"Thank you sister!" said Parrot. "Onyone? Anybody to share knowledge?" said Parrot to the birds. The Falcon hesitated, but finally he stepped forward. He said, "I have nothing, but take something from what I have heard." The birds asked, "So, tell us!"
The Falcon said, "On the authority of Abu Abdullah al-Nu'maan ibn Basheer, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, "That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear and between the two of them are doubtful [or ambiguous] matters about which not many people are knowledgeable. Thus, he who avoids these doubtful matters certainly clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor. But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Verily every king has a sanctuary and Allah's sanctuary is His prohibitions. In the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be sound, all the body is sound and which, if it be diseased, all of the body is diseased. This part of the body is the heart."
This hadith is sahih. It was recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, ibn Maajah, al-Nasaai and numerous others. This hadith lays down some of the most important principles of Islam. Abu Dawood, the scholar of hadith, once stated that Islam is built upon four hadith, this being one of them. Indeed, this hadith covers all of the possible acts: the permissible, forbidden and doubtful. It also shows how to protect one's religion and honor. Finally, at the end, it points out the key to following the permissible and remaining away from what will harm a person.
There are innumerable acts that are clearly permissible and sanctioned by the Islamic Law. In some cases, they are explicitly mentioned as being permissible while in other cases it is clear that they fall under the general guidelines of the Quran and sunnah. In the same way that some acts are very clearly stated to be permissible, other acts are very clearly stated to be forbidden. The clarity of the proofs concerning such acts is very clear.
The Parrot asked, "What exactly are the doubtful matters?" The Falcon said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) set the sample for all Muslims when it comes to avoiding doubtful matters. For example, Adi ibn Thaabit asked about when he is hunting and sends his dog after the prey. Upon finding the prey, he finds another dog there and he does not know which dog actually killed the prey. The Prophet (ﷺ) told him, "Do not eat [that prey], for you have mentioned the name of Allah over your dog but you did not mention it in the case of the other dog." (Recorded by al- Bukhari and Muslim.) Again, the Prophet (ﷺ) decided the matter due to the doubt that was present and told Adi not to eat the prey as he feared that the animal had been killed by the other dog and would have been a type of meat that is not permissible to eat. This example, and show that the Prophet (ﷺ) decided cases according to this principle of avoiding the doubtful matters. This, of course, is perfectly consistent with a statement of Abdullah ibn Masood that is recorded by al-Nasaai. In that statement, Abdullah said, "Verily, the permissible things are clear and the forbidden things are clear. And between them are some matters that are doubtful. Therefore, leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt."
There are many factors that may lead to people being uncertain about a certain act, whether it is permissible or not. One of those reasons is that the evidence related to a particular point may seem to be contradicting. One hadith, for example, may show an act to be permissible while another one shows the same act to be forbidden. The possible causes for confusion and difference of opinion are many. However, as this hadith demonstrates, the correct view on a particular question is one and not many. Unfortunately, though, many people may be unaware of the correct opinion.
In general, confusing cases may be divided into three types. The first type is where there is something that the person knows is forbidden but then he has some doubt about whether the forbidden aspect has been removed. An example is the meat of animals. It is forbidden for the Muslim to eat meat unless it has been slaughtered in the proper manner. If he does not know or has no reason to believe that it has been slaughtered properly and by acceptable people, then he should not eat it as it then becomes like the doubtful matters that he should avoid. Actually, in this case one can say that it is forbidden to eat as the original ruling is such meat is forbidden unless one has reason to believe otherwise.
The second category is the opposite of the first: something is definitely permissible for someone and then he has some doubt about whether or not its permissible nature has been removed. In a case like this, the person should consider the matter permissible until he is certain that it has become forbidden.
The third category is where the person has some doubt about something and he has no idea if it is permissible or forbidden as both are possible and there is no overwhelming evidence for either conclusion. In this case it is better for the person to avoid the matter completely.
The Prophet (ﷺ) has stated a parable concerning the acts forbidden by Allah. It was the custom of the Arabs that the noble among them would have a specific land for only their animals to graze on, that is, a private grazing land. If another shepherd would bring his sheep too close to this private grazing land, it would be very easy for some of his sheep to cross over the boundary and to start to eat from the private grazing land. Therefore, the shepherd would always set some distance between his sheep and the private grazing land, in order to make sure that his animals did not unintentionally eat from the private grazing land. In this parable, the private grazing land of Allah refers to the acts that Allah has forbidden. The Muslim must be very careful not to tread close to these acts as he may accidentally take part in them. He must set some distance between him and these forbidden acts. In other words, the person must avoid everything that leads to these forbidden acts as, otherwise, he may be caught in a tide and swept into the forbidden acts.
Notice how beautifully the Prophet (ﷺ) described this situation. One can imagine having some animals and setting them out to graze. They are grazing in lands that are used by many other animals. The land may be trampled upon and the vegetation eaten up. Then the animal sees a portion of land close by that is very green because not many animals are allowed to feed there. How tempting this must be for those animals. How will the shepherd keep all of his animals from straying over to that land that looks so inviting. He has two choices. He can either avoid getting close to that private land in the first place. In that case, he does not have to fear that his animals may stray into that inviting land. Second, he can keep a constant watch on all of his animals to make sure that none of them stray. Which option is easier and more productive? Suppose he loses sight of just one of his animals. Suppose he needs to rest just for a little or break for food. Who will be watching the animals then? The Prophet (ﷺ), in a very beautiful and moving way, has shown that the wise person will not take such a risk. He will realize that his only sure way of success is to stay far away from that private pasture. When he does so, he will protect his religion and his honor."
The Falcon then said, "O my brothers and sisters, the Prophet (ﷺ) clarified all matters of the religion. However, some matters are much clearer than others or clearer to some than to others. Hence, with respect to any individual, all acts can be divided into three categories: things that are clearly permissible, things that are clearly forbidden and things that lie in between them concerning which a person cannot determine or know if they are permissible or forbidden.
This hadith demonstrates that there is only one correct opinion concerning the permissibility or non-permissibility of a specific act — an act cannot be both permissible and impermissible at the same time. The correct view is one and only one. The pious person will avoid doubtful matters. Hence, his religion or his honor stay above and beyond any kind of suspicion. Forbidden acts are Allah's private pasture. Everyone should do his best to make sure that his "flock" remains away from that private pasture. The only way to ensure that is to remain far away from the private pasture. And Allah know best."
Reference :"Say, [O Muhammad], "Shall we [believers] inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds? [They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work." Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and in [their] meeting Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any importance. - [QS.18-103-105]
- Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, Commentary On The Forty Hadith Of Al Nawawi Volume 1, Al-Basheer Publications
