Hadiths 6 to 8: the heart, sincere counsel and protection

Hadith 6: the lawful is clear, the unlawful is clear From An-Nu'maan ibn Bashiir (may Allah be pleased with them both): I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ "The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear; between the two are doubtful matters that many people do not know. Whoever guards against doubtful matters preserves his religion and his honour; whoever falls into doubtful matters falls into the unlawful, like the shepherd who grazes around a sanctuary, about to enter it. Every king has a sanctuary, and Allah's sanctuary is what He has forbidden. And in the body there is a lump of flesh: if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt; it is the heart." أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ Source: Bukhari 52 and Muslim 1599.

The commentary • Three categories. Ibn Rajab explains that doubtful matters are not doubtful in themselves, but for "many people": scholars know their ruling. The doubt comes from a little-known text, from evidence that seems contradictory, or from a doubt about the facts (the origin of some property, for example). • Caution (al-wara'): keeping away from the doubtful protects two things, the religion (before Allah) and the honour (before people). • The image of the sanctuary: one does not stand on the edge of the forbidden. Scholars drew from it the rule of "closing the doors" that lead to evil. • The heart: the end of the hadith links everything to the heart. An-Nawawi stresses that the uprightness of the limbs follows that of the heart; Ibn Rajab adds that the sound heart is one in which there is only love of Allah and of what He loves. • An excess to avoid: caution does not become obsession (al-waswaas). Distrusting everything without reason is not piety.

In daily life • Purchases, work, finances, contracts: when in doubt, ask a scholar before acting. • Keep a margin: what almost always leads to the forbidden (certain company, certain content) is left aside.

Hadith 7: the religion is sincere counsel From Abu Ruqayya Tamiim ad-Daari (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said: الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ "The religion is sincere counsel." We said: "To whom?" He said: "To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and the Muslims in general." لِلَّهِ وَلِكِتَابِهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ Source: Muslim 55.

The commentary • The word an-naṣiiḥa: An-Nawawi quotes Al-Khaṭṭaabi: it is a word that gathers all the good one wants for the one to whom it is owed; it comes from the idea of purifying (honey cleared of its wax) or of sewing (mending). • To Allah: believing in Him, worshipping Him alone, obeying Him, loving what He loves. • To His Book: believing it is the Word of Allah, reciting it correctly, understanding it, applying it, defending it. • To His Messenger: believing in him, loving him, following his Sunna, passing it on. • To leaders: helping them in good, obeying them in good, advising them with respect and discretion, not sowing division. Ibn Rajab includes the scholars, guides of the religion. • To the Muslims in general: guiding them to what benefits them, covering their faults, keeping harm away from them, wishing them the good one wants for oneself (see hadith 13). • "The religion is": the wording shows, according to the commentators, that naṣiiḥa is a very large part of the religion, like "the pilgrimage is 'Arafa".

In daily life • Advice is given in private, gently, at the right time, and with the intention to help, not to dominate. • Accepting advice is part of naṣiiḥa: thank whoever corrects you. • At work, in an association, at the mosque: tell the useful truth, even if it disturbs, with respect.

Hadith 8: the protection of whoever professes Islam From Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَشْهَدُوا أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ "I have been ordered to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish prayer and give zakaat. If they do so, they protect their blood and their property from me, except by the right of Islam, and their reckoning is with Allah." Source: Bukhari 25 and Muslim 22.

The context and the commentary This hadith must be read together with the whole of the Qur'an and the Sunna, as the commentators did; isolated, it is often misunderstood. • What it teaches first, according to Ibn Rajab and An-Nawawi: whoever professes Islam is protected; he is judged by what he shows, and his heart is for Allah. The Prophet ﷺ severely reproached Usaama ibn Zayd for killing a man who had said "laa ilaaha illa Allah": "Did you open up his heart?" (Muslim 96). • Scholars explain that "the people" does not mean all humanity without condition: the Qur'an set other rules (treaties, protection of non-combatants, "no compulsion in religion", verse 2:256), which the hadith does not cancel [À VÉRIFIER : présentation pour l'imam]. Fighting, in Islam, belongs to a legitimate authority and strict rules; it is never a matter for individuals. • Ibn Daqiiq al-'Iid and others draw from it the importance of prayer and zakaat: Abu Bakr relied on a close meaning to fight those who refused zakaat after the death of the Prophet ﷺ (Bukhari 1399, Muslim 20) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]. • "Except by the right of Islam" refers to cases judged by a legitimate court (see hadith 14).

In daily life • Never cast doubt on the Islam of someone who professes it: we judge the outward, Allah judges hearts. • Understand a hadith with the scholars and the whole of the texts, never in isolation.

The text: Surah Ash-Shu'araa' (26), verses 88 to 89 يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ ﴿٨٨﴾ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ﴿٨٩﴾

Meaning: "The Day when neither wealth nor children will be of use, except to whoever comes to Allah with a sound heart." Ibn Rajab quotes this verse when commenting on the end of hadith 6: the sound heart (qalb saliim) is the only provision that counts on that day.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation These three hadiths complete the foundations. Hadith 6 gives a method in the face of doubt: guard oneself, and care for the heart, which governs everything. Hadith 7 defines the religion as a relationship of sincerity, towards Allah and towards people. Hadith 8 sets a protection: whoever professes Islam has sacred blood and property, and no one probes his heart. The link between them is the heart. A sound heart seeks the lawful, advises sincerely, and does not claim the right to judge the inner state of others. Hadith 8 also shows a rule of method: a text is understood together with the other texts and the explanation of scholars. Taking it out of context produces grave errors.

Lessons to draw from it • Faced with a doubtful matter, abstain or ask, rather than look for the easiest opinion. • Work on one's heart: it is what makes deeds sound. • Advise in private, gently, and accept advice. • Protect the honour and property of every Muslim, and never accuse him over what he hides. • Study difficult hadiths with a scholar.

Key points to remember • Hadith 6 (Bukhari 52, Muslim 1599): the lawful, the unlawful, the doubtful; أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ. • Hadith 7 (Muslim 55): الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ, to Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders and all Muslims. • Hadith 8 (Bukhari 25, Muslim 22): the protection of whoever professes Islam; "did you open up his heart?" (Muslim 96). • Al-wara': the caution that protects religion and honour.

The main message Keep your heart sound: it keeps you away from the doubtful, makes you sincere towards everyone, and teaches you to respect what Allah has made sacred in others.