Sun 27 Oct 2019
Read by Abu Arwa Ali

Hadith 27

  • An-Nawwās bin Sam’ān – may Allah be pleased with him – said: the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Piety is noble character; but sin is what comes to your mind and you dislike that the people become aware of it.” [Muslim]
  • Wabişah bin Ma’bad – may Allah be pleased with him – said: I came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and he said: “You came to enquire about piety?” I said; Yes. He said: “Search your mind; piety is what the soul is at ease with and the heart finds tranquility in. But sin is what occurs to the mind and brings hesitation in the heart even when the people give you rulings, telling you what to do.” 
  • A Hasan Hadīth; we were given the report from the Musnad of the two great Scholars: Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ad-Darimi, with a Hasan chain of transmission.
  • The explanation of this hadith is split into 8 parts
  • Some important clarifications:
    • The Prophet (ﷺ) said that sin is those things which you would dislike the people becoming aware of. Does this mean our reference point for defining sins is the outlook of society? NO. Sins are defined legally in the legislation of the shariah, however it is a sign of a sin that a person disliked others finding out about it or becoming hesitant about it, this is therefore an indication for you not to do it even if you do not know its exact ruling until you find out.
    • What if something is Halal in the shariah, but he is hesitant about it? What then?
    • Who does this Hadith apply to? The Prophet (ﷺ) said this statement to a person of Faith and piety, therefore this Hadith DOES NOT apply to those who sin openly and have no shame, for them they cannot use this Hadith as an excuse to redefine sins for themselves

Part 1: The second Narration 

  • It’s authenticity

Part 2: What is Al-Birr (righteousness)?

  • “Al-Birr” is a comprehensive term
  • It can be internal or external
  • What does the Qur’an mention about this?

Part 3: Good manners

  • The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) says that this righteousness “Al-Birr” is good manners, what does this mean?
  • What are the 4 pillars of good manners?
    • Controlling the tongue
    • Not being impulsive or angry
    • Minding your own business
    • Having a clean heart towards others
  • The great importance of good manners and an encouragement to study the manners of the Prophet (ﷺ)
  • Being thankful to Allah, our Maker and Sustainer
  • If you listen to what Allah has said and follow this, then this is being grateful to Him and this in itself does not benefit Allah but rather the benefit returns back to yourself

Part 4: The statement of the Prophet (ﷺ) “Sin is what causes uneasiness within the soul and you dislike people to find out about it”

  • What is sin?
  • Why does one feel dislike that others find out about his or her sin?
  • What are 3 Similar Ahaadeeth?

Part 5: Righteousness causes the heart and soul to be at ease

  • What did the Prophet (ﷺ) mean by this statement?

Important Point: Determining righteousness and sin

  • Can anyone decide for themselves what defines righteousness and sin?
  • How do we judge what is right and wrong?
  • Importance of having shame
  • The Hadith of Ibn Mas’ud and the great example given by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in explaining the straight path, sin, and the mechanism by which a person is admonished to stay upon the right path and stay away from sinning
  • Repeated and persistent sins numbs the sensitivity of shame and thus a person loses out on this