Let us look at ourselves first

Of the deeds which might come under the name of hypocrisy, and many of us unknowingly do is for a person who is committing a big sin to be very critical or angered by minor sins of others.

May be that most of do not do this?  Let us look at ourselves and those around us.  How many of us do not pray the prescribed Salah and fast in Ramadan and criticize any one who does not fast even if has a legitimate excuse, knowing that the prescribed Salah comes before fasting in the order of obligations, for Salah is the first we have to account for on the Day of Resurrection.

One might cheat another out of his money or even take orphan’s money, in the mean time he does not a Salah, Fard or Sunah.

I will mention two historical incidents in which this behavior is shown:

The Indian Mutiny:

After the occupation of India by Britain, Britain started recruiting Indian soldiers into her army, and they were mostly Hindu and Muslims.  Regiments of these soldiers were formed as part of the British army occupying their own country.   A mutiny took place among the Indian soldiers, Hindu and Muslims against the British army and the British officers.  This was because of a rumor spreading among the Indian soldiers that the army was giving them cow’s fat and pig’s fat to grease their rifles with.  Cows are sacred for the Hindu and eating big if forbidden for the Muslims. 

The soldiers were angered because of the cow and pig fate, yet they were themselves helping the occupying army, suppressing and humiliating their own people, and taking the wealth of their country.

King Edward VIII:

He became the king of Britain in the thirties of the twentieth century, after being a crown prince.  He had an affair with a married American woman called Mrs. Simpson.  This affair was public and well known.  This affair continued after he became king.

Mrs. Simpson eventually had a divorce from her husband, and the king wanted to marry her, and this was the problem.  The Church of England did not approve of divorce, and the British government did not agree.  The Church and the Government did not move or voice an opinion against the king’s sinful relationship, but did when the king wanted to marry.

The King decided to abdicate to marry the woman he loves, and so he did and lived with her in exile in France until he died. 

Allah this shows us how many of us would turn a blind eye on great sins; in the mean time condemn and mount an opposition to minor sins particularly if others commit them.  This shows lack of principles and malady of one’s soul.

We should be caution about criticizing and condemning others before looking at ourselves.  It is possible that our errors are bigger and our sins are greater.

Dr Ahmed Saafan

                        Omar and the Milk woman

While Omar Ibn El Khatab was on one of his night walks in Madina, he heard a woman telling her daughter to mix the milk with water before they sell it.  He daughter told her that Omar the Khalifah has forbidden mixing milk with water.  He mother said to her: “But where is Omar now?” (meaning he does not see them).  The Girl said : “If Omar does not see us, Omar’s Lord sees us”.

Omar did not interfere with them but went home and called all his sons.  He asked them if any one of them wishes to marry, and his son Asem told his that he wants to get married.  Omar told his son Asem that he found him a good wife, and Asem married her.

Asem lived happily with his wife and had a daughter from her which Abd El-Aziz the son of the Abd El-Malik the Amawy Khalifa married.   They had a son they called Omar. Who is Omar Ibn Abd El-Aziz, who was titled the Fifth Righteous Khalifa when he became Khalifa.  He was very fair and just, in the mean time righteous and God-fearing.

His era was time of prosperity, peace and justice.  The unjust inside and the enemies outside feared him.  He is very well known in Islamic History although he ruled for less than 2.5 years.  Yet they had their mark in history and on the people at the time.

This is how to choose a good wife, on the basis or her righteousness and character not her wealth and beauty.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “People marry women for 4 reasons, her wealth, her bread (family), her beauty and her Faith, win the one with the faith and you will have plenty in your hands”.   (Bukhari;Nikah,15)

Dr.Ahmed Saafan

Consultant Psychiatrist, El-Zohour Hospital

31 St. no. 9, Mokatum, Cairo

5084881 – 5084882

aamsaafan@yahoo.co.uk

          TRUTHFULNESS AND LYING

Being truthful is one of the characteristic of the righteous Muslim.  It is also one of the characters Allah the Highest described himself to be.  Allah the Highest said about himself “SAY ALLAH SPOKE THE TRUTH” (S:3  A:95)

And said “AND WHO’S STATEMENTS ARE MORE TRUTH THAN ALLAH”.  (S:4  A:87)

And Said: “AND WHO SPEAKS MORE TRUTHFULLY THAN ALLAH”.  (A:4  A:122)

          It is of the character of the righteous believer to be truthful.  It is a character which if deficient in a person will be deficiency in his character, and if deficient in a believer will be deficiency in his character and faith and indeed a sing of his hypocrisy.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said : “There are four characters, he who has them is a complete hypocrite and he who has one of them, he has a character of hypocrisy until he gives it up; he betrays his trust, lies when he speaks, treacherous in his covenants and in animosity there is no morale limit to what he does”.   (B:Eman;24)

          Truthfulness is one of the characters which differentiate between a true believer and a hypocrite.  Hypocrisy is akin to disbelieve so that Allah the Highest put them together in the Hellfire.  “ALLAH WILL GATHER THE HYPOCRITES AND THE DISBELIEVERS TOGETHER IN GAHANAM (THE HELLFIRE) “.  (S:4  A:140)

          Indeed truthfulness is one of the essential characteristics of the messengers and prophets prayer and peace upon them all.  They say nothing but the truth otherwise how would be believed about the message they give from God.  Allah the Highest described them as such in the Quran in many Aiah.

          Truthfulness leads to every good and saves from all evil.  Allah the Highest rewards the truthful because of their truthfulness with the guidance in this life and the Paradise in the Hereafter.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said :  “Truthfulness guides to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise.  A person will keep telling the truth and does his best to say the truth until he is considered by Allah Sedik (truthful).  And lying guides to wickedness and wickedness leads to the Hellfire, and a person will keep lying and doing his best to lie until he is considered by Allah a liar”.  (Bukhari)

Therefore, truthfulness is out way to safety in this life and the Hereafter.  A man asked Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him to tell him what to do to gain entry to Paradise.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said to him : “Do not lie”.

          Truthfulness is for a person to speak the truth he or she knows, without revealing people secrets or uncover people’s faults, or one’s own faults.  This is because a Muslim should not uncover people’s faults if they are hidden.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “He who covers up the faults of a Muslim, Allah will cover up for him in this life and in the Hereafter”.

It is not truthful for a Muslim to reveal the sins he committed if they did not become known for it was covered up by Allah the Highest.  Therefore a person should not ask another about what he did if he thinks that he did something wrong, neither should a Muslim do wrong and go and tell every one about it next day when no one could have known.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “All my nation will be in a good state except those who reveal what they did.  It is a wickedness for a man to do wrong deed by night which Allah covered up for him and in the morning Allah still covered up for him.  Then he say to another: ’last night I did such and such’.  Allah covers up for him all night and he removes Allah’s cover in the morning”.   (Bukhari)

          It is of Allah’s Mercy and Compassion to forgive what He covers up for his slave in this life as long as the slave covers up for himself also and did not speak about it.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “One of you will get closer to his Lord until He covers him with His cover and says: ‘You did such and such, he says: ‘Yes’.  And He says: ’You did such and such’ and he says: ‘yes’.  Then He says: ‘I covered it up for you in the lower life and I forgive it for you today’.   (Bukhari)

Guessing, Suspicions or thinking badly of people is not being truthful.  Guessing is an opinion based on some information.  However this assumption or conclusion does not reach the status of truth.  Therefore it is not right to speak about others according to our assumptions, for this will be lying even if it is true.  Allah the Highest said : “YOU WHO BELIEVE, AVOID MANY SUSPICIONS FOR MANY ASSUMPTIONS ARE SINS”  (A:49 A:12)

          Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said : “Do not speak of suspicions for speaking of suspicions are the worst lying”.   (Bukhari)

          Indeed, Allah the Highest commands us to make sure that the information we get from others are correct before we suspect people and think badly of them.  “YOU WHO BELIEVE, IF A WICKED PERSON BRINGS YOU NEWS, VARIFY IT, SO THAT YOU MAY NOT HARM PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR IGNORANCE THEN YOU WILL REGRET IT”.  (S:49 A:6)

The Intention in truthfulness and lying is as important as in any other deed.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said in the well known Hadith: “But your deeds depend upon your intentions and every one will be rewarded according to his intentions”. 

Therefore, the intention is what matters.  Even if some one is not telling the truth while he is intending to, he is not lying.  And a person telling the truth while he does not intend or mean it to be the truth, is lying.  Look at what Allah the highest said : “WHEN THE HYPOCRITES COME TO YOU THEY SAY: WE BEAR TESTIMONY THAT YOU ARE ALLAL’S MESSENGER AND ALLAH KNOWS THAT YOU ARE HIS MESSENGER AND ALLAH BEAR TESTIMONY THAT THE HYPOCRITES ARE LIARS”.  (S:63  A:1)

          The hypocrites spoke the truth Mohamed prayer and peace upon him being Allah’s messenger, but this was not their intention.  Allah the Highest called them liars as this was their intention.

          The sincerity of the intention is what matters.  Truthfulness starts before doing or speaking, it is in the intention to be true.  Allah the Highest said “OF THE BELIEVERS MEN WHO WERE TRUE IN THEIR COVENANT WITH ALLAH, SOME DIED AND OTHERS  ARE WAITING, BUT THEY NEVER CHANGED”  (S:33  A:23)       

          So there is no alternative to speaking the truth.  This does not mean that one should be rude or cause trouble between people by telling the truth or even letting the enemy know our secrets for there are some situations when lying is allowed; in war, making people between people and humouring one’s wife.   Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said : “I do not consider him a liar; a man making peace between people, saying what he says for nothing but making peace, and what a man says in the war (to the enemy), and what a man says to his wife and woman to her husband (pleasing each other)”.  (Dawood:Adab,50 & Ahmed:6;404)

          Lying is the opposite of truthfulness, and either of their will be in our intentions doing any thing or agreeing or promising.  Unfortunatly lying became very prevalent in the muslim societies.  Some do not think about saying the truth but just the most appropriate thing to say in the situation.

Of the worst kind of lying is to give false testimony.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him stood up after the morning (Fajr) Salah one day and said : “Giving false testimony has been made equal to worshiping partners besides Allah (Idolatry)” said it three times, then recited “THEN KEEP AWAY FROM THE SQUALOR OF THE IDLES AND KEEP AWAY FROM GIVING FALSE TESTIMONY, PURE IN FAITH TO ALLAH, WORSHIPING NON BESIDES HIM”.  (Dawood:Aqdyah;15 & Magah:Ahkam;32 & Ahmed:4;178,233,321,322 5;36,38)

          Giving false testimony does not have to be in a court of law only but also in many other situations.  Any situation where one is giving evidence about someone or something.  Such as in testifying about what happened in a transaction or testifying as to what happened in an accident etc.

          Why is giving false testimony such a great sin, worse than lying, while it is in fact lying?  I think that this is because it is Lying which leads to Injustice.  Lying is sinful and Injustice is a greater sin.  One should not hold his testimony whether he is being asked for it or not, for Allah the Highest said : “AND DO NOT HOLD YOUR TESTIMONY BACK, AND HE WHO HOLDS IT IS SINNING IN HIS OWN HEART, AND ALLAH KNOWS EVERY THING YOU DO”.  (S:2  A:283)

          No one has to lie.  When about to lie one should think whom to fear more, Allah or people. 

Also one should not expect his children to be truthful, if he or she lie.  The only way to bring up our children to be truthful is to be truthful with them and in front of them.  Our children do not from our advise and commands but from our example to identify with.  Not even what we consider to be small lies or white lies and there is not such a thing, such as to tell someone you are not in when you are.  Our children do as we do, not as we tell them to do.

Dr.Ahmed Saafan

Consultant Psychiatrist, El-Zohour Hospital

31 St. no. 9, Mokatum, Cairo

5084881 – 5084882

aamsaafan@gmail.com

                             The Manifest and the Hidden Sins

Allah the Highest is forbidding us from committing all sins and wicked deeds which we are told can be either Manifest or Hidden in these Aiahs:

“AND LEAVE THE MANIFEST AND HIDDEN SIN”   (S:6  A:120)

“ AND DO NOT APPROACH THE WICKED DEEDS, THE MANIFEST AND THE HIDDEN OF THEM”    (S:6  A:151)

So what are the Manifest and what are the Hidden sin?

The Manifest sins are those seen by others and for being seen by other they have two sins:             First; the sin of the deed itself such as stealing, adultery, swearing.

          Second: The sin of showing the sin to others.  For the person who shows the sins he commits is showing to every one that he does not care about Allah’s commands and prohibitions.  Also he is a bad example to others, encouraging them to commit such sins in public.  This is how sins become ordinary and normal daily practice and this is how mischief such as stealing, bribery, adultery and other sins spreads on earth.  The person who commits sins in public carries the sins of his deed and all the sins of those who follow his example, as Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said:  “He who makes a good example in Islam, he will have it’s reward and the reward of all those who follow him without reducing any of their reward, and he who makes a bad example in Islam, he will have it’s sin and the sins of those who follow him, without reducing their sins”.   (Muslim, Elm,15  & Termezi,Elm,15)

For example, if a person invites others to gatherings where they will learn and remember Allah the Highest, he will gain besides his reward, as much as the reward of those who respond to him, and those who follow them.  And if a person invites others to drink alcoholic drinks, he will have their sins and the sins of those who learned this from them as well. 

As for the Hidden Sins, they happen in many ways: 

First:  This is the sin committed in secret without the knowledge of others.   Like drinking intoxicants or bribery or adultery in secret.  This is one form.

Second: Doing good deeds to be seen.  That is for a person to do what he should do for the sake of Allah the Highest of Salah , Fasting, Zakah, charity, Haj, and others seeking to be seen and seeking the reputation.  This is what Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him called the minor idolatry. 

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “The most I fear for you is the minor sherk (Idolatry)”.  They said : “and what is the minor idolatry Allah’s messenger?”, he said : “Doing things to be seen to be doing them, Allah the Exalted and Majestic says on the day of resurrection when he recompense people for their deeds: “Go to those you want to of to in the lower life and see if they have a reward for you”.    (Ahmed)

Third:  One can do a deed which is not a sin in how it look to every one, but the real reason in to do wrong.  For example one may go to court to judge a dispute over property, knowing that the other person has the right to the property but can not prove it, while he can produce some evidence to support his claim.  In this case the judge will rule according to the evidence, and the person who have the right to the property will loose it.  Allah the Highest forbad this when he said in Sorah El-Baqarah  “ AND DO NOT EAT UP EACH OTHER’S WEALTH THROUGH FALSEHOOD AND PUT IT INFRONT OF THE JUDGES AND RULERS TO EAT UP A PORTION OF PEOPLE’S WEALTH WRONGEFULLY WHILE YOU KNOW”   (S:2  A:188)

There is also a Hadith narrated by Om Salama the Allah’s messenger’s wife, prayer and peace upon him, she said:  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him heard noises of people disputing outside his room, he went out to them and said : “I am but a human, and you come to me in a dispute, and may be one of you will be better spoken than the other, and I think he is truthful and rule in his favor.  Whoever I rule to some Muslim’s right, it is a piece of fire, he may take it or leave it”.  (Muslim;Aqdeya, 4  & Bukhari;Heyal, 10  & Termezi, Ahkam,11)

Fourth:  Of the hidden sins is to look in secret at people private things and business and to spy on them and Allah the Highest said : “DO NOT SPY”  (Al Hogorat)

Fifth : To be please for others one does not like suffer affliction or calamity like sickness or accident, instead of saying Dawa for them and thanking Allah the Highest for not suffering such afflictions himself.

Sixth: For one to wish in himself without showing it what is forbidden to him.  Such as his neighbour.  This is sinning in the heart which Allah the Highest does not take into account against us as long as we keep to ourselves unless a person acts on it or speak of it.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said:  “Allah pardoned my nation for what they thought to themselves unless they do or speak of it”.  (Bukhari;talaq,11 &  Muslim;Roaya;15  & Dawood;Talaq;15  & Termezi;Talaq,15)

This is because Allah the Highest said :  “DO NOT LOOK OUT AT WHAT WE HAVE GIVEN SOME SPOUSES TO ENJOY”    (S:15  A:88)

And also said  “”AND DO NOT WISH WHAT ALLAH FAVOURED SOME OF YOU OVER OTHERS”.    (S:3  A:32)

This was a brief account of some of the manifest and hidden sinning, may Allah the Highest safe us from and pardon us.  Ameen.

                                                                   Dr.Ahmed Saafan

Nothing is like Him

As such, Allah the Highest described Himself in the Quran, there is nothing like him.  Meaning that nothing is in any way like him within the sphere of our senses and awareness like Allah the Highest.  Then we will be able to  say that Allah the Highest is like this or that.  This is concerning Allah Himself or His Character.

As for Allah Highest Himself, there is nothing like Him and He is not like any thing we know.  Allah the Highest called Himself the “THE LIGHT OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH”.  This does not mean that light is Allah or that Allah is light. 

We should never think of Allah the Highest in a material form, or spiritual form.  These forms we know, and Allah the Highest is not be one of them.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him forbad us from discussing the very nature of Allah.

As for Allah’s Characters, they are not like that of the humans even if they appear similar.  Allah the Highest hears and sees.  However, his hearing is not like our hearing and so is his vision.  Allah the Highest knows every smallest thing in this very very vast universe.  Allah the Highest hears the foot steps of the smallest ante deep inside a mountain.  Therefore, Allah’s Hearing, Seeing, knowing etc are not like ours.

Limiting and reducing Allah the Highest who is the creator to the Characters and Abilities of his creation is a great mistake.  It will lead to lack of understanding, or misunderstanding of Allah the Highest.

Allah the Highest is Unique in His Ability and Character, although we try to be merciful like Him or to forgive like Him. These, Allah the Highest likes us to imitate.  However, Allah the Highest does not want us to try to imitate Him in the Characters of Might and Power.  The differences are:

1-    The Character in Allah the Highest is not comparable to the same character in his creatures in terms of magnitude.  If we look at Mercy for example.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him told us that all the Mercy in the Universe, between people, mother and child and all creatures, known and unknown to us, is 1/100 of Allah’s Mercy.

2-    Allah the Highest is unique in terms of the Nature of the Character.  Taking Mercy as an example again.  Allah the Highest Mercy to His creation is different than that of a creature to another.  Allah’s Mercy comes to us through His bounties, relieve of suffering, as well as through Afflictions and Hardships.  This is different from ours.

The fact that there is nothing or no one like Allah the Highest should be a reason for comfort of the believer’s hearts who take Him for an Ally and Helper.  They know that as there is not a thing like Allah the Highest, then His Will does not require the means to be fulfilled, for It creates the means and circumstances.  That His Will is not obstructed by lack of meaning or by difficulties.

We express our gratitude to Allah the Highest that He is not like anything; neither in Himself nor in His Character.

Dr.Ahmed Saafan