Disclosing Secrets

What is mentioned in Quran and Hadeeth about revealing a secret to someone that was told in confidence?. 

Praise be to Allaah.  

Secrets are a kind of trust, and thus they are a kind of contract or covenant which must be kept. It is necessary to be harsh with those who disclose them, because they are betraying a trust and breaking their promise; and those who deserve to a ta’zeer punishment should be punished.  

Secrets vary. There are those for which the person who discloses them must be dealt with harshly, because disclosing them causes widespread harm, such as disclosing secrets to the kuffaar and enabling them to defeat the Muslims or gain victory over them. This is what is known in modern parlance as high treason. And there are secrets that are less serious, such as those in which disclosure causes harm to individuals. But in all cases disclosure is a betrayal of the trust and breaking of the covenant. 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And fulfil (every) covenant. Verily, the covenant will be questioned about”

[al-Isra’ 17:34] 

“Verily, Allaah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due”

[al-Nisa’ 4:58] 

So if keeping secrets is obligatory, then disclosing them is haraam. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told a secret to ‘Aa’ishah and Hafsah and entrusted them with it, but they disclosed the secret, and Allaah rebuked them for that. 

Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And (remember) when the Prophet  disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (Hafsah), then she told it (to another i.e. ‘Aa’ishah). And Allaah made it known to him; he informed part thereof and left a part. Then when he told her (Hafsah) thereof, she said: ‘Who told you this?’ He said: ‘The All-Knower, the All-Aware (Allaah) has told me.’”

[al-Tahreem 66:3] 

Then Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): 

“If you two (wives of the Prophet: ‘Aa’ishah and Hafsah) turn in repentance to Allaah, (it will be better for you), your hearts are indeed so inclined (to oppose what the Prophet likes); but if you help one another against him (Muhammad), then verily, Allaah is his Mawlaa (Lord, or Master, or Protector), and Jibreel (Gabriel), and the righteous among the believers; and furthermore, the angels are his helpers”

[al-Tahreem 66:4] 

Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) withdrew from his wives for a month because of the secret that Hafsah had disclosed to ‘Aa’ishah. Al-Bukhaari, 5191. Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning this hadeeth: This indicates that the one who discloses a secret may be punished in a fitting manner. 

In the Sunnah we find a warning against seeking out the secrets of others, and spreading secrets that should not be spread. 

For example, it is strongly discouraged to seek out the faults of others. According to a hadeeth narrated from Abu Hurayrah, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man were to look into your private affairs without your permission, and you were to throw a pebble at him and put out his eye, there would be no sin on you.” Al-Bukhaari, 6902; Muslim, 2158. Ibn Hajar said, commenting on this hadeeth: It is narrated by Muslim with a different isnaad from Abu Hurayrah: “Whoever looks into some people’s house without their permission, it is permissible for them to put out his eye.” And it was narrated with yet another isnaad from Abu Hurayrah in a version that states it even more clearly; this is narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Abi ‘Aasim and al-Nasaa’i, and classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan and al-Bayhaqi. This version says: “Whoever looks into some people’s house without their permission, and they put his eye out, there is no diyah (blood money) and no qisaas (retaliatory punishment).” And according to one report through this isnaad, “… and it is worthless.” 

Similarly there is the warning against the one who eavesdrops on the secrets of others. It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever eavesdrops on the conversation of other people when they do not want him (to listen), or they move away from him, molten lead will be poured into his ears on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7042. 

The warning against spreading things that it is not permissible to spread includes condemnation of the one who spread marital secrets. He is regarded as being among the most evil of people before Allaah. 

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among the most evil of people before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who is intimate with a woman and she with him, then he spreads her secret.” Narrated by Muslim, 1437. 

According to another report narrated by Muslim, 1437, “One of the greatest trusts before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who was intimate with his wife and she with him, then he spread her secret.” What is meant by “one of the greatest trusts” is one of the greatest betrayals of trust. 

Among the advice given by the Arabs to new brides is: “Do not disclose his secret, for if you disclose his secret, you will make him hate you.”  

The secrets of the home should not be disclosed, and wise men and those who are religiously committed advise the one who knows a secret not to disclose it.  

It was narrated from Thaabit that Anas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to me when I was playing with some other boys, and greeted us with salaam, then he sent me on an errand. I was late going home to my mother, and when I came she asked, ‘What kept you?’ I said, ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me on an errand.’ She said, ‘What did he need?’ I said, ‘It is a secret.’ She said, ‘Never disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to anyone.’ Anas said: ‘By Allaah if I were to disclose it to anyone I would have disclosed it to you, O Thaabit.’

Narrated by Muslim, 2482. 

Disclosing secrets is one of the signs of hypocrisy, because it comes under the heading of betraying a trust. 

It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are four qualities, whoever has all of them is a pure hypocrite, and whoever has some of them has a characteristic of hypocrisy until he gives it up: when he is entrusted with something he betrays that trust; when he speaks he lies; when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he disputes he resorts to lies and falsehood.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 34; Muslim, 58. 

It is not a condition of a trust that the one who speaks these words must tell his listener that it is a secret that he should not tell anyone, rather it is sufficient for his manner to indicate that, such as if he takes him away from others to tell him, or when he tells him he looks around to see if anyone is listening, etc. 

Al-Tirmidhi (1959) narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man tells you something then looks around, it is a trust.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

And it says in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 

“Then looks around” means looking to the right and the left out of caution. “It is a trust” means it is entrusted to the one to whom he spoke, i.e., it comes under the same rulings as a trust, so he must conceal it. Ibn Raslaan said: Because his looking around is the signal to the one to whom he is speaking that he is afraid that someone may overhear him, and that he has chosen him to tell his secret to. His looking around takes the place of his saying, ‘Listen to this and keep quiet about it because it is a trust (or a secret).’” 

And Allaah knows best.

Source :http://islamqa.com/en/ref/27190/secret

Purpose of Modern Liberal Democracy

Agreeing on ends, men would have no large cause for which to fight. They would satisfy their needs through economic activity, but they would no longer have to risk their lives in battle. They would, in other words, become animals again as they were before the bloody battle that began history. A dog is content to sleep in the sun all day provided he is fed, because he is not dissatisfied with what he is He does not worry that other dogs are doing better than him, or that his career as a dog has stagnated or that dogs are being oppressed in a distant part of the world

and According to Alexandre Kojeve, the result of such would be

" If Man becomes an Animal again, his arts, his loves, his play must also become purely natural again. Hence it would have to be admitted that after the end of history, men would construct their edifices and works of art as birds build their nests and spiders spin their websm would perform musical concerts after the fashion of frogs and cicadas, would play like young animals and would indulge in love like adult beasts"

Reference "The End of History by Francis Fukuyama Pages 311 and 387

It is too difficult to think nobly when one thinks only of earning a living. ~ Rousseau

عصرِ حاضر ملک الموت ہے تیرا،جس نے 

قبض کی روح تیری دے کے تجھے فکر معاش

Types of Love

 There are at least two types of love. There will be some people you love because of what you get from them: what they give you, the way they make you feel. This is perhaps the majority of love—which is also what makes much of love so unstable. A person’s capacity to give is inconstant and changing. Your response to what you are given is also inconstant and changing. So if you’re chasing a feeling, you’ll always be chasing.  No feeling is ever constant. If love is dependent on this, it too becomes inconstant and changing. And just like everything in this world, the more you chase it, the more it will run away from you.
But, once in a while, people enter your life that you love—not for what they give you—but for what they are. The beauty you see in them is a reflection of the Creator, so you love them. Now suddenly it isn’t about what you’re getting, but rather what you can give. This is unselfish love. This second type of love is the most rare. And if it is based in, and not competing with, the love of God, it will also bring about the most joy. To love in any other way is to need, to be dependent, to have expectations—all the ingredients for misery and disappointment.
So for all those, who have spent their life seeking, know that purity of any thing is found at the Source. If it is love that you seek, seek it through God. Every other stream, not based in His love, poisons the one who drinks from it. And the drinker will continue to drink, until the poison all but kills him. He will continue to die more and more inside, until he stops and finds the pure Source of water.
Once you begin to see everything beautiful as only a reflection of God’s beauty, you will learn to love in the right way: for His sake. Everything and everyone you love with be for, through and because of Him. The foundation of such love is God. So what you hold onto will no longer be just an unstable feeling, a fleeting emotion. And what you chase will no longer be just a temporary high. What you hold, what you chase, what you love, will be God: the *only* thing stable and constant. Thereafter, everything else will be through Him. Everything you give or take or love or don’t love, will be by Him. Not by your nafs. It will be for Him. Not for your nafs.
This means you will love what He loves and not love what He does not love. And when you do love, you will give to the creation—not for what you can get in return from them. You will love and you will give, but you will be sufficed from Him. And the one who is sufficed by God, is the richest and most generous of all lovers. Your love will be by Him, for Him, and because of Him. That is the liberation of the self from servitude to any created thing. And that is freedom. That is happiness.
That is love.

Source : http://www.yasminmogahed.com/2012/01/03/this-is-love/?wpmp_tp=1

The Analysis of Human Nature by Dr Muhammad Rafi-ud-Din

The Analysis of human nature – two levels of natural human desires
       We now need to analyse in detail what man’s nature means and what is the character of his natural love? Man’s nature means his instinctive desires. They have two levels as follows.

a. The Lower Desires of Man

Firstly, the desires on the animals or biological level, e.g. feeding, sex, fear, or dislike of things which are harmful to the maintenance of life and liking for things which aid in its maintenance and are favorable for it etc. These Desires of man are common to him and the animals below him in the scale of evolution because man is also an animal, though a rational one. The Purpose of these desires is to enable man to preserve his life and race. Therefore they have an internal biological compulsion which compels him to seek their satisfaction. If this completion had not been there in these desires, man would have ignored them because of which life and that of his race would have been in danger. These desires of man, which have an internal biological compulsion and are common to him and the animals, have been given the name of “instincts”.

If man only had these desires in him, there wouldn’t have been need for any prophets to satisfy them because he would also have satisfied them as does an animal under compulsion. Then, why should man have been a human being; he would have been only an animal and called no more than an animal.

b. The Higher Desires of Man

Secondly, those desire which are of a level higher than that of the biological level. It is this level of his desires which differentiates man from the animal. It is the Special privilege of man which is not shared by other animals. The desires of this level are not biological but physiological in nature. In other words, their aim is not the development of the body but that of the soul or the human self. All the desires on this level are sub-ser-vi-cent to one desire alone. Thus it will be correct to say that there is virtually only one desire on this level. This desire takes the form of an intense love for a beautiful ideal (i.e. an ideal to which a person may ascribe the limit or beauty and perfection, whether it may exist in it or not).

Qualities of An Ideal by Dr Muhammad Rafi-ud-Din

What are the actual qualities of the ideal which man may take as his beloved? The answer to this question is contained in man's nature itself or in the nature itself or in the nature of his urge for love. This urge can only be satisified by ideal which is free in its qualities of every element that man can describe as a defect from an angle, for defect is the enemy of love. Human nature can not love an ideal with the awareness that it is defective. It can love an imperfect ideal too but only as long as its defect remains hidden from the human eye and it sees nothing but perfection in it. On the Contrary, man's beloved ideal must possess all those qualities up to the highest degree of perfection to which he may be attributing or may attribute beauty. Then, its beauty must be unlimitied, for If there is a limit to it, the human nature is such that it is satiated with it, and once satiated with it, and once satiated, grows weary of it. One of its reasons is that man's natural love is meant for an ideal whose beauty is unlimited. Moreover, that ideal must be such that no one else shares its qualities and excellence to even the smallest extent because human nature can love only one and not two at the same time

Allah has not put for any man two hearts inside his body

Surah Al Ahzaab Ayat 4 

   Then since man is himself alive, he cannot take for his ideal anything which is dead. To be dead is a defect. Moreover, the life of this ideal must be eternal, ever lasting and never subject to destruction. A Persian poet says : 

Ishq aan Zinda gazzeen khh baqeest

Waz sharab-i janfizaiyat saqeet

(Choose the love of that Alive who is immortal and gives you to drink a life giving/invigorating wine)

   Its reason is that if it can ever die, it is potentially dead even to day. Then, it is neccesary that it must posssess, upto the highest degree of perfection , all the attributes of life with which man is familiar in his own case. This means that it is capable of hearing, seeing, knowing, is well aware, understands man's everything, knows about his love, can appreciate it and respond to it. Human nature can love only such personalities as is itself capable of love, that is to say, it is loving. Then man also wishes that his ideal must have all the authorities in his hand i.e. it must be all powerful. Otherwise, someone else will share its love through there is absolutely no room in his heart for any one else. Again, his ideal must be his creator and that of the whole universe becaues if the whole universe including his whole person has come into being of itself and is out of control of his ideal, then why should he show any interest in it and adopt it as his ideal. In such a case, he can even claim equality with it. But man's nature does not need a peer or partner. On the contarary, it needs a being which possesses all the glory, greatness and grandeur much more than that. That is not all. He wishes that his ideal must have certain likes and dislikes and some will or purpose to be achieved so that he may fulfill it and thus gain pleasure out of its service and obedience. Without this his love does not find an out-let. Then, that ideal must not be powerless so that whoever may wish may oppose its will and it may be unable to punish him. Its reason is that if its powerless, while its lovers will carry out its will, its opponents will undo its endeavors with ease and impunity with the result that its purpose will never be achieved  and its lovers will also consider obeying, serving and loving it as a useless task thinking that their ideal is a weak and powerless being which is completely unworthy of love. Therefore, along-side the qualities of beauty, man's ideal must also possess the attributes of power, such as wrath, anger and revenge otherwise it will also not have the qualities of beauty 

Extract from "The Essence of Islam by Dr Muhammad Rafi-ud-Din"

Lenin's unfulfilled Plan for Communism

M.N. Roy, a popular Indian Leader was an active member of Communist International Russia `during 1921-22. He had played a vital role in the proletariat movement of Germany, France and China. He had good relations with Lenin and an Indian friend of his had taken refuge in Russia due to the prevalent political conditions in the then India. He too had good relations with Lenin. In his autobiography what he has stated about Lenin’s faith and interest in Islam is worth seeing: After the regime of Czar when Lenin came to power and established the Communist Government, he called a meeting of his intimate comrades in which he said,"...we have succeeded in establishing our own government but in order to make it stable and function, it is very essential to own a way of life that is in accordance with the human nature. It is because a man needs not only bread for survival but also a religion for spiritual satisfaction. I have studied all the religions minutely and I think that none but one religion has the capacity to support our communist ideology. Therefore, I will give you the name of this religion here only. Don’t hasten to form your own conclusions because this question pertains to the life and death of Communism. Take your time and consider thoughtfully. May be I am wrong but we must think coolly before we take any final decision. I think Islam is the only religion closer to the economic programmed of Communism." On hearing this there arose a noise in the entire gathering but Lenin advised them to consider it cool heartedly and suggested, "exactly after one year from now onwards we will reassemble to decide whether the communists should profess any religion, and if so, which one." When the external affairs ministry of the Great Britain came to know of it they took it as a great danger for the British Empire because if Communism and Islam combined the Russians would enjoy an impregnable power and dignity as compared to Britain. At once they raised an issue: Can Islam accept an atheistic and agnostic view point like Communism? The scholars of Al-Azhar, ignorant of this background, gave such a verdict as the Government of Britain wanted. The verdict was printed and distributed throughout the world so much so that its copies are still available with the Muslims living in the Muslim area of Russia. Obviously Lenin too came to know of this. He got wonderstruck and said "I thought Muslims were wise but it seems they too are rigid and orthodox like other religions." The result was that the whole scheme remained as it was and those who opposed it took a sigh of relief.

These extracts have been taken from the essay of Muhammad Abdullah (Retired I.A.S.) published in Soviet Union (Urdu) Vol. 28, June, 1982.