191.

١٩١. عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِتَمْرَةٍ مَسْقُوطَةٍ فَقَالَ:

«لَوْلَا أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ لَأَكَلْتُهَا».

191. Anas (r.a.) narrated:

The Prophet passed by a fallen date and said:

“Were it not for my doubt that this might have been given in charity, I would have eaten it.” (Bukhari, Buyu, 4; Lukata, 6; Muslim, Zakat, 164-166. Also see. Abu Dawud, Zakat, 29)

 

Explanations:

An individual faces clearly permissible things, clearly prohibited things, and also some doubtful ones due to some uncertainties and probabilities. It is easy to recognize permissible and prohibited things that are obvious. However, it is difficult to decide about the things that are doubtful. If they are considered permissible, there is the possibility to fall into prohibited. This possibility, in turn, disturbs one’s heart. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) who wanted to save his followers from this trouble recommends to stay away from doubtful things and to focus on the clear certain ones in our first hadith. This is because things that are certainly permissible give serenity to the heart and doubtful ones bother and annoy. Once the doubtful ones are left, it is easier to judge and act appropriately in other matters. Indeed, once Muslims questioned Ibn Mas‘ud (r.a.) on many issues. Ibn Mas‘ud (r.a.) provided the following explanation for them:

“If any one of you faces an issue, let him judge with the Book of Allah! If he faces an issue whose solution is not in the Book of Allah, let him take care of the matter by following the judgments that the Noble Prophet gave.

If one cannot find a solution in the Book of Allah or in the rulings of the Prophet, then he should respond to the question by utilizing the rulings issued by pious scholars.

If he faces a matter that is not responded in the Qur’an, Sunnah, and rulings of the pious, then he should opine by using his intellect. He should not say “I fear to put forth my opinion” because what is permissible and prohibited is clear. There are doubtful and unclear matters between permissible and prohibited. Then, leave aside options that cause you to doubt and focus on the certain.” (Nasai, Qada, 11)

As it is understood from the recommendations of Ibn Mas‘ud, life is really easy for those who stay away from doubtful things. Then, paying attention to things that are clearly permissible or prohibited and staying away from the doubtful will lead one to salvation.

In our second hadith, it is expressed that most people do not know the doubtful things, so in this case the importance of staying away from doubtful things increases.

Giving an example here, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) expresses that the shepherd who allows his flock to graze next to the prohibited land is face to face with the danger of violating the prohibition. Most of the times the shepherd does not enter the prohibited field himself and cause harm but cannot control the animals he is shepherding and becomes responsibile because of them. Similarly, an individual who comes close to the border of the prohibited action may fall into sin because of his carnal self, body parts, and individuals who are under his jurisdiction by being unable to control them. This is because people follow the path of their leaders and elders.

Staying away from doubtful matters protects one from violating prohibitions or falling into major sins and saves that person from many troubles right away and provides peace and tranquility. Also, consciousness of what is permissible and what is not gets strengthened as a result of being extra careful against the doubtful matters. On the other hand, a person who does not pay attention to doubtful issues starts seeing the abnormal situation that he is in as normal in time, and without noticing gets used to sinning and faces the danger of violating prohibitions and falling into major sins.

Everything that a human has depends on his heart. If he corrects his hear, then all his body parts will act well. Then, that person acts with sincerity and honestly and does not hold on to excuses on doubtful matters. In time, his heart becomes more sensitive and reaches a state where he starts to notice doubtful matters immediately. He, in turn, stays away from them with his whole mind. On the other hand, the person whose heart is spoiled sees every doubtful thing as permissible and does not hesitate performing such acts by putting forth excuses.

Then, in respect to doubtful matters the heart needs to be pious and tranquil in order to achieve an attitude that would please Allah. In time, the heart occupied with the prohibited loses its purity and becomes dirty. It even starts to darken after a time. At the end, it completely loses its sensitivity towards the prohibited.

For the salvation of the heart it is a must to hold on to the obligatory and supererogatory acts of worship and to the remembrance of Allah. The following is the advice of the Almighty Allah to His subjects:

“…for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.” (Al-Ra’d; 13:28)

Here the term remembrance also means the Qur’an. Namely, the attempt of living the entire rules of Islam will revive the heart and will increase its sensitivity against dangers.

In another noble verse it is said that:

“Is one whose heart Allah has opened to Islam, so that he has received Enlightenment from Allah, (no better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against celebrating the praises of Allah. They are manifestly wandering (in error)!” (Al-Zumar; 39:22)

Umar (r.a.) expressed the sensitivity of the Noble Companions on suspicious things as follows:

“We deserted nine permissible things out of ten in order not to fall into interest (usury).” (Ali al-Muttaqi, IV, 187/10087)

In our third hadith, another criterion is provided to understand whether something is permissible.

When someone attempts to do something, if a question mark arises in his heart, or his heart does not feel that it is right, or if he is in doubt and afraid that it would be a sin, then he needs to stop there. Indeed, this is a warning of the clean heart and conscience, one needs to listen to it.

Wabisa b. Mabad (r.a.) says:

I had approached the Prophet. He told me:

“Did you come to ask what virtue is?”

I said “Yes.”

Then, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Ask your heart. Virtue is what your soul finds appropriate and your heart approves. Sin, on the other hand, is something that bothers you from inside even though others issue many legal opinions in order for you to do it and raises doubt and hesitation.” (Ahmad, IV, 227-228; Darimi, Buyu, 2)

The role of conscience in the matter of finding the truth is very big. A person who sincerely listens to his heart is generally not mistaken.

Once, someone from the Noble Companions had come to the Prophet (pbuh) and asked:

“How can I understand whether something causes doubt in me?”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) responded with the following advice:

“Put your hand on your heart because the heart gets scared from the prohibited and finds peace and tranquility in the permissible.” (Haythami, X, 294)

Another criterion is the following: when a person feels ashamed from others’ hearing about what he did, and hence does not want them to hear about it, that act is definitely inappropriate and sinful. Allah the Almighty does not approve such actions. This is a matter related to heart and conscience. A person knows in his conscience what people see as good or evil and acts accordingly. This situation is like a forced confession of those who try to interpret the voice of their hearts in one way or another. When a person attempts to do something, he may silence the voices in his heart and conscience with various excuses. However, his approach to the same action changes when he knows that it will be heard by other people. Because he knows that when people hear it, his misdeed will become apparent, he does not want others to know about it. Whereas, he was giving permission for himself to do it at the beginning! And so this is another sound criterion. This shows that the act in question is a sin.

A person should not forget that all feelings in the heart are known to Allah. He is All Knowing, All Seeing, and All Hearing. Therefore, everybody should understand that they can’t deceive anyone but themselves.

On the other hand, feeling doubts about an act is enough to be a reason to stay away from it.

However, while trying to stay away from doubtful things, it is not right to part from the path of moderation and stay away from permissible things or raising unnecessary questions by falling into baseless suspicions about permissible blessings and causing trouble for Muslims. Because of the significance of this issue, Imam Bukhari included a special section in his Sahih and gave some examples related to it. (Bukhari, Buyu‘, 5)

In our fourth hadith, we are seeing an example of the Prophet’s sensitivity about doubtful matters. He saw a date on the ground but did not eat it for it might be a charity or zakat. As it is known, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), his family, and his descendants could not accept and consume zakat or charity (sadaqah). Almighty Allah has forbidden zakat and charity for the Prophet’s family.^[1]

However, this rule only applies to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and his family.  Except them, it is not permissible for someone in need to refuse zakat or charity based on the prohibition of zakat for the Prophet and his family and to cause his family to fall into financially difficult situation. This is because the needy among the Noble Companions and friends of Allah have accepted zakat.

Moreover, even though the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not accept zakat and charity he had accepted the gifts of those who had received zakat or charity.^[2]

The Prophet’s thinking of picking up and eating a date on the ground shows that he does not like wasting and that he does not want even one date to go to waste. This incident also shows that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was so humble that he would pick up a date from the ground and eat.

By such characteristics the Messenger of Allah gives his nation such nice lessons. Accordingly, one should avoid doubtful things, nothing of value should be wasted, even a small thing should be utilized, and one should be humble.

{

The following incident that shows the sensitivity of the Companions in the face of doubtful and prohibited things is full of wisdom.

Abu Bakr (r.a.) had a slave who used to give him some of his earnings, and he used to eat from it. One day he brought something and Abu Bakr (r.a.) ate from it. The slave said to him:

“You used to ask about the source of my earning, but you didn’t ask tonight, why?

Abu Bakr (r.a.) said:

“I was so hungry that I forgot to ask, so tell me how did you earn it?”

The slave said:

“Once, in the pre-Islamic period I foretold somebody’s future though I did not know the knowledge of foretelling, namely I had cheated him. I met him today. He gave me something for that service, and that is what you have eaten from.” Then Abu Bakr put his hand in his mouth and vomited whatever was in his stomach (even though it was tormenting).

“Shame on you! You were about to ruin me.”

When it is said to him:

“Was it worth to torment yourself so much just because of a small bite?”  Abu Bakr (r.a.) said:

“If I knew that I would even die, I would still take it out. That is because I heard from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):

“The body fed by forbidden earning deserves more to be in the Hell.” (Abu Nuaym, Hilya, I, 31; Bukhari, Fadail al-Ansar, 26; Ahmad b. Ab­dullah al-Ta­ba­ri, al-Ri­yad al-Nad­ra, II, 140-141)