HALAL IS CLEAR AND HARAM IS CLEAR

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuhu

This hadith is added to the collection of Arbaeen Nawawi by Imam An Nawawi at the sixth rank from the sequential order. 

On the authority of an-Nu’man ibn Basheer (ra), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which many people do not know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor, but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased. Truly, it is the heart.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، قَالَ: سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ: "إنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ، وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا أُمُورٌ مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لَا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ، فَمَنْ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ فَقْد اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ، كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ، أَلَا وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى، أَلَا وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ مَحَارِمُهُ، أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وَإذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ".
[رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ]، [وَمُسْلِمٌ].

Reference : 40 Hadith Nawawi 6 

If you really want to understand this hadith, you will need to read it word by word and understand what it really means. Comprehending is not that difficult, it's quite simple, it's we who read ahadiths really quickly and jumping to conclusions. 

In Islam, halal and haram has been clearly defined to us and what falls into halal and what falls into haram has also been clearly stated to us Muslims in the Qur'an and sunnah of Rasool sallalahu alaihi wa sallam.  But what is in between these two are ambiguous, obscured and unclear matters that haven't been made clear to us and the rulings of which we don't know, and they are the 'doubtful matters' or 'grey matters'. We are asked to stay away from these grey area as these cause doubts or suspicions in our heart as to whether they are right or wrong. This is where we are tested, what we really do on the grey matters. Do we stay away from them or go near it? That's the real test.


And we know we are asked to stay from anything that is doubtful or suspicious lest it puts us in a calamity. If you are in a prayer and you suddenly get a doubt of whether you have broken your wudhoo or not. You will eradicate this doubt because you won't break your salat on the basis of a doubt. Your salat will be broken if you heard a sound or smelled something or felt something. It is broken on the basis of daleel; Proof.  

The sins are like a private sanctuary, it's like a border of caution and beyond that comprises the area of sins, the area of prohibitions. It's like a big sign in front of that sanctuary, NO ENTRY, NO TRESPASSING. And whoever dares to go inside has committed a felony, he has committed haram. And whoever goes NEAR that border of sign is usually tempted to go inside that trespassing border of sins.  This place of temptation is the Grey area, Ambiguous, unclear matters which we don't know.  


And we are asked to stay away from the grey area and we need to stay close to the halal as much as possible. Stay near the border of halal and lawful things which you can do without having any doubt.

A person who stays close to the grey area usually falls into the haram activities. For example, a woman is used to bleaching her eyebrows so that she can get a nice shape of it because she thinks plucking is only what is stated as haram in the Hadith and not bleaching, or trimming them, so she does it thinking she is doing halal, but what she is exactly fallen into is the grey matter, ambiguous, unclear matter. She is in the temptation border, which is very close to the haram. This is the doubtful matter which we are asked to stay away from because if we fell into it we will also fall into haram matters.  We will start doing what is haram as well that is plucking them and shaping them.

We need to protect ourselves by staying in the halal border.  We usually satisfy ourselves by going near the haram things without actually doing it, then we complain about how we never did anything but the haram just happened. Just like when girls or boys make friends of opposite gender, think that 'we can totally stay friends', (remember they are in the temptation border by being just friends) and sooner or later they will fall into haram by either falling in love, or start dating. Or sometimes the men say the first glance at the women is allowed and he fools himself by this and keeps staring at her just at the first glance, and therefore, he is in this grey area. And what do you think will happen to him after falling into this grey area? He will definitely fall into the haram. 

What is the benefit of staying away from the grey area?? 

He will save his religion and honor. He will save that! And he surely does save them!

Remember the grey areas are the slippery areas, if you walk on it, you will definitely slip in the black area of Haram!

This hadith is such a clear way of living of life as a Muslim. If ever you have any doubt regarding any matter, first clear that matter and if you don't find a solution to that matter, stay away from the obscurity.  Guard yourself and then you will find yourself much close to halal than haram.  In sha Allah!

May Allah grant us the straight path for steadfastness. Ameen!

جزاكم الله خيرا كثيرا for reading! Ask me anything regarding this  topic heree 

Thank you for reading. 

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- Manal Mirza