and His Messenger that you were
mocking?’ [al-Tawbah 9:65],
…no more, no less.”
Ibn Jareer reported that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“During the campaign of Tabook a man said in a gathering, ‘We have never
seen anyone who loves food and tells lies more than our reciters, or anyone
who is more cowardly on the battlefield.’ A man who was present said, ‘You
are lying! You are a hypocrite, and I am going to tell the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),’ and Qur`aan was revealed.”
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar said, “I saw him hanging on to the reins of the Prophet’s
camel, kicking up the stones and saying, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, we were only
talking idly and joking,’ and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was saying (interpretation of the meaning),
“Say: Was it at Allaah and His aayaat (signs) and His Messenger that you were
mocking?” [al-Tawbah 9:65].
(Tafseer ibn Jareer al-Tabari, 14333/, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, first edn., 1412.
Its men are the men of saheeh, except Hishaam ibn Sa’d, from whom Muslim
did not report except as a corroborating report, as in al-Meezaan. It was also
reported by al-Tabari with his isnaad, and there is a corroborating report with
a hasan isnaad recorded by Ibn Haatim from the hadeeth of Ka’b ibn Maalik.
Saheeh al-Musnad min Asbaab al-Nuzool, p.71).
Teaching the one who Made a Mistake in a Practical
Way
In many cases practical teaching is more effective than theoretical teaching.
This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did.
Jubayr ibn Nufayr reported from his father that he came to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who called for water, then
said,
“Do wudoo’, O Abu Jubayr.” Abu Jubayr started with his mouth, and the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do not
start with your mouth, O Abu Jubayr, for the kaafir starts with his mouth.”
Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
called for water, and washed his hands until they were clean, then he rinsed
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
his mouth and nose three times, washed his face three times, washed his right
arm up to the elbow three times, and his left arm three times, wiped his head
and washed his feet. (Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan, 146/; al-Silsilat al-
Saheehah, no. 2820).
We may note here that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) deliberately put this Sahaabi off from doing an incorrect action by telling
him that the kaafir starts with his mouth; the meaning may be that the kaafir
does not wash his hands before putting them in the vessel (I was told this by
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Ibn Baaz when I asked him about the interpretation of
this hadeeth), and that this is not hygienic. And Allaah knows best.
Offering the Right Alternative
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas‘ood said, “When we prayed with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), we used to say, “Peace be upon Allaah from
His slaves, peace be upon so-and-so.” (According to a report narrated by al-
Nisaa`i, he said, “Peace be upon Jibreel, peace be upon Mikaa’eel.” Al-Mujtabaa:
Kitaab al-Tatbeeq, Baab Kayfa al-Tashahhud al-Awwal. See also Saheeh Sunan
al-Nisaa`i, no. 1119). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said,
“Do not say, ‘Peace be upon Allaah,’ for Allaah is ‘The Peace’ (al-Salaam). But
you should say, ‘Al-Tahiyyaatu Lillaahi wa’l-salawaatu wa’l-tayyibaat, al-salaamu
‘alayka ayyuha’l-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu, wa’l-salaamu
‘alaynaa wa ‘alaa ‘ibaad-Illaah il-saaliheen.’ If you say this, it will include every
slave of Allaah in heaven or between heaven and earth. [Then say:] ‘I bear
witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger.’ Then choose whichever du’aa’ you like, and recite
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
it.” (al-Bukhaari, Fath, 835).
Another report that deals with this topic was narrated by Anas (may Allaah be
please with him), who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) saw some sputum in the direction of the qiblah and this upset him
so much that his anger could be seen on his face. He stood up and removed
it with his hand, then said,
“When any one of you stands up to pray, he is talking to his Lord. His Lord is
between him and the qiblah, so no one of you should spit in the direction of
the qiblah; he should spit to his left or under his feet.” Then he took the edge
of his cloak, spat on it and rubbed part of it against another part and said, “Or
do like this.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 405).
