Have Good Opinions
of Others

The holding of a good opinion implies rooting out a bad opinion about others. This is an internal jihad which merits a great reward in Islam.

According to a tradition, the Prophet of Islam once observed, “Holding good opinions about others is a form of worship.” (Musnad Ahmad 7956)

In life occasions repeatedly arise when a person comes to mistrust another. This happens because a person is suspicious about someone. Consciously or unconsciously, he comes to regard him as evil which is why he is believed to be engaged in wrongdoing.

Another major reason for mistrust is the lack of information. Sometimes it happens that an individual is not fully informed about the circumstances of others. His knowledge is only partial and, and because of this, he is not able to see the issue in the correct light. He then suffers as a result of this misunderstanding.

Due to such misapprehension, the forming of correct opinions has become a very difficult task. If a person forms some opinions as a result of prejudice or incomplete knowledge, he will be doing a grave injustice to his fellow human beings. In such a situation what a person has to do is to rid himself of biased thinking and on the other hand before forming any opinion, he should try to have full knowledge of the matter. This has made the question of holding a good opinion one of jihad, which means striving. It is thanks to this aspect of holding a good opinion that it has been accorded the status of a great form of worship.

The holding of a good opinion is no simple matter. It is to root out a bad opinion about others and replace it with a good opinion about others. This is an internal jihad and that is why this act will merit a great reward according to Islam.