On the authority of Abu Ruqayyah Tameem ibn Aus (may Allah be pleased with him) the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The religion is naseehah.” The people said, “To whom?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) 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.”
(Recorded by Muslim.)
- “The religion is the naseehah “
- “To Allah”
- “To His book”
- “To His Messenger”
- “To the Leaders of the Muslims”
- “To the common folk of the Muslims”
- The Importance of al-Naseehah
- Other Points Related to this Hadith
- Summary of the Hadith
General Comments About This Hadith: Some of the scholars said that if thousands of hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would be lost, this hadith would be sufficient to guide the Muslims. Abu Dawood stated that this is one of the hadith around which all of fiqh revolves. Some scholars have called this hadith one fourth of the religion but in fact, as shall be seen below, its meaning encompasses the entirety of the religion of Islam.
1.”The religion is the naseehah . “
In this hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated that the religion of Islam is naseehah. This is a profound statement. In this one brief sentence the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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, Allah knows best, 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. In the same way the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said,
“The pilgrimage is [the gathering at] Arafah.” As is known, the pilgrimage involves many actions but the most important of them and the predominate act is that of Arafah. Therefore the Prophet (peace be upon him) called the pilgrimage Arafah. In the same way, this religion is in fact naseehah. 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 (peace be upon him) 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.
1.1 The Meaning of Naseehah
The commentator on hadith Al-Khattaabi stated that naseehah is a comprehensive word that embodies every type of virtue and the wanting or desire for all forms of goodness. Both al-Khattaabi and ibn Hajr have stated there is no other word in the Arabic language that is so comprehensive. Naseehah is very difficult to translate into English. 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 seems to have two roots, both of them being explicitly brought out in this hadith as shall be seen in the explanation of the hadith below. The word naseehah has two basic linguist meanings: ( 1) to clean, purify or improve something of all unwanted elements, as in purifying honey from unwanted materials, and (2) to unite or join something together that is scattered or separated, as in sewing a garment. Related to both the aspects of sincerity or purity and the second basic meaning, Allah has said in the Quran,
“O believers, tum to Allah with a sincere (nasooha) repentance” (al-Tahreem 8). It is as if the sins tear one’s religion apart and it is then mended and put back together again by sincere repentance.
Based on the linguistic roots and the Quranic usage of the term, alRaaghib al-Isfahaani has given the shareeah definition of the term as, “Naseehah is the seeking of an action or statement that contains goodness and improvement for the other person.” Ibn al-Salaah has stated that the essence of naseehah is where the one doing the naseehah (sincere well-wishing) truly seeks the best for the one to whom he is making naseehah. In both his intention and his actions, he desires what is best for the other person. Ibn Uthaimeen makes this point in even clearer terms. He 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,
“Verily, the believers are but a brotherhood” (al-Hujuraat 10). That brotherhood is the result of the correct and true naseehah. Lane aptly summarized all of the above when he gave the following definition for naseehah, Sincere, honest, or faithful advice, or counsel, and conduct; direction to that which is for the good of the person who is the object, by words, or speech, or good advice or counsel; direction to what is good or sedulousness, or earnestness, in advice or counsel, or sincere or honest conduct; or benevolence, desire for what is good for the person who is the
subject.
1.2 The Messengers and 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. That is why, in the Quran, Allah has described many of them as fulfilling this role of persons giving naseehah. For example, Allah has said about the first messenger, Noah (peace be upon him),
“I convey unto you the messages of my Lord, and I am a trustworthy adviser (naasih) to you” (al-Araaf 68). Another example is the case of Saalih. Allah has said, “Then he [Saalih] turned from them, and said, ‘O my people! I have indeed conveyed to you the message of my Lord, and have given you good advice but you do not like good advisers'” (al-Araaf 79). 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
Other Hadith Concerning Naseehah: The hadith under discussion here gives a clear picture as to the importance of naseehah in the religion of Islam. There are other hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that further demonstrate the place of this important concept. Note the following:
Jareer ibn Abdullah narrated that he had made the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) upon the condition that he would establish the prayer, give the zakat and have sincere conduct (naseehah) toward every Muslim. (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Muslim recorded on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated,
“The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are six.” It was asked, “What are they, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?” He 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].” The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “If a man seeks sincere advice (naseehah) from his brother, he should give him sincere advice.”
2. “To Allah”
When asked to whom this naseehah is due the Prophet (peace be upon him) first said, “To Allah.” Making naseehah to Allah requires the fulfilling of the obligatory duties in the best way possible (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 remember 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 oflslam as the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated.
It should also be noted that this naseehah- implying having the correct intention in one’s heart to fulfill the rights of Allah- to 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. For example, Allah says in the Quran,
“Not unto the weak nor unto the sick nor unto those who cannot find anything to spend is any fault (to be imputed though they stay at home and do not participate in the jihad) if they are true to Allah and His Messenger.” (Al-Tauba 91) This is Pickthall’s translation. The word translated by Pickthall as “true to” Allah is from the same root as naseehah, nasahu. 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.
3. “To His book”
Next the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “To His book.” 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 Muhammad (peace be upon him). 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, such as the claim made by some non-Muslims and some Shiites that it has not been precisely preserved since the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). 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?
4. “To His Messenger”
The naseehah to the Prophet (peace be upon him) includes following: 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 (peace be upon him) 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 (peace be upon him) has said, then he is not making the proper naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Making naseehah to the Messenger (peace be upon him) 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.
Making naseehah to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 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 (peace be upon him). This is because somebody’s companions are, in essence, his closest friends and confidantes. Among the Companions, the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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 (peace be upon him) for taking such people as his comrades. Indeed, ibn Uthaimeen points out, one is actually insulting Allah when insulting the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was Allah who chose those noble souls to be the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to be the people who would carry this religion, preserve the Quran and carry on the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). 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 (peace be upon him) 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 (peace be upon him), hence, there is no room for anyone to have hatred in their heart for them. It is this duty that led many of the early scholars to make statements like, “If you see someone who does not love Imam Malik or Abdullah ibn al-Mubaarak or al-Shabi or Ahmad, then you should know that such a person is a hypocrite or zindeeq (i.e., those people who entered Islam with the sole purpose of destroying Islam),” for they were scholars who did their best to defend the sunnah and transmit it accurately. The main reason they are hated by heretics and hypocrites is because of their efforts to defend and spread the sunnah.
5. “To the Leaders of the Muslims”
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, the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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 … “
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also said, “There are three things that if a person adheres to them, they purify his heart from any form of treachery or evil: making his deeds purely for the sake of Allah, being sincere with those in authority and sticking to the Muslim community as [its members] supplications encompass each other.”
This statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) shows that 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
5.1 Making Naseehah to the Muslim Rulers
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.
In fact, the models for the Muslim rulers, such as Abu Bakr and Umar, not only realized that it is a must for the Muslims to advise their rulers, but they actively sought such advice and reminded the Muslims as a whole that it is an obligation upon them to correct and advise the Muslim rulers. For example, in his first speech as the new caliph, Abu Bakr said, “I have been put in charge of you while I am not the best among you. Ifl do well, then support me. Ifl do wrong, then straighten me out.” It is also reported that Umar once said in a speech, “May Allah have mercy on the one who corrects us concerning our evil.” A man in the audience stood and said, “By Allah, if we were to find any crookedness in you, we would straighten it with our swords.” Umar replied, “All praise be to Allah who has put among the Muslims one who would correct Umar’s crookedness by his sword.”
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,
“And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear Allah”(Taha 44).
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, the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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.”
It is recorded that Saeed ibn Jubair asked ibn Abbaas, “Shall I order my ruler to do what is right.” He replied, “If you fear that he will kill you, then do not say anything bad about the ruler. But if you insist on doing something, then make it between yourself and him only.” Al-Bukhari records that someone inferred to Usaama ibn Zaid that he should speak to the caliph Uthmaan ibn Affaan– concerning Uthmaan’s half-brother al-Waleed ibn Uqbah who had become known for drinking— and Usaama’s response was, “Do you think that I have not spoken to him simply because you did not hear it? I speak to him privately without opening a door such that I would be the first one to open that door.” The “door” he was referring to was the act of rebuking the rulers publicly instead of privately.
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 also 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.
5.2 Making Naseehah to the Scholars
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.
6. “To the common folk of the Muslims”
Making naseehah to the common folk of the Muslims would include: guiding them to what is good for them in both this life and the Hereafter, not harming them, teaching them about their religion and other things that they may be ignorant about, aiding them, concealing their faults, ordering them to perform good deeds and eradicating evil among them. It also includes having mercy for the young among them and showing respect for the elderly. One also should feel joy when they feel joy and one should be saddened when they are saddened.
Al-Nawawi pointed out that the pious forefathers would work for one another and advise one another to the point that they even sacrificed their own worldly interests out of preference to their brothers’ needs. When one is in a position of authority over other Muslims, it is important that he act sincerely toward them and do what is in their best interests according to the shareeah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“There is no person whom Allah gives authority over others and he does not look after them in a sincere manner except that he will not even get the scent of Paradise.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
The obligation of sincere conduct by the ruler towards the masses includes appointing people to governmental posts on the basis of their ability and qualifications. Umar ibn al-Khattaab is reported to have said, “If a person is in a position of authority among the Muslims and appoints someone to a post due to love or blood relation between them, he has betrayed Allah and His messenger and has betrayed the Muslims.”
The Difference Between Naseehah and Shaming or Embarrassing Another Person: An important part of naseehah is to advise one another and correct each others’ actions. Speaking to another person concerning something that he does not like to have mentioned is common to both the praiseworthy act advising another person and the blameworthy act of shaming and humiliating another person. In fact, one of the early scholars said, “You do not really give me advice until you say to me in my face what I dislike.” It is important to realize the difference between these two acts in order to fulfill the obligation of advising one’s brother while remaining away from the sin of shaming one’s brother.
First, it must be understood that mentioning another Muslim’s faults or sins simply to blame, ridicule or shame him is forbidden. The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade his followers from rebuking the women who committed illegal sexual intercourse although he had ordered for her to be punished. (Recorded by al-Bukhari.)
However, if there is some overriding benefit in mentioning such faults, then it can be either recommended or obligatory to mention them. That was, for example, the case with the scholars of hadith who were forced to mention the shortcomings of specific narrators. This action on their part was part of their naseehah to the Muslim nation as a whole, in order to accurately preserve the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Another example of that nature is the refuting of the misinterpretations of the Quran or sunnah that some people may try to spread throughout the Muslim community. It is a must to refute that evil, even if it is done publicly, as long as the goal is not to ridicule them but to correct their mistakes and stop their evil.
It is noted that when advising others, it is best to do it in private. If one does it publicly, sometimes it can be a case of belittling or insulting the other person. This is especially the case if one Muslim is trying to advise the other about some wrong the person is committing. A Muslim who is making naseehah wants what is best. It is not his intention to harm or injure his brother Muslim. Furthermore, no Muslim would like that evil or sins are announced publicly and spread about. Hence, he will do his best to advise his brother privately and in the best manner. On this point, al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh stated, “The believer conceals [the sin] and advises the person while the evildoer exposes the sin and disgraces the person.”
7. The Importance of al-Naseehah
Every Muslim should think about this hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) described this religion by just one word: naseehah. This is the religion of Islam. The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were the people who best understood this hadith and how this hadith is to be applied. One time a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Jareer, had his slave buy a horse and the slave paid three hundred dinars for the horse. Jareer went back to the person who sold the horse and he told him that it was worth 400 dinars and the man was also willing to accept that. Then Jareer said it was worth 500 dinars and so on, until he reached 800 dinars and he paid the man 800 dinars for the horse that his slave had bought for him for only 300 dinars. His explanation was the following: “I made the oath of allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to do the following: establish the prayer, give the zakat and make naseehah to every Muslim.’
Al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh said, “The one who attains the most in our sight is not the one who has the most prayers or fasts. But the one who has attained the most in our sight is due to the generosity of the soul, the heart being free of [unjustified hatred and rancor] and the sincere conduct to the Muslim nation.” Ibn al-Mubaarak was asked, “What is the best deed?” He replied, “Having sincere conduct for the sake of Allah.” Mamar said, “It is said that the one who has the most sincere conduct and advice for you among the people is the one who fears Allah the most with respect to you.”
It should be noted that this naseehah to Allah, His Book, the messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and the common folk of the Muslims is something that affects every second of the Muslim’s life. If one looks at the examples mentioned above one will note that there is really no moment that passes except that the person must exemplify this quality of naseehah. Therefore, if a Muslim cannot truly characterize himself as making naseehah then he should, in fact, question his religion as a whole. Ifhe is not making the minimum requirements of naseehah to Allah or His book or messenger, and so on, can he really call himself a Muslim? Where is his Islam or lmaan without this naseehah? This is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) clearly pointed out when he said, “This religion is naseehah.”
Naseehah also plays an important role for the health of the Muslim society as a whole. It is one of key aspects protecting Muslim society from the spreading of evil, as those who may slip and commit evil are sincerely, out of love and brotherhood, encouraged and helped to stop. Such behavior genders love, cooperation and togetherness among Muslims while removing selfishness and hatred.
Is Naseehah Only a Communal Obligation?
In many of the commentaries on this hadith, one will note the statement that naseehah is a communal obligation only. If some members of the community fulfill that responsibility, the others are absolved from any responsibility. Most likely, when scholars make statements of that nature, they have in mind only particular aspects of the general concept of naseehah.
As can be seen from the above commentary on this hadith, one cannot make such a general statement. There are definitely acts of naseehah that are obligatory upon every individual at all times. There are other acts that can clearly be called communal obligations, such as some aspects of enjoining good and removing evil. There are acts of naseehah that may be considered less than obligatory, such as recommended acts and the like. Therefore, the statement that naseehah is a communal obligation only cannot be considered an acceptable statement. Allah knows best.
Ibn Rajah gives an example of a particular type of naseehah that is obligatory only on a specific population of the Muslims. He says that the obligation to refute the misled heretical groups is an obligation that falls upon the shoulders of the people of knowledge only. They are the ones with the knowledge to refute such innovations. Similarly, it is also the scholars’ obligation to refute the gross mistakes and slips of the other scholars. This is all part of their obligatory naseehah to the remainder of the Muslim community.
8. Other Points Related to this Hadith
- A Muslim cannot be all to himself and not care about what happens to the other Muslims. Instead, it is his obligation to make naseehah to the other Muslims. This means he is required to wish the best for them and to bring about the best for them if he has the ability to do so.
- The best naseehah that one can make for himself is to make naseehah to himself by encouraging himself to do what is right and proper and to stay away from sins and disobedience of Allah.
- Ibn Hazm points out that a person should not make naseehah only on the condition that his advice is accepted. His responsibility is first and foremost to Allah. Even if the others do not accept his advice, he should still advise them. Furthermore, if they find that his advice is not the best approach to follow, this is for them to decide. The important point is that the Muslim fulfilled his obligation toward Allah by sincerely advising others.
- Zamarli stresses that when advising another person, the adviser should be sincere of heart. The goal of such advice is to make things better and remove some fault or evil. Deception and hypocrisy in one’s heart would probably not lead to such good results. Zamarli states that in the same way that a deed is not accepted by Allah unless it is done sincerely for His sake, advice will not have its positive, reforming effect unless it is sincere from the advisor’s heart
- Another important aspect for the advisor is to have knowledge concerning the act he is giving advice about. If he does not have such knowledge, he may think he is giving sound advice while, in reality, what he is advising may be harmful for the one to whom he is giving advice.
- A Muslim should accept the sincere and sound advice that comes to him from any source. He should not allow pride or any other reason to interfere with him accepting what is best for him. Furthermore, when advice or correction comes to him from his brother, he should not begin to doubt his brother’s intention and think that his brother is simply trying to ridicule or disgrace him. Umar ibn al-Khattaab once said, “Do not think evil of anything that comes from your brother Muslim’s tongue whenever there is a way to interpret it in a good way.”
- Sultaan states that this naseehah is not just toward other Muslims. The Prophet (peace be upon him) made naseehah to his people, the disbelieving Quraish of Makkah. A Muslim should try to make naseehah to the nonMuslims. This is done by teaching them about Islam and trying to show them the straight path. When fulfilling this type of naseehah for the sake of Allah, one should be willing to endure hardships as the Prophet (peace be upon him) also had to endure hardships.
- Love is an important driving force behind naseehah. If one has strong love for Allah, His messenger, His book and so forth, his conduct with respect to them will be more sincere. Al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh said, “Love is better than fear. Do you not see that if you have two slaves and one of them loves you while the other fears you, the one who loves you will be sincere to you while you are present or absent due to his love for you. However, the one who fears you may be sincere to you when you are present and he fears you but he will deceive you and not be sincere to you when you are absent.”
9. Summary of the Hadith
• The reality of this religion, the essence of this religion or a necessary component of this religion is naseehah.
• Naseehah means that the person has a true feeling of well-wishing for others. He wants what is best for them. He strives for that goal in his actions. The result of that true naseehah is the complete brotherhood feeling of Islam.
• Naseehah is to be towards Allah, His book, His Messengers, the leaders of the Muslims and Muslim people in general.
• Zamarli has an excellent passage at the end of his booklet on naseehah that is fitting as a summary here, I say to the one who is giving advice (naseehah): It is a must upon you that you abide by the conditions and manners of giving advice so that the one who is being given advice will accept it, tend to it and respect it. It is obligatory that your concerning and intention, first and last, be bringing about some good or betterment for your brother; and the driving force behind your act [of advising] must be love and brotherhood. You should never stray from that purpose such that your purpose becomes fame, being greater than another person, boasting or acting for show. It is also a must for the one being advised to accept the advice no matter what its source, since it is a cause of reform and good for him. He should be kind to the advisor and have respect and love for him. He should not be tough with him or harsh or reject his advice to his face. We must all bear with each other concerning our mistakes and excuse one another as long as our goal and purpose is goodness and reform
Books of Muslims 