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HADITH 6
On the authority of Abu Abdullah al-numan bin Bashir (RA) who said: I heard the messenger of Allah, (SAW) say:
Truly, what is lawful is evident and what is unlawful is evident and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many peopled not know. He who fuards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful thigs, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a presence will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every kind has a preserve and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart”. (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)
Lessons
The scholars are of the view that the vast majority of acts fall into one of the first two categories: either it is evidently lawful or unlawful. Daily a minority number of acts fall into the third category that which is doubtful. It can be noted here that the prophet (SAW) is using a metaphor twice in this hadith. As mentioned before, using metaphor in communicating ideas is very effective and powerful. From the metaphor and the way it is worded (just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will soon pasture them in it). We can say that the doubtful things are closer to the unlawful things.
This hadith emphasizes on the importance of glorifying Allah. A salaf once narrated: “Don’t look at how minor the sin is that you committed, but look at the glory of the one you disobeyed i.e. (Allah). A sin, even if it is a minor one, means disobedience to Allah, hence defying the glorification of Allah. And the glorification of Allah is actually one of the principles of tawhid.
On the authority of Abu Abdullah al-numan bin Bashir (RA) who said: I heard the messenger of Allah, (SAW) say:
Truly, what is lawful is evident and what is unlawful is evident and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many peopled not know. He who fuards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful thigs, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a presence will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every kind has a preserve and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart”. (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)
Lessons
The scholars are of the view that the vast majority of acts fall into one of the first two categories: either it is evidently lawful or unlawful. Daily a minority number of acts fall into the third category that which is doubtful. It can be noted here that the prophet (SAW) is using a metaphor twice in this hadith. As mentioned before, using metaphor in communicating ideas is very effective and powerful. From the metaphor and the way it is worded (just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will soon pasture them in it). We can say that the doubtful things are closer to the unlawful things.
This hadith emphasizes on the importance of glorifying Allah. A salaf once narrated: “Don’t look at how minor the sin is that you committed, but look at the glory of the one you disobeyed i.e. (Allah). A sin, even if it is a minor one, means disobedience to Allah, hence defying the glorification of Allah. And the glorification of Allah is actually one of the principles of tawhid.
