Brothers and sisters! My khutba today is on the topic: “Ad-Deen un-Nasihah,” which means that the deen, or the religion or the way of life is Nasihah. Just as the Prophet (SAW) said, “Al-Hajju Arafah,” (The Hajj is Arafah), signifying that amongst other rituals and actions of Hajj, the predominant one is that of Arafah, similarly, he said, “Ad-Deen un-Nasihah,” (The religion is Nasihah). This is a very profound statement and implies that the essence of the religion can be found within this concept. The latter part of the hadith says that the people asked, “To whom?” The Prophet (SAW) replied: “To Allah and to His Book and to His Messenger and to the leaders of the Muslims and to the common folk of Muslims.”
The Prophet (SAW) has equated the entire religion to giving Nasihah, but what exactly is Nasihah? It is an Arabic word that is usually translated to mean sincerity or sincere advice, but actually embodies every type of virtue. So if you are giving Nasihah to someone, you truly wish the best for that person in terms of your intention and actions.
What does making Nasihah to Allah mean? Allah (SWT) is Self-Sufficient and is not in need of any of His creation. When the believer makes Nasihah to Allah, he is drawing himself closer to Allah and purifying himself. The one who benefits from this Nasihah is the believer and not Allah (SWT).
Nasihah to Allah implies believing in Him and His attributes. It is to deny any partners with Him, and have the correct intention in one’s heart to fulfill the rights of Allah. This requires fulfilling our obligatory duties to Him in the best possible manner. This should be the goal of every Muslim. We should strive to draw nearer to Allah through what He has made obligatory upon us, and by performing voluntary good deeds, as well as avoiding what is forbidden or disliked by Him. We should love whatever He loves and hate whatever He hates be they objects, persons, sayings or deeds. This is the Nasihah to Allah referred to in this hadith. May Allah (SWT) assist us in remembering Him as He should be remembered, thanking Him as He should be thanked and worshiping Him as He should be worshipped.
Nasihah to the Book of Allah requires that we believe in all the revealed books. We should believe that the Qur’an is the speech of Allah. The Qur’an demands of every Muslim certain obligations. A Muslim is required to believe in the Qur’an, to read it correctly, to understand it, to act upon its teachings, and to convey its message to others. What place does the Qur’an hold in our daily lives? Do we turn to it as our first source of guidance? Do we know the lessons that it teaches us? Are we striving to recite it in the best possible way? And are we conveying its message to others? Teaching and explaining the Qur’an to others is part of giving Nasihah to Allah’s Book.
Nasihah to Allah’s Messenger (SAW) is to know him, to understand his life and the struggles he went through and to relate his struggles to our daily life. It includes believing in the message that he brought and believing it to be divinely inspired. It also includes accepting the Prophet (SAW) as a true leader and the best example for the believers. Allah asks us to follow his model.
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الآَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
“The Messenger of Allah is an excellent model for those of you who put your hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah very often.” (al-Ahzab, 33:21)
Obeying him, honoring him, and reviving his Sunnah are all important aspects of giving Nasihah to the Prophet (SAW). Nasihah to Allah’s Messenger (SAW) also includes loving him more than anybody else including ourselves and also loving those who follow, defend and strive to revive his Sunnah.
Nasihah to Allah, His Book and His Messenger, in fact implies giving Nasihah to ourselves in respect of purifying our relationship with Allah, His Book and His Messenger. The Prophet (SAW) goes on to explain that Nasihah should also be given to others, including the leaders of the Muslims as well as the common folk in the wider society. This statement of the Prophet (SAW) shows us that no one is above receiving or accepting Nasihah, no matter how high-ranking a person may be. With respect to our submission to Allah and our need to follow His law and guidance, we are all equal and everyone is in need of Nasihah.
As for leaders, they deserve our respect because of the responsibility they undertake. Indeed, if they are sincere, they will change their views if they are shown to be wrong and are given sincere advice. There are two kinds of leaders amongst the Muslims, and both are referred to in the wording of this hadith. The first are the religious leaders or scholars and the second are the worldly leaders or rulers. Making Nasihah to the scholars implies to take the knowledge that they pass on and apply the same to our daily lives, to accept their rulings if they provide sound proofs for their decisions, and to have good thoughts about them.
Nasihah to the worldly leaders of the Muslims includes helping them when they are following the truth; obeying them in what is right; reminding them if they make an error or forget; being patient with them when they do things that people do not like; and praying for their guidance and piety. It is the right of the Muslim subject who has knowledge and understanding to advise the rulers to what is best, and to forbid them from evil. Because the actions of those in power affect so many people, making Nasihah to them is of even more importance. If it is at all possible, Nasihah should be given face to face. If that is not possible, it can be done through those who are in contact with them or by writing to them directly. This is from sincerity towards the people in authority. Many scholars state that it is preferable to advise leaders in private and not in public.
What has generally become of Muslim rulers of today? Where can we see any example of rulers who are truly living and implementing Islam, and who are willing to listen to the Nasihah of their subjects? Abu-Bakr (RA) asked of the believers when he was entrusted with leadership, “As long as I command you to do what Allah and His Messenger commanded you to do, then you should obey me, but if I don’t then you should set me straight.”
Giving Nasihah or sincere advice to the common Muslims includes guiding them to what is best for them in this life and the hereafter; teaching them about their religion and other things that they may be ignorant about; helping them in times of need, providing what is beneficial for them, encouraging them to do good and forbidding them from evil with kindness and sincerity, and showing mercy towards them. The Prophet (SAW) said: “He is not one of us who does not show mercy to our young ones and respect to our elderly.”
We should not hold any hatred for Muslims in our hearts. It’s a very sad thing to imagine, but there is a lot enmity in the hearts of Muslims towards fellow Muslims. Communities become polarized through following different scholars, and even within like-minded communities there are differences and quarreling.
May Allah guide us to what is best and grant unity to the Muslim Ummah. May Allah bless each one of us with a desire to love for our brothers and sisters in faith and humanity what we love for ourselves.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! There is a difference between giving Nasihah and unnecessarily exposing or embarrassing another person. Mentioning a Muslim’s faults or sins simply to blame, ridicule or shame him is forbidden. However, if there is some overriding benefit in mentioning such faults, then it becomes either recommended or obligatory to do so. This was the case when scholars of hadith had to speak out against the reliability of some narrators of hadith. This action was part of their Nasihah to the Muslim community as a whole, in order that they could accurately preserve the hadith of the Prophet (SAW). This type of Nasihah also becomes obligatory when refuting a misinterpretation of the Qur’an or the Sunnah that people may try to spread throughout the Muslim community. It is obligatory to refute this type of act even if it is done in public, as long as the goal is not to ridicule them, but rather to correct their mistakes.
Are we willing to listen if someone wants to advise us to what is best concerning our conduct, our speech or how we conduct ourselves? Pride gets in the way. We don’t want to be told what to do, even if what we are being advised to is best for us in terms of our religion. We should reflect not only on giving Nasihah to others, but also on how to accept it, and to change our conduct for the sake of Allah (SWT). Nasihah therefore plays an important role for the Muslim community as a whole. It is one of the key aspects to protect a society from the spread of evil.
The one who gives Nasihah should be free of hypocrisy. His outward and inward should be the same with regard to sincerity and truthfulness. Exposing someone’s evil and propagating it under the pretense of advising, while having the aim only to condemn and cause harm is nothing but hypocrisy. The one giving Nasihah should be free of all kinds of deceit and deceptiveness. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Whoever deceives us is not from us.” He should be free of every blameworthy characteristic and he should adorn himself with all the noble and virtuous manners and characteristics.
Ad-Deen un-Nasihah (“The Religion is Nasihah”) is a very profound hadith that covers almost every single act we do with respect to ourselves and those around us. The Prophet (SAW) summed up the religion of Islam in just one word—Nasihah. Being engaged in Nasihah to Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the leaders of the Muslims and to the common folk of the Muslims has an impact on every aspect of our lives. If we were to be effectively engaged in these types of Nasihah, we would purify both ourselves and our societies.
May Allah help us give proper Nasihah and forgive us if we fall short in our duties towards our own souls and people around us. Allahumma Ameen.
