Islam’s Care for Refining Words and Outward Appearances

The Shaykh : The important point is that, as we often say on such occasions, Islam is complete and perfect in that it did not concern itself only with refining hearts, but also with refining words and outward appearances. We mention the hadith of Ibn Abbas when he said to the Messenger, “What Allah wills and what you will,” and he said to him that phrase which makes us feel that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was angry: And so infer the rest, like the dream of that Companion who came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) one morning to tell him: “I saw in a dream that I was walking in one of the roads of Madinah, and I met a man from the Jews, so I said to him: ‘You are a good people, O Jews, were it not that you associate partners with Allah by saying: ‘Azir is the son of Allah.’ The Jew said to me in the dream: ‘And you are a good people, O Muslims, were it not that you associate partners with Allah by saying: What Allah wills and what Muhammad wills,’ and then he went on walking.”