Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Without any doubt, in Islamic Shariah, the matters of virtue and sin have been determined with clarity.

The law presented in this hadith pertains to those who are of sound natural disposition and God-conscious, not to the general public, because ordinary people do not possess such knowledge of Allah or such awareness that they can determine virtue or vice by the light of their own souls. As Ubaidullah Mubarakpuri sahib has said: This hadith concerns those whose inner selves are cleansed of impurities and whose hearts are pure from sins; this hadith does not pertain to the general public, especially sinners, because those poor souls often mistake sin for virtue and virtue for sin. (Mir’aat al-Mafatih: 1/117) The condition of people in the present age has, to a great extent, affirmed the meaning of Mubarakpuri sahib, as everyone has set their own standards of good and evil for their lives. If a scholar presents a fatwa or arguments contrary to their criteria, either he will not be given enough importance for his words to be heeded, or it will be said to him that there is not so much strictness in Islam.

For example, there was a man who spoke very little, did not comment about others, and was a harmless person, but he did not perform the prayers (salah), was distant from reciting the Noble Qur’an, did not observe the rules regarding women’s veiling, would indulge in light intoxication, and would shave his beard. Merely by observing his silence, an educated person, according to worldly standards, said that he is an angel, because he remains silent and does not interfere in the matters of others. This is the standard of the general public for calling someone good or bad, that a person who does not pray is being called an angel. Silence, within permissible limits, is a good trait, but the entirety of Islam is not encompassed within it.

For the general public, the standard is the Qur’an and Hadith; they should prepare lists of virtues and sins in the light of the Qur’an and Hadith.