Correcting yourself first

Adab

Adab is how to act in a given place, situation and time following our Prophet’s (pbuh) example.

Part 3 of 3: Correcting yourself first

Your main job is to correct yourself. Always check, if you see someone doing something wrong or you see something wrong with someone, check to see if you are doing the same thing. Everybody tries to correct everyone else and other people will resist this, even you. So correct yourself. The inner you that you can put into outer action are through your hands and feet. Do not steal; your hands should be helping.

Remember to encourage the good and discourage the evil or the bad, if you can with your mouth, with your hands, with your heart. With your tongue do zikr: for people who are having trouble and are doing senseless things say: Ya Hakim Ya Alim [O Wise, O All-Knowing]. If they are doing something bad say: Ya Mani [O Preventer]. With your heart say, “O Allah please change this situation, please help them learn this.”

“Allah will not change the situation of a community unless they make changes in themselves.” (Qur’an 13:11, translation by Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari)

Your intention has to be for consideration of other people, you are not going to make yourself number one. Whatever culture you visit you must know their social graces and laws. You are going to be just and you are going to observe Allah’s rights and wrongs and you are always going to try to make Allah more pleased. Carry this intention within you and act with it.