In this week’s edition of Real Talk, I will reflect on the pervasive act of judging others, something we struggle with constantly. No one is free of this sin. It is critical that we realize when we judge others, we are doing so in order to curb ourselves. Judging has a significant effect on the victims of the act.
Realizing who the True Judge is
So then why do we do it? Why do we involve ourselves in other people’s business? How come we justify it? Though I’m not really sure of the answers to these questions, it is good to reflect upon them.
In the Qur’an, God says, “Is not Allah the most just of judges?” (95:08).
It is important to understand how the context of this verse relates to us judging others. In this verse, along with many others in the Qur’an, Allah is saying that He is the Most Just Judge of all. From His perspective, those who are obedient and follow His path are not equivalent to those who are disobedient. Therefore, out of His fairness, He will dole out rewards to those deserving and likewise punish those deserving.
In another verse He says, “Or do those who commit evils think We will make them like those who have believed and done righteous deeds – [make them] equal in their life and their death? Evil is that which they judge” (45:21). Once again He is reiterating the idea of being just and fair in His judgment.
We’ve got to realize that if we truly believe that God is the Most Just and is indeed the best of judges, then we need to leave the judging up to Him. It is His job to do, not ours. Trust me, He really doesn’t need our help/expertise. He’s got it covered.
This is a point we need to hammer home. Whenever our minds wander and we want to judge someone, we should first think back to how it is not our job (and a lot of times not our business).
Looking in the mirror
If we are really insistent about judging someone, then we should look at ourselves in the mirror first. Yes, we’ve heard and said this multiple times, but it’s true. We are so good at looking at others and picking out their faults when we have our own issues to worry about. We somehow convince ourselves that we are righteous saviors and we should get involved in their business by claiming that our objective is to help.
Acting with kindness
Yet, if that is our objective, we should realize that help can come in multiple forms. It means that instead of admonishing someone in a rude manner—which is completely void of any Islamic character—we should be polite to him or her.
Maybe that act of kindness is what stays with that person and in the future he or she change for the better. Or maybe it isn’t. Or maybe from the beginning nothing wrong was being done and you were just sitting on your high horse judging.
Allah is the One who guides and thus, we should leave it to the Judge – Allah, the Most Just.
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Zeyad Zaky is a first year master’s student in mechanical engineering. His current occupations include being a student, a (former) high school quarterback, and full-time boss/baller. His columns are published every Wednesday. Read full bio here.
I wonder if my email shows on this. Oh well, here goes:
I share your sentiments. I must agree particularly with your underlying message that we need to even check ourselves with our preconceived notions of others. The problem with us especially is that we have these notions (which is completely natural however unfortunate that sounds or however much you disagree)
BUT
we don’t take the initiative to get to know the person.
We don’t attempt to confirm our assumptions.
The main issue is to understand that we are all human in the end. We walk on the same dirt and will all be reduced to feed for worms when we are in our graves.
Also, we should keep in mind the following:
“Allah is not only the Judge but also the Witness.”
Thank you for the article Zeyad.
Thanks for the reminder, Zeyad. Very important topic
I love this post! You made some amazing points that make me think about how we need to realize we aren’t that great and instead of worrying about others we should be worried about how we will be judged on the day of judgement by Allah swt. Thanks for the beautiful reminder Zeyad!
Loved it bud. SA man you honestly keep it 100% real and thats why I love you you knucklehead
JazakAllahukhairun for the article. It’s a fantastic reminder, and it brought to mind some important follow-up questions:
1. What is the difference between judging someone and being able to tell for yourself that something is wrong?
2. How does one ‘enjoin the good and forbid the evil’ without judging someone?
3. Why couldn’t The Ohio State University land Derrick Green? Go Blue.
Great and simple article. I love this series. I also liked the questions Omar posed.
One thing that I would like to recommend is incorporating quick and simple stories of the Prophet (SAW) and how he handled particular situations related to your topic of the week. If the Quran is the manual, the Prophet (SAW) is the instructor and his life allows the rest of us to understand how to correctly manifest the teachings of the Quran.
JazaakAllahu Khairan!