“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
say:
‘That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is
plain,
and between them are matters that are not clear, about which
not many
people know. Thus he who guards against the unclear matters,
he clears
himself with regard to his religion and his honor. But he
who falls
into the unclear matters, he falls into that which is
unlawful. Like
the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but
grazing therein.
Every king has a sanctuary. And beware! Allah’s
sanctuary is His
prohibitions. Beware! In the body there is a piece
of flesh which, if
it is sound, the whole body will be sound, and if
it is corrupt, the
whole body will be corrupt. It is the heart.’”
Narrated by While on the pulpit, pointing with this fingers towards his ears,
Nu’man bin Bashir said:
Context
While addressing the community from the pulpit, the Prophet (ﷺ) explains the clarity of lawful and unlawful matters, emphasizing the importance of avoiding ambiguity. He warns that those who engage in unclear matters risk falling into sin, highlighting the significance of ethical conduct in daily life.
Modern Application
In modern times, this hadith serves as a reminder to be clear and honest in communication and decision-making. By avoiding ambiguous situations, individuals can maintain their integrity and moral responsibility.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Ethical Conduct and Moral Responsibility because it stresses the importance of distinguishing between lawful and unlawful actions to uphold one's integrity.
And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.
And obey Allah and obey the Messenger and beware. And if you turn away - then know that upon Our Messenger is only [the responsibility for] clear notification.
Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know."
That [has been commanded], and whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allah - it is best for him in the sight of his Lord. And permitted to you are the grazing livestock, except what is recited to you. So avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement,
This hadith is #3721 from Sunan Ibn Majah, in the Book of Tribulations. It is graded Sahih and narrated by While on the pulpit, pointing with this fingers towards his ears,
Nu’man bin Bashir said:.