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The story of the Queen of Sheba.

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Verifying facts before imposing punishment.

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When the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him), became angry with the hoopoe

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due to his absence from the army,

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he threatened to punish or execute him,

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unless he brought a valid excuse.

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This reflects the noble character of prophethood:

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there is no punishment without a sin,

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and no punishment without verification.

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Allah Almighty says:

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“And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?” (27:20)

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“I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I verily will slay him, or he verily shall bring me a plain excuse.” (27:21)

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“I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I verily will slay him, or he verily shall bring me a plain excuse.” (27:21)

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Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"His noticing the hoopoe's absence demonstrates his perfect attentiveness, his personal governance of his kingdom,

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and his exceptional acuteness, such that he missed even this small bird."

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“And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?” (27:20)

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Meaning: Was his failure to see him due to a lack of attentiveness on his part—

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because the bird was hidden among these vast multitudes—

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or was it truly absent, having left without his permission or order?

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Thereupon, he grew angry with him and threatened him,

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saying: "I will surely punish him severely short of killing him,"

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“I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I verily will slay him, or he verily shall bring me a plain excuse.” (27:21)

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meaning a clear proof for his absence.

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This stems from his complete piety and fairness,

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as he did not swear to punish or kill him unconditionally,

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since punishment is only for a sin,

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and his absence might have been due to a valid excuse.

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Therefore, he made an exception out of his piety and wisdom.

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This represents perfect justice:

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that we do not punish the wrongdoer immediately in a moment of anger,

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but rather give him an opportunity to present his excuse.

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If it is acceptable, he is spared;

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otherwise, he is punished as he deserves for his sin.

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Al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"His statement, 'or he must bring me a clear authority,'

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makes this the third outcome he decreed for his absence:

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that he brings that which wards off punishment from himself,

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in the form of an acceptable excuse for remaining behind."

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My dear sister,

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verify matters before inflicting punishment on your children,

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and give them the opportunity to defend themselves

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and explain their point of view.

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This verification is what Allah commanded His servants to practice,

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so that they avoid haste in judging and accusing people.

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For Allah Almighty says:

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"O you who have believed,

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“O ye who believe! When ye go forth (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou art not a believer," seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever Informed of what ye do.” (4:94)

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“O ye who believe! When ye go forth (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou art not a believer," seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever Informed of what ye do.” (4:94)

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“O ye who believe! When ye go forth (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou art not a believer," seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever Informed of what ye do.” (4:94)

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for with Allah are abundant spoils.

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“O ye who believe! When ye go forth (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou art not a believer," seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever Informed of what ye do.” (4:94)

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“O ye who believe! When ye go forth (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou art not a believer," seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever Informed of what ye do.” (4:94)

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Indeed, Allah is ever Aware of what you do."

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Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"The Almighty commands His believing servants,

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when they go forth to strive in His cause

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seeking His pleasure,

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to investigate and verify all ambiguous matters.

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For matters are of two types:

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clear and unclear.

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As for clear and evident matters, they do not require investigation or verification,

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because doing so would be redundant.

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But as for complex and unclear matters,

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a person needs to verify and clarify them

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to know whether to proceed or not.

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Verifying such matters

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yields immense benefits

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and wards off great evils,

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through which a servant's faith, intellect, and sound judgment are made known.

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This is unlike one who acts hastily in the initial stages of affairs

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before the ruling regarding them becomes clear to him,

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as that leads to improper consequences—

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just as happened to those whom Allah admonished in the verse,

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when they failed to verify and killed someone who offered them greetings of peace."

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The main thing that keeps you from verifying

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and causes you to wrong your children and those around you

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is anger.

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So seek refuge in Allah from anger and haste.

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Al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Allah commanded anyone executing an authority over His servants

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to be fully informed before carrying it out.

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Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded,

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specifically regarding judicial judgment,

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that a judge must not pass judgment while angry.

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For an angry person poses a risk in two respects:

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the first is a lack of verification,

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and the second

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is that anger may cloud one's judgment,

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causing a person to do what he would not have done

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had he not been angry."

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The standard for anger among many fathers and mothers is skewed,

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because they do not become angry for the sake of Allah,

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but rather for their own selves.

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If you were to ask yourself

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what drives you to be angry for your own sake rather than for Allah,

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you would find that social pretense is the reason.

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Social pretense

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means that a person presents an idealized image of themselves to others that does not reflect reality.

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That is why if your child commits a mistake or misbehaves in front of people,

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your temper flares up against him,

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your blood boils, your face turns red,

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your blood pressure rises,

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and your tone of voice becomes harsh with him—

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even though the very same mistake might be committed by him at home,

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yet you would not react as you did in front of people.

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Among the things that lead fathers and mothers

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to fail to verify claims made against their children

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is listening to people's criticism of their children

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and immediately believing this criticism without verification.

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Yet the critic might be resentful or envious,

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or even a sincere adviser,

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but one who exaggerates issues

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or lacks an understanding of human nature during childhood and youth.

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Thus, one should not act hastily toward children

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based on reports heard from people without verification.

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One of the worst causes that provoke anger in fathers

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and drive them to judge their children hastily without patience

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is the practice of some mothers greeting the husband with the children's misdeeds

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as soon as he returns from work,

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which inadvertently fills his heart with resentment toward his children,

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leading him to rush into judging and punishing them without thought or deliberation.

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My dear sister,

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just as you need to be deliberate in judging the behavior of your children,

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you also need to be deliberate in judging the actions of everyone around you—

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your brothers, sisters, husband, and neighbors—

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to avoid strained relationships built on haste and anger.

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As for men, their default state should be rational composure,

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given the maturity of intellect and emotional control Allah has granted them.

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Therefore, acting hastily, failing to verify what is heard,

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and unfairly inflicting punishment on those under his care

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are disgraceful qualities that do not befit noble men.

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Thus, all the guidance directed to women in this discourse

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applies to men to an even greater degree.

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So, my dear brother,

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be among the best and most prudent of men,

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and be a good role model for others and for your household

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in practicing verification and deliberation upon hearing news.

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But did the hoopoe escape punishment,

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and how did he handle this formidable threat

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from a great prophet

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who possessed a kingdom unlike any granted to any human on earth?

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We will continue in our next session, Allah willing.

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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

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The story of the Queen of Sheba

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with the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him).