بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Rasulullah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (ﷺ) said: “Verily, among excellence in Islam is for a person to leave what does not concern him.” [Sunan at-Tirmidhi 2318 | Graded authentic by Sheikh al-Albani rahimahullah]

Rasulullah ﷺ taught us that whoever wants for his Islam to be beautiful, for his imaan (faith) to increase, for his religion to be perfect, then let him leave matters that are not of his business nor his concern. Rather, he should focus on matters that are beneficial for his dunya and akhirah.

And this is one of the most important pieces of advice that we desperately need reminding of in this day and age. 

Our innate curiosity, combined with social media at the mere tips of our fingers, have majorly distracted us from focusing on what is truly beneficial. We spend hours daily scrolling through YouTube, Instagram, TikTok because our curiosity drives us to watch clips after clips that unfortunately do not benefit us, nor benefit others if we were to share them.

We want to know the latest gossip and scandals, about the lives of artists and politicians who have nothing to do with us. We busy ourselves with these information, analysing tales and hearsays that may not necessarily be true, until we end up backbiting, slandering, and making false accusations of others.

These things not only waste our time, but are sinful and nullify our good deeds. Rasulullah ﷺ said:

“The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be the one who would come on the Day of Resurrection with salaah, fasting, and charity, [but he will find himself bankrupt on that day] because he insulted others, slander others, consumed wealth illegally, shed the blood of others, and beat others.

So his good deeds would be given to the account of those [who suffered at his hand and speech]. If his good deeds fall short to clear the account [of those whom he oppressed], their sins would be entered into his account, and he would be thrown in the Fire.” [Sahih Muslim 2581]

So be careful with our words — both online and offline. How many people get caught up in gossip, harsh debates, and ugly arguments over something that brings no positive impact for their dunya and akhirah? How many friends and acquaintances habitually ask unnecessary questions that end up hurting the one being asked? How many of us feel discouraged from attending ‘Eid celebrations and family gatherings because of the insensitive questions and intrusive remarks by relatives? 

“So-and-so got married / has a baby / got promoted / upgraded his car / bought a house when he was so-and-so years old, when’s your turn?”

Often these types of questions are asked without taking into account the difficulties, struggles, trauma, and losses that a person may go through in life — may Allah forgive us! Instead, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala praises the ones who steer away from vain speech. In Surah al-Mu'minun, Allah describes the characteristics of the inhabitants of Jannah.

The passage begins with: “Successful indeed are the believers.” [Surah al-Mu’minun 23 : 1]

And that passage ends with: “They are the ones who will be awarded Jannah as their own. They will be there forever.” [Surah al-Mu’minun 23 : 10-11]

Sandwiched between this passage are the characteristics of successful believers, and one of them is: “Those who avoid idle talk (i.e. sins and any word or deed that are of no benefit — Tafseer Ibn Kathir).” [Surah al-Mu’minun 23 : 3] 

Remember that the perfection of our Islam depends on these matters. Instead of being a busybody, make du'a for ‘aafiyah (well-being) of others, and leave that which does not concern us. 

May Allah increase us in imaan, keep us focused on what is beneficial for our dunya and akhirah, and protect us from hurting others unknowingly with our speech and action.

Your sister in Deen,

Aida Msr