Ibn Rajab on Compassion, Humility, and Mercy with those who Disobey Allah

Ibn Rajab recorded in his book Jami’ Ulum wal Ahkam:

Some of the righteous predecessors (salaf as-salih) said:

التَّوَاضُعُ أَنَّ تَقْبَلَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ كُلِّ مَنْ جَاءَ بِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ صَغِيرًا فَمَنْ قَبِلَ الْحَقَّ مِمَّنْ جَاءَ بِهِ سَوَاءً كَانَ صَغِيرًا أَوْ كَبِيرًا وَسَوَاءً كَانَ يُحِبُّهُ أَوْ لَا يُحِبُّهُ ، فَهُوَ مُتَوَاضِعٌ وَمَنْ أَبَى قَبُولَ الْحَقِّ تَعَاظُمًا عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ مُتَكَبِّرٌ

Humility is that you accept the truth from anyone who brings it, even if they are young. Whoever accepts the truth from whoever brings it to him, whether they are young or old, whether he loves them or not, then he is humble. Whoever refuses to accept the truth because he regards himself as too important beside it or as compared to the person who speaks it to him, then he is arrogantly proud.

Despising people is to look down on them and repulse them, which results from looking at one’s self and seeing only perfections and looking at others and seeing only imperfections.

On the whole, the believer should love for the believers what he loves for himself, and hate for them what he hates for himself. If he sees in his brother Muslim some defect in his religion then he should exert himself to put it right. Some of the righteous predecessors said:

أَهْلُ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ نَظَرُوا بِنُورِ اللَّهِ وَعَطَفُوا عَلَى أَهْلِ مَعَاصِي اللَّهِ مَقَتُوا أَعْمَالَهُمْ وَعَطَفُوا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيُزِيلُوهُمْ بِالْمَوَاعِظِ عَنْ فِعَالِهِمْ وَأَشْفَقُوا عَلَى أَبْدَانِهِمْ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَا يَكُونُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مُؤْمِنًا حَقًّا حَتَّى يَرْضَى لِلنَّاسِ مَا يَرْضَاهُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَإِنْ رَأَى فِي غَيْرِهِ فَضِيلَةً فَاقَ بِهَا عَلَيْهِ فَتَمَنَّى لِنَفَسِهِ مِثْلَهَا فَإِنْ كَانَتْ تِلْكَ الْفَضِيلَةُ دِينِيَّةً كَانَ حَسَنًا

The people who love Allah look by the light of Allah, and they are compassionate with those who disobey Allah. They hate their actions but show mercy to them so that through their admonitions they might leave their actions. They are afraid that the Hellfire will consume their bodies. The believer will not truly be a believer until he is pleased for people to have what he is pleased for himself. If he sees in someone else some merit by which they excel him, then he wishes the like of it for himself. If that merit is related to the religion then it is good.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لاَ حَسَدَ إِلاَّ فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً فَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ، وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ حِكْمَةً فَهْوَ يَقْضِي بِهَا وَيُعَلِّمُهَا

There is to be no envy except with respect to two cases: a man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in charity day and night, and a man whom Allah has given wisdom with which he judges and he teaches it to others.

[Sahih Bukhari, Book 24, Number 490]