Don’t fall for rumours (DW# 909)
Apr 15, 2021
We have been talking about fasting with all of our being, of training ourselves to stay away from that which leads to His displeasure.
Some solid advice regarding behaviour towards others which leads to His displeasure is found in Chapter 49 of the Quran, Sura Hujarat (the Chambers).
Over the next few days, we will explore some verses from this Sura which talk about interacting with others and how we can please or displease Him by the way we behave with fellow human beings.
In verse 6 of Sura Hujarat, it says: O you who believe! if an evil-doer comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done.
It is narrated that the occasion for revelation of this verse was when the Holy Prophet (saw) sent a person named Walid bin Aqbah to collect taxes to be distributed to people of few means. Walid was sent to a tribe with which he had has some conflict in the past. The people however, had had a change of heart and came to greet Walid in large numbers. Walid saw them and assumed that they had an aggressive agenda, and he went back and reported the same to the Holy Prophet (saw).
The truth of the matter was later revealed and this verse came down to caution against believing and acting upon rumours without checking the facts first.
The verse reminds us that it is a good idea to pause and check on the veracity of information we may get from third hand sources rather than immediately react to such information, and possibly cause harm in the process.
It is also important to note that when considering the truth of a story, we also look at the trustworthiness of the person who has narrated it. The Holy Prophet (saw) was known as Sadiq and Ameen (the truthful and the trustworthy) because when he said something, people could be absolutely sure it was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Let’s remind ourselves to T.H.I.N.K before repeating and forwarding any news or information that we receive:
- T: is it True?
- H: is it Helpful?
- I: is it Inspiring?
- N: is it Necessary?
- K: is it Kind?
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