Quran Underlines Avoiding Suspicion
Suspicion, which is a bad feeling and idea about other people, causes the erosion of trust in society and undermines the foundations of the society. A person acts based on how he thinks and his behavior is a reflection of his thoughts. Having bad thoughts about others causes one to have improper behavior toward them.
The Holy Quran, which is a book from God, who knows all about humans’ mentality and character, prohibits having suspicion: “Believers, abstain from most suspicion, some suspicion is a sin. Neither spy nor backbite one another would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Surely, you would loathe it. Fear Allah, without doubt Allah turns (in mercy) and He is the Merciful.” (Verse 12 of Surah Al-Hujurat)
In this verse God bans suspicion and conjecture and says it is a prelude to backbiting. One may ask why God says avoid most suspicion. It is because most of suspicions are bad suspicions.
Bad suspicions are two kinds. Some are based on reality and some are baseless. Having suspicions that are baseless is a sin and because a person cannot be sure which ones are based on reality and which ones are not, he should avoid bad suspicions altogether.
In another verse, the Quran refers to another kind of bad suspicion, which is one about God: “He would punish the hypocrites and the pagans who have evil suspicions about God. It is they who are surrounded by evil and have become subject to the wrath and condemnation of God.” (Verse 6 of Surah Al-Fat’h)
The suspicion that some Muslims had was that they thought God’s promises to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) would never materialize and Muslims would not defeat the enemies and would not return to Medina. And unbelievers thought that the Prophet (PBUH), who had a few companions and a few weapons, would be defeated and Islam would soon be gone. But God had promised Muslims’ victory and that was what happened.
The Quran bans such suspicion and says those who entertain such suspicions will receive painful punishment.
