As-Salāmu 'Alaykum,
Bismillāh,
All praise is due to Allāh, The Lord of all of the creation, and may the prayers and peace be upon our messenger Muḥammad, his family and all of his companions.
The Messenger of Allāh, prayers and peace be upon him, said: “From the perfection of a person’s Islām is that he abstains from that which doesn’t concern him.” (1)
Dr. Taqī ad-Dīn al-Hilālī (2) said in his explanation of this prophetic narration:
“What we understand from this narration is that some Muslims have perfected their religion due their strong belief in Allāh, The Most High, their constantly obeying Allāh, The Most High, and their staying away from disobedience and doubtful affairs. On the other hand, some Muslims haven’t reached this level of perfection, and their belief in Allāh, The Most High, is deficient.
From amongst the signs that a person has perfected his religion is that he busies himself with things that will benefit him in both his religion (dīn) as well as his worldly affairs (dunyā). As far as those things that don’t bring him any benefit, then he abstains from them. And it said, 'Time is like a sword; if you don’t cut it, it will cut you,' meaning if you don’t occupy your time with that which benefits, it (i.e. time) will prevent you from attaining good.” (3)
Here are two additional benefits from this prophetic narration:
1. The person who busies himself with issues that don’t concern him hasn’t perfected his religion. Often times, you’ll find a person speaking or asking about issues that don’t concern him, showing a weakness in his Islām. (4)
2. From the benefits of this narration is that it is possible for a person’s religion to be complete or deficient depending upon his/her actions. (5)
I ask Allāh, The Most High, to make us from those who strive to perfect our Islām, and to make us sincere in all of our statements and actions. And may the prayers and peace be upon our messenger Muḥammad, his family, and all of his companions.
Compiled and translated by:
Abū Sājid Syid Turcks
Umm al-Qurā University
Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sh’abān 14, 1431 / July 26, 2010
Abū Sājid Syid Turcks
Umm al-Qurā University
Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sh’abān 14, 1431 / July 26, 2010
__________
(1) Reported by At-Tirmithī on the authority of Abū Hurayrah.
(2) He is Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī ad-Dīn b. 'Abdul-Qādir al-Hilālī. He taught in the Prophet’s masjid in Madīnah as well as the Ḥaram in Makkah. When Shaykh ‘Abdul-Azīz b. Bāz was the president of the Islamic University in Medīna, he invited Shaykh Taqī ad-Dīn to teach in the University. He accepted the invitation and continued to teach in the university for five years. Taqī ad-Dīn died in the year 1407 AH / 1987 CE may Allah have mercy on him.
(3) Al-Hilālī, Taqī ad-Dīn. Explanation of Narrations from an-Nawawī’s Forty Hadīth. United Arab Emirates: Muasasah Baynūnah 1429 AH / 2008 CE pg. 28
(4) Al-'Uthaymīn, Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ. Explanation of an-Nawawī’s Forty Hadīth. ‘Unayzah: Muasasah Shaykh Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-‘Uthaymīn 1425 AH / 2004 CE pg. 182
(5) Al-Fawzān, Ṣāliḥ. Explanation of an-Nawawī’s Forty Hadīth. Riyāḍ: Dār al-‘Āsimah 1429 AH / 2008 CE pg. 144