Episode 9
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. Dear brothers, today we will discuss the eighth commandment from the commandments of our Lord, the Almighty, in Surah Al-An'am. It is His saying: ((And when you speak, be just, even if it is against a relative)) A person usually weakens in the face of family ties. Imagine that you are required to testify in a case involving your son, father, or brother as one of the parties, and your testimony may condemn and lead to his punishment. Imagine that you are judging between two opponents, one of whom is your relative. Imagine your son or brother asking you to intercede for him with someone to help him get a job. Family affection must intervene at that moment. The divine commandment comes to remind us that this mercy towards relatives and love for them should not push us to overlook justice and lean towards their side if they are wrong, or praise them and vindicate them with what is not in them in the hope of good for them. Even if we are driven to do so by mercy for them, Allah is more merciful to them than we are.
Imagine the need of our societies for this divine commandment at a time when nepotism, intermediaries, and the occupation of jobs by those who are not qualified for them at the expense of those who are competent have become widespread. The divine guidance here does not only prevent nepotism, but it also commands us not to praise our relatives with what is not in them if we are asked about them. Imagine yourself receiving a call from someone asking you: My cousin so-and-so is proposing to my daughter, and I want to ask you: Do you think he is suitable to be married? And you know that this cousin of yours has some positives but also some negatives that will harm the future wife, has a bad temper, his decisions are in the hands of his mother, is stingy, lives in a shameful sin and has not repented from it to the point of covering it up, or something else. This divine commandment orders you to clarify that to the questioner in a way that achieves the sincerity of the answer without adding anything that goes to the extent of unjustified backbiting, of course. You may be asked and remain silent in a way that implies not encouraging him to be accepted as a husband, and that is fine. The important thing is not to praise him for what he does not have or to cover up something bad that will harm the future wife. You want your cousin to be happy with the proposal of this girl, yes, but Allah is more merciful to him than you are, and He, the Almighty, has commanded you to be just in your speech and not to hide what may harm the girl.
Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi narrated that a brother of Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) proposed to a woman from the Arabs, so her family said: If Bilal comes, we will marry you to him. Bilal came and said –look now at Bilal's testimony about his brother- he said: (I am Bilal bin Rabah, and this is my brother, he is a bad man with bad character and religion. If you want to marry him, then marry him, and if you want to leave him, then leave him).
Therefore, this is the eighth commandment: ((And when you speak, be just, even if it is against a relative))... Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.