ADABS OF BEING AMONG PEOPLE

Wuhayb ibn al-Ward (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “A certain man came to Wahb ibn Munabbih and said: “I promised myself that I would not be with people. What do you think about it)?!”. Wahb replied: “Don’t do that! Truly, people cannot do without you, and you cannot do without them, you need them, and they need you. However, be among them deaf and hearing, blind and seeing, silent and speaking.”

Narrated by Ibn Abi ad-Dunya in Mudarat an-nas, 1/42.

Sheikh ‘Abd ur-Razzaq al-Badr (may Allah preserve him) said: “This is great and beautiful advice. He means that one must be deaf when it comes to hearing the forbidden, and hearing when it comes to hearing the good; one must be blind when it comes to looking at the forbidden, and seeing everything that is useful; one must be silent, refusing to utter forbidden words, and speaking right and useful words.