Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

1. Are we allow or do we have authority to judge someone to decide that he/she is GOOD OR BAD MUSLIM

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Judge someone good or evil

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

If one knows, or lives, or interacts with another person, it is only natural that one will form an opinion regarding the character of that person and the practice of his belief. What is absolutely and strictly prohibited in Islam is that one talk evil about his believing brother behind his back; but if someone were to ask their opinion about a particular person for a genuine reason or cause like they seek to marry their daughter to them, or they wish to do business with them, etc….then it is incumbent that the person give an honest opinion regarding that individual. If the person is indeed good, they should bear witness to his good character, and if the person is evil, or they are unsure about his character or his practice of the deen, they should fear Allah and say: ‘Allah Alone Knows Best.’

Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) reported that: "A funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (saws) exclaimed, 'It is decided.' Then another funeral procession passed by and the people said some bad things about the deceased. The Prophet (saws) remarked, 'It is decided.' Umar (r.a.) asked: 'What is decided?' The Prophet (saws) answered, 'The one whom you praised is entitled to Paradise, and the one whom you described as bad is entitled to the Hell Fire. You are Allah's witnesses on earth'."

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan