Fraud is to conceal some fault or harm, either religious or
worldly, even from one who is part of a protected minority
or someone who has a treaty with Muslims. Others have
interpreted [fraud] to be the embellishment of something that
lacks any real benefit.
Discussion
The next disease is fraud (ghish). It is concealing from people
some fault, blemish, or harm, either of a religious or worldly nature. Others
have said that fraud is making something useless or defective seem useful and
beneficial, or making something bad appear to be good. One of the most widely
transmitted hadith in the Islamic tradition is the Prophet's saying,
"Whoever defrauds us is not one of us." Sacred Law forbids selling
something without pointing out its detects. If the the seller conceals defects
or fails to disclose them intentionally, this is fraud, whether its victim is a
Muslim or not.
The Sophists of ancient Greece loved and practically worshipped
rhetoric. They were the first historical relativists, in that they held the
theory that right and wrong do not exist in an objective and transcending
sense. Whoever makes the most skilled and persuasive argument is right. The
sophists believed that the most important thing is to be convincing, whether
one is telling the truth or lying, whether one is defending corruption or
upholding justice. This is fraud of the tongue.
Rhetoric was also an art form in Islamic literary and oratorical
history. But to the Muslim, rhetoric was the art of embellishing the truth and
presenting it persuasively.
Vanity is the aggrandizing of some blessing while forgetting
that it came from God.
Treat it by realizing that the Exalted is the Fashioner and the
Bestower of blessings,
[realizing] that because of your impotence, you can produce
neither benefit nor harm. Indeed vanity originates from one’s
ignorance of these two matters.
Definition and Treatment
The next disease of the heart is vanity, known in Arabic as 'ujb, which is related to arrogance. Imam al-Ghazali holds that arrogance
requires two people for its outward manifestation: the arrogant one and the one
to whom the arrogance is shown. But the possessor of vanity does not need a
second person. He is impressed with himself, and so admires his talents,
possessions, looks, and status, he considers himself better than others. He
exults, for example, when looking at himself in the mirror or gazing upon his
accomplishments or property. Imam Mawlud says 'ujb is a nefarious kind of
vanity in which a person rejoices in the blessings he has but forgets the
source of the blessings.
The fact that someone has talent and is able to develop it into
a higher skill or craft and achieve remarkable things does nothing to diminish
the obvious—that it still is a gift from God. It is part of the sunna of God in
creation, that divine order woven in the fabric of existence, that one must toil
to refine his or her skills or talent. A calligrapher, for example makes his
craft appear easy to the onlooker, but one doesn’t see the years of tireless preparation,
perseverance, and repetition to master the curves of one letter of the Arabic
alphabet and then whole words. Then consider the various styles of calligraphy
that have developed over the centuries by the great Muslim calligraphers. There
are plenty of talented and refined artisans of the world who deem their work
astonishing and magnificent. They think only of their long training and deceive
themselves into thinking, “I worked so hard, and I did this all by myself.”
Similarly, one often finds businessmen truly talented and bold in building
businesses, but who admire themselves and extol their financial prowess.
Undoubtedly, this invites illness to the heart, for it is God who is the
bestower of success and talent.
Imam al-Bayhaqi relates a
statement of the Prophet pbuh in which he said, “God makes every maker and what
he makes.” In reality, God is the creator of the marvels that people admire and
attribute to the glory of humankind, forgetting that it is God who created the
ones who produced these marvels. Realizing that God is the source of all
blessings prevents vanity from entering the heart.
A person will always find someone with more talent and more
knowledge. And ultimately: Above all those who have knowledge is the
All-knowing, that is, God (QURAN, 12:76). Moses pbuh
was once asked if he was the most knowledgeable of people, and he
answered “Yes.” Moses pbuh was then told that
there was a man who had knowledge that Moses pbuh
did not have. This man was Khidr, who wasn’t a prophet, but Moses pbuh,
without a trace of vanity, became his student. (The story is told in Surat
al-Kahf of the Quran.)
Vanity comes from the Latin word vanus, which means empty¸ implying that the source of our vanity is void of substance and
will vanish. When the Roman Emperor triumphed in a battle, he put on a victory
celebration in which the general of the battle paraded through the street.
Behind him on his chariot a slave would hold a victory laurel and whisper in
the general’s ear, “All is vanity,” thus reminding the general of the perils of
vanity. It is part of ancient wisdom to remind people that all accomplishments
people praise and admire will perish until no one remembers them. Charles
Lindbergh, the first pilot to successfully fly across the Atlantic, was
celebrated as a great hero for his famous flight. Within ten years, however, he
was vilified as a criminal by the American press who falsely claimed that he
was a Nazi sympathizer.
How many times have we seen major cities holding massive
celebrations for the accomplishments of their sports teams, the huge parades
and the hubris tradition of human glorification? How many of these celebrations
end up in riots, vandalism, and even loss of life? What about the urban social
morass that exists before, during, and after the celebrations? To celebrate in
this way is vintage vanity.
There is foolishness in being vain about what one has
accomplished, given its ephemeral nature. But when one is thankful to God and
acknowledges and praises Him as the source of this goodness, then the
accomplishment outlasts our earthly lives and the memories of people, for God
preserves it.
Vanity originates from one’s ignorance of two matters: God alone
is the Fashioner and the Giver of Blessings and we human beings are incapable
of accomplishing anything without God’s will and blessings. If one accomplishes
something, let him or her remember God and be grateful, and not swagger with
haughtiness. For if we do not humble ourselves, God will humble us. When men
and women are blessed with exceptional outward beauty, they introduce ugliness
when they have vanity for it. When the Prophet pbuh
saw a reflection of himself—and he was a beautiful man—he would make the
following supplication: “O God, as You have made my countenance most excellent,
make my character most excellent." So Imam Mawlud says that to rid oneself of
vanity (or prevent it from entering one’s heart), reflect long and hard on the
fact that all blessings are entirely from God and that we cannot produce any
benefit or harm without His permission.
Some assumptions are not permissible, such as holding a bad
opinion about someone who manifests righteous behavior.
This means that your heart is convinced and you have judged
him based on your heart’s suspicions without proof that
warrants such an assumption.
There is nothing wrong with having doubts about someone or
having a bad opinion of him if it is based on sound reasoning
and is not arbitrary.
Thus our bad opinion of some profligate whose actions
indicate his [corruption] is not prohibited.
Discussion
Imam Mawlud speaks next of something that is very easy to have
but is harmful to brotherhood and injurious to one’s own spiritual growth. It is
having a bad opinion about others, baseless assumptions and suspicion (zann).
This is allowing conjecture into one’s heart without having facts, which is
especially harmful when one harbors a bad opinion about people who are
outwardly righteous in appearance, which was something that the early Muslims considered
important.
Scholars have advised that one should even beware of forming
conclusions based on the bad appearances of people, for it could be that God
veils their goodness from others. The Arabs traditionally were keen on having
the ability to see a person’s inner goodness. Once an Arab man came to the
Prophet pbuh to see who he was. When the man
left, some men asked him about his opinion of the Prophet pbuh, and he said, “His
face isn’t the face of the liar.” This firasa is, again, having the intuitive
ability to see in people sings of goodness or evil. The Prophet pbuh had this ability to the utmost degree and
said that believers possess it also, but to lesser extents. Sidi Ahmad
al-Zarruq said that every believer has the power of firasa to variant degrees
based on the strength of his or her faith.
But having a bad opinion
of someone without cause is considered a malady of the heart: O you who
believe, avoid suspicion, for some suspicion is sinful (QURAN, 49:12). Often
associated with this disease is backbiting (ghiba), that is, speaking ill of
another person behind his or her back. It is possible to backbite in an
unspoken form, as when a person has unfounded negative thoughts against another
person. Suspicion in the heart that affects one’s thoughts and opinion of
another person is considered backbiting of the heart (ghibat’l-qalb). This also
is not permissible. The Prophet pbuh said,
“Beware of a bad opinion because it is the most false of speech.” If someone
says to you that a given person is bad, ask for proof. Without proof it is
tantamount to a lie. The Sacred Law of Islam (Sharia) is based on proof and not
conjecture.
Imam Mawlud says next
that having doubts about someone’s character is not forbidden if it is based on
reason and observable evidence. This is different from suspicion that tends to
be judgmental and, oftentimes, specious. God says, O you who believe, if an
ungodly person brings you some news, then seek out its veracity (QURAN, 49:6).
If someone known to openly indulge in major sins comes with some news, one
should not accept it without circumspection. Sidi Ahmad al-Zarruq gave good
advice centuries ago that remains relevant: “Do not trust anyone with matters
related to your religion, your family, or your wealth until you have tested him
at least a thousand times.” According to this advice, one should test someone’s
sincerity and trustworthiness before entrusting him with anything significant.
If there is much corruption in a given generation, it is best to be wary of
people until their goodness becomes manifest. This is the advice of scholars.
There are many people who have no qualms in deceiving and cheating people. They
will adorn their faces with smiles and communicate that they are wonderful people,
but they will cheat a person when the opportunity arises.
Scholars also say that
one should be circumspect with the dispensation of Zakat (Charity). In times in
which goodness prevails over corruption, the default is to accept the word of
people who claim they qualify for Zakat and ask for it. But when corruption and
fraud are prevalent, then those responsible are obliged to be rigorous in their
investigation. Unfortunately, some people will often present themselves as
mired in poverty, though they are well-off. Charity is considered a trust from
God, and its dispensation must be done with care.
Having doubts about people is different from decidedly judging
them negatively. Concluding a bad opinion in the presence of ample evidence is
common sense. But when people repent, they should not have their past held against
them. There is a hadith that says, “There are two things that no believer has
been given anything better: a good opinion of God and a good opinion of the
servants of God.” According to Sacred Law, people are innocent until proven
guilty. This relates to having a good opinion of God. A hadith qudsi says, “I
am in the good opinion of My servant. If he things well of Me, he finds good,
and if he thinks ill of Me, he finds evil.” Also, there is the hadith, “If
[someone] finds good, let him thank God, and whoever finds other than that, let
him blame only his own soul.” The Prophet pbuh
also said that the affair of believers is all good. Even if something
unpleasant occurs, there is good in it.
