Islamic Pearls of Inspiration

✨Don't Judge✨

"The true Muslim tries to understand people but does not make judgments on them, and he may call them to what is good and right, but he does not impose his opinion upon them. As for reckoning and taking people to account, that solely belongs to God."-Dr. Mustafa Mahmud

Try your best not to judge people, it might be tempting to do so at times, however, don't act on it. You might see someone as lower than you in religion because of their appearance  or the way they act; you don't know what's in their heart, they might be or might become a better Muslim than you for all you know. Think about the prostitute who entered paradise because she gave a thirsty dog water to drink and Barsisa,a pious monk, who ended up prostrating to Satan out of desperation. Also, when you judge non-Muslims or have negative thoughts about them, think about  Umar bin Al-Khattab; he was on his way to kill the prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) but ended up converting to Islam and went on to become one of the prophet's (peace be upon him) closest companions.

1.Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) said:

[...] I swear by Allah – there is no God but He – one of you may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is naught but an arm's length between him and it, when that which has been written will outstrip him so that he performs the deeds of the people of the Hell Fire; one of you may perform the deeds of the people of the Hell Fire, till there is naught but an arm's length between him and it, when that which has been written will overtake him so that he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters therein."

2.Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) said:

"If a man addresses his brother as, 'O' Disbeliever' ( Kaafir) it returns to one of them; either it is as he said or it returns to him."

Always keep these hadith in mind before judging someone, for (God-Forbid) you might fall astray,only a few days before your death and the person you judged might become a beloved servant of Allah.We should try to improve ourselves instead of picking at others' flaws. Indulging in this act might even lead us to arrogance as we will feel superior to the people/person we are judging. Not to mention other sinful acts that might pursue as a result, like slandering, backbiting and oppression.

May Allah save us all from judging other people,Ameen.

References:

1.[Al-Bukhari & Muslim, Narrated by Abu 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud]

2.Sahih Bukhari 10/427 and Sahih Muslim 60, Narrated by Ibn Umar