Part of Concepts of Ahl as-Sunnah (series completed)
· Lesson 715 of 1251
Summary of Sunni concepts | Concept (713) | The difference between advice for God and victory for oneself
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
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The distinction between offering sincere counsel for the sake of Allah and seeking personal vindication.
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Sincere counsel for the sake of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, entails becoming angry for His sake and upholding the sanctity of His prohibitions.
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Thus, one’s zeal in such a case is zeal for the sake of Allah.
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The intention behind it is to exalt Him and to exalt His command, may He be glorified.
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As for the one who becomes angry for his own sake and seeks to vindicate himself,
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his objective is to exalt his own self and to demand that he alone holds authority.
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He seeks to have his word prevail, even if he opposes the command of Allah and violates His sacred boundaries in the process.
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Such a person’s zeal is merely for his own self and the loss of his personal interests.
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The matter becomes most dangerous and subtle
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when a person cloaks his personal vindication in the guise of sincere counsel for the sake of Allah and zeal for Him, the Almighty.
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For example, consider one who rebukes another for a wrong action.
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If the person being advised insults him or harms him personally, the advisor flares up and becomes enraged,
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claiming that his anger is for the sake of Allah due to the wrong action committed.
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Yet the reality of the matter is that he is seeking personal vindication because he was insulted and belittled.
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This feigned counsel has telltale signs by which it can be recognized.
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First, publicly shaming the person being advised and taunting him.
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This is especially true if the person being advised is among the people of knowledge and righteousness.
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Second, transgressing against the person being advised and failing to treat him with fairness.
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Diminishing his worth by concealing his virtues and good deeds.
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Third, hunting for mistakes and rejoicing in them.
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Giving credence to rumors and failing to verify the facts of the matter.
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Fourth, allowing suspicion to prevail.
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Accusing others of ill intentions and ulterior motives without evidence or proof.
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Fifth, pandering to oppressors,
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while simultaneously attacking the reformers whom he claims to be advising.
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Sixth, the person seeking personal vindication is known for lying and a lack of piety.