The Forty Rules of Guidance Rule Three Prepared by: Hacene Chebbani

The Beauty of Self-Awareness ”بل الإنسان على نفسه بصيرة * و لو ألقى معاذيره“ القيامة /14-15 “No! Man will be a true evidence against himself * Even though he may give his excuses.” 65/14-15 Or “Rather, man; against himself will be a witness * Even if he presents his excuses.”

Main Point of Guidance Man will be a witness against himself on the Day of Judgment. Other Witnesses: –Allah is the best witness. “Say, Allah is enough as a witness between me and you.” –The Angels: “Surely, there are angels appointed over you to watch you * They are honorable recorders * They know all that you do.” al-Infitar/10-12

Continued –The Earth: “That Day, it will report its news.” 99/4 –The Very Unusual Witnesses: Man’s own limbs. “On a Day, when their tongues, their hands and their feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do.” 24/24 The Hadith of Anas b. Malik (radia Allahu anhu)

What is the Context of this Verse? ”لا أقسم بيوم القيامة * ولا أقسم بالنفس اللوّامة * أيحسب الإنسان أن لن نجمع عظامه * بلى قادرين على أن نسوي بنانه * بل يريد الإنسان ليفجر أمامه * يسأل أيّان يوم القيامة * فإذا برق البصر * و خسف القمر * و جمع الشمس و القمر * يقول الإنسان يومئذ أين المفر * كلا لا وزر * إلى ربك يومئذ المستقر * ينبّأ الإنسان يومئذ بما قدّم و أخر * بل الإنسان على نفسه بصيرة...“

Practical Applications of this Rule The 2 nd meaning of this ayah: “Man knows his himself (weaknesses, shortcomings and misdeeds), even if he tries to come up with excuses to defend himself.”

Points of Guidance 1.Some keep arguing and debating to defend their views or mistakes, even if they are wrong. - It is not the character of true believers. - Every child of Adam is bound to err. “All children of Adam are bound to err, and the best among those repeatedly err are those who recurrently repent.” Hadith.

Continued 2.The Tafsir of Qatada: “If you wish, by Allah, you would see him an expert in the knowledge about the sins and shortcomings of other people, but at the same time, he is heedless about his own sins.” Bakr b. Abdullah al-Muzani said: “If you see a man who turned himself into an agent who is in charge of people’s faults, while forgetting his own mistakes, then know that he is deceived and deluded.” - Both men are talking about the faultfinding spirit.

Continued Abu Huraira (radia Allahu anhu) said: “One of you would see the speck in his brother’s eye, but he does not notice the log that is in his own eye?” Saheeh al-Adab al- Mufrad. Before him Isa (Alaihi assalam) made the same statement.

The Three Fatal Defects Al-fuday b. Ayyad (rahimahu Allah) said: “It Iblees gets one of the following three defects from the child of Adam, he will say: ‘I do not want anything else’. –If he is showing self-astonishment while degrading others –If he is excessively satisfied with his deeds –If he forgets his misdeeds.

Two Extreme Ways of Misguidance “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” Are we allowed to make any kind of judgment? Why have the Ulema been trying to recognize and expose false teachings and false teachers from the time of the sahaba? Why are we advised to deal with sins and with corruption through the concept of “Enjoin with is right and forbid what is evil”?

Continued The 2 nd extreme way of misguidance: “The compulsive habit of faultfinding, finger-pointing and complaining about others without any clean intention.” This is the core of the ego. The ego lives and thrives through comparison.

So What if the Difference…? Constructive criticism is: –Done with good intention –Done with love to build up –Expressed face to face and not behind their back –Mostly made in a general statement: ‘Why are some people doing so and so…?’ –Done with merciful spirit.