Naseehah (1)
The Owl said, "O my brothers and sisters, indeed, human always forget, they commit sin if they forget Alah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. So, Allah send the prophets from their own to give them naseehah." The birds said, "Tell us about the naseehah, O wise owl!" Owl said, "Naseehah is an Arabic word that is usually translated to mean "sincerity" or "sincere advice", but actually embodies every type of virtue. It is usually translated as "sincerity" since one of its essential connotations is the negation of deception or cheating. That is definitely one of its interpretations. However, here it has been intentionally left in transliterated form. The word naseehah has two basic linguist meanings: firstly, to clean, purify or improve something of all unwanted elements, as in purifying honey from unwanted materials, and secondly, to unite or join something together that is scattered or separated, as in sewing a garment. Ibn Uthaimeen says that naseehah implies that a person loves for his brother what is good, calls him to it, makes it clear to him and encourages him to do it. This is part and parcel of the true religion of Islam. This is the real way of the believers. It is when the believers fulfill this type of condition that they meet the description given of the true believers in the Quran surah al-Hujurat[49]:10, "The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.." So, that brotherhood is the result of the correct and true naseehah.
Naseehah implies that one advises and guides others to what is best for them in this life and the Hereafter. This was first and foremost the job of the Messengers. Indeed, it should be a major characteristic of the believer is that very important characteristic of giving advices. Being from the people of Naseehah or having the characteristic of being 'Naasih' is something that Allah has commanded. It is also one of the important characteristics that the Prophets came with. This affair of Naseehah is something, which is fundamental and a most important characteristic for every Muslim. Hence, when a person is fulfilling the obligation of naseehah to his fellow Muslims, he is actually fulfilling a role that was also an obligation upon the most noble of creation, the messengers of Allah.
Owl paused, then said, "There is a hadith about naseehah, in sahih Muslim, on the authority of Abu Ruqayyah Tameem ibn Aus, radiallahuanhu, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The religion is naseehah." The people said, "To whom?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "To Allah and to His Book and to His Messenger and to the Leaders of the Muslims and to the common folk of the Muslims."
This is a profound statement. If one studies the meaning of naseehah closely and looks at all of the meanings of this hadith, he would then be able to understand why the Prophet (ﷺ) made such a statement. It can be argued that there is truly nothing in the religion of Islam beyond what is encompassed by the naseehah to the objects mentioned in this hadith. In this one brief sentence the Prophet (ﷺ) has described the essence of Islam. Its implication is one of all inclusiveness. One of the interpretations of this is that one's religion cannot be complete unless he fulfills the naseehah to Allah, His book and the others mentioned in the hadith. The meaning is not that naseehah is all there is to Islam. But the meaning is that naseehah forms the bulk and the most important pillar of this religion. It encompasses Islam, imaan and ihsaan. And Allah knows best.
And there is another hadith concerning naseehah, Muslim recorded on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stated, "The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are six." It was asked, "What are they, O Messenger of Allah ?" He (ﷺ) replied, "When he meets him, he greets him; when he invites him, he responds; if he seeks his sincere advice, he advises him; ifhe sneezes and praises Allah, he asks Allah to have mercy on him; if he is ill, he visits him; and when he dies, he follows him (that is, his funeral procession)."
Kea said, "Tell us about naseehah to Allah, O wise owl!" Owl said, "When asked to whom this naseehah is due, the Prophet (ﷺ) first said, "To Allah." Making naseehah to Allah requires the fulfilling of the obligatory duties in the best way possible, ie. ihsaan. The naseehah to Allah cannot be complete or perfect without this. This should be a goal of every Muslim. However, this cannot be done without a love for what He has ordered. This also implies that a Muslim should strive to get as close to Allah as possible by doing voluntary good deeds and by forbidding the forbidden and avoiding disliked acts. Making naseehah to Allah includes all of the following acts of worship: believing in Him, denying any partners to Him, affirming all of His attributes that are stated in the Quran and the sunnah, obeying Him, fulfilling His commands, abstaining from what He has forbidden, doing one's best to emember Him under all circumstances, loving and hating for His sake, being friends to those who support Him and who work for His cause, and being against those who are against Him and who fight against His cause, having honor for the sake of Allah and being upset when the laws of Allah are ignored and disrespected, recognizing the blessings He has bestowed and properly thanking Him for those blessings, and so on. This is the making of naseehah to Allah.
Note that all of the above have some aspect of purifying something, such as one's beliefs, or of joining something together, such as, one's relationship to Allah and the believers in Him. This is the complete and desired naseehah and this is the religion of lslam as the Prophet (ﷺ) stated. Naseehah to Allah, implying having the correct intention in one's heart to fulfill the rights of Allah, is obligatory under all circumstances, even under those circumstances wherein other duties are no longer obligatory because they are beyond one's ability to perform them.
Obviously, the one who benefits from this naseehah is not Allah. Allah is Self-Sufficient and is not in need of any of His creatures. Instead, it is the servant of Allah himself that benefits from this act. When he makes naseehah to Allah, he is purifying himself and bringing himself closer to Allah. Hence, Allah has made this act obligatory upon individuals and it is the person himself who alone benefits from this act. Such is the grace and mercy of Allah."
Kea said, "Tell me about naseehah to His book!" Owl said, "The word, "His book," refers to the whole class of revelation. Hence, it includes all of the previously revealed scriptures as well as the Quran revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ). Naseehah to the book of Allah requires that one believe that the Quran is from Allah, that it is the speech and uncreated word of Allah, and that it is not like the word of man. In addition, the complete naseehah to the book of Allah requires that one, according to one's ability, reads and recites it properly, applies it, studies its admonitions, lessons and parables. Calling others to believe in the book of Allah is also part of this naseehah.
An important aspect of making naseehah to the Quran is to defend and protect it from any kind of distortion or misinterpretation. Naseehah to the book of Allah includes defending it against the false claims made against it. Having the proper respected and treating the Quran in the proper manner is also part of this naseehah. A Muslim should not touch the Quran while he is in a state of sexual defilement. Indeed, it is preferable that he not touch the Quran unless he has made ablution. One should also never do any act which would be considered an act of disrespect toward the Quran, such as throwing it down to the ground or leaving it on a pile of garbage. Since naseehah is such an essential aspect of the religion, every Muslim should consider these points and ask himself if he is truly really make naseehah to Allah and to the Book of Allah."
Kea said, "Tell us about naseehah to His Messenger!" Owl said, "The naseehah to the Prophet (ﷺ) includes believing his message, believing in all that he brought as being divinely inspired, obeying him, helping and defending him, defending his honor and respecting his status. An essential and most important aspect of this naseehah is that one accepts the Prophet (ﷺ) as the true leader and only human final word with respect to the religion. He is the only real human authority, and everyone else's opinions and statements come after his. If any Muslim follows another person's opinion in opposition to what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has said, then he is not making the proper naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Making naseehah to the Messenger (ﷺ) also includes being a friend to those who love him and an enemy to those who are against him. Also important are reviving his sunnah and fighting any innovations, spreading, learning and teaching his message, making supplications for him (ﷺ).
Making naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) includes loving his family and his companions. Ibn Uthaimeen notes that it is especially important that one love and respect the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). This is because somebody's companions are, in essence, his closest friends and confidantes. Among the Companions, the Prophet (ﷺ) chose to be closest to Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan, Ali and others. This was his choice and he expressed his love for his Companions on a number of occasions. When one insults or denigrates such noble Companions, one is actually insulting the Prophet (ﷺ) for taking such people as his comrades. Indeed, ibn Uthaimeen points out, one is actually insulting Allah when insulting the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ). It was Allah who chose those noble souls to be the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) and to be the people who would carry this religion, preserve the Quran and carry on the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). Furthermore, when one denigrates the Companions and casts doubt on their piety, one is casting doubt on the religion itself since it was through these people, by the will of Allah, that the religion was spread and passed on to following generations.
Finally, making naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) includes loving those who follow, defend and strive to revive his sunnah. They are working for the sake of Allah in supporting the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), hence, there is no room for anyone to have hatred in their heart for them."
Kea said, "Tell us about naseehah to to the Leaders of the Muslims!" Owl said, "There are two kinds of "leaders" among Muslims, the first are the religious leaders or scholars while the second are the worldly leaders or rulers. The wording of this hadith implies both categories ofleaders. The importance of naseehah to those in authority can be found in other hadith. For example, Imam Malik recorded that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Verily, Allah is pleased with you for three matters and displeased with you concerning three maters. He is pleased with you for worshipping Him and not ascribing any partner to Him, for clinging to the cord of Allah and not dividing, and for being mutually sincere with those whom Allah has put in charge of your affairs..."
There is no one above receiving or accepting naseehah. Everyone is deserving of sincere conduct and sincere advice. Everyone is in need of naseehah and it must be given to everyone, no matter how high ranking or prestigious the person may be. With respect to submitting to Allah and the shareeah, all are equal. No one is above the law and no one is above needing advice. Indeed, a ruler or a scholar should be the first to accept sincere advice from others. At the same time, they are among the first who are deserving of respect and sincere relations.
Making naseehah to the leaders of the Muslims includes: helping them when they are following the truth, obeying them in what is right, reminding them if they should err or forget, being patient with them when they do things the person does not like, making jihad with them and not revolting against their proper authority. One should also pray for their guidance and piety, as their guidance and piety will benefit the Muslims as a whole. Abu Uthmaan Saad ibn Ismaaeel al-Khairi said, "Sincerely advise the ruler and pray for him that he be righteous and guided in his statements and actions for if he is righteous, the affairs of the people will become good. And do not pray against them, thereby increasing their evil and increasing the trials for the Muslims."
Ibn Uthaimeen states that one should advise them directly to their face if that is possible; otherwise, one could write to them or contact those who are in direct contact with them. Imaam Malik said, "It is a right for every Muslim or man in whose heart Allah has placed knowledge and understanding to go the people in power and order them to do good, forbid them evil and admonish them. This is because if the scholar goes to the ruler and orders him to go good and forbids him from evil, if there is any, this is the virtue beyond which there is no further virtue."
This hadith stresses that one must have sincere conduct with respect to the legal Muslim rulers. Muslim rulers are human beings and they are apt to make errors. Therefore, they are in need of naseehah and sincere advice like any other Muslim. However, since what they do has an affect on so many others, making naseehah to them is of even greater importance. Al-Qarni states that this is why one can find so many hadith emphasizing making naseehah to the rulers, advising them to do what is right and forbidding them from what is evil.
The goal of one's interaction with the rulers or one's discussions about the rulers should be pious and to bring them back to what is correct. Therefore, speaking to them in an un-called for harsh manner, showing a complete lack of respect for them and seemingly simply trying to embarrass them is not the proper way to make naseehah to the rulers. In fact, when Allah sent Moses and Aaron to the Pharaoh, whose evil and harshness they knew quite well, Allah commanded them, in Surah Taha[20]:44, "And speak to him with gentle speech that perhaps he may be reminded or fear Allah."
Furthermore, spreading the wrong or evil of rulers without any overriding need or benefit goes against the naseehah that one should have toward the rulers. In general, the result of such deeds is hatred and evil without any corresponding good. Instead, when they are wrong, they should be told that they are wrong-- but one must always be careful and ascertain that the steps he is taking lead to greater benefit than harm. For this reason, many of the pious forefathers of Islam emphasized advising the rulers in private and not publicly. Indeed, recorded by Al-Haakim and Ahmad, the Prophet (ﷺ) himself made that point in his statement, "Whoever wishes to give advice to a ruler about a matter should not do so publicly. Instead, he should take him by his hand and be alone with him [to talk to him] about it. If he accepts the advice from him [the matter is finished successfully]. If he does not [accept the advice], the person has fulfilled [the obligation] upon him."
Part of the naseehah to the rulers also inlcudes when the ruler puts a person in charge of any matter or gives him a job to do that is sanctioned by the shareeah, that person should discharge his duties honorably and honestly and not deceive or cheat the ruler in any way. Al-Khattaabi mentions that one should not deceive the rulers by bestowing false praises upon them. In other words, one must deal with them in a way that is pleasing to Allah and do so for the sake of Allah and fearing His punishment.
The Muslim scholars are leaders in the sense that they guide the others to the teachings of the Quran and sunnah. They are the ones who understand and are aware of how the shareeah is to be applied in daily life. Their position is one of great importance for the community as a whole. Hence, it is essential that the proper naseehah be made toward them.
Naseehah to them implies, for example, taking the knowledge that they pass on, accepting their personal rulings if they give sound proofs for their decisions, having good thoughts about them and not suspecting them of evil. Furthermore, as ibn Uthaimeen notes, one should not attempt to find their faults or mistakes. All scholars are human and they are all prone to make mistakes. One must accept that fact and one should correct them in the proper way. However, to search for their mistakes and expose them is not proper. When one does so, one is not just casting doubt on that one scholar but, in essence, one is casting doubt on all scholars and the shareeah as a whole.
(Part 2)
