Hadith 6: the lawful is clear, the unlawful is clear

The hadith. An-Nu'maan ibn Bashiir said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا أُمُورٌ مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ "The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters that many people do not know. Whoever guards against doubtful matters protects his religion and his honour. And whoever falls into doubtful matters falls into the unlawful, like the shepherd who grazes his flock around a reserved pasture: he is about to stray into it. Every king has a reserved pasture, and Allah's reserved pasture is what He has forbidden. In the body there is a piece 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." (meaning)

The full Arabic text: [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : hadith n° 6 d'An-Nawawi, Bukhari 52 / Muslim 1599, texte intégral]

Source: hadith no. 6 of An-Nawawi. Reported by Al-Bukhari (no. 52) and Muslim (no. 1599).

Three categories: • The clearly lawful (ḥalaal): most things in life (eating good things, playing, studying…). • The clearly unlawful (ḥaraam): what Allah has clearly forbidden (lying, stealing, alcohol…). • Doubtful matters (mushtabihaat): where we are not sure. The hadith advises keeping away from them, out of caution, until we have the answer.

The image of the shepherd: you do not graze your sheep right on the edge of the forbidden field. You keep a margin. In the same way, we do not play "as close as possible" to what is forbidden.

The heart. The hadith ends with the heart, because the heart decides. A healthy heart (one that loves Allah, that is sincere) makes our actions sound.

What to do with a doubtful matter? Ask someone who knows (the imam, a teacher). If we cannot find out, we hold back out of caution. Beware of the opposite too: do not declare forbidden what is simply allowed. This course does not give rulings on specific cases: for that, we ask the imam.

And you? Is there something in your life (an app, a habit, a way of earning money) that you are not sure is allowed? Who could you ask this week?

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The hadith says that doubtful matters are unknown to "many people", not to everyone. This means that some do know: doubt is often cleared up by asking someone competent.

We also need the right balance. On one side, caution (al-wara'): we avoid what is truly doubtful. Another hadith in the collection says: "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt." (Tirmidhi 2518, hadith no. 11 of An-Nawawi). On the other side, we must not fall into obsessive doubt that sees the forbidden everywhere. Many scholars set as a rule that, in ordinary matters of life, the basic ruling is permissibility, as long as no evidence forbids it [À VÉRIFIER : formulation de la règle].

Finally, the hadith ends with the heart. This is no accident: a sincere heart naturally looks for what pleases Allah, and its choices guide the body.

Lessons to draw from it • Faced with something doubtful, I ask the imam or a teacher instead of guessing. • I keep a safety margin from what is forbidden, without trying to get "as close as possible". • I don't make the religion harder than it is: I don't forbid what is permitted. • I take care of my heart, because it guides my actions.

Key points to remember • إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ (Bukhari 52, Muslim 1599). • Three categories: the clearly lawful, the clearly unlawful, the doubtful matters. • "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt" (Tirmidhi 2518).

The main message Whoever keeps away from the doubtful protects his religion and his honour, and everything starts with a sound heart.