The story of the Queen of Sheba | Episode (3) | Verification before imposing punishment

0:00 The story of the Queen of Sheba.

0:02 Verifying facts before imposing punishment.

0:09 When the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him), became angry with the hoopoe

0:16 due to his absence from the army,

0:18 he threatened to punish or execute him,

0:21 unless he brought a valid excuse.

0:24 This reflects the noble character of prophethood:

0:27 there is no punishment without a sin,

0:30 and no punishment without verification.

0:33 Allah Almighty says:

0:35 “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)

0:47 “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)

0:55 “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)

1:02 Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

1:05 "His noticing the hoopoe's absence demonstrates his perfect attentiveness, his personal governance of his kingdom,

1:11 and his exceptional acuteness, such that he missed even this small bird."

1:16 “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)

1:21 Meaning: Was his failure to see him due to a lack of attentiveness on his part—

1:26 because the bird was hidden among these vast multitudes—

1:30 or was it truly absent, having left without his permission or order?

1:36 Thereupon, he grew angry with him and threatened him,

1:40 saying: "I will surely punish him severely short of killing him,"

1:46 “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)

1:51 meaning a clear proof for his absence.

1:54 This stems from his complete piety and fairness,

1:57 as he did not swear to punish or kill him unconditionally,

2:02 since punishment is only for a sin,

2:06 and his absence might have been due to a valid excuse.

2:10 Therefore, he made an exception out of his piety and wisdom.

2:15 This represents perfect justice:

2:18 that we do not punish the wrongdoer immediately in a moment of anger,

2:22 but rather give him an opportunity to present his excuse.

2:26 If it is acceptable, he is spared;

2:28 otherwise, he is punished as he deserves for his sin.

2:33 Al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

2:37 "His statement, 'or he must bring me a clear authority,'

2:42 makes this the third outcome he decreed for his absence:

2:46 that he brings that which wards off punishment from himself,

2:50 in the form of an acceptable excuse for remaining behind."

2:55 My dear sister,

2:56 verify matters before inflicting punishment on your children,

3:01 and give them the opportunity to defend themselves

3:04 and explain their point of view.

3:07 This verification is what Allah commanded His servants to practice,

3:11 so that they avoid haste in judging and accusing people.

3:16 For Allah Almighty says:

3:18 "O you who have believed,

3:25 “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)

3:31 “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)

3:37 “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)

3:45 for with Allah are abundant spoils.

3:50 “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)

3:55 “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)

4:00 Indeed, Allah is ever Aware of what you do."

4:09 Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

4:12 "The Almighty commands His believing servants,

4:14 when they go forth to strive in His cause

4:17 seeking His pleasure,

4:19 to investigate and verify all ambiguous matters.

4:24 For matters are of two types:

4:26 clear and unclear.

4:29 As for clear and evident matters, they do not require investigation or verification,

4:34 because doing so would be redundant.

4:37 But as for complex and unclear matters,

4:40 a person needs to verify and clarify them

4:44 to know whether to proceed or not.

4:48 Verifying such matters

4:51 yields immense benefits

4:54 and wards off great evils,

4:56 through which a servant's faith, intellect, and sound judgment are made known.

5:01 This is unlike one who acts hastily in the initial stages of affairs

5:04 before the ruling regarding them becomes clear to him,

5:07 as that leads to improper consequences—

5:11 just as happened to those whom Allah admonished in the verse,

5:15 when they failed to verify and killed someone who offered them greetings of peace."

5:21 The main thing that keeps you from verifying

5:23 and causes you to wrong your children and those around you

5:27 is anger.

5:28 So seek refuge in Allah from anger and haste.

5:33 Al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

5:36 "Allah commanded anyone executing an authority over His servants

5:40 to be fully informed before carrying it out.

5:44 Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded,

5:47 specifically regarding judicial judgment,

5:49 that a judge must not pass judgment while angry.

5:53 For an angry person poses a risk in two respects:

5:56 the first is a lack of verification,

5:59 and the second

6:00 is that anger may cloud one's judgment,

6:04 causing a person to do what he would not have done

6:09 had he not been angry."

6:12 The standard for anger among many fathers and mothers is skewed,

6:17 because they do not become angry for the sake of Allah,

6:20 but rather for their own selves.

6:23 If you were to ask yourself

6:25 what drives you to be angry for your own sake rather than for Allah,

6:30 you would find that social pretense is the reason.

6:34 Social pretense

6:36 means that a person presents an idealized image of themselves to others that does not reflect reality.

6:41 That is why if your child commits a mistake or misbehaves in front of people,

6:46 your temper flares up against him,

6:48 your blood boils, your face turns red,

6:51 your blood pressure rises,

6:53 and your tone of voice becomes harsh with him—

6:56 even though the very same mistake might be committed by him at home,

6:59 yet you would not react as you did in front of people.

7:04 Among the things that lead fathers and mothers

7:07 to fail to verify claims made against their children

7:11 is listening to people's criticism of their children

7:14 and immediately believing this criticism without verification.

7:19 Yet the critic might be resentful or envious,

7:23 or even a sincere adviser,

7:25 but one who exaggerates issues

7:28 or lacks an understanding of human nature during childhood and youth.

7:34 Thus, one should not act hastily toward children

7:38 based on reports heard from people without verification.

7:43 One of the worst causes that provoke anger in fathers

7:46 and drive them to judge their children hastily without patience

7:50 is the practice of some mothers greeting the husband with the children's misdeeds

7:56 as soon as he returns from work,

7:58 which inadvertently fills his heart with resentment toward his children,

8:03 leading him to rush into judging and punishing them without thought or deliberation.

8:10 My dear sister,

8:12 just as you need to be deliberate in judging the behavior of your children,

8:18 you also need to be deliberate in judging the actions of everyone around you—

8:25 your brothers, sisters, husband, and neighbors—

8:29 to avoid strained relationships built on haste and anger.

8:35 As for men, their default state should be rational composure,

8:38 given the maturity of intellect and emotional control Allah has granted them.

8:43 Therefore, acting hastily, failing to verify what is heard,

8:47 and unfairly inflicting punishment on those under his care

8:52 are disgraceful qualities that do not befit noble men.

8:58 Thus, all the guidance directed to women in this discourse

9:03 applies to men to an even greater degree.

9:06 So, my dear brother,

9:08 be among the best and most prudent of men,

9:11 and be a good role model for others and for your household

9:16 in practicing verification and deliberation upon hearing news.

9:21 But did the hoopoe escape punishment,

9:25 and how did he handle this formidable threat

9:29 from a great prophet

9:31 who possessed a kingdom unlike any granted to any human on earth?

9:36 We will continue in our next session, Allah willing.

9:40 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

9:44 The story of the Queen of Sheba

9:47 with the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him).

The story of the Queen of Sheba | Episode (3) | Verification before imposing punishment

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