Ethics of Islam

person who tells us something. Among the evil suggestions
brought into the heart by the devil, having a bad opinion (sû-i
zan) about others is the one wherein the devil is most successful.
Sû-i-zan is forbidden (harâm). In case a certain utterance sounds
too clearly malignant to interpret with optimism, a possible
mistake or slip of the tongue or lapse of memory (on the part of
the person who has made the utterance) should be taken into
consideration.
When a poor person requests something from a rich person
and his request is denied, that may cause anger (ghadab) in both
of them.
Asking a question or saying something to a person who is busy
or thinking or anxious or distressed may cause him to become
angry. A crying baby or noise of children or animals may also
cause anger in some people. Anger of this nature is extremely
unpleasant. An even worse type of anger, an oft-seen one, too, is
shown towards movements of lifeless beings. Examples of this
emotional excess would be people who have been seen to get mad
when something they want to cut with an axe slides from the spot
they have placed it or does not break at one stroke; so much so
that they hurl expletives at it and sometimes even destroy it
frantically, e.g. by burning it. And there do exist people who get
mad at themselves, swear at themselves, and flagellate
themselves. It is a meritorious act, a sort of religious ghayrat, to
be angry with yourself on account of your poor acts of worship; it
generates thawâb. Having anger toward the leaders of the
government or toward Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’
or toward Allâhu ta’âlâ because of their commandments and
prohibitions, is the worst kind of anger. This type of anger causes
disbelief. The hadîth-i-sherîf, “Anger (ghadab) blemishes one’s
belief” shows that having anger toward Rasûlullah or Allâhu
ta’âlâ causes disbelief.
Getting angry upon seeing someone committing a prohibited
action is a very good deed and shows one’s religious ghayrat.
But, one should not step out of the boundaries of Islam or
wisdom (’aql) when one gets angry. Calling that person by dirty
names, e.g., kâfir, munâfiq and the like, is prohibited (harâm).
That kind of name calling necessitates punishment of that namecaller.
It is not against Islam’s rules for a person who sees a
sinner to remonstrate with him by using words like ‘ignorant’
and ‘idiot’; yet it is better to admonish the sinner with mild and
– 123 –