-117-
Rejoicing at another’s misfortune is “shamâtat”. Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu
’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Do not have ‘shamâtat’ for a
religious brother! If you have ‘shamâtat’ then
Allâhu
ta’âlâ will deliver him from the disaster and punish you with an
identical disaster.” It would not be “shamâtat” if one feels happiness upon
hearing the death of an oppressor due to the jubilation of deliverance from his
oppression. Being happy upon hearing the disasters and troubles other than
death one’s enemy is suffering will be “shamâtat”. It will even be worse if one
believes that one is the cause of the disasters and troubles, e.g., by
supposing one’s prayer (duâ) has been accepted and so one’s enemy is
suffering. Such belief would cause one to catch the vice of self love
(’ujb). One
should think the suffering of one’s enemy might be (divine) deception (“Makr”
or “Istidraj”) for oneself. Therefore, one should pray for the removal of those
troubles. Rasűlullah
‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf:
“A
Mu’min’s good prayer ‘duâ’ on behalf of another Mu’min brother will be
accepted. An angel will say, ‘May
Allâhu ta’âlâ
give the same goodness to you also!’ And then they will say, Âmin! Prayer ‘duâ’
of an angel will not be rejected.” If the enemy is a tyrant
(zâlim) and
the disasters and troubles he suffers will prevent him from oppressing others,
then being happy about his suffering over those troubles would not be
“shamâtat” and would not be a sin but instead it would be religious
ghayrat.
Religious ghayrat is an indication of firmness of one’s belief.
It is good to have ghayrat for Allâhu ta’âlâ. It is not so good if it is due
to one’s bestial desires. In fact, being happy upon hearing of the suffering of
the tyrant is not a good thing but since it prevents him from oppressing
others, it has become permissible.
“Hijr” means to cease from being
friendly (with someone) and become cross (with them). Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’
states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “It would not be permissible (halâl) for a Believer (Mu’min) to
become cross with another Believer (Mu’min) for more than three days. After
three days it is necessary (wâjib) for him to go and give greetings (salâm) to
him. If the latter returns his
greetings they will
share the reward (thawâb), otherwise the sin will be recorded for the latter.” It is neither proper nor permissible for a male or female
Believer to become angry or offended with another Believer (Mu’min) so as to sever relations with them and to be no longer on
speaking terms with them because of some mundane disputes. Non-Muslims (zimmîs), e.g., Christians and Jews who live as citizens of a Muslim state
are to be treated like Muslims with respect to “muamalât”. Activities other
than religious worships and nikâh[1] are called
“muamalât”.
[It is not permissible to become
cross with non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state for worldly affairs. It is
necessary to appease their hearts by treating them nicely with a smiling face
and by avoiding situations that may entail misdemeanour or maltreatment towards
them. Be it within or without the borders of an Islamic state, wheresoever, and
be it a Muslim or a non-Muslim, whosoever, there is by no means any permission
to violate any person’s right, property, safety or honor. A nonbeliever who
lives within an Islamic state or non-Muslim tourists who are visiting an
Islamic state or non-Muslim businessmen who are within the borders of an
Islamic state for business purposes are entitled to enjoy the rights of a
Muslim citizen of the Islamic state with respect to the codes of law which
govern every aspect of daily life other than the religious worships that
Muslims are enjoined to perform. They are free to practice their religious
duties or prayers. Islam grants these rights and freedom to these people. A
Muslim should obey the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ and should not commit any wrongdoing. He should not disobey the
laws that govern his country. He should not commit any offense. He should not
arouse instigation. He should be good to everyone everywhere regardless of
whether they are Muslims or disbelievers. As a matter of fact, a Muslim should
observe the rights of others and should never oppress anyone. By improving his
behavioral conduct into a paragon of the beautiful morals and probity intrinsic
in Islam’s disciplinary codes, he should cause members of other nations to
respect and admire the Islamic
---------------------------------
[1] Marriage contract in accordance with
Islam’s social codes. For detailed information, please see the twelfth chapter
of the fifth fascicle of Endless Bliss.
It is better to go to a person
whom one is cross with before the three-day limit set by Islam ends and make up
with him. The three-day’s tolerance was intended to avoid strain. Sinfulness
starts after the three-day limit and continues to grow as days pass by. Growth
of the sin continues until the make up. Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Go to a person who has
offended you and make up! Forgive the person who oppressed you. Be good to a
person who treated you badly!” There will
be ten rewards (thawâb) for a person who says “Assalâmu
’alaikum” and twenty rewards for one who says “Assalâmu ’alaikum wa
rahmatullah” and thirty rewards for one who says “Assalâmu ’alaikum wa
rahmatullah wa barakâtuh”. There will also be equal amounts of rewards for those
who return the greetings in the same manner, i.e., ten rewards for one who
says, “Wa ’alaikum salâm”, twenty rewards for one who replies “Wa ’alaikum
salâm wa rahmatullah” and thirty rewards for the one who returns the greetings (salâm) by saying “Wa ’alaikum salâm wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh”. A
person who does not make up within the three-day limit will be punished in Hell
if he does not receive forgiveness or intercession (shafâ’at). It is permissible, and even mustahab,[1] to perform “hijr” to a
sinning person for the purpose of giving him a lesson. It is a methodical
isolation imposed for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “The best and most
valuable of all good deeds and worships is ‘hubb-i fillâh’ and ‘bugd-i
fillâh’.” “Hubb-i fillâh” means loving
for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ and “bugd-i fillâh” means dislike and separation for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Allâhu
ta’âlâ asked Műsâ (Moses) ‘alaihis-salâm’: “What have you
done for Me?” When he answered that he had performed “salâts” and fasted and
given alms and made remembrance (Dhikr), i.e.,
mentioned His name often. Allâhu ta’âlâ said to him: “The “salâts” you have performed are a proof (burhân) for you, i.e., they will protect you from doing evil deeds; the
fast you have performed is a shield for you, i.e., it will protect you from
Hell fire; the alms (zakât) you have given will give you shade during
---------------------------------
[1] A meritorious act, which Islam
commends, although it is not obligatory.
the Judgement day; and the remembrance (Dhikr) you have made will give you light during the day of reckoning at the gathering place. Yâ Műsâ! What have you done for Me? This time Műsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ begged Allâhu ta’âlâ to reveal to him how he could do something for Him. “Yâ Műsâ,” said Allâhu ta’âlâ. “Have you had love for My friends and have you stayed away from My enemies?” Thereupon Műsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ knew that the best of all good deeds and worships was loving for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ (hubb-i fillâh) and keeping away for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ (bugd-i fillâh). It is permissible to apply “hijr” for an extended period of time to a person who commits sins. It is very well known among Muslims that the famous Imâm Ahmad ibn-i Hanbal ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ stayed away from his paternal uncle and first cousins because they had accepted a present which they knew had come to them via (something which Islam prohibits and which is therefore termed) harâm. Also, Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ applied hijr to three people and their wives, i.e. he kept away from them for a while, because they had failed to join the Holy War of Tabuk.