Categories of Suspecting People
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Question:
What is the difference between bad suspicion and caution? What is the suspicion that is required to be avoided? Does the verse that says "avoid much of suspicion" mean that there is some suspicion that is not required to be avoided, based on the word "much"? I ask for clarification. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions. As for the matter of suspecting people, there is a distinction here. Suspecting people falls into two categories. The first category is suspecting disbelievers and enemies, the enemies of the religion. It is not good to have a good opinion of these people.
They are only to be met with bad opinion and caution. Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:118] do you not reason? [Ali 'Imran 3:119-120], [Ali 'Imran 3:120] Therefore, it is obligatory to be cautious of disbelievers by holding a bad opinion of them, to take precautions against them, and to be wary of them. The same applies to the hypocrites who display faith while harboring disbelief and hatred for the Muslims in their hearts. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said about them: [Al-Munafiqun 63:4] The default regarding disbelievers and hypocrites is to hold a bad opinion of them, and one should not hold a good opinion of them except in rare circumstances where they have been tested or it is known that they do not harm Muslims in those situations.
The second category is suspecting a Muslim. The default ruling regarding a Muslim is that he is upright. So the default is to have a good opinion of a Muslim because of his Islam and his faith, and because a Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not belittle him, does not let him down, and does not hand him over. So the default regarding a Muslim is that one has a good opinion of him, and one does not have a bad opinion of him except if something of betrayal has been tested in him, or if he is known for something of betrayal. In that case, it is not good to have a good opinion of him. And on this basis is understood the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Hujurat 49:12]. This is regarding our Muslim brothers, because the context of the verses is about our Muslim brothers. Yes.
What is the difference between bad suspicion and caution? What is the suspicion that is required to be avoided? Does the verse that says "avoid much of suspicion" mean that there is some suspicion that is not required to be avoided, based on the word "much"? I ask for clarification. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions. As for the matter of suspecting people, there is a distinction here. Suspecting people falls into two categories. The first category is suspecting disbelievers and enemies, the enemies of the religion. It is not good to have a good opinion of these people.
They are only to be met with bad opinion and caution. Allah the Exalted said:
O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ إِن كُنتُمْ(119) Here you are loving them but they are not loving you, while you believe in the Scripture - all of it. And when they meet you, they say, "We believe." But when they are alone, they bite their fingertips at you in rage. Say, "Die in your rage. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts." (120) If good touches you, it distresses them; but if harm strikes you, they rejoice at it. And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do.
هَا أَنتُمْ أُولَاءِ تُحِبُّونَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِبُّونَكُمْ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْكِتَابِ كُلِّهِ وَإِذَا لَقُوكُمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا عَضُّوا عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ قُلْ مُوتُوا بِغَيْظِكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ إِن تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ وَإِن تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا بِهَاAnd if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do.
وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌThey are the enemy, so beware of them. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?
هُمُ الْعَدُوُّ فَاحْذَرْهُمْ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَThe second category is suspecting a Muslim. The default ruling regarding a Muslim is that he is upright. So the default is to have a good opinion of a Muslim because of his Islam and his faith, and because a Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not belittle him, does not let him down, and does not hand him over. So the default regarding a Muslim is that one has a good opinion of him, and one does not have a bad opinion of him except if something of betrayal has been tested in him, or if he is known for something of betrayal. In that case, it is not good to have a good opinion of him. And on this basis is understood the saying of Allah the Exalted:
O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، أقسام الظن بالناس – الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.