Benefit 42: When do we have bad thoughts of fellow Muslims?

Allāh ﷻ said: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ} “O believers! Avoid many suspicions, ˹for˺ indeed, some suspicions are sinful.” [Sūrah Al-Ḥujurāt: 12] In this Āyah, Allāh ﷻ clarifies to us that "some" suspicions are sinful; meaning, not all suspicion is sinful, but rather suspicion may be praiseworthy! So even though the origin is to have good thoughts of Muslims and to avoid suspicion (as explained in the previous benefit), there are cases where having evil thoughts of a Muslim is warranted. For example: ● Narrated ’Aishah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ((مَا أَظُنُّ فُلَانًا وَفُلَانًا يَعْرِفَانِ مِنْ دِينِنَا شَيْئًا)). “I do not think that so-and-so and so-and-so know anything about our religion.” Al-Laith raḥimahullāh said: كَانَا رَجُلَيْنِ مِنْ الْمُنَافِقِينَ "These two persons (being referred to) were among the hypocrites." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6067] ● Ibn ’Umar raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu said: كنَّا إذا فقدنا الرَّجل في صلاة العشاء وصلاة الفجر، أسأنا به الظَّنَّ. “If we did not find a man during ’Ishā and Fajr prayers, we would think badly of him.” [Reported by Aṭ-Ṭabarāni (12/271) - Silsilah Aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥah (7/209)] This is due to the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ((إِنَّ أَثْقَلَ صَلاَةٍ عَلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ صَلاَةُ الْعِشَاءِ وَصَلاَةُ الْفَجْرِ)). “The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrite are the ’Ishā and Fajr prayers.” [Reported by Bukhāri and Muslim] Ibn Mufliḥ raḥimahullāh relays in "Al-Ādāb Ash-Shar’iyyah" that Al-Qurṭubi raḥimahullāh relayed that most of the scholars are of the view that: ظن القبيح بمن ظاهره الخير لا يجوز وأنه لا حرج بظن القبيح بمن ظاهره قبيح. “It is not permissible to have evil suspicion of someone who is outwardly upright, and there is nothing wrong with having evil suspicion of someone who is outwardly immoral.” Thereafter, he went on to quote the statement of Ibn Hubairah Al-Wazīr Al-Ḥanbali, that: لا يحل والله أن يحسن الظن بمن ترفض ولا بمن يخالف الشرع في حال. “I swear by Allāh, it is not permissible under any circumstances to have good thoughts of someone who embraces Rāfiḍhism, or someone who violates the Sharī'ah.” So if there are apparent reasons warranting evil suspicion, then evil suspicion is not sinful. For example, if a person known for immorality is found with a bag of cannabis, evil suspicion is warranted in this case, unlike someone who is known for righteousness, for it is necessary to have good thoughts about him until there appears otherwise. Al-Qurṭubi raḥimahullāh said in "Al-Jāmi’ Li Aḥkām Al-Qur'ān" (16/331): وَالَّذِي يُمَيِّزُ الظُّنُونَ الَّتِي يَجِبُ اجْتِنَابُهَا عَمَّا سِوَاهَا : أَنَّ كُلَّ مَا لَمْ تُعْرَفْ لَهُ أَمَارَةٌ صَحِيحَةٌ ، وَسَبَبٌ ظَاهِرٌ : كان حراما واجب الاجتناب ، وَذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَ الْمَظْنُونُ بِهِ مِمَّنْ شُوهِدَ مِنْهُ السَّتْرَ وَالصَّلَاحَ ، وَأُونِسَتْ مِنْهُ الْأَمَانَةُ فِي الظَّاهِرِ ، فَظَنُّ الْفَسَادِ بِهِ وَالْخِيَانَةِ مُحَرَّمٌ ، بِخِلَافِ مَنِ اشْتَهَرَهُ النَّاسُ بِتَعَاطِي الرَّيْب ، وَالْمُجَاهَرَةِ بِالْخَبَائِثِ. “The separating factor between suspicions which must be avoided from other suspicion is that: everything that does not have a valid indication and a clear reasoning, then it is forbidden and must be avoided, likewise if the one suspected is one whose affair is that of concealment and righteousness, and honesty is apparent from him outwardly, then suspecting him of corruption and betrayal is forbidden, unlike the one who is known amongst the people for engaging in suspicion and practicing evil deeds openly.”