What shall I do when I see someone who is less than me in their deen?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuh
 اللهم صل على محمد وآل محمد

Today I want to cover with you a very important matter, a mistake many of us fall into without feeling and it could cost you all your deeds……or more

What is it?

It is your manners towards Allah or what we say in Arabic (Al Adab ma3a Allah)

How?

When you see someone who doesn’t pray or someone who smokes……. Someone who is not as obedient to Allah as you are……… A woman who is not wearing proper hijab like you…..someone whom you see is less than you in their deen. Your reaction towards that person and your inside feeling could cost you your whole religion if it’s not according to the Quran and sunnah.

Most of us when we see someone like that, we think in our minds or say, this person is lost, they are heading to a very bad ending and think: I am way better than them…..here I tell you to watch out!!! Watch out my dear sister and brother…!!!

It’s like you are implying that you being good or obedient to Allah is out of your own effort….which is not the case at all…. And believe me if you think or say something like that, even if you are an angel who has no sins, Allah will make you fall in a mistake or a sin which is worse than what that person was doing, a sin or a situation way lower….how and why?

Let’s go back to the Quran, Allah says in Surat Al Baqara:

And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?" Allah said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know." 2:30

Here the angels said to Allah SWT: You want to bring someone who is going to cause corruption and we are obeying you and following your commandments (in other words we are better) !!!

Before I tell you what did Allah SWT do with them….. I want you to stop and ask yourself: Who helped you to be obedient to Allah? Who gave you the tawfeeq to do good better than others?

Allah did, so have high manners with Allah when you mention his blessings which he granted you and didn’t grant it to others, in other words Ta’adab ma3a Allah.

I will give you a very simple example to help you understand the concept. Imagine for some reason you gave one of your kids 50 pounds and you gave the other one 10 pounds, then you saw the one who got the 50 pounds laughing and making fun of his brother, saying he is better than him…..what will you do?

In most cases, you will end up taking 40 pounds from him and leave only 10 or may be take the whole 50 to teach him a lesson…..because he forgot who and why he was given more….

It’s the same thing here…..instead of you thanking Allah SWT for the blessing of hedaya which he granted you and fear that you could end up like that person, you are bragging to be better as if it is the work of your hands.

Look what Allah SWT did with the angels (who have never ever committed a mistake since they were created) when they said what they said in the above aya. Remember they raised themselves and degraded Adam so Allah asked them in Surat Al Baqarah: And [mention] when we said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam"; so they prostrated, 2:34

And he raised Adam and said to him in surat Al Baqarah: And We said, "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will 2:35

These are the angels who have never committed a sin in their life, unlike us humans and still Allah SWT wanted to teach them that you never look down on anyone no matter how good you are. So Ta’adab m3a Allah or you will be in a situation, where that person looks way better than you.

Now comes the big question

How shall I have adab ma3a Allah?
Or What shall I do when I see someone who is less than me in their deen?

You do four things:

1. You thank Allah SWT that he granted you such a great blessing.
2. You pray and ask Allah SWT to keep you steady in what you are in, to give you thabaat so you don’t change.
3. You pray for the person that Allah give them hedaya.
4. You advise them (Amr bilma3rouf wa nahi 3an Al Munkar).