The Virtue of Being Unfazed by Criticism or Praise (5): The Doorway to Wisdom & Inner-Peace

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🔘 Ibn Hazm (رحمه الله) explains that indifference to praise and criticism is a tremendous door to wisdom and inner peace:

باب عظيم من الْعقل والراحة وَهُوَ: اطراح المبالاة بِكَلَام النَّاس وَاسْتِعْمَال المبالاة بِكَلَام الْخَالِق عز وَجل

This is a great doorway of wisdom and peace: discarding concern for what people say and focusing concern on the words of the Creator, Glorified and Exalted be He.

بل هَذَا بَاب الْعقل والراحة كلهَا، من قدر أَنه يسلم من طعن النَّاس وعيبهم فَهُوَ مَجْنُون،

Indeed, this is the entirety of wisdom and peace. Whoever thinks he can escape the criticisms and people’s fault-finding of him is delusional.

من حقق النّظر وراض نَفسه على السّكُون إِلَى الْحَقَائِق وَإِن آلمتها فِي أول صدمة كَانَ اغتباطه بذم النَّاس إِيَّاه أَشد وَأكْثر من اغتباطه بمدحهم إِيَّاه،

One who deeply contemplates and reconciles himself to calmly accepting the facts, even if they initially hurt him, finds greater joy in people’s criticism than in their praise.

لِأَن مدحهم إِيَّاه إِن كَانَ بِحَق وبلغه مدحهم لَهُ أسرى ذَلِك فِيهِ الْعجب فأفسد بذلك فضائله، وَإِن كَانَ بباطل فَبَلغهُ فسره فقد صَار مَسْرُورا بِالْكَذِبِ وَهَذَا نقص شَدِيد ،

For if their praise is true and reaches him, it breeds vanity within him and thus corrupts his virtues. If what reached him of their praise is false and pleases him, he becomes happy with falsehood, which is a severe deficiency.

وَأما ذمّ النَّاس إِيَّاه فَإِن كَانَ بِحَق فَبَلغهُ فَرُبمَا كَانَ ذَلِك سَببا إِلَى تجنبه مَا يعاب عَلَيْهِ وَهَذَا حَظّ عَظِيم لَا يزهد فِيهِ إِلَّا نَاقص وَإِن كَانَ بباطل وبلغه فَصَبر اكْتسب فضلا زَائِدا بالحلم وَالصَّبْر،

As for people's criticism, if it is true and it reaches him, it may serve as a reason for him to avoid what is criticized, which is a great fortune that only a deficient person would disdain. If the criticism is false and he endures it, he gains additional merit through patience and forbearance.

وَكَانَ مَعَ ذَلِك غانما لِأَنَّهُ يَأْخُذ حَسَنَات من ذمه بِالْبَاطِلِ فيحظى بهَا فِي دَار الْجَزَاء أحْوج مَا يكون إِلَى النجَاة بأعمال لم يتعب فِيهَا وَلَا تكلفها وَهَذَا حَظّ عَظِيم لَا يزهد فِيهِ إِلَّا مَجْنُون

And with this, he benefits, for he collects good deeds from the false criticisms and gains rewards in the abode of recompense, where he is most in need of salvation through deeds that neither cost him effort nor burden him. This is a great portion of success that only a fool would disdain.

وَأما إِن لم يبلغهُ مدح النَّاس إِيَّاه فكلامهم وسكوتهم سَوَاء ، وَلَيْسَ كَذَلِك ذمهم إِيَّاه لِأَنَّهُ غَانِم لِلْأجرِ على كل حَال بلغه ذمهم أَو لم يبلغهُ وَلَوْلَا قَول رَسُول الله صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم فِي الثَّنَاء الْحسن (ذَلِك عَاجل بشرى الْمُؤمن) لوَجَبَ أَن يرغب الْعَاقِل فِي الذَّم  بِالْبَاطِلِ أَكثر من رغبته فِي الْمَدْح بِالْحَقِّ

If the praise of people does not reach him, then their words and their silence are equal, and their criticism is not the same because he gains reward in any case, whether their criticism reaches him or not. Were it not for the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about good praise ("This is the believer's prompt glad tidings"), it would be appropriate for the wise to desire false criticism more than truthful praise.

وَلَكِن إِذْ جَاءَ هَذَا القَوْل فَإِنَّمَا تكون الْبُشْرَى بِالْحَقِّ لَا بِالْبَاطِلِ فَإِنَّمَا تجب الْبُشْرَى بِمَا فِي الممدوح لَا بِنَفس الْمَدْح

But since this saying is reported, the glad tidings are due to what is truthful (of praise), not what is false. The glad tidings are indeed obligatory for what is within the praised, not for the praise itself.”