Rasulullah SA states
من حسن اسلام المرء تركه ما لا يعنيه
The merit of a man’s Islam is in disregarding matters that do not concern him
We live in an age of information overload. An age where news of what is happening around the world at any given time is available at the press of a button. Connecting with loved ones, friends, friends of friends and mere acquaintances is a few clicks away. Never before has there been such a barrage of material that streams into our lives faster than we can process its worthiness.
The days of instant messaging, emails and data connectivity have our brains believing that we are assimilating great knowledge. The thrill of knowing everything and instantly passing it on to others has us glued to our smart phones as if our lives depended on them. Is this time well spent? Are we really achieving something?
How much of what we talk about on the phone really concerns us? Is immediately reading a forwarded message really important at this moment? We probably spend a large amount of our time reading communications or sharing information that is largely irrelevant to us. A study by neurosurgeons has stated that such behavior is actually detrimental to the healthy functions of the memory and decision making capacity of the brain.
Considering the sheer volume of important decisions we need to make and tasks we undertake in a day from the moment we wake to the moment we lay our heads down for a restful sleep it is a wonder that one would even have the time or energy to even spend a minute thinking about matters that do not concern him or her.
The moment we are able to free ourselves from needing to know what a colleague is doing at their desk, where the neighbours are going at this hour or why the protagonist in a serial is leaving their family, we will find the time, energy and presence of mind to focus on our lives, our loved ones and everything that leads us to becoming a better Muslim.
Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS guides us in every bayaan mubarak towards things that are worthy of our effort and time. Recite the Quran and memorise it, he says. Learn skills, excel in business, spend time with your family, help those who are in need; his fount of wisdom is inexhaustible.
He also counsels us to refrain from matters which do not concern us; do not speak ill of others, do not quarrel, do not be spiteful, and do not find fault in others. These activities are harmful and detrimental to our well-being, and ultimately our Islam.
In the du´aa’ mubarak Rasulullah SA taught Maulana Ali AS for memorizing the Quran Majeed he clearly shows that refraining from matters which does not concern a person helps in its memorization and is actually rehmat from Allah.