Judging People

Each person’s perception is different, but in general an individual usually judge about other based on his/her appearance, way of talking, clothing, walking, job, place of staying and many other things. Sad. People nowadays love in making their own judgments. 

The common scenario we usually seen for example, when looking someone who is not covering her aurah properly, or a brother holding sister hands… People might judge them as bad Muslims.

Hurm...Why don’t you suspend your judgments? Yeah...suspend your judgment. May sound simple. But it’s kind of hard things to do aite?huhu…But at least TRY. If you already have judgment in your head, seems like you are not giving them personal chance. What I’m trying to put across here is how we easily fall into the trap of Satan. Ignoring our own faults and concentrating on creating opinions about others very quickly. 

There was a story I listen from radio yesterday. It was a true story. There was a man who love and addicted to gambling. He was a Muslim but gambling apparently became part of his life. Suddenly, at one night, he cried aloud. He had a dream. He saw that he had gone through miserable punishments in Akhirah. As he woke up, he straight away took a wudhuk to perform a taubah prayer…He never stop from crying along the night, he repent and seek forgiveness from Allah SWT. His wife persuades him but still he felt so scared and terrified with his dream. Starting from that day, he promised to himself not to commit that Satan habits again. Few days later, he died. He died due to an accident on his way to buy food for his wife and children.

Then everyone keeps on talking like “ Padan muka.balasan kuat berjudi…”, “Zamri kaki judi tu ke meninggal?” Can’t you see… Is it fair to judge people like that?

Who are we to judge others? Are we good enough to be judge as good? Are we so perfect to categorize people as good or bad?

 

Let us look at what Islam teaches us on this issue of judging others. The Quran says that there is no other judge besides Allah. One of the ninety-nine names of Allah is “Al-Haleem”  (The Clement) meaning, Allah SWT  is not quick in judgment. Allah gives all his servants time. He waits with patient to see His servants return to Him even if it is after leading a sinful life. 

There is also a beautiful hadith which elaborates this attribute of Allah SWT showing us how merciful He is when it comes to recording our bad deeds. Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the messenger of Allah PBUH said, “The angel of the left raises (and holds) his pen for six hours from the Muslim servant of Allah who has wronged or committed a mistake. So if he regrets and seeks Allah’s forgiveness from it, he (the angel) returns it back, and if that’s not the case then it is written as one”  [ Mu’kam al Kabeer, Hasan according to Albani]

The mercy and greatness of Allah is beyond words once you know this Hadith above. How can we judge someone and create dirty opinions about them (whether we know or don’t know them) when Allah Himself isn’t doing so before giving repentance time for a His believer which lasts until before we die....

But don’t get me wrong my dear friends. Yes. I agree..What is wrong is still wrong. what is impermissible is impermissible. You can’t change that but it doesn’t give the right for you to judge isn’t it? Therefore, don’t ever judge people based on our own mind. We have to realize each and every one of us different. We have unique background and we have unique experiences.

Instead of straightly judging people why don’t we try to understand why that people doing this or doing that…You can't be happy when you're judging others. And always know that nobody is perfect…including me myself...

Hardships Train Us To Be Special

Sometime I feel difficult to accept what had happened to me in the past and I hate it, I hate my past so much. Because of that, I kind of seeing sorrow in my future and I don’t want to go forward as I am terrified that the same thing will happen again...Seriously. That was what I felt when difficulties and troubles continuously hit me before... Those hardships that I’ve been through always keep me thinking.yup! Thinking… Why Allah destined my fate to be like this?

Then after much thinking, reading, and 22 years-experienced(even now I’m still learning), I feel like the fate that destined by Lord of the world was to make me to be special. Thus, there will always be so much trouble that I need to go through.

For instance, in order to be most beautiful sparkling diamond, there are so much difficulties and hardships that the black carbon has to go through. Do you know that? The diamond was not formed easily. It has to go through so much heat, force, and cut under and above the earth that we could hardly imagine. And then, when all the process is done successfully, finally comes the diamond that worth thousand pounds! Amazing isn’t it?

Thus I feel like the same thing goes to me...Allah could just let me have an easy and trouble-free life. But then, how come I become special? Special here meaning refer to both worlds, being special in this world and special in the next world...

But how come troubles can make you and me become special? The problems make us special because with the problems, we are now more expert on human. We could understand others’ pain when they are facing similar situations better than other people do. Think logically. If not, how come our beloved Prophet, Muhammad S.A.W was made by Allah to be the man who experienced the most of troubles exist in this world. Count how much troubles and horrible situation he had gone through in his life!

He experienced the sad childhood, because his father died before his birth, because his mum died in front of him, because he was brought up by an uncle who has 10 other children, because he had to work as a shepherd since he was little and so much more. And later on, as he was pronounced to be the Messenger, he experienced being stab-backed and ‘fitnah’ by his own people. Then, he experienced the death of his beloved wife and his closest uncle and so many other things that we can say ‘horrifying’ experiences before he was now is known as the most influential figure in the world!

So, in this world, it is all about challenges. I can say people who experience little difficulties and challenges, understand only little about this world. While people who experience many obstacles and hardships in his life, could understand and discover a lot about this world.

There are so many things in the future that now we do not know yet. It is a secret. Kept nicely by Allah. Why we are frightened by something that we actually do not know yet? May be, we never know that whether those people who has done so badly to us in the past; have changed and have sought forgiveness from Allah..Hopefully, InshaAllah..

In short, I would like to say to myself as well as you, my dear friends. Never let the past hunt us down. All the challenges and difficulties appear in our life are granted by Allah, who knows best in everything in order to make us special in this world and in the hereafter. InshaAllah..Put full trust on Him!  (^_^)