Avoiding Suspicion and Evil Assumptions: A Key to Stronger Muslim Relationships
Have good thoughts of fellow Muslims as much as possible
One of the most comforting things for a person’s heart in this life, after having good thoughts of his creator, is to have positive thoughts of his fellow Muslims.
Evil and negative assumptions not only harm the soul, disturb the mind, and weaken the body, they also lead to mistrust, disputes, hostilities and breaking of ties between people. This is why our religion encourages us to have good thoughts and forbids us from having unwarranted evil thoughts of fellow Muslims.
Allāh ﷻ said:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إثم}
“O believers! Avoid many suspicions, ˹for˺ indeed, some suspicions are sinful.” [Sūrah Al-Ḥujurāt: 12]
Al-Mihlab raḥimahullāh said:
قد أوجب الله تعالى أن يكون ظن المؤمن بالمؤمن حسنا أبدا، إذ يقول: ﴿لَوْلا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا هَذَا إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ﴾، فإذا جعل الله سوء الظَّن بالمؤمنين إفكًا مبينًا، فقد ألزم أن يكون حُسْن الظَّن بهم صدقًا بينًا.
Allāh Almighty has obligated that a believer must always have good thoughts of another believer, as He said:
﴿لَوْلا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا هَذَا إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ﴾
“If only the believing men and women had thought well of one another, when you heard this ˹rumour˺, and said, “This is clearly ˹an outrageous˺ slander!” [Sūrah An-Nūr: 12] So if Allāh made bad thoughts about believers an outrageous slander, this necessitates that good thoughts about them is manifest truth.” [Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhāri of ibn Baṭṭāl (9/261)]
Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
((إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ)).
“Beware of suspicion (about others), as suspicion is the falsest talk.” [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]
’Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu said:
لا يحلُّ لامرئ مسلم يسمع من أخيه كلمة يظنُّ بها سوءًا، وهو يجد لها في شيء من الخير مخرجًا.
“It is not permissible for a Muslim to have bad thoughts of his brother after hearing something from him while he is able to find a good interpretation for his speech.” [Al-Ādāb Ash-Shar’iyyah of Ibn Mufliḥ (1/47)]
He also said raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu:
ضَعْ أَمْرَ أَخِيكَ عَلَى أَحْسَنِهِ، حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ مِنْهُ مَا يَغْلِبُكَ.
“Interpret your brother’s affair in the best possible way, unless something reaches you from him that overwhelms you.” [Relayed by Al-Khaṭīb Al-Baghdādi in “Al-Muttafiq wal Muftariq” (1/304)]
Sa’ēd ibn Al-Musayyab raḥimahullāh said:
كتب إلي بعض إخواني من أصحاب رسول الله: أن ضع أمر أخيك على أحسنه، ما لم يأتك ما يغلبك، ولا تظنن بكلمة خرجت من امرئ مسلم شرا، وأنت تجد لها في الخير محملًا.
“Some of my brothers from the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) wrote to me (saying): “Interpret your brother’s affair in the best way, as long as nothing comes to you that overwhelm you [to think otherwise], and do not think evil of a word uttered by a Muslim, while you are able to find a good interpretation for it.” [Al-Istidhkār of Ibn ’Abdil Barr (8/291)]
Ja’far ibn Muḥammad raḥimahullāh said:
إذا بلغك عن أخيك الشيء تنكره فالتمس له عذراً واحداَ إلى سبعين عذرا، فإن أصبته وإلا قل: لعل له عذرا لا أعرفه.
“If you hear something about your brother that you disapprove of, then seek one to seventy excuses for him. If you get it right [that is it], otherwise say: ‘Perhaps he has an excuse that I do not know’.” [Reported by Al-Bayhaqi in “Shu’ab Al-Ēmān” (6/323). Likewise, Ibn ’Abdil Barr narrated it from Muḥammad Ibn Sīrīn in his book “Bahjat Al-Majālis”]
Similarly, Abū Qilābah raḥimahullāh said:
إذا بلغك عن أخيك شيء تكرهه فالتمس له العذر جهدك، فإن لم تجد له عذرا فقل في نفسك: لعل لأخي عذرا لا أعلمه!
“If something reaches you that you disapprove of concerning your brother, then seek an excuse for him as best you can. If you cannot find an excuse for him then say to yourself: ‘Maybe my brother has an excuse that I am not aware of!’” [Ḥilyah Al-Awliyā’ (2/285)]