The Prophet (SAW) said:” Al-Bir or righteousness is a good character, and sin is that which wavers in your heart and which you do not want people to know about.” (Muslim)
According to Wabisah bin Ma’bad (RA) who said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), and he said:” You have come to ask about righteousness?” “Yes,” I answered. He said:” Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels tranquil and the heart feels tranquil, and sin is what creates restlessness in the soul and moves to and fro in the breast, even though people give you their opinion (in your favor) and continue to do so.” (Ahmad bin Hanbal and Al-Darimi)
Ibn Rajab states that the term ‘bir’ which is used in this hadith is used in two senses: (a) treating others in a good manner, and (b) all acts of good deeds and worshipping Allah. Based on this, the first statement in the first hadith can be interpreted as meaning the most essential aspect of righteousness is good character. Ibn Rajab extends this meaning by saying that good character can be interpreted as all good manners mentioned in the Qur’an. Consequently, according to Ibn Rajab, the two meanings of bir are there.
Allah has created us with a pure innate or natural disposition that is called fitra, as mentioned in other hadith. This means to love the truth and the good and to hate falsehood and evil. Consequently, good believers with pure fitra should never confuse truth with falsehood.
The second hadith guides us to consult our hearts regarding doubtful matters. If the heart is in tranquility, that implies that it is bir or righteousness. If the heart is not tranquil, one should abstain from carrying out such an act or doubtful matter. However, it should be noted that fitra is subject to corruption and can be spoiled due to the influence of a bad environment – a person may start to like and appreciate what is bad or evil and dislike truth and goodness. Here, the heart is diseased or even dead. Such a person cannot use his heart as a measure to judge what is good and what is bad because the fitra is already corrupted.
Sin is what wavers or trembles your soul. This portion of the hadith defines a sinful act as an act for which its performer deserves blame. Imam Qurtubi gives the previous interpretation. Ustaz Jamaludin Zarabozo states that in this hadith the Prophet (SAW) gave very important signs of sin. The first one is an internal sign within the human being. It is the feelings of the soul to any particular act. The second sign is also about the internal feelings but it deals with the outward reaction to the act itself. Sin causes a wholesome soul to be uneasy and troubled. The soul is unhappy and worried about sin and its consequences. Ustaz Jamaludin remarks that these signs occur because the person is naturally disposed to favor what leads to positive results and avoid what leads to negative results. The commentators of this hadith stress that the people referred to here are the respected and righteous people.
The two hadiths reveal a significant aspect of Islam which is an internal controlling and guiding system that is established as a result of several factors:
- 1. The pure fitra (natural disposition). Allah created everybody with a pure fitra not just Muslims. The Prophet (SAW) mentions many factors in the environment that play an influential role in subjecting the fitra to corruption.
- 2. The realization of tawhid. This means practicing all the essentials of tawhid like loving Allah, seeking His help as the only refuge, depending on Him, asking for His Mercy, and many other essentials associated with the idea of tawhid.
- 3. Adhering to shari’ah instructions
- 4. Seeking knowledge
- 5. Tazkiyah and tarbiyah – the purification of the soul and the heart of the Muslim.
The above-mentioned factors and many others are interrelated and lead to the establishment of the internal controlling system. However, this system needs to be updated and upgraded regularly by educators and da’ies. The educators and da’ies must pay attention to the built-in systems of individuals and communities. They have to create awareness about contemporary challenges and plan future strategies to deal with such challenges.
This internal system is very important for Muslims today. They should know about it to activate it. Only through such proper construction of consciousness can we be certain about the validity and effectiveness of the internal controlling system. Muslims need to be aware of this fact and have to activate their system to be sensitive towards doubtful acts and sinful matters. Unless this system is upgraded, the person may not act in the right way. It is like installing an anti-virus software within ourselves. With such software in place, our internal system will prevent viruses, i.e. bad/evil acts, from entering our thoughts or hearts.
Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi
