The (Hunting Thoughts) Program and Excusing Others
The ACADEMION International Training Institute presented the (Thought CaptureOn Friday, corresponding to the 18th of Ramadan in the year 1442 AH, at exactly ten o'clock in the evening, the guest of the program was Mr. Musleh Al-Sabhi, via live broadcast on Zoom.ZOOMand on YouTube with the ACADEMION International Training Institute.
Mr. Al-Sabhi began the reflection by emphasizing that seeking excuses is a high value in Islam and that the entry point to this topic is the story of Solomon (peace be upon him) with the ant, where Allah said:The ant said, 'O ants, enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his soldiers crush you while they perceive not.'In contemplating the state of this ant, which is a small insect possessing the intellect comparable to that of a human, and its good manners, sound reasoning, and good opinion of Solomon and his soldiers.
Mr. Al-Sabhi added the saying of Allah:O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin.He also mentioned the saying of Al-Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him): 'Do not think that a word that came from your believing brother is evil while you find for it a good interpretation.' And Muhammad ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If something reaches you about your brother, seek an excuse for him, and if you do not find one, say perhaps he has an excuse that I do not know.'
Mr. Al-Sabhi also mentioned that among the traits of the righteous is to excuse others and to avoid judging intentions. He added: So seek an excuse for your brother if you encounter him with a pale face, and if you message him and he does not respond, and if you call him and he does not answer you, and seek an excuse for him if he does not smile in your face, and if you went through an experience and he was not near you, he may be in another world that you know nothing about, and apologizing for a mistake does not harm your dignity but rather makes you great in the eyes of the one you wronged.
Mr. Al-Sabhi pointed out that in our relationships, a person may say a word or a situation may occur, and the other takes it with a negative assumption, while the situation may be well-intentioned. In these cases, the value of seeking an excuse for a Muslim becomes evident, and this value should be instilled in the souls of children and within the family to avoid problems and estrangement within society, especially with the prevalent issues between spouses. Clarity and honesty between spouses are essential so that neither party has to harbor resentment towards the other, leading to undesirable consequences.