Bismillaah

It has become so common for people to call each other extremists, modernists, misguided etc… Now it also seems very popular for people to say, ‘Don’t Judge’ and to call people away from al-amr bil ma`ruf wa nahi an al-munkar.

Sometimes I sit there in amazement when I hear of Muslims who are (without a doubt) doing evil and when someone says that such and such is not acceptable by Islaam they are the first to be called extremists and judgemental people. But I wonder what really makes them say such? Do they believe that commanding the good and forbidding the evil is extremism? Or do they just want to find a way to escape the reality of their own actions by turning the table and making those who are calling them to good look like the evil ones?

One of my biggest struggles since my downfall has been looking at my own faults before looking at the faults of others. Indeed, it is a very hard task. But I see a difference in judging (atleast in the way I am referring to it now) and standing up for the truth. Nowadays, you can simply say to someone that an action is wrong and they will tell you not to judge them. They will assume you are condemning them to the hellfire simply for the correction. I think we all understand that Allaah is The Judge but I think what Muslims fail to understand is that our Deen was given to us so that we could judge by it. So if anything, maybe we should be complaining to Allaah for having given us this Law and expecting us to abide by it?

We aren’t people who can open the hearts and we haven’t been given the right to say what a person’s intention may be if they haven’t conveyed it. But does that mean that we don’t correct a munkar when it is happening? If I see a sister on the street talking to a non-Muslim man, flirting, do I just ignore it because ‘we shouldn’t judge’? Is this what our beloved Nabi (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) taught us and is this the example of our Sahaba? Last time I remember, Allaah said in the Qur’aan “Help you one another in al-Birr and at-Taqwa; but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah.”

What does this verse mean to people anymore? Does it mean that we watch as people sin and worry only about ourselves or does it mean that we try our best in calling people to what is right, while we work on our own persons as well? Why do some people assume that if one corrects someone that they have stopped working on themselves? This seems like some judging to me as well!

In our Journey to Allaah class, I asked Shaykh `Abdul Kareem Yahya a question that I have had trouble with (due to the constant attacks of people). If we are failing in our own deeds but we see evil, know that it is wrong and have the knowledge to prove it is wrong, do we correct them or do we leave them because of our own faults? I mean to anyone it would seem like hypocrisy to tell someone that they are doing something wrong when they themselves are lacking in their religion right? Well, his response was very clear. He said that we have 3 obligations: learning, applying and teaching and though we may be lacking in one or two, it is better to fulfill atleast one of these obligations. So yes, I may be lacking in my religion myself and atleast I acknowledge it and try to better myself, but does that mean I don’t teach what I do know because of my own faults? If one believes that it is haram or makruh to do so, they need to understand that none of us will ever reach perfection as we are only humans. That is why our Beloved Messenger (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) told us, ‘All of the Children of Aadam make mistakes and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent.’ So we will never be perfect and so there is no way that we can say ‘Only judge when you reach a state of perfection’. In fact, it is ridiculous because those people who go on and on about not judging would also have to judge before telling someone that.

We don’t know what occurs behind doors but if there is evil happening in public don’t expect to be free of criticism. Women out there not wearing a Khimaar (yes, the proper word for headscarf) need to expect to be corrected. Why? Because without a doubt Allaah commanded every believing woman out there to cover with a khimaar and it is clear that not doing so is a sign of disobedience. Men out there who you see flirting on the streets can’t expect not to be criticised. Have some shame in front of your Lord and stop worrying about people. It isn’t those people who remind you of your wrong doing that you should be worrying about. In fact, you should be thankful people actually care enough to counsel you but indeed we should be ashamed of ourselves in front of the One who has created us and commanded us. And yes, I’m not ignoring the fact that sometimes our naseeha is lacking wisdom or that there are people out there who only want to make people look bad (character assasination). Our intentions should always be to call our brother or sister to what is better because we want for them what we want for ourselves but if we fail a bit in our counsel, that should not stop us from accepting the point of the advice. And please really note that these same people that continue with the don’t judge me stuff tend to rip apart the hearts of the people who give them naseeha after they assume that one is acting ’self-righteous’ or has this ‘holier than thou’ attitude. So please apply for yourself what you want others to apply.

Also, Iman is not simply belief in the heart. Some people are always on about how just because one is not fulfilling an obligation it doesn’t mean that they are evil people but o brother and o sister, part of Iman is that you obey Allaah with your limbs. We will be accountable for what our hearts hold and if our hearts really love Allaah, we will be working to implement as much as we can externally as well as internally. The Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) mentioned many times that such and such was a part of Iman and many of these things were actions such as hayaa. Is hayaa in our hearts only? Is removing a barrier from the road an action of the heart or is it an action of the limbs?

There is a balance really. If we fail to understand such simple principles, then we have got to give more time for learning because that truly means we haven’t done our part. These issues are so simple and shouldn’t even be our concern now. We have to look at the problems for what they are. Muslims are failing in their deen and though it is normal, we can’t expect to better ourselves if we close ourselves from the counsel of our brothers and sisters. Maybe we need to re-read Surah al`asr and really contemplate what this reminding that Allaah mentions refers to.

It’s time that we grow up a bit and accept our own shortcomings and that we remember that there are consequences to our actions that Allaah has clearly mentioned. Sometimes reminding people of these consequences makes them assume you are condemning them but please think about it without looking at it so deeply. Who wants to earn Allaah’s wrath? None of us. So we should focus on our errors and the possible problems we will get from them in the Hereafter. It’s also time that we have husn al-dhann both ways. If I hear of a sister not wearing a khimaar, I will assume that she is struggling and needs encouragement (unless she states she just doesn’t want to wear it) but that won’t stop me from telling her that she has to fulfill her obligations and that won’t stop me from encouraging her - so also don’t assume that if I do correct her that I believe I am better. It’s part of being an Ummah and part of being a brick of this building that we all claim to be a part of. If we don’t want to be that brick, then just don’t be that brick because a strong brick is better than a weak brick.

May Allaah Subhaanahu wa ta`alaa guide us all and forgive us for the extremism that appears from a whole lot of different angles, aameen