“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 (peace be upon him) 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.” Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

1. “That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is plain and between the two of them are doubtful matters.”
2. Identification of the Doubtful Matters:
3. The Legality of The Doubtful Matters
   • The Causes for Uncertainty and Doubt
   • Different Cases of Doubt and How to Deal with Them
4. “About which not many people are knowledgeable.”
5. “Thus, he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor.”
6. “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.”
7. “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 it is diseased. This part of the body is the heart.”
   • Signs of the Heart
8. Other Points Related to This Hadith
9. Summary of the Hadith

General Comments On This Hadith: This hadith lays down some of the most important principles of Islam. As was noted earlier, 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.

1. “That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is plain and between the two of them are doubtful matters.”

In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has divided all acts into three categories: those clearly permissible, those clearly forbidden and those between the first two. Each one of these categories shall be discussed separately. At the outset, though, it should be noted that, especially for the scholars and knowledgeable people, the vast majority of acts fall into one of the first two categories. The minority of acts are from the doubtful matters. , Furthermore, the more important a matter, the more in number and the clearer the evidences are regarding it. For example, committing shirk is a greatly forbidden act. Hence, the proofs regarding it are numerous and unequivocal. Similarly, heinous crimes like adultery and alcohol consumption have been forbidden in no unclear terms. This is part of the grace and mercy of Allah that He has sent this religion and message in a way that is very clear and easy to understand.

The Clearly Permissible: There are innumerable acts that are clearly permissible and sanctioned by the Shariah. 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. For example, Allah has said in the Quran. “This day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them” (al-Maaidah 5).

In other cases, different expressions make it quite clear that the act is permissible. For example, “there is no sin upon … ” is an expression that means that the act is, at the very least, permissible. The permissibility of such acts, therefore, is unquestionably clear.

The Clearly Forbidden: 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. An example of this nature is in the following verse, “Forbidden for you are only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been slaughtered in the name of any other than Allah and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow or by a headlong fall or by the goring of horns and that which has been [partly] eaten by a wild animal, unless you are able to slaughter it [before its death], and that which is sacrificed on altars. [Forbidden] also is to use arrows for seeking luck. All that is disobedience to Allah and sin” (al-Maaidah 3). Included in this category of clearly forbidden acts is every act for which Allah or His Messenger (peace be upon him) has prescribed a punishment or concerning which He or His Messenger (peace be upon him) has made a threat of punishment.

2. Identification of the Doubtful Matters:

The first question to be addressed here is: What exactly are the doubtful matters? Al-Shaukaani has the most detailed discussion concerning this question and his categories need to be dealt with here. He stated that the doubtful matters are of six varieties. They are:

( 1) Those acts concerning which the relevant evidence, such as verses of the Quran or hadith, are conflicting and there is no apparent way to resolve the conflict. These matters would fall into this gray or doubtful area with respect to the scholars only.

(2) For the non-scholar who is adhering to a school of fiqh or following the opinions of specific scholars, a matter in which there is a difference of opinion among the scholars is a doubtful or questionable matter. This is not how some everyday people currently view the matter. They say that if one scholar says something is permissible, it is then permissible for them to follow that scholar and do that act. On the contrary, argues al-Shaukaani, if one scholar says the act is permissible while another says it is forbidden, then the non-scholar who is following those scholars should refrain from that deed because it has now definitely fallen into the realm of doubtful matters.

(3) Some permissible matters lead a person to do what is forbidden or lead him to fail to perform what is obligatory, those permissible maters then fall under the category of doubtful matters. An example al-Shaukaani gives is the permissibility of “enjoying one’s wife” without sexual intercourse while she is menstruating. He states that if a person is one who cannot control his
desires and he may easily do what is not permissible under such circumstances, that permissible act of “enjoying his wife” now becomes doubtful for him as it may lead him to what is forbidden. Therefore, it is best for him to avoid it.

(4) The disapproved of matters (makroohaat) are considered by alShaukaani to be from the doubtful matters. They are doubtful because, he argues, there is nothing explicitly showing them to be permissible or to be forbidden. Furthermore, he quotes many scholars who noted that if a person involves himself often in disapproved matters, it will lead him to forbidden matters. One reason for this is that the disapproved acts darken a person’s heart and he looses the strong light of faith. Hence, it becomes easier for him to fall into the forbidden.

( 5) The matters concerning which there is doubt whether they are permissible or not due to circumstances surrounding them. An example of this nature, concerning the sone of the slave-girl of Zama and the Prophet’s wife, shall be given later.

( 6) Those matters for which the proof for their unlawfulness is only to be found in weak hadith (albeit not very weak or fabricated hadith). AlShaukaani argued that, ifthe weakness is slight, then one cannot say for certain the hadith is not correct. Hence, the matter becomes a doubtful matter. Al-Shaukaani states that the evidence that the first two categories are from the doubtful matters is the narration that states about the doubtful matters, “About which not many people are knowledgeable.” The other categories are supported by the hadith which states,

“Place between you and the forbidden a barrier of permissible acts. Whoever does that keeps his honor and religion free of any guilt.” Although this hadith may be hasan, the weakness in al-Shaukaani’s argument here is that this is a completely separate hadith and is not a hadith which is explicitly giving a definition for what is doubtful.

In conclusion, the doubtful matters are made up of the following categories, some of which will be discussed in detail later:
( 1) Those acts concerning which the relevant evidence are conflicting and there is no apparent way to resolve the conflict.
(2) For the non-scholar who is adhering to a school of fiqh or following the opinions of specific scholars, a matter in which there is a difference of opinion among the scholars is a doubtful or questionable matter.
(3) Some permissible matters lead a person to do what is forbidden or lead him to fail to perform what is obligatory, those permissible maters then fall under the category of doubtful matters.
(4) The disapproved of matters (makroohaat) are considered by alShaukaani to be from the doubtful matters. This author is personally not completely convinced that the disapproved matters are from the doubtful
matters, but al-Shaukaani does have some good arguments to support his claim.
( 5) The matters concerning which there is doubt whether they are
permissible or not due to circumstances surrounding them.

3. The Legality of The Doubtful Matters

The first two categories of the permissible and the forbidden are very clear, both with respect to what they are referring to and the acts themselves. Then comes the doubtful, ambiguous or unclear matters. These are the matters about which there is some difference of opinion concerning their legality. However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) showed that staying away from these acts is piety.

There is a difference of opinion about the legality or participation in the doubtful matters being referred to in this hadith. Some scholars say that such acts are forbidden due to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) words later in the hadith, “Thus, he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion.” Whoever does not make himself clear in regard to his religion these scholars argue, must be involved in forbidden acts. lbn Hajr, however, unequivocally rejects this view.

Some say that these acts are permissible due to the words later in the hadith, “like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein.” To these scholars, this shows that such acts are permissible but avoiding them is piety. The meaning of “permissible” in this statement basically means anything that is not forbidden. Hence, this view still implies that the doubtful matters are disliked, as some scholars have explicitly said. This argument is supported by the fact that if the acts were truly permissible (mubaah), then there would be no piety in avoiding them as a general principle.

Another group of scholars say that it cannot be said that such acts are either permissible or forbidden. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated it to be somewhere between lawful and unlawful, and, therefore, the Muslims must also treat them in the same manner.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) set the sample for all Muslims when it comes to avoiding doubtful matters. For example, a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from Aisha states that Saad ibn Abu Waqqaas and Abd ibn Zama disputed about the custody of a young boy. Utba ibn Abu Waqqaas entrusted his son to his brother Saad ibn Abu Waqqaas saying, “The son of the slave girl of Zama is my son, take him into your custody.” During the year of the Conquest of Makkah, Saad took the boy and said, “This is my brother’s son whom my brother had asked me to look after.” Abd ibn Zama stood and said, “He is my brother and the son of the slave girl of my father and was born on my father’s bed.” Then both of them came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and Saad said, “O Messenger of Allah, this is my brother’s son whom he had asked me to look after.” Abd ibn Zama stood and said, “This is my brother and the son of the slavegirl of my father.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Abd ibn Zama, this boy is to be in your custody as the boy belongs to the bed in which he was born and the stone is for the adulterer.”

Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) told his wife Sauda ibn Zama, “Observe the veil before this boy,” when he saw the boy’s resemblance to Utba. After that, the boy did not see Sauda until she died. The relevance of this hadith is that although the Prophet (peace be upon him) rewarded the boy to Abd ibn Zama, he ordered his wife Sauda, the brother of Abd and therefore the sister of the boy also, to observe the hijaab or veil in front of that boy, since there was still some ambiguity concerning the matter. This is the safest and the more pious manner in which to handle such a problem.

In another hadith, 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 (peace be upon him) 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 alBukhari and Muslim.) Again, the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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.

These examples, and others, show that the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said in a hadith that comes later in this collection, “Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt.” (Recorded by al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaai.)

3.1 The Causes for Uncertainty and Doubt

As noted earlier, 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. Even scholars sometimes have difficulty reconciling conflicting hadith. An example of this nature is the hadith that prohibit drinking while standing and the hadith that states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) drank while standing. Both of these hadith are authentic and the scholars have come to different conclusions concerning how to reconcile them.

For non-scholars, it is sometimes very confusing when scholars hold differing and conflicting opinions about one act. This causes a great deal of confusion for many but, in many cases, when one studies the different opinions of the scholars, the reasons the scholars differed are quite obvious and need not be confusing. For example, one scholar may have made a decision concerning an act based on his own personal reasoning and not based directly on a verse of the Quran or hadith. Another scholar may hold the opposite opinion because he knows of a specific hadith related to that point. This aspect has been a common cause for differences of opinions among the scholars.

Another example is where one scholar is following a particular hadith yet he does not realize that the hadith he is applying is not an authentic hadith. Another scholar may have rejected that hadith, knowing that it is not authentic, and he therefore holds a different opinion about the question at hand. 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.

3.2 Different Cases of Doubt and How to Deal with Them

In some cases, an act may be clearly forbidden or permissible. However, some things might arise that cause a person to be confused. He is now no longer certain of what he was certain of before. The scholars have also discussed what should be done in such cases. 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. This principle is based on the hadith under discussion here and the hadith of Adi just mentioned above. (There is one exception to this and that is the case where a trustworthy Muslim offers another some food. It is sufficient, in that case, to assume that the food is halaal and one need not ask about the food.)

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. For example, a man is married to a certain woman yet he has some doubt in his mind whether or not he pronounced a divorce for her. In a case like this, the person should consider the matter permissible until he is certain that it has become forbidden. The basis for this category is the hadith of Abdullah ibn Zaid who had some doubt about whether he had invalidated his ablution and he was told to consider his ablution valid unless he was certain that he had invalidated it. There is a very important legal maxim that states, “What is known for certain cannot be removed by something doubtful.”

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. This is based on the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who, when he found a date on the ground, said,

“If I did not fear that it was from what has been given in charity, I would have eaten it.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) This is because it was not allowed for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to accept charity or sadaqa.

But this does not mean that the person should avoid those things concerning which there is no sound evidence that he should avoid them. For example, if someone finds some water that looks pure, that is, its color, smell or taste has not changed, then he should not avoid it simply because he fears that there might be some impurities in it. Or, someone should not avoid praying in a certain area that has no marks of impurities simply because he fears that there may be impurities present. These types of doubts are called whisperings from Satan and they should not be acted upon. In Islam, the person should act according to what is certain and, if that is not possible, then what is apparent by the preponderance of the evidence. Suspicions that have no basis are not to be acted upon.

4. “About which not many people are knowledgeable.”

This phrase means that not many people are able to figure out whether the individual doubtful matters are actually permissible or forbidden. This is very clear in the narration in Sunan al-Tirmidhi which states,

“Not many people know whether they are permissible or if they are forbidden.”

Some scholars are able to look at the root of the matter and discover if these acts are actually forbidden or permissible. This proves that there is a specific ruling for all of these doubtful matters that may be ascertained from enough study, but only a very few are able to discover the rulings for these actions.

In general, it can be said that Allah and His Messenger did not leave anything that is to be permissible except that they showed it to be permissible and did not leave anything that is to be forbidden except that they showed it to be forbidden. However, in some cases the exposition is much clearer than in other cases. What has been made clear, well-known and a necessary part of the , religion, there is no doubt about and no one may be excused for being ignorant of such laws if they live in an Islamic environment. Concerning those laws that have not been so clearly explained, some of them are well known among the people of the religion and the scholars are in agreement concerning the conclusions about such laws although these conclusions may not be known to those Muslims who are not students of the religion.

Then there are some laws that are not that clear even to the scholars and about which they differ for a number of reasons. But definitely there is at least one scholar who knows the correct conclusion. For him, the matter is clear although it will be considered a “doubtful” matter for others. It is impossible that no scholar, throughout the whole Muslim world, should come to the correct conclusion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that this nation would not agree on an error’ and, in this hadith, he also said, “about which not many people are knowledgeable,” but did not say that no one would be knowledgeable about it. Therefore, the ruling is not doubtful in itself but it is doubtful or ambiguous only to those who cannot find the correct conclusion.

The words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) show that some people know the conclusions concerning the doubtful matters while others do not. Those that do not may be divided into two groups. One group does not make any pronouncement concerning the doubtful matter and will, perhaps, say upon being questioned, “Allah knows best.” Another group will think that they have understood the problem and will make an incorrect conclusion concerning it. This hadith, though, proves that the correct position is only one position in Allah’s sight and it does not mean that more than one conclusion may be correct concerning the doubtful matters. Of course, those scholars who made the incorrect conclusion or ijtihaad will still get a reward from Allah for their efforts but this does not mean that their conclusion is necessarily to be followed.

5. “Thus, he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor.”

The one who avoids the doubtful matters will be free of any criticism with respect to his religion or honor. This also means that the person who takes part in these doubtful matters leaves himself open to criticism and blame. Some or one of the early scholars said that if someone, by his acts, causes others to have suspicious thoughts about him, he should not blame them if they have a bad opinion about him.1 The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, while walking with a woman, showed two people who saw him that it was Safiyah, one of his wives. (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) He did so in order to make sure that no one should have an incorrect idea about his actions.

Another hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) echoes the meaning of this phrase. In another narration of this hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If one leaves that concerning which he has only doubt [and not certainty] that it is sinful, then he is [going to be] more avoiding of what is clear to him [as being a sin]. The one who is bold enough to take part in what is doubtful to him as sinful, soon he may fall into what is clearly [a sin to him]. The sinful acts are Allah’s private pasture. Whoever grazes around the private pasture is soon to fall into it.”

“But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful.”: This is true for two reasons. First, whoever does not fear Allah and delves into the doubtful matters will eventually fall into the forbidden matters. Actually, it will make it very easy for him to fall into the forbidden matters. Abul Qaasim Qabari once said, The detestable is a check-post between a person and unlawful matters. Whoever indulges frequently in detestable things will become victim to unlawful matters also. Similarly, allowable acts are a check-point between a person and detestable matters. Whoever crosses the check-post often will commit detestable acts as well.

Second, if someone delves often into the doubtful matters, his heart will be affected and he will lose the light of guidance and piety. He will then be involved in forbidden acts without even knowing it and he will be blamed for this because he was not cautious in the first place. Furthermore, the hadith also implies that if a Muslim involves himself in the ambiguous matters, he does not really know if he is involving himself in forbidden acts or not. Therefore, if he actually does end up doing something forbidden, he is deserving to be punished because he was not certain if that act was forbidden or not.

6. “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.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) 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. This may be one reason why Allah says in the Quran,

“Those are the limits of Allah and do not come near to them” (al-Baqara 1 87). In the case of fornication or adultery, Allah says, “Do not come near adultery [or fornication]” (al-Israa 32)

There are many sayings from some of the early scholars similar to the following from Abu al-Darda who said, “The complete taqwa occurs when a person has taqwa of Allah even in the smallest manners and when he leaves something that he believes is permissible out of fear that it may be forbidden in order to set up a barrier between him and what is forbidden.”

This portion of the hadith is a basis for many of the important principles of Islam. There is, for example, the concept of sadd al-dharaai (“blocking the means”) in which something is prohibited simply because it may lead to something more harmful. Examples related to this principle include the prohibition of drinking a small amount of alcohol, prohibition of a male and a female being alone in private and so on. Indeed, an act may be prohibited although there is no real harm in the act itself. However, it is an act that can easily or commonly lead to something evil.

The Beauty of this Parable: Notice how beautifully the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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 (peace be upon him), 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, as is stated in this hadith.

7. “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 it is diseased. This part of the body is the heart.”

The Arabic word for “heart” is a word implying that it is a piece of flesh that is light in weight. However, it is great in its strength and importance. Allah distinguishes the humans from the rest of the creatures due to the human’s heart and intellect. Allah says in the Quran, “Have they not traveled in the land, and have they hearts wherewith to feel and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind” (al-Hajj 46).

The rest of the limbs are subservient to and obey the heart. The heart is the commander and the limbs are the soldiers. Therefore, if the heart is good, the “soldiers” and their acts are good and if the heart is evil, the “soldiers” and their acts are evil. If the heart is completely pure it will contain only love for Allah, love for the things that Allah loves, fear of Allah and fear of engaging in something that Allah hates. Such a heart will abstain from all of the forbidden acts and will also abstain from the ambiguous matters out of fear that they are forbidden. If the heart is greatly evil it will follow its own desires and it will perform the acts that it loves regardless of whether Allah loves those acts or not.

The only heart that will aid the person in Allah’s sight is the sound, wholesome, submitting heart. Allah says, “The day when wealth and sons avail not (any man) save him who brings unto Allah a sound heart” (al-Shuaraa 88-89). Here, Allah has described the main reason for people being in the Hell-fire as being the lack of use of their heart. Their heart was dead and did not respond to the signs around it. Allah says, “And surely, We have created many of the jinn and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not” (al-Araaf 179).

Al-Hasan once said to a man, “Cure your heart for Allah desires that His slaves should purify their hearts.” And the heart cannot become purified until the person knows Allah, extols Him, loves Him, fears Him, has hope in Him and trusts Him and his heart is filled with these attributes. This is the true realization of the statement, “There is no God except Allah.” The heart will not become pure until it loves, extols, deifies, fears and submits to no one except Allah. And, as was stated above, if the heart is pure, the limbs will follow and make the actions of the person pure as well.

This is supported by Allah’s statement, “Say: If you truly love Allah then follow me [i.e., the Prophet] and Allah will love you” (ali-Imraan 31). Allah makes it a sign of love for Him that the person follows His commands and the sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him). Al-Hasan once said, “You should know that you never truly love Allah until you love obeying Him.

What is the relationship between this portion of the hadith and the remainder of the hadith? According to al-Mudaabaghi, the relationship is quite clear. If a person takes part in the permissible, does not do the forbidden and avoids the doubtful matters, his heart will become pure. There is a special dynamic relationship between deeds and the condition of the heart. In particular, when one falls into the doubtful matters and forbidden aspects, this has a negative effect on his heart. They make the heart weaker and open to more attacks and disease.

7.1 Signs of the Heart

This hadith demonstrates the importance of the heart. One must strive to purify his heart as it is the true key to behaving properly in this life and gaining Allah’s pleasure and Paradise in the next life. There are signs that one can notice within himself to be able to determine whether or not his heart is pure and wholesome. Many of these signs demonstrate that the pure and healthy heart is not inclined to this world but, instead, it is attached to Allah and the Hereafter. These signs have been discussed by ibn al-Qayyim and they include the following:

1. The person considers himself to be belonging to the next world and not this world. He is a stranger in this world and cannot wait to reach his abode in the Hereafter
2. The person continues to be upset with himself any time he commits a sin until he finally and completely repents to Allah.
3. If the person misses his daily recitation of the Quran and dhikr, he is more upset and unhappy than if he had lost his wealth.
4. The individual finds a pleasure in worshipping Allah that is much greater than any pleasure he finds in eating or drinking.
5. When the person begins his prayer, his worries and concerns about this world leave him.
6. His only concern and worries are concerning Allah and acting for the sake of Allah.
7. He is more concerned with wasting time and more stingy about wasting his time than a greedy person is with respect to his wealth. Time is one key element that everyone must use for the worship of Allah. Unfortunately, often Allah blesses people with free time and yet they have no idea how to use it, so they simply waste it.
8. The person is more concerned with the correctness of his deed than he is with the performance of the deed itself.

At the same time, there are many signs that a person’s heart is impure or diseased. It is important to take note of these signs and cure the heart. Many people are concerned with the physical health of their hearts. If their blood pressure rises, they immediately seek help. However, the more important aspect is not the physical health of the heart but the spiritual health of the heart. This does not mean that one neglects the physical health of his heart. It does, though, mean that if one is only taking care of his heart’s physical health, he is neglecting the more important factor, the factor that is more important for his health in this life and the Hereafter.

lbn al-Qayyim also discussed the signs that indicate that there is an illness in the heart. These signs include the following:

(1) The person does not feel any hurt or pain when he commits evil deeds and sins.
(2) The individual finds both pleasure in committing acts of disobedience to Allah and rest after performing them.
(3) The person looks after the less important matters and does not care about the more important ones. Obviously, if a heart is sound, it will look after the person’s best interest. When the heart does not care about essential matters, it is clearly a sign that it is not only sick but perhaps dead.
(4) The person dislikes the truth and has difficulty accepting or submitting to it.

( 5) The person does not find comfort in being among the righteous people but finds a great deal of solace and peace while among the evildoers and sinful people.
( 6) The person is susceptible to be affected by misconceptions and doubts. He is attracted to discussions, debates and arguments that surround such misconceptions rather than to reading the Quran and other such beneficial acts. This aspect can truly be seen nowadays among Muslims, especially over the Internet. Today, a Muslim may spend hours discussing, for example, whether or not hijaab is part of Islam or if riba (interest) is forbidden and so forth. Many times, such discussions begin by quoting non-Muslim authors and then going from there. Those who love this type of discussion and who get affected by it must be aware that this could be a sign of a sickness in their heart.
(7) The person may not be affected by any kind of admonition whatsoever. Some people, for example, can listen to Friday khutbah after Friday khutbah-even excellent khutbah’&– and there is never any affect on them. This is another sign that the heart is diseased or truly dead.

8. Other Points Related to This Hadith

• Uthmani wrote, [A]s Iman (belief), Kufr (disbelief), Zulm (injustice) and Nifaq (hypocrisy) have various ranks and degrees so also piety and chastity has. Taqwa signifies to fear Allah and to give up evil deeds for the sake of Allah. Its highest position is to abandon disbelief and polytheism, the second is to abstain from major sins, the third is to give up minor sins and the fourth is to avoid all doubtful matters

• Al-Baitaar points out that there are some matters that are clearly forbidden and leave no room for doubt. These matters include the prohibition of interest, the prohibition of non-related men and women being alone together and so forth. However, although these matters are clearly forbidden, some people might try to raise doubts or conjectures about them. Such people are clearly misguided and wrong. Indeed, they are from those people who follow their own desires. Nowadays, people are questioning the existence of the concept of hijaab, jihad and so forth. All of these people are simply going against something that is very clear in the Quran and sunnah. They are taking matters from the clear to the doubtful. In this way, they are confusing Muslims and making them doubt their own religion. Hence, to be frank, they are serving Satan more than they are doing any service to Islam.

• Al-Baitaar also points out that some people go to extremes when it comes to avoiding doubtful matters. Actually, it is not a matter of going to extremes, it is a matter of being incorrect in one’s approach. This is where people avoid permissible or even recommended acts because they fear, with no good reason, that some evil results may come in the end. For example, some people do not attend the prayers in the mosque “fearing” that they are doing it out of show. Others do not get married because they fear that they might have children who tum out to be evildoers. These are conjectures that have no bases. This is deception from Satan and not a proper course of piety

• 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. Some people think that if some scholars say an act is permissible and others say it is impermissible that they are both correct and one may follow whichever opinion he wishes. However, such is not the case. The act is either permissible or impermissible. Some scholars will definitely know which is the case while others may not know. That does not change the fact that the correct view is one and only one.

• In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, “Certainly, I have left you upon on a matter that is very clear, such that its night is [as clear] as its day. No one strays from it after me except the one who is destroyed.” There is no contradiction between these two hadith. By the time the Prophet (peace be upon him) died, he had made all matters clear. However, some matters are clearer than others. Similarly, some matters may be very clear to some but not clear to others. Hence, the problem is not in the clarity but in the person’s ability to note and discover that clarity. This latter situation could be due to, for example, lack of knowledge or lack of striving to find that knowledge

• Al-Shaukaani states that avoiding doubtful matters is not only concerned with deeds but is also concerned with matters of faith and belief. If a matter of belief is not something clearly demonstrated in the Quran or sunnah, then a person should avoid it, not delve to deeply into it and not hold it as a matter of faith. He stated that throughout history many scholars did not follow this advice and began to delve into matters of scholastic theology and philosophy. The end result for many of them, indeed the greatest of them, was nothing more than confusion and despair over the time that they had wasted in such matters. Before their deaths, scholars like Imam alHaramain al-Juwaini, al-Raazi and al-Ghazzaali repented and showed remorse for their vain efforts that they spent in such matters. The same argument probably holds true today with respect to many scientific theories, such as those related to the nature of man, that some Muslims believe in with firm faith although they cannot be clearly and explicitly supported by the Quran and sunnah. It is best and safest for the Muslim to believe in what is clearly presented in the Quran and sunnah and avoid all other matters. In this way, he will protect his religion and beliefs.

9. Summary of the Hadith

• The Prophet (peace be upon him) 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.
• There will be some scholars who will know the correct ruling concerning the doubtful matters. However, their number may be quite small.
• A Muslim must decide what to do about doubtful matters. If he decides to take part in them, they may lead him to some acts that are clearly not allowed.
• 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.
• Each Muslim must make sure that his heart is pure and wholesome. The heart is the key to all of one’s actions and behavior. If the heart is pure and wholesome, the person’s deeds will be pure and wholesome. If the heart is ill, then that will be reflected in the deeds.
• Staying away from the forbidden and doubtful matters is one of the best ways to protect the heart from becoming diseased or ill.