Major Principles of Islam – Leave what doesn’t concern you
Leaving what does not concern you is one of the main principles of Islam. In the very famous hadith, reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“Part of the excellence of a someone’s Islam is that he leaves what does not concern him.” (ibn Majah, Tirmidhi)
As you can see, this hadith in Arabic is probably less than one line. Scholars have commented on this hadith in a beautiful, and lengthy commentary. My favourite is in the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi, which has been translated into English. I’ve referred to this book many times, as it is one of my favorites.
Imam Nawawi and many others observed that this hadith is one-third of Islam. Some people even said that it is not one-third, but half of Islam. In his selection of Forty Hadith, Imam Nawawi committed to include only the most comprehensive hadiths. In Arabic, these are known as “Jawami’ al-Kalim,” meaning the most comprehensive sayings. Though these are short hadith, their explanation easily requires many pages and even volumes to unpack their extensive meanings. They are both condensed and multi-layered. This particular hadith is one of them.
Accordingly, scholars have commented that this hadith is the greatest hadith on etiquette (adab). Indeed, this is one of the top etiquettes in Islam. It teaches how to behave, especially in this day and age, where time is flying and tasks are piling up, it emphasises cutting down unnecessary distractions and focusing on what is most important, over what is less important.
It also teaches us the etiquette of utilising the precious life which Allah gifted us. This life is a gift, and this hadith instructs us on how to use it wisely. Time is a precious commodity.
Allah has given us guidance on how not to waste our time, efforts, money, attention, and power. This hadith addresses all of these, which is why it is so comprehensive. It is one of the first hadith we teach our children, because of its brevity. Even if they’re just learning some words and speaking at one-and-a-half or two years old, we start teaching them short surahs and short hadith. Although, it is not really for children, but we encourage memorisation, and inshallah later, they will understand and apply it in their lives.
Our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed the issue of what concerns us and what does not concern us. Before exploring this hadith, there are some verses in the Quran which mention what concerns you and what does not concern you, particularly with regards to the tongue, though it is not exclusively about what to say, and what not to say; when to say something, and when not to say something.
In the Quran, Allah mentions that our words are recorded by the angels. Allah also says in Surat Qaf:
وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ وَنَعۡلَمُ مَا تُوَسۡوِسُ بِهِۦ نَفۡسُهُۥۖ وَنَحۡنُ أَقۡرَبُ إِلَيۡهِ مِنۡ حَبۡلِ ٱلۡوَرِيدِ
إِذۡ يَتَلَقَّى ٱلۡمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٞ
مَّا يَلۡفِظُ مِن قَوۡلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيۡهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٞ
Surely We have created man, and We know the promptings of his heart, and We are nearer to him than even his jugular vein. Moreover, there are two scribes, one each sitting on the right and the left, recording everything. He utters not a word, but there is a vigilant watcher at hand. (50:16-18)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also taught his companions to control their tongues, actions, and sight on different occasions. For example, he said it is better to remain silent than say something negative.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:
«مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ جَارَهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ».
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say what is good or keep silent. (Bukhari and Muslim)
This emphasises using time wisely and focusing on the best actions. When you cut down unnecessary distractions, you have more time and energy to dedicate to what is useful and beneficial, rather than wasting your time and resources on things that do not matter.
In the opening of Surah Al-Mu’minun, Allah mentions,
قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ
“Successful are the believers,” (23:1)
One of their features is refraining from useless speech and pointless actions. It highlights the careful attention believers must give to the time and life Allah has gifted to them. This appreciation is emphasised in this hadith.
In another narration, the famous companion Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) while traveling and seized the opportunity to ask him privately what deed would enable him to enter Paradise and stay away from Hell.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded,
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ الْعَدَنِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ أَبِي النَّجُودِ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فِي سَفَرٍ فَأَصْبَحْتُ يَوْمًا قَرِيبًا مِنْهُ وَنَحْنُ نَسِيرُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَخْبِرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ وَيُبَاعِدُنِي مِنَ النَّارِ . قَالَ ” لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ عَظِيمًا وَإِنَّهُ لَيَسِيرٌ عَلَى مَنْ يَسَّرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ لاَ تُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلاَةَ وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ وَتَصُومُ رَمَضَانَ وَتَحُجُّ الْبَيْتَ ” . ثُمَّ قَالَ ” أَلاَ أُدُلُّكَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْجَنَّةِ الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ وَالصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِئُ الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ النَّارَ الْمَاءُ وَصَلاَةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ ” . ثُمَّ قَرَأَ {تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ} حَتَّى بَلَغَ {جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ} ثُمَّ قَالَ ” أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكَ بِرَأْسِ الأَمْرِ وَعَمُودِهِ وَذُرْوَةِ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ ” . ثُمَّ قَالَ ” أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكَ بِمِلاَكِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ ” . قُلْتُ بَلَى . فَأَخَذَ بِلِسَانِهِ فَقَالَ ” تَكُفُّ عَلَيْكَ هَذَا ” . قُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّا لَمُؤَاخَذُونَ بِمَا نَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ قَالَ ” ثَكِلَتْكَ أُمُّكَ يَا مُعَاذُ وَهَلْ يَكُبُّ النَّاسَ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ فِي النَّارِ إِلاَّ حَصَائِدُ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ ” .
“I was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey. One morning I drew close to him when we were on the move and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action that will gain me admittance to Paradise and keep me far away from Hell.’ He said: ‘You have asked for something great, but it is easy for the one for whom Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything in worship with Him, establish prayer, pay charity, fast Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the House
Then he said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the means of goodness? Fasting is a shield, and charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and a man’s prayer in the middle of the night.’ Then he recited: “Their sides forsake their beds” until he reached: “As a reward for what they used to do.”[32:16-17] Then he said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the head of the matter, and its pillar and pinnacle? (It is) Jihad.’ Then he said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the basis of all that?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He took hold of his tongue then said: ‘Restrain this.’ I said: ‘O Prophet of Allah, will we be brought to account for what we say?’ He said: ‘May your mother not found you, O Mu’adh! Are people thrown onto their faces in Hell for anything other than the harvest of their tongues?’” (Ibn Majah)
Mu’adh was shocked and asked, “O Prophet of Allah, will we be brought to account for what we say?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) confirmed the importance of controlling one’s tongue, actions, and intentions. If you have nothing good to say, be silent.
Part of the excellence of one’s Islam involves leaving what does not concern you. The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasises that to improve your Islam and reach a level of excellence you have to follow his guidance—leave what does not concern you.
Concise, straightforward, and easy to understand, this hadith also has great depth. The scholars have commented extensively on this hadith, that by controlling these aspects, you elevate your Islam to excellence.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) teaches us to let go of things that are not necessary or beneficial. Many times, we engage in things we can live without, and by following this hadith, we can offload unnecessary burdens. For instance, obsessing over a neighbour’s new car or their activities doesn’t concern you. These are distractions and wastes of time. Instead, focus on things that are beneficial for your life and deen.
This hadith is not only about time management, but also about managing energy and focus. The Prophet (peace be upon him) teaches us to let go, to break unhealthy obsessions, and to use our limited resources wisely. For example, people may obsess over shopping or keeping up with unnecessary updates about others. These actions do not concern us and waste time and energy.
It all starts with the tongue, which is often the hardest to control. The Prophet (peace be upon him) encourages us to leave what does not concern us, to avoid commenting on everything, and to remain silent if something is not beneficial. Training yourself to do this can lead to a better utilisation of your time and efforts.
We also need to decide what concerns us and what does not. Shariah provides us with guidance on this. People’s private matters, business, and issues do not concern us, and we should not be nosy or intrusive. Following these principles ensures that we spend our time and energy in ways that benefit us and in line with Islamic teachings.
You can comment on something, if it is needed, but if it is not needed, then keep your comment to yourself. If there’s something bad, then you need to comment on it. Some people will say, “No, this does not concern me. I’m not into this business.” However, the Sharia decided that if you see something bad, and you can change it, you have to step forward and do something or say something. You can’t say, “No, this does not concern me.” That would be wrong. This is your concern. For instance, public matters are our concern. For example, our taxes are being wasted on useless and unnecessary projects. We have to raise our voices and file a complaint, depending on the scenario and the case. Yes, this does concern me.
What does not concern me? For instance, I remember we used to have a neighbour who since passed away. He liked to know everything about everything. He had no qualms about asking how much you paid for something, where you got it from, how much your rent was, or your salary. This is none of his business. I would prefer not to tell him. It’s very annoying. Don’t be such a person. If it doesn’t concern you, don’t ask about it.
We might be that person, so be careful. Though it is often out of good intention, others do not like to be asked about private things. If someone volunteers the information, that is another matter. If you are engaged in what pleases Allah, it is a sign that Allah is pleased with you. If you do the opposite, it is a sign that Allah is displeased with you. Doing useless things is just wasting your time. You could have done something good with that time, but you wasted it. Sometimes, it’s not just wasting time, it is sinful engaging in useless matters. Something useless leads to another useless thing and eventually to sin. So, be careful.
If you count your words as actions, you would say very few words, especially if you are keen on useful things. This is good advice: count your words as actions, just as you count your other actions. Starting with the tongue, create a space between yourself and people whose time-wasting habits you might classify as burdensome. Create that distance, though it might be one of your relatives. If every time they visit your house, they waste your time, they are difficult, you can’t just cut ties or escape them entirely, but you can minimise the time-wasting as much as possible and always focus on the bigger picture.
This is why Allah mentioned preparation for the Hereafter. Actions, words, and intentions must be in accordance with this preparation. If you accumulate goodness, it leads to reward. But if you waste your time and effort, it results in loss. We should not be among the losers who waste time and regret it.
Allah says in the Quran,
وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ دِينٗا مِّمَّنۡ أَسۡلَمَ وَجۡهَهُۥ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحۡسِنٞ وَٱتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ حَنِيفٗاۗ وَٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ خَلِيلٗا
And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah’s Religion of Islamic Monotheism); and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer). And follows the religion of Ibrahim Hanifa (the one who worships none but Allah Alone). And Allah did take Ibrahim as a Khalil (an intimate friend). (4:125)
The word ‘submit’ relates to surrender. If you want to apply Islam with excellence, then you have to surrender to Allah inwardly and outwardly. Inward surrender means accepting Allah as your Lord and accepting everything Allah has destined for you. Outward surrender means following Allah’s commands by doing what He commanded, and refraining from what He prohibited – being engaged in what pleases Allah.
In practical terms, sometimes we misunderstand what really concerns us and what doesn’t. The distinction is made by Sharia itself, not personal opinion, whims, or desires. Allah has prioritised what matters to us Muslims. Anything related to halal and haram does concern us. Anything related to good and evil does concern us—whether it is related to your family, or outside your family. However, this must be done with the right etiquette and manners. Sometimes people give advice in a very humiliating way. For instance, a father took his young son to the mosque. The son, now in his thirties, said that he was four or five years old at the time, and he had a cartoon on his t-shirt, maybe Mickey Mouse or something similar. The imam saw him and shouted at his father in front of everyone in the mosque. “How dare you bring your son to the mosque wearing this image? This is haram!” The father was mortified and the son was terrified. The imam insisted that the father take his son home, change his shirt, and come back. The father took the son home, and since that time, the son never entered a mosque again. He never prayed since that incident.
The matter did concern the imam, but the way he addressed it was wrong. There’s even a difference of opinion about such images. It is not agreed-upon that it is impermissible. This was a young boy’s connection with the mosque and his faith was destroyed. It was not dealt with in the right way, or with the right manners.
Another example is that one of my friends delivered a khutbah many years ago. He prepared it using a famous book, which unfortunately contained unauthenticated narrations. My friend narrated three hadith, two were fabricated. It does concern me, so I waited until he finished. Since he is my friend, I took him aside to avoid embarrassing him and explained the issue. “You mentioned three Hadith, but two of these narrations are fabricated.” I suggested he be careful next time. Unfortunately, instead of acknowledging this, he said, “You ruined my khutbah and took the light away from my heart.” I did my best and would do the same again if he delivered another sermon with fabricated narrations.
Similarly, at work, if you see someone doing something wrong, don’t say, “It’s not my concern.” If it’s something you can resolve without escalation, deal with it politely. If someone is doing something wrong unintentionally or intentionally, it’s your concern. Step forward to stop or minimise the damage as much as possible. If everyone says, “It’s not my business,” then problems will persist.
Saying “I’m not concerned” about Palestine, because “I will lose my job” is the wrong attitude. It does concern you, because this is about humanity. It’s not about taking sides. It concerns every human. It is about siding with the truth. The truth is very clear: those who are massacred are the victims. It is not the other way around. It has to be addressed with the right etiquettes. Teach yourself to be active in goodness and save your energy for something more useful. As the saying goes, “Pick your battles.” We don’t want to fight unnecessary battles; we want to save our energy for something meaningful and impactful.
This is exactly what the hadith teaches us. It is our duty, as stated clearly in the hadith, that part of being a good Muslim is to leave what does not concern you. Part of being a good Muslim is also to actively engage in things that do concern you.
Take, for example, a discussion between a father and son which you overhear, do not butt in and start offering your opinion, saying, “But I think…” It’s not your business, unless there’s a reason that concerns you, such as he was beating his child. That would be a different story. But if it’s a private discussion, you shouldn’t interfere.
The hadith educates us about how to be active, when to be active, and when to refrain from activism and control ourselves. These two opposites—what concerns you and what does not concern you, being active and being silent—are essential. We need both. We don’t operate with one wing; we need both wings. Courage is also important, but there’s a fine line between courage and recklessness.
Take, for instance, the Imam who shouted rudely at a father and son in the mosque. This was not courage—it was very rude and reckless. He destroyed this person’s relationship with the mosque and with salah. The young man who narrated his story had tears in his eyes.
If you want your Islam to be better and excellent, then you have to be active in what concerns you: what concerns your family, your community, the Ummah, halal and haram, good and evil. You have to be active on that front. If you want to excel in your Islam, you should leave useless things—those that waste your time and energy and serve no purpose other than arguments.
I received a message a couple of years ago from a sister, saying that her husband was a very active person engaged in da’wah. He joined groups, I don’t know which platform, and engaged with atheists. He said, “I want to prove them wrong.” A year later, they converted him; he became an atheist. He was not the right person to take on that job. It didn’t concern him—it was not his specialty.
She asked me what to do with her marriage now, as her husband had become an atheist, stopped praying, and doubted the existence of God. It all started with engaging in things that didn’t concern him. Imagine me attempting neurosurgery—this is not my area. I would kill the patient. Although I’m keen on saving the person’s life, it doesn’t work like that. You need to be equipped with the right knowledge, expertise, and experience. Otherwise, leave what does not concern you.
Wasting time on social media and other distractions is just a waste. Most phones have a facility that shows your screentime each day. It is useful—it shows you how poorly you are managing your time. So, let’s cut down on what doesn’t concern us and focus on what does. Our primary concern should be to please Allah. We should have the courage to change our reality, change what’s around us in the right way, with the right intention, and ask Allah to enable us to be ambassadors of goodness.
It does concern us, especially in this day and age, with atrocities occurring everywhere. We need to present and project a good image. We cannot do this unless we focus on what concerns us—as Muslims, as a community, as an Ummah.
I ask Allah to enable us to follow the footsteps of those who embody these principles.
Based on the talk delivered to the Convert Club on 05 Nov 2024. Transcribed by S Jawaid.