Some people, when a report comes to them and you want to verify it, say, "Am I an open sinner?"
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : O Shaykh, when Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Hujurat 49:6], it is possible that some people object to the reciter of this verse, saying, "Am I, for example, among the open sinners?"
The Shaykh : Is it?
The questioner : "Am I, for example, an open sinner?" If you tell him, for instance, that when a report comes to you, you must verify it because Allah, Glorified and Exalted, said so, he says, "Am I an open sinner, or do you think I am an open sinner?"
The Shaykh : Verification requires a person to look at two things:
The first is from the perspective of trustworthiness, and this is what is meant by the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Hujurat 49:6], because an open sinner is not trustworthy.
The second is from the perspective of strength, which is the strength of memory in receiving and conveying, in terms of speed and haste. So if I say "verify," I am not saying it because you are an open sinner. You are just with me, but you may understand a thing in a way contrary to what is intended, you may be hasty, or you may forget. It is not permissible for a person, when someone whose outward appearance is justice informs him, to recite the verse "it is not permissible," because if he recites it when he is being informed, it means that the man is an open sinner, and this is not permissible. But you say, "I have now heard what you are saying, and I will look into the matter if there is doubt."
O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate
يا أيّها الذين آمنوا إن جاءكم فاسق بنبأ فتبيّنواThe Shaykh : Is it?
The questioner : "Am I, for example, an open sinner?" If you tell him, for instance, that when a report comes to you, you must verify it because Allah, Glorified and Exalted, said so, he says, "Am I an open sinner, or do you think I am an open sinner?"
The Shaykh : Verification requires a person to look at two things:
The first is from the perspective of trustworthiness, and this is what is meant by the saying of Allah the Exalted:
if there comes to you a disobedient one
إن جاءكم فاسقThe second is from the perspective of strength, which is the strength of memory in receiving and conveying, in terms of speed and haste. So if I say "verify," I am not saying it because you are an open sinner. You are just with me, but you may understand a thing in a way contrary to what is intended, you may be hasty, or you may forget. It is not permissible for a person, when someone whose outward appearance is justice informs him, to recite the verse "it is not permissible," because if he recites it when he is being informed, it means that the man is an open sinner, and this is not permissible. But you say, "I have now heard what you are saying, and I will look into the matter if there is doubt."