Hadith 6: The Lawful and Unlawful
are Clear
By
Imam Nawawi
In
the name of Allāh,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All
the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there
is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His
Messenger.
On
the authority of Abu Abdullah al-Nu’mān ibn Basheer (radiyallāhu’anhu) who said:
“I heard the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say, ‘That which is lawful is clear, and
that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful [or
ambiguous] matters about which not many people are knowledgeable. Thus, he who
avoids these doubtful matters certainly clears himself in regard to his
religion and honour. But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls into that
which is unlawful, like a shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but
grazing therein. Verily every king has a sanctuary and Allāh’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. In the body there is a morsel
of flesh which, if it be sound, all of the body is sound and which, if it be
diseased, all of the body is diseased. This part of the body is the heart’.”
(Recorded
in Bukhari and Muslim)
The
Narrator
Abu
Abdullah Al-Nu’mān
Ibn Basjeer Al-Ansaari Al-Khazraji (radiyallāhu’anhu)
was one of the first Muslims born to the Ansar of Madinah. He was around 10
years of age when the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) passed away. Although the scholars of
hadith agree that hadith cannot be taken from a child, if someone memorised the
hadith when they were a child and narrated it when they were an adult, then it
is acceptable, as is the case with this hadith. Al-Nu’mān narrated more than 120 hadiths, 6 of
which are in Sahih al-Bukhari.
Lessons
1. “That which is lawful is clear, and that which
is unlawful is clear…”
In the first part of the hadith the
Prophet, (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam), has set a criterion by which Muslims must decide whether
something is permissible or not. The hadith lays down an extreme importance principle
that can be applied in all aspects of one’s life. It also shows the way to
truth and righteousness.
This hadith indicates that one should
only perform an act or deed which is permissible and proper if he is positive
or certain of it. Performing this act will lead to some kind of tranquility or
happiness in this life and in the Hereafter – this is one of the benefits of
applying the hadith.
There
are innumerable acts which are clearly permissible and sanctioned in
the Shari’ah. In some cases these are explicitly mentioned as being
permissible, whilst in other cases, it is clear that they fall under the
general guidelines laid out in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Allāh
says in the Qur’an:
“This
day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food of those who have
received the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them.”
(Surah
Al-Māidah,5:5)
In
other cases expressions like “there
is no sin upon you…”
appear in the Qur’an, making it clear to us that something is
permissible. In the same way, acts that are forbidden are very clearly
stated.
Allāh
says in the Qur’an:
“Forbidden
for you are only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been
slaughtered in the name of other than Allāh and that which has been killed by strangling, or by
violent blow or by a headlong fall or by the goring of horns and that which has
been [partly] eaten by a wild animal, unless you are able to slaughter it
[before its death] and that which is sacrificed on altars. [Forbidden] also is
to use arrows for seeking luck. All that is disobedience to Allāh and sin.”
(Surah
Al-Māidah,5:3)
Also included in this category of
clearly unlawful acts, is every act for which Allāh
(subhanahu wa ta’ala) and His Messenger (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) have prescribed a punishment,
including adultery, fornication and murder. It is from the
grace and mercy of Allāh (subhanahu wa ta’ala) that He sent this
religion and message in a way that is clear and easy to understand. There can
be no doubt about matters which are either lawful or unlawful.
2. Avoid Doubtful Matters
“between the two of them are doubtful [or
ambiguous] matters…”
After stating
that lawful and unlawful matters in Islam are clear, the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) mentioned in this hadith, that there are also ‘doubtful matters’. It is only a minority of acts that fall into
this category, and there are different factors that may lead
people to be uncertain about a particular act and whether or not it is
permissible.
Firstly, we may
find that there are differences of opinion amongst the scholars about
different topics. Often, the reasons for differences can be explained very
simply. For instance, one scholar may have made a decision based on his own
personal reasoning, whilst another may have made a ruling whilst being unaware
of another hadith on the subject. This aspect has been a common cause for
differences amongst the scholars in different madzabs or
schools of thought.
There are also occasions when the evidence
related to an act appears to be contradictory. For example, one
hadith from the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) states that one should not drink whilst standing up,
and another hadith states that he (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) drank whilst standing. Both of these hadith are
authentic, and the scholars have come to different conclusions about
how to reconcile them.
Further, there are acts that may technically
be permissible, but they may become doubtful because they may lead
someone towards that which is forbidden. An example given here is ‘enjoying one’s
wife’ without intercourse whilst she is menstruating. It’s
permissible, but if he does not have strong self-control, it may lead him
towards that which is forbidden.
There
are also matters that may become impermissible due to the circumstances
surrounding them, or acts which are disapproved (disliked) of (makroohaat) but not forbidden, which some scholars have classed as
falling into this ‘doubtful’ category.
The
example of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and how he conducted his affairs,
shows us that he would avoid doubtful matters. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would also advise those that came
to him with problems towards conduct that left nothing to doubt or uncertainty.
Prophet
Muhammad (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam)
said:
“Verily, the permissible things are
clear and the forbidden things are clear. And between them are some matter
which are doubtful. Therefore, leave that which makes you doubt for what does
not make you doubt.”
(Recorded in An-Nasā’ie)
On the authority of Abu Muhammad
al-Hasan bin ‘Ali bin Abi Taib, (radiyallāhu’anhu) the grandson of the Messenger
of Allah, (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam), and who is dearest to him, who said: “I committed to memory from the Messenger of Allah,
(Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam), (the following words):
“Leave that about which you are in doubt for that about which
you are in no doubt.”
[Recorded by At-Tirmidzi and An-Nasā’ie; and At-Tirmidzi said: It is a good
and genuine Hadith]
“Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does
not make you doubt.”
This
hadith illustrates a very important general principle that can be applied in
all aspects of one’s life - avoid doubtful matters. If we only carry out acts that we are
certain are permissible then our hearts will be free from doubt. The one who gets involved in doubtful matters on the other hand, will never find their heart to be
completely at ease. If the true believer finds that
something troubles their heart and makes it doubt, then they should avoid that
matter.
This hadith is especially important in
these times when people highlights differences amongst the
scholars, and espouse different opinions. There are many new and complex things such as business practices, which may
have some good and some bad in them. Even if they have not been discussed by
the scholars yet, people will still voice an opinion about them. How can we
save ourselves from all this confusion? How can we know which path to follow
that will lead us away from confusion towards Allah’s pleasure? For this, we
need to turn to this hadith of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).
The key to true piety and peace of mind is to avoid
all doubtful matters. If a person
truly applies this hadith they should, Allah willing, find psychological
well-being and inner peace.
3.The
Sound Heart
“In the body is a morsel of flesh which, if it be
sound, all the body is sound and which, if it be diseased, all of it is
diseased. This part of the body is the heart.”
We
now come to the last part of this hadith concerning doubtful matters. At the
end of this hadith the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam)
reminded us about the importance of the state of our hearts. Our heart is
so important that if it contains a disease, it will affect our whole
being. We should realise that it is not cardiovascular fitness that
is being referred to here, rather it is the spiritual state of the
heart.
In many ways, our heart is the commander
of our limbs. If our heart is inclined towards doing good then the limbs will
do good also. But if our heart is inclined towards doubtful or forbidden
things, then it will become hardened, less inclined to remember Allāh
(subhanahu wa ta’ala) and more likely to commit evil deeds. The state of
our heart is therefore our defining characteristic, and Allāh
(subhanahu wa ta’ala) distinguishes the human being from the rest of
creation due to the heart and the intellect.
Allāh
says in the Qur’an:
“Have they not travelled in the land,
and have they hearts wherewith to feel and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it
is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts
that grow blind.”
(Surah Al-Hajj,22:46)
Subhanallāh!
How many of us are blind in the heart? How many hearts are so shrouded in
darkness they are unable to see the light? Know that the heart cannot be pure
and sound until it remembers Allāh (subhanahu wa ta’ala), glorifies Him,
loves Him, fears Him, has hope in Him and trusts Him. This is the true
realisation of ‘There is no God except Allāh’.
The only heart that will aid a person in
Allāh’s
sight is the sound, wholesome, submitting heart.
Allāh
says:
“The day when wealth and sons avail not
(any man) save him who brings unto Allāh a sound heart.”
(Surah Al-Shu’arā, 22:88-89)
3.1.What
Are The Signs Of A Sound Heart?
They have been outlined by Ibn al-Qayyim
(rahimahullah) as follows:
1. A person considers themselves to be
belonging to the next world and not this one. They feel a stranger in this
world and cannot wait to reach the Hereafter.
2. A person continues to be upset with
themselves anytime they commit a sin until they repent to Allāh.
3. If
a person misses their daily recitation of Qur’an or dzikir, they
are more upset than if they lost their wealth.
4. The person finds more pleasure in
worshipping Allāh than in eating or drinking.
5. When they begin their prayer, their
worries and concerns about the world leave them.
6. Their only concern and worry is about Allāh
and acting for His sake.
7. They are careful to use
all their spare time in worshipping Allāh.
8. The person is more concerned with the
correctness of the deed than with the performance of the deed itself.
May Allāh
purify our hearts and intentions. Ameen.
4.Allāh’s Sanctuary
“But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls
into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a
sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Verily every king has a sanctuary and Allāh’s sanctuary is His prohibitions”
The Prophet
Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has furthered illustrated why we should avoid
doubtful matters in this hadith. The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) stated that
if we fall into doing things that are doubtful, or unclear as
to their permissibility, this may lead us towards that which is unlawful or
forbidden.
To illustrate this point the Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) used the
parable of the shepherd. It was a custom among the Arabs that the most noble
amongst them would have land that only his own animals were allowed to graze
on. If a shepherd were to come close to the boundary of this land, it would
easy for his sheep to stray into the man’s pasture. In the same way,
if we are in the grey area of performing acts of uncertain permissibility, we
are more likely to stray towards the dark area of what Allāh (subhanahu wa
ta’ala) has forbidden. The safest place to be is far away from the boundary of
what is forbidden.
Allāh
(subhanahu wa ta’ala) says in the Qur’an:
“Those are the limits of Allāh and do not come near to them.”
(Surah Al-Baqarah,2:187)
This
part of the hadith also reminds us of one of the important principles in Islam
which is sadd al-dharaai or
‘blocking the means’.
This is the concept of forbidding something because it may lead to something
else. An example of this would be forbidding a man and a woman to be
alone together. Although there may not be any harm in the act in itself, the
act is prohibited because it may lead to something forbidden.
We can see then that the only way
to be sure of avoiding what Allāh has prohibited, is to avoid going near
anything that is doubtful. Staying away from these things is the best
way to protect our religion and our honour.
And
Allāh Almighty knows best.
[ Excerpted from A commentary on Hadith 6: “The
Lawful and Unlawful are Clear” , 40 Hadiths Of Imam
Nawawi, By Dr. Jamal Ahmed
Badi, via IC Truth]
