Yasir Qadhi

A Conversation Pastor Bob Roberts Jr & Dr

Of the mannerisms of the believer (Episode 20) is that the believer consistently greets others, both friends and strangers, with the greetings of salām. This greeting is a du'ā for your brother, and a declaration that you desire nothing but peace & good for him. It is a mention of the name of Allah and a bringing of barakah into our lives. The Prophet (SAW) was asked, "Whose Islam is the best?" He replied, "The one who feeds the hungry and gives salām to those whom he knows, and those whom he doesn't know."

The believer is not satisfied with mediocrity; he doesn't want to just do the bare minimum, either for his faith or in his work. The believer aims highs, makes a firm resolve, strives hard, and excels in all efforts. The believer is not lazy, nor does he give up. We are told to try to be leaders in our fields, and to leave a lasting legacy and impact - both on a spiritual level, and at a civic level. The Prophet (SAW) said: "Allah has prescribed excellence in all that you do"

The believer defends the honor of others, and doesn't allow them to be slandered or their dignity besmirched. In our latest Episode (Number 18), we discuss the concept of speaking up when others are slandered, and of not allowing false accusations or blatant lies to be left unchallenged. Even backbiting that occurs in a gathering, or evil insinuations based on assumptions, should not tacitly be allowed to slip by. When Ka'b b. Mālik remained behind in the Battle of Tabuk, and the Prophet (SAW) asked about him, someone of the hypocrites slyly remarked that his wealth had distracted him and hence he wasn't in the expedition. But it was the scholar of the Companions, Mu'adh b. Jabal, who immediately retorted, "What an evil thing you have said! O Messenger of Allah, I have only seen good from him..." The Prophet (SAW) said, "Whoever defends the honor of his brother shall have his face shielded from Jahannam on the Day of Judgment" [al-Adab al-Mufrad].

Of the primary hallmarks of a believer (Episode 17 in our series) is the purity of his speech: the believer avoids lying, slander, backbiting, gossip, vulgarity, and argumentation. Multiple times in the Quran, Allah describes the believers as those who '...turn away from idle talk,' or those who '...when the foolish address them, respond by saying: Peace!'. The Prophet (SAW) said, 'Whoever guarantees me [the control] of what is between his cheeks, and what is between his thighs, I shall in return guarantee him Paradise" [Tirmidhi]. This means the two primary causes of failure are what the tongue reaps, and the following of one's sensual pleasures. In another tradition, we are told that the harvest of the tongue is a primary reason for punishment. So many problems of this world are caused by speech: just look at how many relationships have been broken, how much corruption has spread, how much deceit has taken place, and even how wars have been started and lives lost, and you will see that evil speech is a primary factor in all of that. Hence why the believer prefers silence over vain and useless speech.The Prophet (SAW) reminded us: "Whoever remains silent is safe" [Tirmidhi].

With Special Guest Shaykh Omar Suleiman

(Plus Two Current Events)

Of the characteristics of the believer is that he is kind and merciful to all those around him, even animals and plants! The sīrah of the Prophet ﷺ shows this reality throughout - the default is to be full of compassion for all the creation. The Prophet ﷺ once shortened the prayer by reciting the two smallest Surahs, and then explained, "I heard a baby crying, and I felt that his mother would be grieved [if I prolonged], hence I recited those two Sūrahs]. Can you imagine the level of consciousness to take into consideration, over and above the hundreds of people prayer, the sentiments of just one mother, and because of her shorten the prayer? In fact, he chastised the owner of a camel for treating it too harshly, and even hugged the tree that cried when he stood on a new pulpit and left it. The heart of the believer is full of compassion for the creation - that is the default, and exceptions to the rule remain exceptions. It is truly mind-boggling that some have turned this reality upside down and consider it an insult to label another Muslim 'compassionate'. Our Lord is al-Raḥmān; He revealed to us a religion of mercy, and He sent us a prophet who is a Mercy to all of mankind. Whoever finds this problematic has completely misunderstood the basics of Islam.

In Part 14 of our series, I discuss the defining characteristic of our faith, as per the words of the Prophet (ﷺ) : modesty (ḥayā`).Shyness and modesty is not about being quiet or acting like an introvert! The 'ḥayāi' that is praised is an innate feeling that dissuades a person from undertaking any action that will be blameworthy. It is an internal 'check-and-balances' that acts like a conscience and makes one feel guilty even before doing a sin, hence it stops a person before doing the sin.It is generally associated with abstaining from vulgarities and indecencies, in speech, interaction, and dress.The Prophet (S) said, "Ḥayā - all of it - is nothing but good..." [al-Bukhari].

Of the characteristics of the believer is that the believer takes pride in the faith of Islam and his identity stemming from that faith. Note that this 'pride' is not at all the type of pride that is forbidden, because that pride is based on the false assumption that somehow you are better than other person because of something you have done. This type of pride is not arrogance, but rather an overwhelming sense of gratitude that Allah has blessed one with imān, and the dignity and love that comes from recognizing and living with imān. The Prophet (SAW) said, "It is not befitting that the believer humiliates himself..." [Abu Dawud]. The believer carries himself with a sense of purpose and dignity, and is never embarrassed or ashamed of his identity.

Of the characteristics of the believer (Part 12 of our series) is that the default is to think the best of people, and to interpret ambiguous phrases and unclear incidents in the most positive manner.A pure heart leads to pure thoughts of others, while a heart full of suspicion leads to suspicious thoughts of others. The Prophet (SAW) said, "I warn you against being suspicious of others, because suspicion is the most lying of matters..." [al-Bukhari]. Having ḥusn al-dhann and always interpreting ambiguous phrases in the best of ways would completely demolish the toxic refutation culture that social media is saturated with. Even if others aren't living up to those standards, remember that we have to answer to Allah, and we should not get involved in the rampant climate of 'name and shame' and 'cancelling' because of an ambiguous issue. The believer is more worried about his own deficiencies rather than obsessing over the alleged faults of others.

Of the characteristics of the believer is that not only is he an optimist, he exudes a confidence and hope in all those around him so that they too become optimistic. This optimism stems from his strong faith in Allah and the ḥusn al-dhann he has in Him.The believer things the best thoughts of Allah and knows that the plan of Allah will always be for his best. And because of this, the Prophet (SAW) actually wanted us to read in positive omens and extract Divine cues from all types of occurrences around us - as if the random acts of nature and haphazard occurrences are not actually random or haphazard, but instead all a part of a Divine Plan that is meant to inspire us and give us confidence in Allah's qadr. Hence why the Prophet (SAW) said, 'There is no such thing as evil omens, but I like al-fa'al: a good word [that gives optimism].' [Al-Bukhari].

Of the characteristics of the believer is that he is always of cheerful countenance. Abdullah b. al-Ḥārith said, "I never saw anyone smile more than the Prophet (SAW)," and Jarīr b. Abdullah remarked, "I never saw the Prophet (SAW) except that he smiled when he saw me."And our Prophet (SAW) encouraged us to be charitable with our smiles, and said that every smile is counted as an act of worship that we shall be rewarded for. As well, the Prophet (SAW) would regularly laugh (although his laughter was always dignified and just a step more than a smile), and even crack jokes and pull pranks. So the believer is cheerful, and brings cheer to other people - in contrast to some religious folks who seem to think that scowling at people is somehow a mark of religiosity! Smile, it's Sunnah !