Another example was reported by Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be
pleased with him), who said: “Bilaal came to the Prophet with some goodquality
dates, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
asked him,
‘Where is this from?’ Bilaal said, ‘We had some poor-quality dates, and I sold
two measures of those for one measure of these so that we could give them
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ When he heard
that, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Oh, oh!
The essence of ribaa, the essence of ribaa! Do not do that. If you want to buy,
sell your dates for something else, then buy it.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
Fath, 2312).
According to another report, one day a slave belonging to the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought him some fresh dates, but the
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Prophet’s dates were dry, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said,
‘Where did you get these dates from?’ He said, ‘We bought a measure of
these for two measures of our dates.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not do this, because it is not right. Sell your
dates first, then buy whatever dates you want.’ (Musnad Ahmad, 367/).
But in the case of some da‘iyahs and people who seek to enjoin what is
good and forbid what is evil, we notice that there is a shortcoming in their
methods when they denounce some of the mistakes that people make. They
only point out the mistakes and denounce them as haraam, without offering
an alternative or explaining what must be done if one makes a mistake. It is
known that the method of Islam is to offer alternatives to make up for any
benefits that may have been gained through the haraam practice. When zinaa
(fornication, adultery) was forbidden, marriage was allowed and prescribed;
when ribaa (usury, interest) was forbidden, trading was allowed; when pork,
dead meat and the flesh of every creature that has fangs or talons were
forbidden, the meat of properly-slaughtered cattle and other animals was
allowed, and so on. If a person does fall into error, Islam shows him the
way out, through repentance and expiation, as is explained in the texts on
kafaaraat (acts of expiation). So those who seek to call others to Islam must
follow the sharee’ah in offering alternatives and finding acceptable ways out.
(Another example of offering an alternative is to quote saheeh ahaadeeth
which will replace da’eef and fabricated ahaadeeth).
It is worth pointing out here that offering alternatives is something that
depends on what is possible. Sometimes a mistake may be something that has
to be stopped, but there is no realistic alternative, either because the general
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
situation is bad and people are far removed from the sharee’ah of Allaah, or
because the one who is seeking to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil
cannot remember what the alternative is – all he wants to do is denounce the
mistake and change it, even if he has no alternative to offer. This happens a
great deal in the case of financial dealings and investment organizations, which
emerged in kaafir societies and were brought, complete with all their Islamically
unacceptable features, to Muslim societies; the Muslims have shortcomings
and weaknesses that prevent them from creating Islamic alternatives and
applying them everywhere. So those shortcomings and weaknesses remain,
even though the divine methodology contains alternatives and ways out that
could alleviate the Muslims’ hardships, and there are some who know this and
some who do not.
Guiding People to Prevent them from Making Mistakes
Abu Umaamah ibn Sahl ibn Haneef reported that his father told him that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out,
and they travelled with him in the direction of Makkah, until they reached the
ravine of al-Khazzaar near al-Juhfah. Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl, and he was a
white man with a handsome body and beautiful skin. ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah, the
brother of Banu ‘Adiyy ibn Ka’b looked at him whilst he was doing ghusl and
said, ‘I have never seen anything like what I have seen today, not even the skin
of the virgin who is hidden away!’ [referring to the whiteness of his skin]. Sahl
fell to the ground (he had an epileptic fit). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and it was said to him,
‘Do you want to see Sahl? By Allaah, he cannot raise his head or wake up.’ He
asked, ‘Whose fault is this?’ They said, ‘ ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah looked at him.’
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called
‘Aamir and rebuked him angrily, and said, ‘Why would any one of you kill his
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
brother? If any one of you sees that his brother has something he likes, let
him pray for blessing for him.’ Then he said to him, ‘Bathe yourself to help
him’. So he washed his face, his hands up to the elbows, his knees, the sides
of his feet and inside his izaar (lower garment) in a vessel. Then the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Pour that water over him.’
So he poured the water over his head and back from behind, tilting the vessel,
and Sahl went with the people and there was nothing wrong with him.” (Al-
Musnad, 3486/. Al-Haythami said, the men of Ahmad are the men of saheeh.
Al-Majma’, 5107/)
According to a report narrated by Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him),
Muhammad ibn Abi Umaamah ibn Sahl ibn Haneef said that he heard his father
saying: “Abu Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl in al-Kharraar and took off the garment
he was wearing. ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah was looking at him, and Sahl was a white
man with beautiful skin. ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah said to him, ‘I have never seen
anything like what I have seen today, not even the skin of the virgin!’. Sahl fell
ill on the spot and became seriously ill. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and was told, ‘Sahl has fallen ill, and
cannot go with you, O Messenger of Allaah.’ Sahl told him what had happened
with ‘Aamir, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said,
‘Why would any one of you kill his brother? You should have asked for blessing
for him. The (evil) eye is real. Do wudoo’ to help him.” So ‘Aamir did wudoo’,
and Sahl went with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), and there was nothing wrong with him. (Al-Muwatta’, hadeeth no.
1972).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
What we learn from this story is:
• The teacher (i.e., the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him))
got angry with the one who caused harm to his Muslim brother.
• He explained the harmful effects of the mistake and that it could lead to
death.
• He pointed the way to that which would prevent harm befalling a Muslim.
Not Confronting People Directly with their Mistakes
and Addressing the issue in General
Anas ibn Maalik said:
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘What is the
matter with some people who raise their gaze to the heavens whilst they
are praying?’ He spoke so harshly about them that he said, ‘They should stop
doing that, or else Allaah will take away their sight.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
Fath, hadeeth no. 750).
When ‘Aa`ishah wanted to buy a slave-woman whose name was Bareerah,
her owners refused to sell her except with the condition that she would still
be connected to them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) found out about this, he stood up to address the people, praised
and thanked Allaah, then said,
“What is wrong with men who impose conditions which are not mentioned
in the Book of Allaah? There is no condition that is not mentioned in the Book
of Allaah but it is invalid, even if there were one hundred such conditions.
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
The decree of Allaah is more true, the conditions laid down by Allaah are
more binding, and wala’ (connection, loyalty, allegiance) is to the one who sets
the slave free.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) in
numerous places in his Saheeh. See Fath, 5636).
‘Aa`ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said:
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did something and
made it permissible, but some people felt that they were above doing that.
News of this reached the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), so he addressed the people. He praised and thanked Allaah, then he said,
‘What is the matter with people who think themselves above doing the things
that I do? By Allaah, I know more about Allaah than they do, and I fear Him
more than they do.’” (Fath, 6101).
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) saw sputum in the qiblah of the mosque, so he turned to
the people and said,
“What is wrong with one of you that he stands facing his Lord and spits in
front of Him? Would any of you like someone to face him and spit in his face?
If any one of you wants to spit, let him spit towards his left, under his feet,
and if he cannot do this, let him do this” – and al-Qaasim described how he
spat on his garment and rubbed one part of it against another part. (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 550).
Al-Nisaa`i reported in his Sunan that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) prayed Salaat al-Subh and recited Soorat al-Room, but
got mixed up in his recitation. When he had finished praying, he said,
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
“What is the matter with people who pray with us but do not purify
themselves properly? Such people are the ones who make us get mixed up
when we recite Qur`aan.” (Sunan al-Nisaa`i, al-Mujtabaa, 2156/. Its men are
thiqaat, but al-Haafiz said about ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr that he was thiqah
but his memory changed and he may have fabricated reports).
Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported that Abu Rawh al-Kalaa’i
said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led
us in prayer and recited Soorat al-Room, but he got mixed up in part of the
recitation. He said, ‘The Shaytaan made us get mixed up in our recitation,
because of some people who come to the prayer without wudoo’. When you
come to pray, do wudoo’ properly.’”
He also reported from Shu’bah from ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr, who said: “I
heard Shabeeb Abu Rawh narrating from a man from among the Companions
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Salaat al-Subh
and recited Soorat al-Room, and got mixed up, and he narrated (the same
hadeeth).” (It was also reported from Zaa’idah and Sufyaan from ‘Abd al-
Malik. Al-Musnad, 3473/).
There are many examples, all of which indicate that the identity of the person
who has made the mistake need not be exposed. This indirect approach
and avoiding a direct confrontation has a number of benefits, including the
following:
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
1. It avoids a negative reaction on the part of the person who has made the
mistake, and prevents him from being tempted by the Shaytaan to avenge
himself or defend himself.
2. It is more acceptable to people and is more effective.
3. It conceals the person’s mistake in front of other people.
4. It increases the status of the educator and makes the advisor more beloved.
It must be pointed out that this method of using hints to convey a ruling to
a person who has made a mistake, without exposing him and causing him
embarrassment, is only to be used when what he has done is not known to
the majority of people. If most of the people do know what he has done, and
he knows that they know, then this method would be more in the nature of
a rebuke and scolding, and exposing him in the most hurtful manner. The one
who has made a mistake would most likely rather be confronted directly than
be dealt with in this manner. Among the factors that can make a difference
are: who is giving the advice, in the presence of whom the advice is being
given, and whether the advice is given in a provocative and aggressive manner,
or in a kindly and gentle manner.
Indirect methods of teaching people may be of benefit to the one who has
made the mistake and to others, if they are used wisely.
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Provoking Public Opinion Against the One who has
Made the Mistake
This method is only to be used in very limited circumstances, when a great
deal of thought has been given to the matter, to avoid any negative escalation
of the situation. There follows an example of how the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used this method. Abu Hurayrah said:
“A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
complained to him about his neighbour. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Go and put up with him.’ The man came back two
or three times, then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, ‘Go and put your belongings out in the street.’ So he went and put his
belongings out in the street. People started to ask him what was going on, so
he told them, and the people started to curse (the neighbour), saying, ‘May
Allaah do such-and-such to him.’ Then the neighbour came to him and said,
‘Put your stuff back, you will not see anything else from me that you dislike.’”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, Kitaab al-Adab, Baab fi Haqq al-Jiwaar, no. 5153;
Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4292).
This method has an opposite counterpart which is used in other circumstances
to protect people from the public’s harm, as will be explained below:
Avoiding Helping the Shaytaan Against the One who is
Making a Mistake
Umar ibn al-Khattaab reported that at the time of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), there was a man called ‘Abd-Allaah whose
nickname was Himaar (donkey), who used to make the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) laugh. The Prophet (peace and
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had him whipped for drinking – he was
brought to him one day and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) gave orders that he should be whipped. One of the men present
said, “O Allaah, curse him! How often has he been brought [to be punished
because of drinking]!” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said,
“Do not curse him, for by Allaah, all I know of him is that he loves Allaah and
His Messenger.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6780).
Abu Hurayrah said: “A drunkard was brought to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he ordered that he should be beaten, so
some of us hit him with our hands, others with shoes and garments. When he
went away, a man said, ‘May Allaah put him to shame!’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
‘Do not be a help to the Shaytaan against your brother.’” (Reported by al-
Bukhaari, al-Fath, 6781).
Abu Hurayrah also said:
“A man who had been drinking was brought to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said, ‘Beat him.’ Some of us hit him
with our hands, others with shoes and clothes. When he went away, some
of the people said, ‘May Allaah put you to shame!’ The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not speak like this. Do
not help the Shaytaan against him.’” (Al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6777)
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
According to another report:
“Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to his Companions, ‘Rebuke him.’ So they turned to him and said, ‘You did
not think of Allaah, you did not fear Allaah, you did not feel ashamed before
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ Then
they let him go, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, ‘Say, “O Allaah, forgive him, O Allaah, have mercy on him”’ and some of
them added similar sentiments.” (Abu Dawood, Kitaab al-Hudood, Baab al-
Hadd fi’l-Khamr, no. 4478, 4620/. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
Abi Dawood, no. 3759).
According to another report:
“When he went away, some of the people said, ‘May Allaah put you to shame!’
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do
not speak like this, do not help the Shaytaan against him. Say “May Allaah have
mercy on you.”’” (Reported by Ahmad, 2300/. Ahmad Shaakir said, its isnaad
is saheeh. Al-Musnad, ed. by Ahmad Shaakir, no. 7973).
What we learn from all of these reports is that if the Muslim falls into sin, he
is still basically a Muslim and still basically loves Allaah and His Messenger, and
this should not be denied. It is not permitted to pray against him in a manner
that helps the Shaytaan against him; rather we should pray for him and ask
Allaah to guide him, forgive him and have mercy on him.
Asking the Person to Stop Doing the Wrong Action
It is very important to make the person stop the wrong deed so that it does
not get any worse and so that there is no delay in the denunciation of evil.
‘Umar reported that he said, “No, by my father.” The Messenger of Allaah
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“Stop! Whoever swears by something other than Allaah, is guilty of shirk.”
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 147/. Ahmad Shaakir said, its isnaad is saheeh.
No. 329)
Abu Dawood reported in his Sunan that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Busr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said, “A man came stepping over the necks on the people
(in the mosque) one Friday, whilst the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) was delivering the khutbah. The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said,
‘Sit down! You are causing a disturbance.’”
Al-Tirmidhi reported that Ibn ‘Umar said: “A man burped in the presence of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said,
‘Keep your burps away from us! The ones who fill their stomachs most
in this world, will be the ones who remain hungry longest on the Day of
Resurrection. (Abu ‘Eesa said, this is a ghareeb hasan hadeeth with this isnaad.
Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2478; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 343.)
These ahaadeeth show a direct request to the person who is making the
mistake to stop what he is doing
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Lead the Person who is Making a Mistake to Correct it
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this in a number
of ways, including the following:
- Drawing an individual’s attention to his mistake so that he could put it right
himself. An example of this is the report narrated by Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri
(may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that he was with the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and “The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered and saw a man sitting in the
middle of the mosque, clasping his fingers together and talking to himself. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gestured towards him,
but he did not notice. So he turned to Abu Sa‘eed and said,
‘If one of you is praying, he should not clasp his fingers together, because this
clasping comes from the Shaytaan, and you are in a state of prayer so long
as you are still in the mosque, until you go out.’” (Reported by Ahmad in his
Musnad, 354/. Al-Haythami said in al-Majma’ (225/): its isnaad is hasan).
- Asking the person to do something again, correctly, if this is possible. Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that a man entered the
mosque whilst the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was sitting in a far corner. He prayed, then he came and greeted him
with salaam. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said,
“Wa ‘alayka al-salaam, go back and pray, because you have not prayed.” So he
went back and prayed, then he came back and greeted the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said, “Wa ‘alayka al-salaam, go back and
pray, because you have not prayed.” On the second occasion, or subsequently,
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
the man said, “Teach me, O Messenger of Allaah.” He said, “When you stand
up to pray, do wudoo’ properly, then face the qiblah and say Takbeer (‘Allaahu
akbar’). Then recite whatever is easy for you of Qur`aan, then bow until you
are at ease in rukoo’, then stand up until your back is completely straight.
Then prostrate until you are at ease in sujood, then sit up until you are at ease
in your sitting, then prostrate again until you are at ease in your sujood, then
sit up again until you are at ease in your sitting. Do this in all your prayers.”
(Reported by all; this version reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6251).
We should note that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
used to pay attention to the actions of the people around him so that he
could teach them. According to a report narrated by al-Nisaa`i:
“A man entered the mosque and prayed, whilst the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was watching him and we did not realize.
When he finished, he turned and greeted the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), who told him, ‘Go back and pray, for you have
not prayed’…” (2193/ Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa`i, no. 1008).
Among the qualities of the educator is that he should be aware of the actions
of those who are with him.
1. It is a part of educational wisdom to ask a person who has made a mistake
to re-do his action, so that he can notice his mistake and put it right himself,
especially when it is an obvious mistake that does not befit him. He may have
done it out of forgetfulness, so this will remind him.
2. If the person who has made a mistake does not realize it, it must be pointed
out and explained to him.
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
3. Giving information to a person who is interested and has asked about it
himself is more effective and is more likely to be remembered than handing it
out to someone who has not made any such enquiries.
The methods of teaching are many, and the educator can choose whichever
are best suited in any given circumstances.
Another example of asking a person to repeat his action correctly is given by
Muslim (may Allaah have mercy on him) in his Saheeh, where he reports that
Jaabir said:
“ ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab told me that a man did wudoo’, but missed an area on
his foot the size of a fingernail. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) saw him and said, ‘Go back and do your wudoo’ properly.’ So he
went and did it again, then he prayed.” (Saheeh Muslim, 243).
A third example was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
in his Sunan from Kildah ibn Hanbal, who said that Safwaan ibn Umayyah sent
him with some milk, yoghurt and daghaabees [an edible plant] to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was at the top of the valley. He said,
“I entered upon him, and I did not greet him with salaam or ask permission
to enter, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Go
out and say “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum, may I enter?” ’ ” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi,
no. 2710. Al-Tirmidhi said, a ghareeb hasan hadeeth. The hadeeth is also in
Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2180).
- Asking the person who has made the mistake to correct it as much as he
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
can. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on it) reported from Ibn ‘Abbaas
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“No man should be alone with a woman unless he is a mahram (close blood
relative to whom marriage is permanently forbidden).” A man stood up and
said, “O Messenger of Allaah, my wife has gone out for Hajj and I have signed
up for such-and-such a military campaign.” He said, “Go back and do Hajj with
your wife.” (al-Fath, 5233).
• Putting right the consequences of the mistake. Al-Nisaa`i (may Allaah have
mercy on him) reported in his Sunan from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr that a
man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
said,
“I have come to pledge allegiance to you and to make hijrah (migration) to
you. I have left my parents weeping.” He said, “Go back to them and make
them smile as you made them weep.” (Al-Majmaa 7143/. Classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nisaa`i, no. 3881).
• Offering kafaarah (expiation) for the mistake. If some mistakes cannot
be corrected or reversed, then there are other ways offered by Islam for
wiping out their effects. One of these ways is kafaaraat or acts of expiation,
of which there are many types, such as kafaarat al-yameen (expiation for
swearing an unfulfilled oath), and expiation for zihaar (a jaahili form of
divorce in which one says to one›s wife “You are to me as my mother’s
back”), manslaughter, having intercourse during the day in Ramadaan, and
so on.
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Denouncing only the Mistake whilst Accepting the Rest
It may be the case that not all of what a person says or does is wrong, so
it is wise to limit our denunciation only to that which is wrong, and not to
generalize by condemning everything that is said or done as being wrong. This
is indicated in the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) in his Saheeh from al-Rubay’ bint Mu’awwadh ibn ‘Afraa’, who said:
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and entered,
and sat down on my bed the way you sat down. Some young girls of ours
began beating on the daff (hand-drum) and singing songs eulogizing those of
our forefathers who had been killed at Badr. Then one of them said, ‘Among
us there is a Prophet who knows the future.’ He [the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said: ‘Do not say that; say what you were
saying before.’” (Fath, 5147). According to a report narrated by al-Tirmidhi:
“… The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to her: ‘Do not say this; say what you were saying before.’” (Abu ‘Eesa
said: this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Shaakir edn., 1090).
According to a report narrated by Ibn Maajah, he said: “Do not say this; no
one knows the future except Allaah.” (Sunan Ibn Maajah, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn.,
no. 1879. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah, no.
1539).
There is no doubt that this kind of treatment makes the person feel that the
one who is striving to point out mistakes and correct them is fair and just, and
this makes him more likely to accept his advice. This is in contrast to some
of those who want to denounce errors, but get so angry with the mistake
committed that they go to extremes in their denunciation and condemn
everything done and said by the one who has made the mistake, good and
bad alike. This makes the person reject what they say and refuse to follow
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
their advice.
In some cases, the mistake consists not of the words themselves, but the
occasion or context in which they are uttered. For example, when somebody
dies, one person may say, “Al-Faatihah,” and everyone present will recite it.
They believe that there is nothing wrong with this because what they are
reciting is Qur`aan, not words of kufr. It has to be explained to them that
what is wrong with this action is thinking that we should recite al-Faatihah on
such occasions as an act of worship without any shar›i evidence for doing so,
which is the essence of bid’ah. This is what Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) pointed out to a man who sneezed beside him and said, “Al-hamdu
Lillaahi wa’l-salaam ‘ala Rasool- Illaah (Praise be to Allaah and peace be upon
the Messenger of Allaah).” Ibn ‘Umar said, “I could say ‘Al-hamdu Lillaahi wa’lsalaam
‘ala Rasool- Illaah’, but this is not how the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us. He taught us to say ‘Al-hamdu
Lillaahi ‘ala kulli haal (Praise be to Allaah whatever the circumstances).” (Sunan
al-Tirmidhi, no. 2738).
Restoring Rights and Preserving Positions
Muslim reported that ‘Awf ibn Maalik said:
“A man of Humayr killed one of the enemy and wanted to take his possessions
as booty, but Khaalid ibn al-Waleed, who was in charge of the campaign,
prevented him from doing so. ‘Awf ibn Maalik came to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him about it. He
asked Khaalid, ‘What stopped you from giving him his booty?’ Khaalid said,
‘I thought it was too much, O Messenger of Allaah.’ The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Give it to him.’ Then Khaalid passed by
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
‘Awf, who pulled his cloak and said, ‘Did I not do what I told you I would do
with regard to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)?’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
heard him and got angry, and said, ‘Do not give it to him, O Khaalid! Do not
give it to him, O Khaalid! Why do you not leave my commanders alone? The
likeness of you and them is that of a man who is asked to take care of camels
or sheep, so he takes care of them, then when it is time for them to drink, he
takes them to a trough and they start to drink, and they drink the clean water
and leave the dregs behind. You take the clean water and leave the dregs for
them [the commanders].’” (Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi, 1264/)
Imaam Ahmad transmitted a more complete version of this report from ‘Awf
ibn Maalik al-Ashja’i, who said:
“We went out on a military campaign on the border of Syria, and Khaalid ibn
al-Waleed was appointed as our commander. A man belonging to Humayr
came and joined our band, and he had nothing but a sword, no other weapon.
One of the Muslims slaughtered a camel and that man kept trying to snatch
something until he managed to grab a piece of skin the shape of a shield. He
spread it on the ground and cured it until it was dry, then he made a handle for
it, like a shield. We met with the enemy, who were a mixed group of Romans
and Arabs from (the tribe of) Qudaa’ah. They fought us fiercely. Among
them was a Roman on a palomino horse with a golden-coloured saddle and
a gold-plated belt, and a sword of similar material. He started attacking and
challenging the people, and that Madadi man kept dodging around the Roman
until he approached him from behind and struck the horse’s hamstring with
his sword. The Roman fell off, and the man followed that with a blow from
his sword that killed him. When Allaah granted them victory, the man came
asking about the booty, and the people bore witness that he had killed [that
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Roman], so Khaalid gave him some of the booty and withheld the rest. When
he came back to ‘Awf’s band, he told him about it, and ‘Awf said, ‘Go back
to him and let him give you the rest.’ So he went back, but [Khaalid] refused
to give it to him. ‘Awf went to Khaalid and said, ‘Do you not know that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ruled that
the booty should go to the one who kills?’ He said, ‘Of course.’ He said, ‘So
what is stopping you from giving him his booty?’ He said, ‘I thought it was too
much to give to him.’ ‘Awf said, ‘When I see the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) I am going to tell him about this.’ When
he came to Madeenah, ‘Awf sent the man and he complained to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called Khaalid, whilst ‘Awf was sitting
there, and said:
‘O Khaalid, what stopped you from giving this man his spoils of war?’ He said,
‘I thought it was too much for him, O Messenger of Allaah.’ [The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said, ‘Give it to him.’ [Khaalid]
passed by ‘Awf, and ‘Awf pulled on his cloak and said, ‘Wasn’t it enough for
you what I told you about the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)?’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) heard him and got angry, and said, ‘Do not give it to him, O
Khaalid. Why do you not leave my commanders alone? The likeness of you
and them is that of a man who is asked to take care of camels or sheep, so
he takes care of them, then when it is time for them to drink, he takes them
to a trough and they start to drink, and they drink the clean water and leave
the dregs behind. You take the clean water and leave the dregs for them [the
commanders].’”
We may note here that when Khaalid made a mistake in his decision (ijtihaad)
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
to withhold the large amount of booty from the killer, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that the matter should be put
right by giving the booty to its rightful owner, but he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) got angry when he heard ‘Awf (may Allaah be pleased
with him) making insinuations about Khaalid and poking fun at him by saying,
“Did I not do what I told you I would do with regard to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?” and pulling on Khaalid’s
cloak when he walked past him, so he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, “Do not give it to him, O Khaalid.”
This was for the purpose of reinstating and reinforcing the position of the
commander and leader, because upholding the leader’s position in front of the
people serves an obvious purpose.
But the following question may arise: If the killer had the right to the booty,
how could he deny it to him? Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
answered this query with two possible outcomes:
Either he gave the booty to the man later on, and he delayed it as a punishment
to him and to ‘Awf for saying what they said to Khaalid (may Allaah be pleased
with him) and showing disrespect to the commander and the one who had
appointed him; or the one who had the right to take it gave it up willingly
and donated it for the Muslims, and the point of this was to make Khaalid
(may Allaah be pleased with him) feel better for the purpose of upholding the
position of leaders. (Al-Fath al-Rabbaani, 144 8/)
Further evidence concerning restoration of the position of the person who
has been wronged comes in the report narrated in the Musnad of Imaam
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Ahmad from Abu Tufayl ‘Aamir ibn Waathilah, that a man passed by a group
of people and greeted them with salaam, and they returned the greeting, but
when he had gone, one of them said, “By Allaah, I hate this man for the sake
of Allaah.” The others present said, “What a bad thing to say! By Allaah, we
are going to tell him. Get up, O So-and-So – one of the people present – and
tell him.” So their messenger caught up with him and told him what had been
said. The man went to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, I passed by a group of Muslims
among whom was So-and-So. I greeted them with salaam and they returned
the greeting, and when I had left, one of them caught up with me and told me
that So-and-So had said, ‘By Allaah, I hate this man for the sake of Allaah.’ Call
him and ask him why he hates me.” So the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) called him and asked him about what the man
had said. He admitted it and said, “I did say that, O Messenger of Allaah.” The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“Why do you hate him?” He said, “I am his neighbour and I know him very
well. By Allaah, I have never seen him pray any prayer except the prescribed
prayer which everyone, good and bad alike, prays.” The man said, “Ask him,
O Messenger of Allaah, has he ever seen me delaying any prayer, or not doing
wudoo’ properly, or not doing rukoo’ and sujood properly?” He said, “No,”
then he said, “By Allaah, I have never seen him fast at all except this month
which everyone, good and bad alike, fasts.” He said, “O Messenger of Allaah,
has he ever seen me breaking my fast during [that month], or doing anything
to invalidate my fast?” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) asked him, and he said, “No,” then he said, “By Allaah, I have
never seen him giving to any needy person or spending any of his wealth
for the sake of Allaah except for this charity [zakaah] which everyone, good
and bad alike, gives.” He said, “Ask him, O Messenger of Allaah, have I ever
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
withheld any part of the zakaah or kept it back from the one who asked for
it?” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
asked him and he said, “No.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, “I don’t know, maybe he is better than you.”
Immediately following this report in al-Musnad, it says the following: “Ya’qoob
told us, my father told us from Ibn Shihaab, that he was told that a man at the
time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
passed by a group of people. He did not mention Abu al-Tufayl. Abu ‘Abd-
Allaah said: I heard that Ibraaheem ibn Sa’d reported this hadeeth from his
memory and said concerning Abu al-Tufayl that his son Ya’qoob narrated from
his father, but he did not mention Abu al-Tufayl. I think he is mistaken, and
the report of Ya’qoob is saheeh, And Allaah knows best.” (Al-Musnad, 5455/.
Al-Haythami said: the men of Ahmad are thiqaat. Athbaat al-Majma’, 1291/).
It is very important to maintain a person’s position after he has repented
from his mistake and set matters straight, so that he will remain on the right
path and live a normal life among people. It was reported in the story of
the Makhzoomi woman who had her hand cut off (for stealing), which was
reported by ‘Aa`ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), that “she repented
properly later on, and she got married and used to come to me and I would
tell the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon her) what
she needed.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 1688).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Addressing both Parties in Cases where the Blame is
Shared
In many cases, the blame is shared and the person who makes a mistake may
himself have been wronged, but the blame is not to be shared equally. In this
case both parties must be addressed and advised. There follows an example.
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfaa said: “ ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf complained about
Khaalid ibn al-Waleed to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said:
‘Do not upset any of those who were present at Badr, for even if you were
to spend gold equal to the size of Uhud, your deeds would not equal theirs.’
He said, ‘They insulted me first, and I responded.’ The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do not upset Khaalid, for he is one of
the swords of Allaah sent against the kuffaar.’” (Al-Haythami said: the men of
al-Tabaraani are thiqaat. Al-Majma’, 9349/. See also al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer by al-
Tabaraani, hadeeth no. 3801).
Asking the Person to Forgive the One who Wronged
him
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Arabs used to
serve one another when they were travelling, and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar had
a man with them who was serving them. They fell asleep then woke up,
and he had not prepared any food for them. One of them said to the other,
‘This man sleeps too much.’ (This is in Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Daar al-Sha’b edn.
According to the version quoted by al-Albaani in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no.
2608, …). They woke him up and said, ‘Go to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and tell him that Abu Bakr and ‘Umar
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
send their salaams to you and are asking for food.’ He (the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) said:
‘Send my salaams to them and tell them that they have already eaten.’ They
got worried, so they came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, we sent word to you asking
for food, and you told us that we had already eaten? What have we eaten?’
He said, ‘The flesh of your brother. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I
can see his flesh between your teeth” – meaning the flesh of the one about
whom they had backbitten.’ They said, ‘Ask for forgiveness for us.’ He said,
‘Let him ask for forgiveness for you.’” (Al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 2608. It
was attributed to al-Kharaa’iti in Masaawa’ al-Akhlaaq and to al-Diya’ in al-
Mukhtaarah. Ibn Katheer mentioned it in his tafseer of Soorat al-Hujuraat,
7363/, Dar al-Sha’b edn.)
Reminding the Person of the Good Qualities of the one
whom he has Wronged,
This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did in the
situation that arose between Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with
them. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported in his Saheeh,
Kitaab al-Tafseer, that Abu’l-Darda’ said: “There was a dispute between Abu
Bakr and ‘Umar. Abu Bakr made ‘Umar angry, so he went away angry, and Abu
Bakr followed him, asking him to seek forgiveness for him, but he did not do
that, and he shut his door in his face. Abu Bakr turned around and went to
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we
were sitting with him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said:
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
‘This companion of yours has gotten involved in a dispute.’ Then ‘Umar
regretted what he had done, so he came, gave the greeting of salaam, and sat
down by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He told
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) what had
happened. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) got angry, and Abu Bakr started to say, ‘By Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah,
I am more wrong.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said, ‘Are you going to leave my companion alone? Are you going
to leave my companion alone? I have told the people: I am the Messenger of
Allaah to all of you, and you (all) said, “You are a liar,” but Abu Bakr said, “You
are telling the truth.” ’ ” (Fath 4640).
Al-Bukhaari also narrated this story in Kitaab al-Manaaqib (the Book of
Virtues) in his Saheeh, from Abu’l-Darda’, who said: “I was sitting with the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when Abu Bakr came
along, holding the hem of his garment up in such a way that his knees could be
seen. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
‘Your companion has gotten involved in a dispute.’ [Abu Bakr] gave the
greeting of salaam, then said: ‘There is something between me and the son of
al-Khattaab. I upset him, then I regretted it, and I asked him to forgive me, but
he refused, so I have come to you.’ He said, ‘May Allaah forgive you, O Abu
Bakr,’ three times. Then ‘Umar regretted (what he had done), so he came to
Abu Bakr’s house, asking, ‘Is Abu Bakr there?’ They said, ‘No.’ So he came to
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and signs of anger
were so visible on the Prophet’s face that Abu Bakr felt sorry. He knelt down
and said. ‘O Messenger of Allaah, by Allaah, I was more wrong,’ twice. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Allaah sent me to
all of you, and you (all) said, “He is a liar,” but Abu Bakr said, “He is telling the
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
truth”, and helped me with his self and with his wealth. Are you going to leave
my Companion alone?’ He said this twice, and Abu Bakr was never hurt after
that.” (Fath, no. 3661).
Intervening to Calm People down and Put an End to
the fitnah (Discord) Between those Who are Making
mistakes
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this on a number
of occasions when fighting was about to break out among the Muslims, so
he intervened, as was reported in the incident of the slander (al-ifk) against
‘Aa`ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). She said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood
up that day and asked for someone to deal with ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ubayy for
him, whilst he was on the minbar. He said, ‘O Muslims! Who will deal with
a man who I have heard is attacking me with regard to my family? By Allaah,
I know nothing about my family but good, and they have mentioned a man
about whom I know nothing but good, and he has never entered upon my
family except with me.’ Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh, the brother of Bani ‘Abd al-Ashhal,
stood up and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I will deal with him for you. If he
is from Aws, I will strike his neck [cut his head off], and if he is from among
our brothers of Khazraj, tell us what to do, and we will do it.’ Then a man of
Khazraj stood up; Umm Hassaan was his cousin from the same clan, and he
was Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah the leader of Khazraj. Before that he was known to be
a righteous man, but on this occasion a spirit of tribalism took hold of him,
and he said to Sa’d [ibn Mu’aadh], ‘You are lying! By Allaah, you will not kill him
and you will not be able to kill him. If he were one of your people, you would
not like him to be killed!’ Usayd ibn Hudayr, the cousin of Sa’d, stood up and
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
said to Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah: ‘You are lying! By Allaah, we will kill him! You are
a hypocrite defending the hypocrites!’ The two parties of Aws and Khazraj
got so angry that they nearly began to fight whilst the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was standing on the minbar.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept
smoothing things over until they calmed down.” (Agreed upon. Fath, 4141)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to Bani ‘Amr
ibn ‘Awf to reconcile between them, and stayed there for that purpose until
the time for one of the congregational prayers came, as is reported in al-
Saheehayn and in a report narrated by al-Nisaa`i. Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “A dispute arose between two parties among
the Ansaar, to the point that they were throwing stones at one another. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to reconcile between
them, and the time for prayer came, so Bilaal called the Adhaan and waited
for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
but he did not come. So he made the iqaamah (call immediately preceding
congregational prayer) and Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him) led
the prayer…” (Al-Mujtabaa, Kitaab Aadaab al-Qadaah, 8243/). According to
a report narrated by Ahmad, Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi said: “Someone came to
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said:
‘Bani ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf are fighting and throwing stones at one another.’ So the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to
them to reconcile between them…” (Al-Musnad, 5338/)
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Showing One’s Anger from the Mistake
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw or heard
about a mistake, he would show his anger, especially if it had to do with
matters of belief (‘aqeedah). This includes indulging in disputes about al-qadar
(divine decree) and the Qur`aan. In Sunan Ibn Maajah there is a report from
‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb from his father from his grandfather, who said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
out to his companions, who were disputing about al-qadar, and it was as if
a pomegranate seed had burst on his face, i.e., his face was red with anger.
He said, ‘Is this what you were commanded to do? Is this what you were
created for? Are you using some parts of the Qur`aan to contradict others?
The nations before you were destroyed by this!’ ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said:
‘I never felt happy about missing any gathering with the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but I was happy about missing
that gathering.’” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, no. 85. He said in al-Zawaa’id: this
is a saheeh isnaad and its men are thiqaat. It says in Saheeh Ibn Maajah: hasan
saheeh. No. 69).
According to Ibn Abi ‘Aasim in Kitaab al-Sunnah:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
out to his Companions, and they were disputing about al-qadar, one quoting
one aayah and another quoting another aayah. It was as if a pomegranate seed
had been thrown in his face [because it was red with anger]. He said, ‘Is this
what you were created for? Is this what you were ordered to do? Do not use
parts of Allaah’s book against other parts. Look at what you are commanded
to do, and do it, and what you are forbidden to do, avoid it.’” (Al-Sunnah by Ibn
Abi ‘Aasim, edited by al-Albaani, no. 406. He said: its isnaad is hasan).
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The Prophet’s Methods for Correcting People’s Mistakes
Another example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
becoming angry at the denial of one of the basic principles was what happened
in the case of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), with regard to sources.
Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported in his Musnad from Jaabir
ibn ‘Abd-Allaah that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab came to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) with a book which he had got from some of
the People of the Book. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) got angry. He said,
“Are you confused about it, O son of al-Khattaab? By the One in Whose hand
is my soul, I have brought you [the Message] pure and white, so do not ask
them about anything, lest they tell you something true and you reject it, or
they tell you something false and you accept it. By the One in Whose hand
is my soul, if Moosa (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were alive,
he could not but follow me.” (Musnad Ahmad, 3387/. Classed by al-Albaani as
hasan because of corroborating reports in al-Irwa’, no. 1589).
