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- Emotion is not always evidence
Emotion is not always evidence
Imam Ash-Sha’bi ر once shared a moment that carries a lesson far beyond his time
He said :
"I was sitting with Shuraih, the famous judge, when a woman came to us crying profusely, complaining about her absent husband.
I said to Shuraih, 'I see her as one who has been wronged and whose rights have been taken.'"The scene felt clear
A woman in distress
Tears flowing freely
A story that looked complete
So Imam Ash-Sha’bi
like many of us would
felt confident in his conclusion
But Shuraih -
a judge known for wisdom and restraint -
did not rush
He asked calmly
"What made you come to that conclusion?"Imam Ash-Sha’bi replied
"The abundance of her tears."Shuraih then said words that still correct our instincts today :
"Do not judge until the matter becomes clear.
For the brothers of Yusuf came to their father crying, while they themselves were the wrongdoers."This response reframes justice
The brothers of Yusuf ع cried convincingly
Their grief looked sincere
Yet Allah revealed what their tears concealed
Shuraih was not dismissing pain
He was teaching discipline
Emotion is not proof
Islam does not strip us of compassion -
it trains us to balance it with wisdom
Because when the heart is moved too quickly
the mind stops asking questions
And in a world where stories are shared instantly
we are constantly being invited to judge -
fast
But Islamic justice pauses
It listens
It withholds verdicts
It waits for clarity
A small update from last week
Last week
I wrote about intention -
about checking the whys behind our words
our actions
and even our justice
I wanted to share one of the replies :
May Allah grant this sister immense barakah in her small business
(say ameen)
This week’s story is the same lesson
lived differently
Imam Ash-Sha’bi wasn’t trying to be unjust
His intention was good
But intention alone isn’t enough without restraint
This is where intention and judgement meet
We may mean well
We may feel deeply
But without pausing to seek truth
even sincerity can mislead us
That’s why our tradition constantly brings us back to reflection
Before speaking
Before judging
Before choosing a side
A quiet reminder
Not every tear reflects truth
Not every calm voice reflects innocence
And not every quick judgement reflects justice
Sometimes the most sincere act of worship is withholding an opinion until Allah brings clarity
May Allah purify our intentions
steady our hearts
and grant us wisdom that outweighs emotion
And if last week’s reflection -
or this one -
stirred something in you
my inbox is still open
Sometimes
the act of replying is the first step toward clarity
You can reply to this email with a single thought
a question
or even one sentence
No pressure -
just reflection
مع دعاء (with du’a)
- hidāyah