The Virtue of Being Unfazed by Criticism or Praise (3): People Don’t Make or Break You: Discarding A Misconception from Pre-Islamic Ignorance

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🔘 Sahl b. Sa’d (رضي الله عنه) reported:

مرَّ على رسولِ اللهِ صلَّى الله عليْهِ وسلَّمَ رجلٌ ، فقالَ النَّبيُّ صلَّى الله عليْهِ وسلَّمَ : ما تقولونَ في هذا الرَّجلِ ؟

A man passed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Prophet asked, "What do you say about this man?"

قالوا : رأيَكَ في هذا ، نقولُ : هذا من أشرافِ النَّاسِ ، هذا حريٌّ إن خطبَ ، أن يخطَّبَ ، وإن شفعَ ، أن يشفَّعَ ، وإن قالَ ، أن يسمعَ لقولِهِ ،

They replied, "Regarding this, we say: he is from the nobility of the people. If he proposes for marriage, he should be married off; if he intercedes, his intercession should be accepted; if he speaks, his words should be listened to."

فسَكتَ النَّبيُّ صلَّى الله عليْهِ وسلَّمَ ، ومرَّ رجلٌ آخرُ ، فقالَ النَّبيُّ صلَّى الله عليْهِ وسلَّمَ : ما تقولونَ في هذا ؟

The Prophet ﷺ remained silent. Then, another man passed by, and the Prophet asked again, "What do you say about this man?"

قالوا : نقولُ ، واللَّهِ يا رسولَ اللهِ ، هذا من فقراءِ المسلمينَ ، هذا حريٌّ إن خطبَ ، لم ينْكح ، وإن شفعَ ، لاَ يشفَّع ، وإن قالَ ، لاَ يسمع لقولِهِ ،

They said, "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, this man is one of the poor Muslims. If he proposes for marriage, he would not be married off; if he intercedes, his intercession would not be accepted; if he speaks, his words are not heeded."

فقالَ النَّبيُّ صلَّى الله عليْهِ وسلَّمَ : لَهذا خيرٌ من ملءِ الأرضِ مثلَ هذا.

The Prophet ﷺ then said, "This [second man] is better than an earth full of the first type of man."

[Graded Sahih by: Al-Albani in Sahih Ibn Majah 3342]

🔘 It was also reported that Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (رضي الله عنه) said about the verse:

"في قولِهِ تعالى: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحُجُرَاتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

"Indeed, those who call you from behind the chambers - most of them do not use reason."

قالَ: فقامَ رجلٌ فقالَ: يا رسولَ اللَّهِ إنَّ حمدي زينٌ وإنَّ ذمِّي شينٌ، فقالَ النَّبيُّ صلَّى اللَّهُ علَيهِ وسلَّمَ: ذاكَ اللَّهُ عزَّ وجلَّ."

A man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, indeed my praise is an adornment and my criticism disfigures." The Prophet, peace be upon him, responded: "That is [the attribute of] Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."

[Graded Sahih by Al-Albani and is recorded in Sahih al-Tirmidhi, hadith 3267. It is also found in Al-Nasa'i in "Al-Sunan al-Kubra" (11515), and in Ahmad (15991).]

This statement by the Prophet ﷺ corrected erroneous pre-Islamic notions. Al-Mubarakfuri said:

"مقصود الرجل من هذا القول مدح نفسه وإظهار عظمته يعني إن مدحت رجلا فهو محمود ومزين وإن ذممت رجلا فهو مذموم ومعيب

"The man's intention with this statement was to praise himself and display his greatness, meaning that if he praised a man, then that man is commendable and adorned; and if he criticized a man, then that man is censured and flawed.

( ذاك الله عز وجل ) أي الذي حمده زين وذمه شين هو الله سبحانه وتعالى .

(That is Allah, the Almighty and Majestic), meaning the One whose praise is an adornment and whose criticism disfigures is Allah, Exalted and Almighty."

[see Tuhfah al Ahwadhi].