A FAITHFUL BELIEVER DOES NOT BECOME A “YES-MAN”

From among the debased qualities is for a person to be a yes-man. He is such a person who does not have his own mind, rather, he always follow blindly the way of others, always inclined towards all directions, and above all, a pursuer of personal gains. In other words, a yes-man is a hypocrite, Allah says:

وَإِذَا لَقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ شَيَٰطِينِهِمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ

“And when they come across those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their devils, they say, “We are with you; we were only ridiculing.”
( Al-baqara: 14)

A yes-man is a prophetic word as reported in a tradition narrated by Hudhaifa (RadiyAllahu Anhu), that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:

“Do not let yourselves be ‘yes-men’, saying: ‘If the people are good then we will be good, and if they are wrong then we will be wrong. Rather, make up your own minds, if the people are good then you are good, and if they are evil, then do not behave unjustly.”

A yes-man has no personal decision, if he sits with mockers of religion, he mocks at religion alongside with them and if he sits with believers, he says what they say. He says yes to anybody for whatever they say. If the atheist says: religion is the opium of the masses, religion is a dream that has no meaning, he agrees with them and says the same thing. If he is with the believers and they say: one who has no religion has not any value, he says the same with them. About such people, Allah says:

مُّذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَآ إِلَىٰ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَلَآ إِلَىٰ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ

“Wavering in between, neither with these, nor with those.”
(An-Nisaa: 146).

This indeed is among the worst sicknesses, for such people have no any value and morals. They follow the whims and caprices of others and have no any determination of their own.

This indeed cannot be the quality of the believers, for the true believers sacrifice everything they possess for the sake of clinging upon the truth. The unbelievers of Quraish confronted (Abu Talib) the uncle of prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) and offered to make the Prophet their chief, or to contribute money to make him the richest among them if he will stop calling to Islam. His reply left them dumbfounded. He said in reply to them:

“By Allah oh uncle! If they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand in order that I stop this work, I would never have stopped it”.

Bilal Ibn Rabah (RadiyAllahu Anhu) while he was being punished by his masters to revert from Islam to polytheism, he keeps reiterating to their hearings the lofty words of monotheism: Ahad, Ahad-He (Allah) is the only one, He (Allah) is the only One”.

Ibn Mas’ud (RadiyAllahu Anhu) is reported saying:

“Become a scholar or a student, and do not be a yes-man in-between them”

May Allah protect us from such a behavior, and His peace and blessings be upon our dear Prophet, his family and all companions.
Ameen.