Strict avoidance of sin

عن النُّعْمانِ بنِ بَشيرٍ – رضي الله عنهما - قال: سمعتُ رسولَ اللهِ ﷺ يقول - وأَهْوى النُّعمانُ بإصْبَعَيْهِ إلى أُذُنَيْهِ -: «إنَّ الحَلالَ بَيِّنٌ، وإنَّ الحَرامَ بَيِّنٌ، وبَيْنَهُما مُشْتَبِهاتٌ لا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنِ اتَّقى الشُّبُهاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وعِرْضِهِ، ومَن وقَعَ في الشُّبُهاتِ وقَعَ في الحَرامِ، كالرَّاعِي يَرْعى حَوْلَ الحِمى، يُوشِكُ أنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ، ألا وإنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى، ألا وإنَّ حِمى اللهِ مَحارِمُهُ، ألا وإنَّ في الجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً، إذا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وإذا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، ألا وهي القَلْبُ».

تحميل الملف الصوتي

Al-Nu‘mān ibn Bashīr narrated saying: I heard God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) say; and al-Nu‘mān pointed to his ears with his two fingers:

1. What is lawful is plain and what is unlawful is plain;

2. and in between are doubtful matters unknown to many people.

3. Whoever avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour;

4. but the one who slips into the doubtful will fall into what is unlawful. [He is] like a shepherd who pastures close to a sanctuary, all but grazing therein.

5. For certain, every king has a sanctuary, and for certain God’s sanctuary is His prohibitions.

6. Indeed, there is in the body a morsel of flesh which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it be diseased, all the body is diseased. Indeed, it is the heart.

Summary of Meaning

Report an error

The Prophet (peace be upon him) clearly states that lawful and unlawful things are made plain for people. However, some matters may appear doubtful to most people who do not have sufficient scholarly knowledge. A person who avoids such doubtful matters maintains the purity of his religion. Those who slip into them run the risk of committing what is unlawful.

The Prophet also makes clear that the well-being of a person depends on keeping one’s heart sound and well.