Sharh as-Sunnah : Lesson 47: Point 76
Shaykh Fawzan | Dawud Burbank [Audio|English]
Imaam Barbahaaree rahimahullaah said:
And it is not permissible to withhold naseehah (sincere advice) from anyone from the Muslims, whether righteous or sinful in matters of the religion.
So, whoever withholds it then he has acted deceitfully towards the Muslims and whoever acts deceitfully towards the Muslims then he has acted deceitfully towards the religion, and whoever acts deceitfully towards the religion then he has shown treachery towards Allaah, His Messenger and the believers.
Transcribed Audio:
His saying, “And it is not permissible for you to withhold naseehah (sincere advice) from anyone from the Muslims whether they be righteous or sinful,” An-naseehah (sincerity) is to be pure and free of ghish (deceit) and a thing that is naasih; a thing that has its quality of naseehah, it is a thing that is khaalis (pure). So, the believer, it is obligatory that he should be naasih (sincere); meaning that he should be pure and free of hypocrisy; nifaaq and he should be pure and free of ghish (deceptiveness) and he should be pure and free of khadee`ah (cheating). His outward aspect and his inward aspect should be just the same with regard to truthfulness.
And an-naseehah (sincerity) is the religion just as the Prophet sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
“The religion is an-naseehah (sincerity), the religion is sincerity, the religion is sincerity; an-naseehah. We said, ‘Towards whom O Messenger of Allaah?’ So he said, ‘Towards Allaah and towards His Book and towards His Messenger and towards the rulers of the Muslims and their common folk.”[1]
And what is meant by it (an-naseehah) here is that a person is free of every blameworthy characteristic and that he adorns himself with all the noble and virtuous manners and characteristics. So, the man who is naasih (has this quality of sincerity) is the one who is not deceptive, does not have any ghish (deceptive) towards anyone. He sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
“Whoever deceives us is not from us.”[2]
So, the opposite of naseehah (sincerity) is al-ghish (deceptiveness). And the Prophet sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam repeated his saying ad-deenun naseehah (the religion is sincerity) three times for emphasis and to stress its importance and he limited the religion; all of it to being an-naseehah (sincerity).
An-naseehah (sincerity) towards Allaah and His Messenger; this is with regard to `aqeedah (creed and belief). So, a person will not be a Muslim unless his `aqeedah (creed and belief) is sound and is free of shirk and his actions are free of innovations (bid`ah) and he is one who is following the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam. So, this person, he is the one who is an-naasih (one who is sincere) towards Allaah and His Messenger, i.e the one whose deeds are free of shirk and free of innovations.[3]
Sincerity towards the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam is to truly believe; to have eemaan in his Messengership, and to love him, and to respect, and honour him `alayhissalaatu wassalaam, and to take him as an example to follow, and to give precedence to his saying over the saying of everyone, and to leave off innovations and new introductions, which are something that Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam warned against, and to believe him regarding whatever he informed about regarding things of the unseen of the past and the future, and to avoid whatever he sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam forbade. This is sincerity towards the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam.[4]
His (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) saying, “…and towards His Book…” the Book of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, it is the Qur’aan such that you have eemaan that it is the speech of Allaah sent down; not created, it is not the speech of anyone else as is said by the people of misguidance; and that you learn it, and teach it, and that you act upon it, and that you acquire understanding of its meanings, and that you reflect upon it. This is sincerity towards the Book of Allaah, the Perfect and Most High; learning, and teaching, and understanding, and acquiring knowledge of it, and acting upon it. And likewise, from sincerity towards the Book of Allaah is to be plentiful in its recitation and not to be neglectful with regard to it.
And an-naseehah (sincerity) “…towards the rulers of the Muslims…” they are those who are in charge of the affairs, those in authority, that you obey them in that which is not disobedience to Allaah, the Perfect and Most High. And that you do not remove your hand from obedience, and that you do not rebel against them, and that you do not seek out their mistakes and their hidden faults and expose them to the people.
And from sincerity (naseehah) towards them is that if you have knowledge (`ilm) and you have the ability to sincerely advise them that you do so personally between yourself and them; you cause the advice to reach them and inform them about mistakes, which occur from them or from their subjects, you let them know about that but you do not speak about them in gatherings, for this will be a case of ghish (treachery). So, an-naseehah (sincerity) is that you convey sincere advice from yourself to them. This is from sincerity towards the person in authority.
And likewise, from sincerity towards the person in authority is to carry out the duty that he puts you in charge of carrying out, whether it is a wazeefah (duty or a post) or being placed in charge of something or other than that from the affairs of the religion and the worldly life, that you carry the duty out which the one in authority has entrusted you with in the best manner and that you do not miss anything of it out and if you see any deficiencies then you inform the one in authority between yourself and him. You inform him of the deficiencies so that he can remedy it. This is sincerity.
And from sincerity towards those in authority is to make du`a (supplication) for them that they be rectified since if they are sound and rectified, the subjects will be sound and rectified and that you make du`a (supplication) for them. So, if you see a man who is a student of knowledge who does not make supplication for them or who criticises making supplication for them then you should know that he is treacherous (ghaash) and he is not one who is sincere towards the person in authority.
And sincerity “…towards the common Muslims,” is that you direct them to what is correct; and you warn them against errors, and that you command the good and forbid the evil, and that you teach the one who is ignorant, and that you remind the person who is heedless, and that you love for him the good that you love for yourself, and to have compassion for the poor person, and you give charity (sadaqah) for the needy. This is an-naseehah (sincerity).
And likewise, that he gives good advice to the person who consults him and he guards secrets for one who trusts him regarding something and to safeguard things which are entrusted with you. He should be sincere from all aspects. And sincerity is with regard to buying and selling such that he does not deceive and does not trick.
This is an-naseehah (sincerity) in brief. So, whoever is not like that then he is treacherous and the Prophet sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
“Whoever deceives us then he is not from us.”
Footnotes:
[1] Reported by al-Bukhaariyy in disconnected form; meaning in a chapter heading, you’ll find it there in the Book of Eemaan; the 2nd book, chapter 42.
And it’s reported in connected form by Imaam Muslim (55) from a hadeeth of Tameem ad-Daari radiyAllaahu `anhu and Imaam Muslim does not have the repetition of his saying (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam): “Ad-deenun naseehah (the religion is sincerity)…”. Meaning; there in Saheeh Muslim, it only occurs once that he said: “Ad-deenun naseehah (the religion is sincerity).”
Rather, that occurs being reported by Imaam Ahmad and Aboo Daawood and at-Tirmithee and others and at-Tirmithee said it is hasan, saheeh (good, authentic).
Translator’s side point: Shaykh al-Albaaniyy, likewise, declared it with the addition there as being saheeh (authentic).
[2] Reported by Muslim (101) from a hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah radiyAllaahu `anhu and also reported by Muslim (102 ) with the wording:
“Whoever deceives then he is not from me.”
The 1st wording in Muslim is:
“Whoever deceives us then he is not from us.”
The 2nd wording reported by Muslim is:
“Whoever deceives is not from me.”
[3] Shaykh Saalih as-Suhaymee hafizahullaah said with regard to this first part of the hadeeth: “Ad-deenun naseehah (the religion is sincerity) and then when they asked, “To whom, oh Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “firstly, lillaah (towards Allaah).”
He said, “By obedience to Him and not disobeying Him and by implementing `Uboodiyyalahum (servitude towards Him) and by establishing His Tawheed with regard to His Ruboobiyyah (Lordship) and with regard to His `Uloohiyyah (His sole right to all worship) and with regard to His names and attributes and that you seek by performance of your deeds His face & that you are sincere in your deeds, which you carry out. So, you are sincere in them and true in them.”
[4] Shaykh Saalih as-Suhaymee hafizahullaah mentioned more or less the same point. He added a point also, he had a no. of points, from them was,
“Having love for the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam and also making supplication for; salaat and salaam upon Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam. And not writing just it’s abbreviated forms like SAW, SAAW, or SAAS. We seeks Allaah’s refuge from this abridging of salaat and salaam upon Allaah’s Messenger, as this is from the Raafidah Shi`a.
—
Ithaaful-Qaaree bit-Ta`leeqaat `alaa Sharhis-Sunnah
(A Gift To The Reader In Annotation Of Sharh As-Sunnah)
by Shaykh Saalih ibn Fowzaan al-Fowzaan hafizahullaah
Translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood Burbank, rahimahullaah
Transcribed by Saima Zaher.
Posted with kind permission from Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah
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