Suspicion?

When we lose something or something occurs we want to know who is behind it and why they did it. Sometimes we find out who did it or they come forward, but sometimes we do not know. As people we want to find an answer to every problem so we do everything to have an answer. However, when certain things occur we accuse others due to suspicion and our own created analysis. For instance, you lose your wallet at school or at your workplace and no one comes forward to claim they took it because they probably did not take it. We want an answer to why our wallet is gone and we begin to speculate who could have taken and why they did. We think about who has a grudge on us and would do it because they do not like us or someone who has pick-pocketed before and due to this we suspect they are behind it. We keep this thought, spread it among our closest friends and we may even confront them and blame them for doing the deed. This is called suspicion and the individual we accuse becomes our prime witness until proven innocent.

Suspicion and treating people as suspects due to some past events and things they did is wrong because we do not have evidence to blame them for something. The hard thing about suspecting someone and carrying doubtful thoughts about someone is that once they are not the culprit, you have to apologise. You have to apologise for all the rumours you spread about them to others and others avoiding the individual due to your words. Suspicion is also wrong because people can change and you are looking at one’s past mistakes that were probably even done many years ago. We believe in the statement that once a person becomes something they will always be it, refusing to accept their reforms and changes. Well, how many times have you done something and it was overlooked and forgiven, we cannot follow other’s mistakes and accidents because we don’t want others to do it to us.

That is why Allah said:

‘O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin.’

Assumptions and suspicions lead to sin because you hurt and scar and damage another’s reputation as we accuse them for something they have not dome due to speculation. However, not all suspicions are wrong, if you suspect something or someone is doing something wrong and harmful to someone or to yourself you have to raise concerns. The concern you raise can be vital for protecting someone and society, that is why it is stated that some suspicion is a sin but not all suspicion.

The aim is to identify what we are suspecting, if suspicion is for the sake of the better of people and society then there is nothing wrong with that. However, if our suspicion is based on accusing a fellow person because we believe they did something with no clear proof, that is when suspicion is wrong as you can harm a person’s reputation and status due to your assumptions that have no evidence.