In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
There are doubts that many people fall into,
especially when searching for a legal ruling,
regarding the permissibility or prohibition of a matter.
That is where the doubt arises.
But what is the scale by which a person can weigh emerging issues?
Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked,
"How does a man among us know if he has been afflicted by a trial?"
He, may Allah be pleased with him, replied,
"If he sees something as forbidden yesterday,
and sees it as permissible today, then he has been afflicted by a trial."
This is a clear scale.
Hudhayfah outlines its features in brief, clear words.
The clear meaning of the words of Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman
confirms to us that he refers to what has been established as forbidden by the Shari'ah,
that which does not fall into the realm of disagreement among Muslim scholars and jurists.
This is what is intended by the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
"The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear."
So, if a Muslim reaches the point of doubting the prohibition of something whose prohibition is manifest,
or the permissibility of something whose permissibility is manifest,
then there is no doubt that he has been afflicted by the worst of trials, and we seek refuge in Allah.
An example of this is for a person to be certain of the prohibition of bribery,
regardless of how its names may change,
and to know with certainty of its prohibition,
then to soften and weaken before it,
when its sweetness appears to him,
mixed with the bitterness of sin and the evil of the consequence.
Here, the Muslim must use this magnificent and precise scale
to which Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, pointed.
Other forbidden matters should be measured against bribery,
those that have a connection to the desires of the human soul
and its worldly interests,
such as trading in certain forbidden items,
or justifying clear usurious transactions
in response to the soul's whims.
This is the scale of Hudhayfah;
if only we would weigh our affairs with it,
those that waver between the lawful and the unlawful.