#368 – Judging

Posted by Beardo on Jan 27, 2012 in Blog | 5 comments

It’s difficult NOT to judge someone. And I’ll give an example.

Today, I met the assigned Imam for the Masjid I lead Fajr at. He asked me if I was the one that leads Fajr, and I said yes. He said it is a huge favor for him because he lives 10-15 minutes away and it is difficult for him. It was at that moment when I had caught myself. I did not want to judge him. In my mind, I thought, I also live 10 minutes away. At the same time, I tried my best to suppress these thoughts. I’ve been trying to think only good of others lately. It’s difficult when we live in a society who like to pounce on each other over everything.

But I thought to myself… If he was able to come to the Fajr Salaah, I would not have the honor of leading Salaah. Every morning, to start my day by leading a prayer, it’s a beautiful opportunity. It makes me read and practice more to myself throughout the day. Every morning, I open the Qur’an, asking myself what I’ll be reciting the following day. If it weren’t for the Imam-less Fajr Salaah, I would probably not be reading and listening Qur’an as much.

Moreover, the Imam has a family. One day I might be in that same position. Who am I to judge? We all have our own circumstances.

So, when he told me he was unable to come because he lived 10-15 minutes away, my only thought was, Alhamdulillah for everything in life. And I should be only grateful to Allah Ta’ala for giving me the ability to wake up and lead Fajr Salaah. And that is all. His life does not concern me.

To each their own.

Mind your own business.

And that’s what I have been telling myself.

It’s sort of like how when people tell me their secrets. Or secrets about other people. Sometimes they ask me for advice, which is fine. But other times, it’s just telling for the sake of telling. For me, that’s just a burden. Especially when it’s something negative, it taints that person’s reputation with me. I don’t appreciate that. I want to think well of everyone, and for that, I need a conducive environment. But that starts with me. Just like how I don’t want to hear those things, I should not say those things.