༺ 𝙒𝙃𝙀𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿𝙎 𝙈𝙀𝙀𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝘼𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 ༻

 

༺ 𝘿𝙊 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝙎𝙋𝙀𝘼𝙆 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝙀𝙉 — 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 𝙄𝙏 ༻

➖➖➖

It is not uncommon to see people reminding others about righteousness while they themselves struggle to live by the very words they speak.

Islam teaches us that enjoining good and doing good are both required. Our own shortcomings do not make reminding others unnecessary—but our reminders should also become a means of correcting ourselves.

🔸 Do Not Forget Yourself

Allah ﷻ says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ ۝ كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ

“O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is to Allah that you say that which you do not do.”

[Aṣ-Ṣaff 61:2–3]

And Allah ﷻ says:

أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

“Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Will you not then understand?”

[Al-Baqarah 2:44]

The warning is not against calling people toward righteousness. Rather, it is against forgetting ourselves while telling others what we ourselves neglect.

🔸 Let Your Reminder Begin With You

The scholars explained that a person should strive to be among the first to practice what he encourages others to do.

If you remind someone to pray—guard your own prayer.

If you remind someone to lower their gaze—lower your own gaze.

If you remind someone to leave sin—fight your own sins.

If you remind someone to remember Allah—remember Allah yourself.

Every reminder you give to another person should also become a reminder for you.

🔸 The Prophet ﷺ Warned Us

عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ رضي الله عنهما، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ

يُجَاءُ بِالرَّجُلِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيُلْقَى فِي النَّارِ، فَتَنْدَلِقُ أَقْتَابُ بَطْنِهِ، فَيَدُورُ بِهَا كَمَا يَدُورُ الْحِمَارُ بِالرَّحَى

The Prophet ﷺ described a man who will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and thrown into the Fire. The people will ask him:

أَلَيْسَ كُنْتَ تَأْمُرُنَا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَانَا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ؟

“Were you not commanding us to do good and forbidding us from evil?”

He will say:

كُنْتُ آمُرُكُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَا آتِيهِ، وَأَنْهَاكُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَآتِيهِ

“I used to command you to do good, but I did not do it; and I used to forbid you from evil, but I did it.”

[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3267; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2989]

This is a terrifying warning.

🌿 YOU FIRST…

Do not stop reminding others because you are imperfect.

Instead, remind yourself first.

When you call someone toward Allah ﷻ, let your own heart hear the reminder.When you speak about repentance, repent.When you speak about ṣalāh, protect your ṣalāh.When you speak about sincerity, examine your intentions.When you speak about Jannah, strive for it. Every reminder we give others should be a reminder we desperately need ourselves.

May Allah ﷻ make us people who practice what we preach, purify our intentions, forgive our shortcomings, and allow our words to benefit both ourselves and others.

آمِينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ