Do Not Interfere !

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

He married her, and then, after a few days, he divorced her. "Why?" It is none of your concern! Her husband passed away, and after her waiting period ended, she remarried before a year had passed. "Why did she not wait longer?" It is none of your concern! This does not mean that she did not grieve for her husband. What do you know of her state?

Part of a person’s excellence in Islam is to leave that which does not concern them. Yes, if you witness an evil, then denounce it. If you see an ignorant person, then teach them. But as for interfering and offering your opinion on matters where you should not intrude—that is not required of you.

« مِنْ حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِ ٱلْمَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ »

« Part of a person’s excellence in Islam is to leave that which does not concern them. »—thus said the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Even your thoughts—what you assume in your heart, even if you do not speak it—even your thoughts—you are not entitled to harbour ill suspicion toward your Muslim brother—even suspicion itself.

And do not say: "Well, what can I do? This is just how I think; this is just how I feel." And if you do feel this way—are you a prophet to whom revelation is sent? Question your own soul.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

«وَإِذَا ظَنَنْتَ فَلَا تُحَقِّقْ»

“If you assume something, do not pursue it as fact.”

If such a suspicion crosses your mind, do not affirm it with certainty—doubt yourself. You do not know people's circumstances, nor the motives behind their actions. It is upon you to weigh matters by the scale of the Shari^ah. Yes, if they commit evil and fall into sin, then you must forbid them, advise them, and guide them toward what is best. But you have no right to harbour ill suspicion against them. Do not intervene—as long as the act does not contradict the Shari^ah, do not interfere.

Look at the actions of Sa^id ibnu l-Musayyab. He was among the greatest of the successors (tabi^in), one of the seven jurists of Medina. He was married to the daughter of ‘Abu Hurayrah. His student narrated what transpired between them:

"I used to sit with and learn from him. Then he noticed my absence for some days. Indeed, I was absent for a few days and did not attend. When I returned to him, he said: ‘Where have you been?’"

"I replied: ‘My wife passed away, and I was occupied with her burial.’"

"Sa^id said: ‘Why did you not inform us so that we could have attended her funeral?’"

Then, the student continued:

"As I was about to leave, Sa^id asked me: ‘Have you remarried after your wife’s passing?’"

"I replied: ‘May Allah have mercy on you! Who would get married with me? I possess nothing but two or three dirhams.’"

"Sa^id said: ‘I will find you someone.’"

"I asked: ‘Would you really do that?’"

"He said: ‘Yes.’ Then he praised Allah and sent blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, and he married me [to this woman] for two or three dirhams."

The student continued:

"I rose, overwhelmed with joy, not knowing what to do. I went home, pondering whom I should ask for money or from whom I should borrow. I prayed Maghrib and then returned home. I was alone and fasting, so I prepared my dinner to break my fast—bread and oil. Then suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Someone was knocking."

"I asked: ‘Who is this?’"

"The reply came: ‘Sa^id.’"

The student said:

"I thought of every person named Sa^id except Sa^id ibnu l-Musayyab. It never crossed my mind that it could be Sa^id ibnu l-Musayyab. After all, he had not been seen anywhere for forty years except between his house and the mosque—going from his house to the mosque and from the mosque to his house for forty years. So, I never thought the one at the door could be Sa^id ibnu l-Musayyab."

"I stood up and went out, and indeed, it was Sa^id ibnu l-Musayyab. I assumed he had changed his mind and reconsidered."

"I said: ‘O ‘Abu Muhammad! Why did you not send for me, so I would have come to you? Should I come to you?’"

"He replied: ‘No. You are more deserving of being visited.’"

"I said: ‘What do you command?’"

"Sa^id said: ‘You were a bachelor, and now you are married. I disliked that you should spend the night alone. Here is your wife.’"

He had brought his daughter to her husband.

The student narrates:

"She was among the most beautiful of people, among the most knowledgeable of people in the Book of Allah, among the most learned in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and among the most aware of the rights of a husband. This was the daughter of Sa^id ibnu l-Musayyab."

Before this, ^Abdu l-Malik ibnu Marwan had proposed for his son, Al-Walid ibnu ^Abdi l-Malik, but Sa^id refused to give her in marriage, despite their power and wealth. He disagreed.

Thus, Sa^id’s daughter was not some unwanted woman, left unmarried so that her father might be eager to rid himself of her by giving her to his student. Rather, he chose to marry her to this student because he saw in him her best interest.

Imagine with me—if such an event were to happen in our time, people would speak about the man: "How could he marry so soon after his wife’s passing?" They would speak about: "How could he marry off his daughter for two or three dirhams?" They would speak about the woman: "How could she accept this?"

Allah said :

﴿إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ َكَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا﴾

"Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—all of those will be questioned."

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

« أَكْثَرُ خَطَايَا ٱبْنِ آدَمَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ »

Most of the sins of the son of Adam come from his tongue.

Your words, your actions, your beliefs, and your suspicions—you must be mindful of them in accordance with the Shari^ah. Beware of interfering and corrupting relations between husband and wife.

The Prophet ﷺ warned sternly:

« لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ خَبَّبَ ٱمْرَأَةً عَلَىٰ زَوْجِهَا »

« Whoever deceives a woman to turn her against her husband is not following our way. »

The one who causes corruption starts to mention the faults of the husband to his wife: "He does this and that… If I were in your place, I would not stay with him for a moment… If he divorces you, a hundred men would desire you…"

And remember: Yes, people have no right to think ill of you or to backbite you, but may Allah have mercy on the one who shields himself from suspicion.

It was narrated in the hadith:

« رَحِمَ ٱللَّهُ ٱمْرَأً جَبَّ دَفْعَ ٱلْمَغِيبَةِ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ »

« May Allah have mercy on a man who prevents himself from being the subject of backbiting. »

Do not do what leads people to backbite you. Some matters, though permissible, should be avoided so that people do not fall into gossip. Yes, they have no right to backbite you, but you—preserve yourself!

And this is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the truthful, the confirmed, the pure, the trustworthy. One day, he was with his wife, Lady Safiyyah. She said: "Two men from the ‘Ansar passed by, and when they saw the Prophet ﷺ, they hurried away. The Prophet ﷺ then said: "Slow down! She is Safiyyah." (عَلَىٰ رِسْلِكُمَا، إِنَّهَا صَفِيَّة)

They replied: "Subhana l-Lah, O Messenger of Allah! We would never think anything bad of you." The Prophet ﷺ said: 

« إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَانَ يَجْرِي مِنِ ٱبْنِ آدَمَ مَجْرَى ٱلدَّمِ، وَإِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَقْذِفَ فِي قُلُوبِكُمَا سُوءًا —أَوْ قَالَ— شَيْئًا »

« Indeed, Satan flows through the son of Adam as blood flows, and I feared that he might cast evil —or he said something— into your hearts. »

The Prophet ﷺ, despite his infallibility, clarified to the companions that the woman standing with him was Safiyyah.

It is wise for a person not to place themselves in situations of suspicion.

We ask Allah, the Greatest, to protect us from trials, both apparent and hidden, and to grant us a safe departure from this world.

And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah bless our master Muhammad, his family, and his companions.