Regarding Nouman Ali Khan- A tale of caution and lesson for us.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

 

We have two enemies consistently with us, attacking us from every side, nafs- our own weaknesses and shaytan,the whisperer from the outside.  Nafs,our internal evil is more deadly than shaytan because it works so subtly. One of it’s deathtraps is  causing us to think we are doing something good but there’s a hidden agenda or malicious pleasure in what we are doing.

As Muslims, let our sense of judgement and be guided by the Qur’an and words of our Nabi SAW. It will reign us in from making rash judgejments and being a cause of fitnah or harbouring such feelings, which distances us from Allah Taa’ala. Please read the Ayah below carefully;

“O you who believe! If a Faasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done”

(al-Hujuraat 49:6)

It was narrated that Hafs ibn ‘Aasim said: The Messenger of Allaah SAW said:                    “It is enough lying for a man to speak of everything that he hears.” Narrated by Muslim in al-Muqaddimah, 6; Saheeh al-Jaami, 4482. 

I am not sure why we so easily shrug off such warnings. It is detrimental to our Imaan. I didn’t want to write about this as it is better to keep silent over such matters. However,now that it has blown out of proportion and I was asked about it,and it now has waded into the western media,becoming fodder for an attack on Deen, I felt that an balanced article should be penned. May Allah guide me in what I say-aameen

1)For anyone to make accusations on someone is completely Haraam. To insinuate and suggest that someone did something,or to word it in such a manner that you create the worst possible picture and verdict,in the minds of people, is a heinous sin and a symptom of spiritual destruction. If you want to correct someone who erred privately ,do so in private.

2)Jealousy exists among everyone,even those that teach and preach Deen, sadly,with the modern day scholar becoming a social media phenomena, shaytan will whisper it even more fervently into the hearts. And the statements made,without proof or need,by other scholars,although seemingly encouraging people not to lose faith ,reeked of nothing but jealousy because it subtly gave the nod to NAK being doomed as guilty. Let us learn not to abuse social media.

3)Communication with ghair mahrams is forbidden  out of a proper,controlled environment for Nikah. There is a reason why Nikah and it’s run up, has it’s guidelines. Why male-female interaction,has to be limited and checked. Allah wants it for our protection,not for us to be constrained. May Allah grant us taufeeq. Also why, modern scholars,cannot encourage this as none of us are free from the clutches of shaytaan.

4)There was claims,that his victims had come forward with evidence- screenshots of their conversations with him.  Please understand,a victim is someone who is an unwilling subject to something.

Participating voluntarily in a conversation with someone,does NOT make you a victim. If we say this,we are accused of being anti feminist.  Also, screenshots do not necessarily prove much in this photoshop era. Especially when the parts that were chosen to be publicised,were very selective. We wonder why entire conversations were not shown?

5)He admitted that yes, he chatted to a few women, spoke of Nikah as he was divorced and didn’t follow up with a proposal. I am not condoning this,no. Communication for nikah should be done face to face with family present inshaaAllah. Yes,there are certain exceptions but I do not wish to delve into it here. Contact the Aalim you follow for further elucidation.These women,while having the right to be upset, do not have the right to make a scandal of it. Sour grapes= a man’s reputation destroyed. Before these screengrabs emerged, the conversation was made to sound much worse than it actually was.

Indeed, those who came with falsehood are a group among you. Do not think it bad for you; rather it is good for you. For every person among them is what [punishment] he has earned from the sin, and he who took upon himself the greater portion thereof – for him is a great punishment.

Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another and say, “This is an obvious falsehood”? (Surah Nur) Why didn’t we adopt this?? Why did we share it??

WHAT DO WE GET OUT OF FORWARDING THE DOWNFALL OR ALLEGED FAULTS OF OTHERS?

We shouldn’t spread such things,we shouldn’t post it up on our social media or whatapp it. How will we answer for such a sin of spreading such vile being said about anyone? Whether him or anyone else.

Do understand ,that, if someone is victimized or abused,it’s a whole different ball game and may be punished publicly but in this scenario,where there was no physical interaction, it was a private sin,therefore, no one had the right to publicize it.And admonishing should have been done privately.

None of us can look down at another for his/her sin. While one may be chatting,another maybe in an even worse sin but will mock or throw stones at someone else,in order to feel better over our sins. Nor should we become despondent,that this is who inspired me in Deen, I feel disheartened now. That is all from Shaytan.  Keep going. Keep making dua ,for ourselves and others.

We also,cannot, say this is between me and Allah,so buzz off, if you are a public figure. We have to understand that as long as we consider a sin to be something major,our chances of tauba remain high,but when we brush it off as ‘just chatting’, ‘just reading’ ‘just whatever’, then we are trivializing a sin,which is more severe in the eyes of Allah. Also,what we consider wrong for someone else,we should consider it wrong for ourselves,how do we gleefully look at what at a public figure’s moral lapse and bash him while we are engaged in far worse?

We have to alter the way we dispense Deen, Dear Radio Stations who promote Deen,Dear Scholars,Dear Muslim Marriage Seminar organizers,Dear Pro Palestine activists,Dear ITV,Dear Muslim,Dear me,- Let us take a lesson, we HAVE to shut the door on the western methodology of dispensing Deen. We HAVE to bring in segregation of men and women,we cannot have men and women at the same table,on the same platform. If we open that door,we open the door for doubt,even when we are innocent.

We cannot promote communication /informality /joking between genders, without barriers, even for nikah-Because it’s different today. No,Islam is Islam. It will not change. We have to adjust, inshaaAllah.

We cannot live in such a liberal society where singing is considered Dawah, when the tunes are identical to it’s western counterpart. Where talking harshly to the opposite gender is considered rude instead of us understanding that it’s a Deeni guideline for our protection?

If we keep imitating the kuffaar,will it lead us To Deen? Or Away from it? May Allah guide me first-Aameen.