When something feels off inside you, what is that feeling telling you, and what should you do with it?
Islamic Studies · 40 Hadith, 9th and 10th Grade · 60 to 75 minutes
Last lesson, Hadith 10 taught us that Allah (SWT) is Good and accepts only what is good. The Prophet (pbuh) described a traveler raising his hands in dua while his food, his drink and his clothing were haram, and he asked how such a dua could be answered. What we take in, and how we come to have it, matters to Allah (SWT).
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا".
The Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said: "Truly, Allah (SWT) is Good (Tayyib) and accepts only what is good."
In Hadith 10, what stood between the traveler and an answer was clearly haram. Many of our choices are not that clear. Hadith 11 is about what to do when you are not sure.
Before we read today's hadith, think of a real moment, big or small, when something inside you said "wait."
Did you listen to the feeling, or push past it? Looking back, was the feeling right?
Is that feeling always right, or can it sometimes be wrong?
Keep your answer in mind. Today's hadith is about that feeling, and what to do when it shows up.
عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ سِبْطِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَرَيْحَانَتِهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، قَالَ: حَفِظْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ".
Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) and his rayhanah (his sweet basil, one dearly loved by him), may Allah (SWT) be pleased with them both, said: I memorized from the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh): "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt."
The whole teaching is one sentence. Why might a saying this short be easy to carry for a lifetime?
Turn to your partner and say it back in your own words, without looking at the slide.
Why does it matter that the hadith tells you where to go, and not only what to leave?
Al-Hasan (RA) was the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) and Fatimah (RA), the daughter of the Prophet (pbuh). He was born in Madinah in the third year after the Hijrah, and he was about seven years old when the Prophet (pbuh) passed away. So he memorized this hadith as a young boy, and it stayed with him all his life.
أَخَذَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا تَمْرَةً مِنْ تَمْرِ الصَّدَقَةِ، فَجَعَلَهَا فِي فِيهِ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "كِخٍ كِخٍ"، لِيَطْرَحَهَا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: "أَمَا شَعَرْتَ أَنَّا لَا نَأْكُلُ الصَّدَقَةَ".
Al-Hasan ibn Ali (RA) took a date from the dates of sadaqah (charity) and put it in his mouth. The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Kikh, kikh!" so that he would spit it out, and then said, "Did you not realize that we do not eat sadaqah?"
"Kikh, kikh" is what you say to a small child to make him spit something out. Notice how young al-Hasan (RA) was, and that the Prophet (pbuh) paid attention even to what his grandson put in his mouth.
عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِتَمْرَةٍ فِي الطَّرِيقِ، قَالَ: "لَوْلَا أَنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ لَأَكَلْتُهَا".
Anas (RA) said: The Prophet (pbuh) passed by a date lying in the road and said, "If I were not afraid that it might be from the sadaqah, I would have eaten it."
Here the Prophet (pbuh) lives what he taught al-Hasan (RA). The date may well have been fine to eat. He could not be sure, so he left it.
A single date is a small thing. Why do you think small things like this matter?
Ask yourself: what is one small thing in my life that I am not sure about, and that would be easy to leave?
In Lesson 5, Hadith 6 taught that between what is clearly halal and what is clearly haram there are doubtful matters that many people do not know. Hadith 11 tells you what to do when you find yourself standing in one of them.
"The meaning of this hadith goes back to stopping at doubtful matters and guarding against them. Something purely halal does not leave rayb in a believer's heart (rayb means unease and restlessness); rather, the soul settles with it and the heart is at peace with it. Doubtful matters, though, bring the hearts an unease and restlessness that leads to doubt."
In other words, the unease is worth listening to. It often means that something is not clear yet, and the hadith tells you to step back to what is clear.
Is there something you keep explaining to yourself, again and again, to feel okay about it? What might that be telling you?
عَنْ أَبِي الْحَوْرَاءِ السَّعْدِيِّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ: مَا حَفِظْتَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ قَالَ: حَفِظْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ، فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ، وَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ رِيبَةٌ".
Abu al-Hawra' as-Sa'di said: I said to al-Hasan ibn Ali (RA), "What did you memorize from the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh)?" He said: I memorized from the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh): "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt, for truthfulness is tranquility, and lying is doubt."
In this narration, a man of the next generation asks al-Hasan (RA) what he remembers from the Prophet (pbuh), and this is his answer. It adds a reason at the end: truthfulness brings calm, and lying brings doubt.
"The sign of truth is that hearts are at peace with it, and the sign of a lie is that it brings doubt, so hearts do not settle with it; rather, they pull away from it."
Ibn Rajab is speaking about what we hear: true words carry a calm that the heart can recognize. Now think about the person who tells the lie. After a lie, you have to remember what you said, who you said it to, and what might come out later. Honesty lets you rest, because there is nothing to keep track of.
Think of a time you told a "small" lie. How long did it stay on your mind afterward?
Is there a conversation where telling the full truth now would finally let you rest?
Hassan ibn Abi Sinan was a righteous man of the early generations, and a different person from al-Hasan (RA). He used to say: "Nothing is easier than wara' (being careful about what you take): if something makes you doubt, leave it." Ibn Rajab adds: "This is only easy for someone like Hassan, may Allah (SWT) have mercy on him," and then records this story from Ibn al-Mubarak.
Hassan's agent wrote to him that the sugarcane crop had been struck by blight, so he should buy up sugar where he was. Sugar was about to become scarce.
Hassan bought sugar from a man, and before long his purchase was worth a profit of thirty thousand.
He went to the seller, told him about the letter he had kept to himself, and asked him to cancel the sale. The seller said that now he knew, and he was happy for Hassan to keep it.
Hassan went home, but his heart could not rest with it. He went back, said he had not come into the deal the honest way, and kept asking until the man took the sale back.
The seller had already said he was happy with the deal. Why do you think Hassan still could not rest?
"Here is something to pay attention to: being very precise about stopping at doubtful matters only suits someone whose affairs are all upright and whose deeds are consistent in taqwa and wara'. As for someone who falls into violating the clear prohibitions and then wants to be careful about some fine point of doubt, that is not accepted from him; rather, it is objected to."
In plain words, being careful about the gray areas grows out of taking the clear things seriously first. It does not fit to worry over a tiny unclear question while doing something clearly wrong every day, like cheating, lying to your parents, or mocking people.
Is there a clear thing in my life that I need to fix before I worry about the small unclear ones?
Some doubts keep coming back with no real reason behind them, often about worship, like whether a prayer or a wudu "counted." Scholars call this waswasa. It is common, and you are not alone in it. If it happens to you, talk to your imam or a teacher you trust.
Ibn Rajab writes: "Among the matters scholars differ on are some where an allowance from the Prophet (pbuh) is established, with nothing opposing it. Following that allowance is better than avoiding it." (Jami' al-'Ulum wa al-Hikam, translated from the Arabic)
This hadith is about choices in front of you where you are unsure what is right. Honest questions about your faith are different. Bring them to a teacher or imam you trust. Asking is how understanding grows.
Later in the 40 Hadith, Hadith 27 comes back to the heart and how it feels about right and wrong. You already met its first part in Lesson 5: the hadith of an-Nawwas (RA) about what wavers in your chest.
Half-truths, and answers that are "technically true." Ask yourself: if the other person knew everything I know, would they feel misled?
The shortcut on an assignment, the extra change at the counter, the account you are not sure you are allowed to use. Ask yourself: what is the option here that leaves no doubt?
When everyone around you seems sure, your own unease gets quiet. Ask yourself: am I doing this because I think it is right, or because I do not want to be the one who says no?
The group being sure does not remove your doubt. If something still feels off to you, the hadith is still speaking to you.
Which of these three is the hardest for you right now?
Your group takes two of the cards below. For each card, talk through three questions:
A friend sends you the login to a streaming account that their older cousin pays for. You are not sure the cousin knows, or would agree.
Your parents ask where you were after school. You notice you are choosing words that are true but would give them the wrong picture.
A group chat is making fun of a classmate who is not in it. Everyone is laughing, and your thumb is on the reaction button.
At your part-time job, a coworker says everyone eats the snacks from the back room for free. No one has ever told you whether that is allowed.
You finished wudu carefully, but a thought keeps telling you that you missed a spot, and you are about to start over for the third time.
Your friends are all going to a party on Friday. You do not know what will be there, something about it feels off, and you do not want to be the only one who stays home.
A doubt that keeps coming back after you have done something carefully is what scholars call waswasa, and they distinguish it from the careful conscience this hadith builds. It is common, and the right next step is to ask your imam how to handle it.
When everyone else is sure, your doubt can feel silly. The hadith speaks to you, not to the group: leave what makes you doubt, even when you are the only one who feels it.
Notice that on almost every card a clear option was there. The hadith does not only tell you what to leave. It points you toward what does not make you doubt.
Take out a sheet of paper and write your three answers quietly.
Your writing stays with you.
The Prophet (pbuh) taught this short dua to al-Hasan's (RA) father, Ali (RA). It asks Allah (SWT) for what today's hadith needs: guidance to see the right way, and steadiness to stay on it.
عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ: قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "قُلِ: اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي وَسَدِّدْنِي، وَاذْكُرْ بِالْهُدَى هِدَايَتَكَ الطَّرِيقَ، وَالسَّدَادِ سَدَادَ السَّهْمِ".
Ali (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said to me: "Say: Allahumma ihdini wa saddidni (O Allah (SWT), guide me and keep me on target). And with 'guidance', keep in mind how you are guided along a road, and with 'on target', how an arrow is kept straight."
When you notice that uneasy feeling, pause before you act and ask yourself: what is the option here that does not make me doubt? Say this dua, then choose that option.
Learn the words by heart, and think of the road and the arrow each time you say them.