Friday Sermon: A True and Sincere Muslim Believer Cannot Be Deceived Twice!, By Murtadha Gusau

Friday 06 January (Jumadal Akhirah 13 1444 AH)

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Most Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation - may He exalt the Messenger in the highest company of Angels and send His peace and blessings upon him - likewise upon his family, his Companions and his true disciples.

Dear brothers and sisters! Know that faith (Iman) is that condition of belief from which springs a multifaceted act of multiplication of virtues. This condition blooms a life full of obedience which in turn generates such deeds that even the removal of a minor obstacle in one's path guarantees a reward from Almighty Allah. In other words, a Muslim believer (Mu'min) becomes such an embodiment of nobility that his heart bleeds if someone is hurt. Such faith (Iman) also creates in him the attributes of foresight, prudence, sagacity, good judgment and understanding. This is why the Noble Quran repeatedly refers to the attractive and overwhelming characteristics of a Believer (Mu'min) to encourage believers to maintain their distinct attribute. I quote here some Hadiths of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace_be_upon_him) to refresh the belief, enliven the mind and nourish the spirit. Abu Hurairah (RA) reports that the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said:

"A Believer (Mu'min) is not bitten twice in the same hole." [Bukhari and Muslim]

This means that a true Believer (Mu'min) would not put his finger twice in a hole to be bitten by a snake. The Hadith educates a believer (Mu'min) in prudence, circumspection, foresight, precaution, scruple and vigilance. According to the biographer of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Ibn Hisham, he (peace be upon him) first used this phrase and later it became a proverb in the Arabic-speaking world. Imam Ahmad (Rahimahullah) writes that an infidel person by the name of Abu Ghurrah al-Hamji used to recite satirical poetry against Islam. He is taken prisoner at the Battle of Badr. He began to ask for forgiveness and said he had a dependent family and children. The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) was moved by his request and forgave him without ransom. Once released, he backtracked and resumed reciting poetry defaming Islam and its Prophet. By a shared coincidence, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Uhud and again pleaded for forgiveness as before. If he had been forgiven a second time, he could have mocked and boasted of deceiving the Muslims. It was on this occasion that the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) uttered this very beneficial immortal phrase (Hadith).

Abu Hurairah narrates that the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said:

"A believer (Mu'min) is innocent, simple and good-natured, and the hypocrite is cunning and wicked." [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

What the hadith means is that a believer (Mu'min), being himself trustworthy, trusts others and can be deceived because he is innocent, sincere, honest and simple . There is yet another Hadith, which cites a dialogue between Heaven and Hell. Heaven would cry out:

"What's wrong with me that only the innocent, the simple and the weak take me as their home."

The answer is that a believer (Mu'min) does not like to find faults, flaws and weaknesses in others. He is neither curious about them nor eager to publicize them. It's just against his very nature.

Sahl Bin Abdullah Tustari says that paradise refers to people whose hearts are unaware of anything except the remembrance of Allah.

Abu Usman (Rahimahullah) states that such people do not care much about this world but are very careful about the hereafter.

Imam Auza'i (Rahimahullah) says:

"These people are blind to evil things, but have excellent insight into virtuous deeds."