Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 1016 [Read full issue]
Sowing Discord
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked [his companions]: "Do you know what calumny is?" They said: "God and His Messenger know best". He said: "Telling people what others have said in order to sow discord between them". [Bukhari]
Needless to say, this practice is universally viewed as despicable. It tells of the wickedness of the person who does it; he is seeking to spoil relations between people.
Islam means submission to God. A true Muslim submits himself totally to God. Submission to God is demonstrated by carrying out His orders. Whatever God commands people to do is a duty which they must fulfil. Some of them may decide not to fulfil a particular duty or indeed all duties assigned to them by God. They turn their backs on God's messenger and message. By so doing, they not only demonstrate their disbelief in God, but also that they are conceited and proud. Such pride is misled, because it reverberates in their relations with God Himself.
A true believer, on the other hand, shows his humility by implementing God's orders to the best of his ability. When God forbids something, he refrains from it. He knows that God bids us nothing but what is useful and beneficial to us, and He forbids us only what is evil and harmful. Yet this is not a believer's prime motive in obeying God's orders and refraining from what is forbidden. Rather, his prime motive is his submission to God, which he declares when he makes up his mind to be a Muslim and states that he believes in God's oneness and the message of Muhammad, the last of all prophets and messengers.
Compiled From:
"Al-Adab al-Mufrad with Full Commentary: A Perfect Code of Manners and Morality" - Adil Salahi