Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #080 Busying Oneself With Benefit Having Good Opinion of Others
AI: Summary ©
The importance of caring and concern in one's circle of social interaction is essential. Be aware of one's values and values, and not just arguing with others. Be a true seeker of knowledge and not just saying wishful for enemies. Be considerate and not just a generalist, and avoid begging for free meals and bills. Be a master of spirituality and be a positive person. Be considerate and not just pursuing accretion, and avoid false assumptions and seeking benefit from others. Be a good person and a good spirit.
AI: Summary ©
You're listening to the daily guidance for seekers
with Sheikh Farazrabani,
who will be covering Imam Yusuf and Abiheni's
beautiful collection of 40 sets of 40 hadith
of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, as well as Imam Zarnooji's guidance for
seekers of knowledge regarding the ways of seeking
knowledge.
In our daily,
we are going to be looking today
at some of the advice for seekers of
Islamic knowledge, which we've been looking at from
instructing the student
on the ways of learning by
Imam
Surnoji. May Allah
have mercy upon him.
So we we we reached
the the we have reached the chapter on
having concern
for others
and of being of sincere concern of of
sincere counsel
to others.
And
we
looked at
the, you know, some of the poetry
about
not responding badly
to what other people do.
Right? And
that it's sufficient
for the bad that other people do, the
fact that they are
that they
are engaged in it.
Right?
So the
so this
right? The
the concern,
you know, the gentle
the gentle carer
and sincere concern of the student
has several aspects.
The ulama say, this has to do 1
with
their peers.
Right? With their peers.
The their peers being other students of knowledge
because you have to interact with them. What's
the basis of interacting with them?
The second
is
in their circles of
relation.
Right?
Within with family, with neighbor, with others.
The third
has to do with
their
teachers as well. This applies.
Right?
Even though
the meaning that is more manifest is
and
respect and proper manners,
but there's an aspect of caring.
Right? Of concern and caring that's very important.
The 4th
is with everyone
with everyone else.
Right? With everyone else.
Because
as
the,
you know, the the student of knowledge
is learning
to become
a an inheritor of the prophet.
Right?
So this is
these are the essential qualities.
Shafaqah
and Nasihah,
caring
and
sincere concern, these are essential prophetic qualities,
right, required
to be able
to call other people and to be
accepted
by them
so that one is able to benefit them.
Right? So that's a responsibility.
Right? That's a that's a responsibility. So this
is part of the training.
So even though
a student knowledge may not
necessarily be actively interacting
outside those closer circles. Right? Seeking of knowledge
is a is a type of isolation.
Right? You're not necessarily out there at every
rally and demonstration and you're not, you know,
engaged actively in dealing with a lot of
external people. But even in one's own circles,
one has to exaggerate these two qualities without
getting distracted from one's purpose.
Sheikh Hassan put it that, you know, if
the the the student knowledge has
taken on a noble
task.
And he's taken on a noble responsibility.
For which only
noble traits of character are befitting.
Right?
Right?
Like,
one
can
Right? And it's not doesn't befit the seeker
of knowledge to have the
the character
of the people of the marketplace.
K? So what do you
do in your free time? You go to
the mall, you hang out
at the cafe,
and you are just, you know,
looking out for when the new
Netflix series comes out and you're talking about
what everyone else is talking about. That's not
from the akhlaq of the student of knowledge.
Right? Rather the predominant qualities are the, you
know, are these 2. Right? And we looked
at why else they need them.
And particularly,
because the student knowledge is a bit of
a
stranger, right,
in their pursuit.
Right? So people may
think they're a bit weird in family,
in one circles. So that's why one has
to have and
towards them. And also there's a possibility
amongst other seekers
to have
envy.
Right? Because where does envy arise?
Said it's very easy to have goodwill towards
complete strangers.
Right? If you hear about there's this there's
young
female student
in Malaysia who recites the Quran beautifully,
say, masha'Allah, may Allah bless her or whatever.
But if you find out
that the person you're studying with
is doing better than you in
in one of your the subjects,
you're not going to say, You know, like,
the natural tendency of the human being is
towards
feeling threatened. You don't feel threatened by some
sis some some person in Malaysia or some
young
student of Fiqh
in Nigeria has memorized whatever, like, But
if the person you're studying with is ahead
of you, that's when
these things can arise and you have to
hold yourself to these two qualities.
So lines before
said that if you want your enemies to
feel bad, repeat that it's bad enough what
you're stuck with. Then he says,
Right?
He said it has been related
that if you wish
for your enemy
to be
saddened
and for you to kill them in
worry
and to burn them
in woe,
then
direct yourselves to higher matters
and focus on increasing in knowledge.
For
whoever increases in knowledge,
those envious of them increase
in sorrow.
There's people who'll be envious, etcetera.
Like, of course, this is not literally because
it's not saying
wish ill for those envious of you, but
direct yourself to what's of benefit for you.
Right? And leave them to their envy.
Right? And that's enough
attack. Right? Rather you want good for them
and good for you, but their own
you know, let them
leave them to,
their plots. I don't busy yourself responding to
them, right, basically.
Right?
Focus on,
you know, the higher higher matters. Right?
Rather,
the
respond in the way that is better. And
part of the way that is better
is that if what you are engages in
engages in better than argument with them,
then
that's
then engage in
what you're doing rather than arguing with them.
Because the truth is not dependent
on what people say.
Right? What's true is in itself true.
Right?
And someone said, prove that the Hanafi scholars
allowed x, y, zed.
I don't have to prove it like they
said it.
You either accept my transmission or you don't.
Right? Now someone seeking guidance, etcetera, then yes.
But someone wants to argue.
Right? If I don't prove it, doesn't mean
that's what they don't say.
Right?
Right?
So if if it's only for the sake
of argument,
you just move you know, you you you
you move on. Right?
And the fact that they are at enmity
or envious or whatever,
just that state if you can't help them
in any way,
the least is leave them let them be.
And it it's incumbent upon you to busy
yourself
with
the best interest of your own self.
Right, as a seeker of knowledge. Because what
your your best interest is in seeking knowledge,
to be able to benefit yourself
and through that,
to be ready to be able to benefit
others.
Not in overcoming your enemy.
Right?
Because if you don't busy yourself with it
takes 2 to fight.
So they pick a fight and you don't
fight,
doesn't mean you lost.
And if it means you lost, what what
does that mean?
And it's ego.
Someone tries to argue and you say,
thank you.
Thank you for the advice and you move
on. It's harder on your nuffs. Right? It's
harder on your nuffs.
It's not satisfying for the nafs, but they
but if you think about did they really
want to listen? No.
Right? And here the golden principle mentioned by
Ibn at by Ibn Ata'illa,
that if you're unsure about
If you're not sure about 1 of 2
matters
If you're confused about 2 matters, meaning 2
choices,
then look which one is harder on your
ego?
On your nefs?
And follow that way.
Because nothing weighs on the ego
except that it's truth. Because what does the
ego want?
The ego wants inflation.
Right? The ego wants recognition.
So some of the time someone picks an
argument.
Right? So for example, someone wants to argue
about moonsighting.
Now it's more satisfying you can prove it.
We should go with calculation and local and
blah blah blah blah blah.
So you prove all of that, but what
have you? Benefited. Right?
So,
in that kind of case,
right, if the person's willing to listen, this
falls under nasih. Right?
You convey it and, you know, if there
it'll be then,
you know, you can say it'll be a
benefit, convey it. But if it's merely for
the satisfaction of your ego, let me prove
it, then
then you don't.
Right?
Then you don't
with someone at enmity to you. Also,
sometimes you may know something as a seeker
of knowledge
and having Shafaqah,
caring concern for yourself,
is you have to keep in mind that
just because you know something, you don't have
to convey it.
Sometimes the safer thing is to point them
to the benefit.
Right?
And that's sort of the thing about,
you know,
give a man a fish and he'll eat
for a day.
Show, you know, show them
where the fish are, and he'll get them
forever. Right? So sometimes, you know the answer,
but you point them that,
you know, there's this good website
where,
you know, I think there's an answer about
that. And when you share that with them,
So now, not only have you given them
one answer, but shown them where you can
find a reliable answer. Right? Or someone, let's
say, during RIS, they're visiting from the Bay
Area. Right? And you find that, oh, they're
down the road from Imam Tahir's Masjid for
example.
Right? So you help them connect with with
a scholar in their community or in their
area. Say, why don't you ask them? So
you've helped them
gain a source of benefit. But also, so
you've helped them. But which choice is less
satisfying for the ego?
Right?
The second one. Right? So it's not that
you you don't hold back from benefit, but
you choose
the way of conveying the benefit that
is in your best interest. Right?
Right?
And they say
Right? Your
your ego is a snake.
It's a as
long as you're alive.
Right? It's a play on words. Your ego
is a snake as long as you're alive.
Okay?
And if you fulfilled your interests,
the interest of your own self, short term
and long term,
then
that is far better than overcoming your enemy
right now. Right? Because and that also bequeaths
negative traits of wishing ill for another, putting
another down.
And beware of becoming at enmity with another.
Because it will
shame you.
And it'll waste your time. Because if you
refute them, they'll want to refute you.
And then you feel compelled to refute them
back
and back and forth. Right? So in those
things, someone said, I don't believe in following
a method.
Now you don't say, I don't look at
you. You can say, whatever.
Right? But if you think they may listen,
so, you know,
and sometimes you don't tell them right away.
So, you know, you're mentioning about my time.
There's this,
you know, good article,
good
talk, whatever. You may want to consider
listening.
Or there's you know, sometimes there's someone that
they do trust.
And sometimes people don't piece together all the
dots. You say, oh, we love Sheikh Hamza.
And they say, we don't believe in following.
Oh, you know, Sheikh Hamza has talked about
actually has an article about
the oblig I think he translates something about
Muhammadu Taj about the obligation following 1 of
the 4 schools, whatever. So you point them
to a benefit from a source that they
may accept.
K. I was once in
somewhere in
Connecticut. It's very
the the most traumatic 3 days of my
life.
And the the place I was staying, the
couple was divorced at least 40 times,
if not more.
But they thought if you're upset with each
other, it doesn't count.
Like, you know, when did people in love
divorce each other. Right? It'll be a pretty
memorable story.
Right? Honey, I love you but I gotta
let you go.
So the
the wife, I told her to ask Imam
Zaid.
The brother,
given his background, I said, you know Sheikh
Yasser Qadhi?
I said, I know about him. He said,
I know someone who knows him well. I
said, well, contact him. And within an an
hour, both Imamzaid and Sheikh Yasir,
will preserve both, both contact him. Can you
believe
like, how did they think they're not divorced?
Right?
Especially with Amzid to be shocked at an
incident, but, you know and I fulfill my
responsibility
when it comes to commanding the good and
forbidding the the wrong. And,
Abu Talib al Mekki mentioned that if you
point someone
to
guidance,
it's like you have
guided them.
Right?
And beware of being at enmity because it
wastes your time,
because it shames you and it waste your
time. Because you attack them, then they want
to put you down.
And hold fast
to to bearing
the the the,
you know,
the hurt of others.
Particularly
from fools.
Right? And a fool is anyone whose actions
don't return to established
principles.
Right?
So many a learned person may be acting
in a foolish way. Someone is maybe a
a complete fool,
but someone may be acting in a foolish
way even though they're a learned person.
But there too, one,
you don't engage
in that folly.
So Jesus, the son of Mary, said, may
Allah's blessings be upon
our prophet and upon him.
Said bear
from fools even once
and you will profit tenfold.
K? And from that is that it's hard
for the the ego. It deflates the ego.
That's why the
they say
The person who's true
does not defend themselves.
Right?
Meaning when there's no clear
religious or worldly interest in doing so.
Right? There may be a religious
interest or a worldly interest in doing so.
Right? Which is why they mentioned the story
of Abu Hanifa. Once he was traveling in
a caravan and there was a fool, a
safi.
Or
the whole journey, he was joking around with
Abu Hanifa and making, you know, making sarcastic
and mocking jokes and so on. Abu Hanifa
was just chilled.
When he reached the city limits, he said,
listen.
The whole trip, I've been patient with
you. He says, but in the city, they
know me as Abu Hanifa Nur man.
Right? And they they trust me for their
deen. If you say a single word against
me, I'm going to report you to the
police.
Right? Because when it was just about him,
he couldn't care.
Right? But there was a clear,
greater interest in it. Right?
Right?
So sometimes, you know, there there is a
you know, but if it's just about the
ego,
you
let
it
go.
Said
and
I've
I've heard some lines of poetry from some
of them.
Says, I have dealt
with the troubles of people.
You know? Here means
for ages after ages, meaning for a long,
long time. And I haven't seen anything but
But
deception
and
and the disliked,
and I did not see
of tests
anything more trying
or more difficult
the end than the enmity of people.
Right? So one doesn't care what it has
to do with oneself, but at the same
time,
that's this is why one of the important
qualities is
It's a tricky
to be considerate.
Right? To be considerate.
And one of the most amazing
councils on how to be on how to
on diplomacy,
and which is an important
art.
It's a social art. It's not a political
art. Right?
And they and in classical issues, when you
talk about siesta, it's siesta to nas.
Right?
And Sheikh Hassan quoted Ibn Sina from his
who wrote a book on
on
on diplomacy.
Right? It's the the art
and skill
of knowing how to deal with people in
a manner that fulfills one's purpose.
Right?
And this is then the sunnah of it
is
Mudara, is to be considerate.
K?
And that's from wisdom.
And Abu Hanifa
gave this amazing counsel to and it and
many copies of
Talib al Mutalim. This council
is included at the end of Talib al
Mutalim. It's Abu Hanifa's council to his student,
Yusuf
Asamdi,
and a lot of it has to do
with how to deal with people, you know,
with consideration.
But it's ultimately,
goes back to be having shafaqah towards them
and nasihah.
And he
continues,
It says, and I have tasted
the bitterness
of many things
repeatedly,
but
but the but there is nothing more bitter
than begging.
There's nothing more bitter than begging.
And one of the things a student
of knowledge one of the important qualities of
student of knowledge is.
Right? Is to have dignified restraint,
which is why, for example,
and
the mashaikh in the mashaikh in general are
very careful about this,
but they instill it in students as well.
That the student should not be a taker
in the sense that, for example, in a
place like Damascus,
people have a lot of goodwill,
but the common person is unrefined.
Right? The common person's unrefined. They have a
lot of goodwill,
but they also have
tendency to thinking ill and gossip and slander
and all these, because unless someone's refined,
you can expect
you shouldn't be surprised when negative traits get
manifest.
So they'll invite you over for for food,
send food over regularly,
you know, anytime they're inviting people over. Of
course, we don't do any of those things
here. We don't have those social norms, but
they do all this stuff, but then what
happens?
They'll speak ill of you. Look at her,
she's a freeloader,
you know. Whenever there's a meal, there he
is, you know. So he said that one
needs to have
dignified
restraint in these matters. Right? There's also type
of begging. It's as if you're there because
you want a free meal. So what they
do is they they they're invited to meals
and stuff, they'd eat before going.
So they went
with the intention
of
that even if you hardly have any food.
Right? Or eat at least something before so
you eat
Adnan Hajj. You eat the least,
but so it cannot be said that, oh,
look look at the sheikh. He's because when
they they look critically, one plate looks like
3. Look at the sheikh. He's always
eating.
You go,
you know, you greet whatever whatever,
but, you know, one should not be,
you know, and this is,
which is why, you know, the the prophets
did not accept
they accepted gifts, did not accept charity. Right?
And that's because, you know, because you are
training to become someone who's an inheritor of
the prophet and that dignity
is very
important. Yeah. It's from
from guarding knowledge is to guard oneself from
the ill will of people.
Right? And he says what
and he'll talk more about that when he
talks about the the yeah. How a student
of knowledge should be.
He
said,
beware
of
thinking ill
of the believers.
Because it is the
root
of enmity.
And that is not permitted.
Religiously, it's impermissible.
Because the prophet commanded
think
well of believers.
And Allah says,
some
ill opinion is sinful.
And the olemmah say the some here,
refers to
much of
that most
illopinion
is sinful.
Right? Because what is commanded and one of
the explained it, that it is obligatory to
think well
of
another human being and that is like your
operational certainty, your
and your and your original certainty
is not lifted
by
doubts and possibilities that arise.
Right? Certainty is only left for certainty.
Right? And then
when it come there's some places where
you you may pursue a doubt,
right, out of caution
where it may be praiseworthy.
So for example, you're staying at someone's house
and there seems to be some really nice
thing some really fancy cereals, but you don't
know whether you have you have a doubt.
They seem really fancy and you don't know,
like,
maybe they're saving it, you know, whatever. You
just had a doubt. So you just ask
permission. And there,
pursuing the doubt for clarity, it's praiseworthy.
But when it comes to
good
opinion
of
people,
the sunnah is
Right?
Whoever
covers over for a believer,
Allah covers over for them in this life
and the next.
Right? So it's going back to thinking ill
of another.
Right?
You don't think ill because of even when
there's a reason for doubt, you don't think
ill and you don't pursue that doubt, but
rather you return back to the certainty.
Right?
Thinking ill would be sinful.
Pursuing the doubt even through legitimate means would
be
leaving the sunnah
would be leaving the sunnah.
Right? Now, of course,
if there's a reasonable doubt,
it allows you to exercise caution,
but doesn't allow you to think ill of
the person. Right? So let's say, see, the
imad is starting a business.
Right?
So once in a while, you notice someone
was dealing in rather strange ways.
Right?
And,
see, the imaid wants to do things right.
He's like, now those strange ways, it,
you know, arise out. You can't think ill
of the person,
but you can exercise caution.
But then
this is both your thinking, but let's say
someone comes to see the imad
and says, should I do business with Farid?
Can you convey those doubts?
No.
Why?
Because they're unconfirmed.
They're unconfirmed
and unverified.
What you can do is you can point
that you should just, you know, just give
them general
that points them to towards those things without
being specific. See, you know, just as in
any you know, just you give them advice,
just as in any dealing, make sure that
so I don't know.
Yeah. I don't know, but just make sure
that they're good when it comes to having
clarity
in dealings. And you may want to you
may you may want to check with people
who've dealt with them. And so you point
them towards the point of caution
without highlighting the the caution. Right?
So the rights of others
in this man matter are
very, very particular.
Right? What and he says,
and thinking ill of people only arises because
you have an ill intent, meaning
towards
towards them.
Whereas what are you commanded to have towards
them?
The prophet used to take his
to have sincere
concern for every believer.
Right? That's we are commanded to have that.
Right?
That's what religion is.
Right?
Well,
for the leaders of the Muslims and the
common person.
Right?
So it comes from having ill intent having
vile intent towards the
and having
a bad inward.
And then we'll close with the lines
of Abu Taib
who
who was a brilliant man. A lot of
the said
that, you know, if only
he was
of the spiritual path. Right? Because he had
some profound,
profound insights
into the human condition.
With things that are
spiritual
in meaning.
Even though, you know, at least ostensibly he
did not was not a person of the
spiritual path.
But, you know, but
inshallah, there was yeah. May Allah have mercy
on
He said, if a if a person's actions
become corrupt,
then their opinions
of others become corrupt.
It becomes
Right? If a person's actions become bad, then
their
their opinions of others become bad.
Right?
And they deem true what they become accustomed
to of
of mere imagination.
Right? Things that they merely imagine,
they take as true. Someone just
took a deep breath.
But maybe because,
you know, the sisters, I don't know how
many months pregnant and her back's hurting. So
she's just so
he says, look.
She's, like, doesn't accept what I have to
say.
Right? She was,
you know,
like, you know, you take the little things
to be wrong.
Was at enmity
with people
who love 1,
taking
the words of their enemies. So you accept
the words of people who are who are
enmity to you with respect to people people
who love
you.
And they
end up at night
in the darkness
of doubts.
Right?
Right?
So this is a bad state
to be in. Right? This is a very
bad state to be in.
So in the next line of poetry he
quotes,
said, go away from the vile and seek
it not.
And whoever you direct good towards, then
increase
in
that.
And you'll be granted sufficiency from your enemies,
from every
plot.
And even if your enemy
plots, don't plot against them.
Right?
How? Turn away from anything vile.
Right? It is only when you engage
in
the mud
of enmity
that it'll
affect you.
Right?
And one of the the scholars when I
was overseas,
one of
the one of the respected masha'ikh
was publicly attacking him on certain points for
years.
And he told his
his students
that none of you should respond to anything
he says
and never deal with him except with the
utmost respect
and never mention him except
with praise
that he deserves as a learned scholar.
That's three principles.
And he himself did not answer any of
the
of the attacks
for years.
But then what happened, that sheikh, after
many years of attacking this particular scholar,
went and attacked a scholar who was very
close to the government.
That scholar
got offended.
And being close to the government, he plotted
against
the critical sheikh,
and he stole away several of the sheikh's
closest students by getting them government jobs.
And he
reported him to the intelligence services that this
guy
may have, so he got in trouble with
the intelligence agencies. And the government that he's
he may have political ambition,
so got called in for that and caused
all this and wrote several
ugly public attacks and accused him of all
kinds of things.
And then he said, and amongst the things
he does, he attacks the righteous olema such
as sheikh so and so.
So a few a few of us because
they're actually kinda exciting to watch this from
a distance. So we went to
the silent sheikh
and said, sheikh, he's saying that you know?
So should
we defend him? He said, look. You can
do whatever you want as long as you
don't involve me in any of this. Right?
So we consulted.
I said, okay. So
we we rolled a defense. Then, no, that
sheikh, while he was critical of silent sheikh,
never
it was all based on the Ilmi things.
We didn't mention that his students took it
way beyond that
but to be fair.
Right? Even though the attacks were unfair and
whatever, they're illmi.
So we defended him, and we actually wrote
a joint statement. We all signed to it,
put it online.
It's in the Arab world.
So that sheikh was so grateful.
I can't believe it and this and that.
Just for years, I've been admiring how the
sheikhs never,
you know, never said anything, etcetera. And he
apologized and said, you know, I've been.
I've sort of reviewed the issues
and so on.
And and the sheikh silent sheikh couldn't care
less anyways. Right?
Right?
And
now
the critical sheikh sends students to go and
study with silent sheikh.
Right? And has nothing but good. Even though
still he there's issues where he disagrees, but
he doesn't talk about those disagreements anymore.
Right?
So that's
yeah. Keep away from all vileness,
seek it not.
And whoever you do good to,
focus on increasing in that good.
At this way, you'll be granted sufficiency
from every plot.
Right? And if your enemy plots, then no
plot against them.
And this is the way of the prophet,
sallai alaihi wa sallam. Right? They try to
kill him in all kinds of ways. They
kinda hurt him in any way. He never
responded to that
with
any plot against them. He only wanted the
good for them.
He protected himself from harm,
sought nothing but good for them, and focused
on the good that he could do, salallahu
alayhi wa sallam. Right?
K.
And
Allah We have granted you sufficiency
from all those who'd deride you. K. And
Allah promised protection after protection. Anyone and ibn
Ajeeba says in his tafsir
that anyone
who is sincerely striving to follow
the prophet
and who commits to this prophetic quality
of keeping away from vileness,
seeking harm for no for no one, and
focusing on doing good, seeking Allah thereby,
that
Allah will grant you sufficiency
from your enemies.
Right? And even if they plot against you,
don't plot against them. Right? But rather, you
protect yourself, of course, from harm,
Be discreet.
Don't
be of enmity.
And
and he continues how to to deal with
ignorant people.
Okay. We'll just we'll just
we'll close with that next next class
and the summary and then the chapter after
is what are keys
to to benefit. Right? This is repeating something
that he mentioned briefly earlier. So next class,
we're going to look at
a closing of the section of
how to
be you know, how to actualize sincere concern
for others and then
some of the keys to seeking benefit, we
ask Allah
to realize us in it.
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