Knowing the bounds of our mannerisms

Mannerisms have limits: When these limits are crossed, they become transgression. When they fall short, they become deficiency and disgrace.

Anger has a limit: It is to be bold while being above having negative and deficient traits, and this is the perfect form of anger. If this limit is exceeded, you become a transgressor. If you fall short of it, you will be a coward and will not be able to raise yourself above negative traits.

Covetousness has a limit: It is to take all you need from this world and what it has to offer you. When you fall short of this limit, it becomes disgrace and lack of resolve. When you exceed this limit, you end up wanting what you shouldn’t want.

Envy has a limit: It is to compete in becoming perfect and to excel such that your rival is unable to excel you. When this limit is exceeded, you transgress and oppress in which you wish that the good things are taken away from the one you envy and are keen to harm him. When you fall short of this limit, you become low, weak in aspiration, and you belittle yourself. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There should be no envy except in regards to two things: a man who is granted wealth by Allah and he is able to spend it for the sake of the truth, and a man who is granted wisdom by Allah and he takes it and teaches it to the people.” So, this is an envy of competition, where the envious one pushes himself to be like the one he envies without wishing that he is deprived of the good things that he has.

Sexual desire has a limit: It is to relax the heart and mind from the exhaustion of worship, to maintain moral excellence, and to use the fulfillment of these desires to help you in this. When you exceed this limit, you fall into being overly lustful, and you come to resemble animals. When you fall short of this limit and don’t use this time to obtain excellence and virtue, this becomes weakness, inability, and disgrace.

Relaxation has a limit: It is to collect yourself and your strength to prepare for worship and perfection of the self, and to save this so that you don’t become weak or tired. When you exceed this limit, this becomes laziness and waste, and you end up missing out on so many things that could benefit you. When you fall short of this limit, you end up hurting and weakening your energy, and it might even be cut off from you like a farmer who has no land to plow or crops to pick.

Generosity has a limit: Whenever this limit is exceeded, this becomes wastefulness and extravagance. When you fall short of this limit, you become cheap and miserly.

Bravery has a limit: When you cross this limit, you become reckless. When you fall short of this limit, you become a coward. This limit is that you put yourself forth when the time is right to do so and that you hold yourself back when the time is right to do so, just like Mu’awiyah said to Amr Bin Al-’Aas: “I don’t know whether you’re brave or cowardly! You go forth to the point that I say you’re the bravest person, and then you stay back to the point that I say you’re the most cowardly person!” So, he replied: “I am brave if I am guaranteed the chance, If I don’t have the chance, I am a coward.”

Protective jealousy has a limit: If you exceed this limit, you fall into accusation and suspicion of the innocent. If you fall short of this limit, you fall into heedlessness and lack of manhood.

Humility has a limit: If it is crossed, this becomes humiliation and disgrace. If you fall short of it, you deviate to arrogance and false pride.

Honor has a limit: If you exceed it, you fall into arrogance and blameworthy traits. If you fall short of it, you deviate to humiliation and disgrace.

The basic principle in all this is to choose the path of moderation between excess and negligence. This is what all of the benefits of this world and the next are built upon. In fact, you can benefit your body in no other way, because when some of your activities are done with lack of moderation and either exceed or fall short of it, your body’s health and energy begin to decline accordingly.

Likewise, natural activities such as sleeping, staying awake, eating, drinking, having intercourse, playing sports, spending time alone, spending time with others, etc. – if these are all done moderately between the two blameworthy extremes, this is justice. If you deviate to either extreme, this is a sign of deficiency and will lead to even more deficiency. This knowledge of proper limits is from the best types of knowledge, especially the limits of what is commanded and prohibited. The most knowledgeable people are those who know the most about these limits.

– By Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, Al-Fawa’id, pg. 196-199
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Learning the 10 things that nullify one’s Islam

Just as the bearing witness to the two testimonies and acting upon them are the conditions for the validity of Islam, there are beliefs and actions that also nullify one’s Islam. Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahhab summarized them in 10 points (some additional verses have been added) as to what nullifies Islam:


1. Shirik (associating partners in the worship of Allah).

“Verily, Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom He pleases other sins than that.” (Qur’an, 4:116)

“Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrongdoers, there are no helpers.” (Qur’an, 5:72)



2. Setting up an intermediary between oneself and Allah. The one who prays to, seeks intercession from and puts his reliance on intermediaries has blasphemed according to the consensus of the scholars.

“And they worship other than Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say, ‘Do you inform Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth?’ Exalted is He above all that which they associate as partners with Him.” (Qur’an, 10:18)



3. Not considering polytheists as disbelievers or having a doubt concerning their disbelief or considering their way as correct.

“Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break.” (Qur’an, 2:256)



4. Believing that some guidance other than the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is more complete or that another’s judgment is better than the Prophet’s (is also an act of disbelief). This would be like the one who prefers the rule and law of false gods (be they human or otherwise) to the Prophet’s rule and law.

“But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (Muhammad, peace be upon him) as a judge in all disputes between them, and find no resistance against your decisions, and accept (the decisions) with full submission.” (Qur’an, 4:65)



5. Disliking anything the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought, even if one does’nt act upon it, is an act of disbelief.

“It is not fitting for the believing man nor for the believing woman, that whenever Allah and His Messenger have decided any matter, that they should have any other opinion.” (Qur’an, 33:36)



6. Ridiculing or joking about any part of the religion of the Messenger (peace be upon him) or its rewards or its punishments. The evidence for this is in the Words of Allah:

“Say: Was it Allah, or His signs or His Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse, you have disbelieved after you had believed.” (Qur’an, 9:65-66)



7. Performing magic. This includes those magical incantations that make one love or hate another person. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“But neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) until they had said, ‘We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning such magic from us).”’ (Qur’an, 2:102)



8. Assisting and supporting polytheists against Muslims.



9. Believing that some people are permitted to be free from the Law of Muhammad (peace be upon him), in the same way that Khidr was free from the law of Moses (peace be upon him).



10. Turning away from the religion of Allah, not learning it or applying it. Allah says:

“And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the signs of his Lord, then he turns aside therefrom? Verily, We shall exact retribution from the sinners.” (Qur’an, 32:22)