Giving a Good Word

Giving a Good Word - Khutbah by Nouman Ali Khan

Opening Prayer

أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّحِيمِ. بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ. رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي

وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ثُمَّ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ . اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْر. اللَّهُمَّ ثَبِّتْنَا عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ بِلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

Historical Context of Surah An-Nisa

The Muslim community, for the first time, is not under the pressure of being destroyed by a larger population. They're not a small minority; now they're a significant population and they're an independent community. Even though there's the threat of the Quraysh, the people of Mecca coming and attacking at any time, they're still working out their negotiations with the Christian and Jewish communities that live in the city of Medina.

At this time, Allah Azawajal decreed that He would reveal introductory laws, like early principles that can help the community get by. A lot of these laws, later on Allah would give the completion of them, the perfection of them. But the early stages of them were revealed in Suratul Nisa.

The Maturing Muslim Community

This is a Muslim community that is beginning to mature, it's beginning to come together. Allah saw it fit that at this time, there are certain ethics and certain principles, certain morals that they should be very careful about. So the surah is not just about laws, but it's especially about the kinds of ways people should be dealing with each other.

Focus on the Vulnerable

One of the things I want to highlight before I talk about the one ayah from the surah that is the subject of this khutbah, is that in this surah Allah went out of His way to highlight people that otherwise get ignored in society. People that don't have any economic power, they don't have any political position, they don't have any social standing, and they're almost invisible in society. Allah made sure that as a Muslim community, we take care of those people first.

That's why from the very beginning, you know.

So you get straight to, even though it's called Suratul Nisa, you go straight into the subject matter of the orphans. Then you get into the subject matter of orphaned girls and what you should do with them.

Time after time in this surah, Allah highlights the rare cases of people that may be oppressed or left behind or deprived in some way in the society.

Introduction to the Main Ayah

The ayah that I want to talk to you about - first I won't tell you how this is connected to the larger subject of the surah, but certainly one of the most incredible pieces of wisdom that Allah gave to the Muslims to be able to deal with each other and produce a healthy functioning community. It's seriously something not talked about enough, this ayah, and what it contains is a subject that isn't talked about enough, because we don't think it has to do with spirituality.

We don't think it has to do with ibadah or worship. But rather this actually has more to do with the way we do business with each other, the way we talk to each other, the way we interact with one another.

Translation of the Main Verse

- Whoever would make, I'll put it in easy English, whoever makes a good recommendation. We'll start with a base translation first. Whoever makes a good recommendation, or makes a good case for somebody.

Allah says

- He's going to have a portion from it.

- whoever makes a bad recommendation, an ugly recommendation,

- He's going to have a portion from it as well.

And then Allah says

- Again a very shallow translation would mean that Allah has always been empowering over all things. Allah enables the strength to all things. No creature and no thing in the earth or in existence ever has any power except that Allah gives it its power.

Understanding Shafa'ah (Intercession/Recommendation)

Let's understand what the word (شفَاعَة - shafa'ah) means. (الوساطة في إيصال الخير أو دفع الشر - al-wasaata fi isaal al-khair aw daf' al-sharr) - They say in Arabic when you say something that will help somebody get something good or it will remove harm from someone.

For example, if you call someone and say "hey man I was just on the 635 traffic is horrible. Don't take the 635." You just made a (شفاعة - shafa'ah) for them. You recommended something to them that warded harm from them. You saved them a lot of trouble and they took some other exit or something.

That's a small example of just a (شفَاعَة حَسَنَة - shafa'ah hasanah). (شفَاعَة حَسَنَة - shafa'ah hasanah) could be somebody's looking for a job. And you call a friend of yours and say "I know this guy he's a good person I think you should consider him for a job." This is a (شفاعة حسنة - shafa'ah hasanah).

You pave the road of something good for somebody else. Either you block some harm from someone or you open the door for good for someone. And this is a recommendation.

The True Meaning of Good Recommendation

(شفاعة - shafa'ah) means you call on somebody's behalf and you make a case for them. Or you go to somebody and say "I want to save you some trouble."

Another direct example of (شفَاعَة - shafa'ah) could be somebody's about to get fired because they were late to work. And you saw what happened. You saw that they were pulled into some other department meeting and they weren't actually late. And they're not even being given a chance to explain. They're just fired.

So you come in and say "actually they're not late. I saw them come in early. But they were pulled into this other meeting. This thing happened. That thing happened." You explain on their behalf. And now you kept this person from losing their job. Because you saved them. Because you testified on their behalf.

Modern Applications of Shafa'ah

The thing about recommendations and putting in a good word and using connections - those of you that are in the job market know. You can post your resume online. But that only goes so far. Until you have connections and somebody recommends you to somebody. And then somebody gives you a call and says, "Hey I heard about you. Why don't you come in for an interview."

When it comes to jobs, when it comes to marriages, when it comes to business agreements, we all go by recommendations. We rely on that in society. You especially trust the recommendations of people that are close to you.

The Distinction: Hasanah vs. Sayyi'ah

But the problem is Allah didn't just say (شفَاعَة - shafa'ah). He said (شفَاعَة حَسَنَة - shafa'ah hasanah). All of the meanings that I've just given to you (ما يدلو إلا على الخير - ma yadullu illa 'ala al-khair). They don't give any other meaning except when you're trying to help somebody. Either you're trying to save them from harm. Or you're trying to give them something good. That's all you're trying to do. And it's a selfless thing.

But then what does Allah do in the Quran that's unique? He actually gives it two qualifications: (شفَاعَة - shafa'ah) (شفاعة سَيِّئَة - shafa'ah sayyi'ah) and (حسنة - hasanah)

Which is unusual. Because like Ibn Ashur rahimahullah in his tafsir says (فالقرآن يخالف العادة في استعمال - fal-quran yukhalif al-'ada fi isti'mal) (العرب. لا يدل على شر - al-'arab la yadullu 'ala sharr). The Quran said something unusual when it said (شفاعة سَيِّئَة - shafa'ah sayyi'ah), a bad recommendation.

Examples of Bad Recommendations

When somebody is not qualified for a job. And you recommend them anyway because they're your cousin. And you're not honest about exactly what their shortcomings are. And you say "he's a good person, just give him a job, hook it up. Set this up, let me use my connection. I got this." And you actually even though you benefited this cousin of yours, or this nephew of yours, or whoever else. Or this friend of yours.

This is actually not a (شفَاعَة حَسَنَة - shafa'ah hasanah). It's not a good recommendation. Because it's not based on truth. It's not based on honesty. When you're going to do good for someone, it has to be based on honesty.

The Importance of Truthful Recommendations

A student of mine who had failed my class asked me to write him a recommendation letter for a university. I said, "I can't do it." But Ustadh, I studied with you. I said, "yeah you did, that's why I can't. You didn't show up for any classes. When you did, you were sleeping. You failed every exam I ever gave you. What am I supposed to recommend? Do you want me to lie?"

"No Ustadh, just we're Muslims. Muslims help each other. What about the brotherhood of Islam?" The brotherhood of Islam is that we are honest with each other. The fact is our relationship with each other, like the Rasul of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will say (الْمُسْلِمُ مِرْآةُ الْمُسْلِمِ - al-muslimu mir'atu al-muslim) - The believer is the mirror of another believer. We're called a mirror to each other.

When you look in the mirror, if you're dirty, you're going to see something dirty. And when you're dirty, you're not going to see something clean. If you're wearing wrinkled clothes, you're not going to see iron clothes in the mirror. You're going to see what it is. So when you honestly recommend someone, when you honestly say good things about someone that is (شفاعة حَسَنَة - shafa'ah hasanah)

Modern Examples of Shafa'ah

Every product you buy on amazon.com has a star rating, and people are doing (شفاعة - shafa'ah) under it. Every company has a review on Google. Every restaurant. Muslims forget these principles, or Quran's principles.

You have a halal restaurant, and one mile down the road, there's another halal restaurant. This guy is selling burgers, he says, "well you know what, I'm gonna sell burgers too, I'll take half his sales away, that's a good idea." And then he will make fake reviews of this guy's restaurant online, and say, "don't eat there, they have roaches in their burger, and this and that." So his sales can go down. This is (شفاعة سَيِّئَة - shafa'ah sayyi'ah)

You're creating, you're destroying somebody else's rizq. You're doing that. This is (شفَاعَة سَيِّئَة - shafa'ah sayyi'ah)

When Good Recommendations Should Be Given

The flip side of this is also true. When somebody does deserve a good recommendation, when somebody does deserve a good word from you, then give it to them. Don't be cheap with it.

You have people that went to medical school and they graduated, and they came here, and they had a hard time at first, they did their USMLEs, and they became physicians, and now they're very successful. And now there are other young students that are trying to get into med school, or they're looking for recommendations, and they're looking for these people that have already made it in their career. And they see, they could recommend, and they purposely don't recommend. Like, "you know, one day he'll be competition."

This is the feeble-mindedness of a human being. That they cannot see somebody come up. They cannot see somebody succeed. They'd rather just, "no, no, no, they're not. I'd rather not. I'd rather not recommend. I'd rather not give young people a chance. I'd rather not let the next generation come up."

The Responsibility of Warning Against Harm

If you should have said something to avoid harm to a community, then you should say something. That's also (شفَاعَة حَسَنَة - shafa'ah hasanah). There are cases where they recommend, they're asking, "this masjid is asking, should we hire this construction company for our masjid?" And this construction company already overcharged somebody else. They already ran the other masjid almost into bankruptcy. Then the people from that masjid... "We don't want to say too much, but I think you should keep looking. You should keep looking."

This is a public responsibility. That's also a (شفَاعَة حَسَنَة - shafa'ah hasanah). Sometimes not recommending someone, in respectful language, is also part of our civic responsibility, part of our duty. But it has to be done in very careful ways.

You don't want to be one to accuse someone or put someone down without proper evidence. So unless you have first-hand evidence against somebody, and you know that if they go and agree to this contract, or this marriage, or whatever else, that there's going to be some serious harm, then you should remain silent. Until you don't know for sure yourself with first-hand information, it's better for you not to say anything.

The Rewards: Understanding Naseeb

What are the consequences? If you and I become people that can actually make good recommendations, we can be principled. And we can hold on to these principles and make the right kinds of recommendations at the right time. What happens? Allah says

- He's going to have a portion from it.

I translated it as the word, portion. Naseeb, I translated it as portion. But there are two words in this ayah for portion. There's (نَصيب - naseeb) and (كفل - kifl). And both of them are translated in the English translation as portion. But Allah decided, one of them should be (تصيب - taseeb) and the other one should be (كفل - kifl)

(الحظ من كل شيء - al-hazzu min kulli shay') - It actually means a portion of all things. For example, if you recommended somebody for a job, and you give a good recommendation, they deserve the recommendation, and they got that