Encouragement towards good-heartedness and dispraise of malignance in the Qur’an and Sunnah:❖ Allah, exalted, said in praise of the believers who came after the Emigrants and the Supporters, “Those who came after them say, ‘Lord, forgive us our sins and the sins of our brothers who believed before us, and leave no rancour in our hearts towards those who believe. Lord, You are truly compassionate and merciful.’” (al-Hashr: 10)
❖ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The believer is simple and magnanimous, while the wicked is deceitful and ignoble.” [920] Reported by Abu Dawud (4790), al-Tirmidhi (1964), and Ahmad (9170) from the narration of Abu Hurayrah, Allah be pleased with him.
Quotes in Dispraising Malignance:
❖ Abu al-Darda’, Allah be pleased with him, said, “What is with you, slaves of Allah, that you do not love one another whilst you are brothers in faith?! There is nothing that divided you but the malignance of your secrets.” [921] Reported similarly by Ibn Abi al-Dunya in Dhamm al-Dunya (427).
❖ Ibn Jama`ah al-Kinani said, “Knowledge that is the worship of the heart is not sound until it is pure from malignant traits and the effects of evil, lowly morals.” [922] Tadhkirat al-Sami` wa al-Mutakallim, Ibn Jama`ah al-Kinani (p. 34).
❖ It is said, “Whoever’s soul is pure, his deeds will be pure. Whoever’s soul is impure, his deeds will be impure.” [923] al-Dhari`ah ila Makarim al-Shari`ah, al-Raghib (p. 87).
Impacts and harms of malignance:
1- It is a cause for profanity and obscenity.
2- It is a cause for envy. The malignant does not wish good for others, only evil and harm.
3- Malignancy is a cause for enmity in society. There is no clear conscience for the malignant.
4- Such a person is always worried and sorrowful.
5- The malignant is busy following others’ privacies and mistakes.
Means to desisting from malignance:
1- Supplicating to Allah that he uplifts from one this evil characteristic.
2- Desiring reward and good recompense which good-heartedness induces.
3- Struggling against the self for it to be sound of heart.
4- Fasting three days of each month. He ﷺ said, “Fasting the Month of Patience Ramadan and three days from every month do away with the rage in one’s chest.” [924] Reported by Ahmad (23077) and Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (37790).
5- Being raised upon loving good for others from a young age.
6- Accompanying good people with virtuous morals.
Malignance in proverbs and poetry:
❖ “So-and-so is ignoble juice in a malignant cup.”
❖ It is said, “He is in his malignancy as a wolf is with a lamb.” [925] Majma` al-Amthal, al-Maydani (1/283).
❖ The poet said,
“When your malignancy became apparent to me,
And none among you consoled me for my wounds,
I was shocked - I gave up on your giving for good.
There is no better freedom for man than abstention.”
Summary of Ethics
