An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
8. Manners In Speech
~ 185 ~
the Qur’an from beginning to end, and nowhere do
I find any reference to this. And besides, I wager
that members of your own household have
tattooing done.” Abdullah ibn Masud told her to go
to his house and see for herself. She did so, but
found no trace of tattooing on anyone. When she
returned, Abdullah ibn Masud said to her:
“Have you not read in the Qur’an that you must
accept whatever the Prophet gives you, and abstain
from whatever he forbids?” The lady said that she
had. “Well, this is something the Prophet forbade,”
said Abdullah ibn Masud.
(JAMI‘ BAYAN AL-‘ILM)
DEFERRING TO THE BETTER-INFORMED
Abdullah ibn Umar tells of how, after the death
of the Prophet, people in both Arabia and Persia
started breaking their pledges to Islam. They
claimed that, with the Prophet dead, there was
no point in continuing to follow Islam, for it had
only been because of him that Muslims received
divine succour. Using this argument, they won
over the people of Nihawand, with whom they
