Good judgment requires evidence and humility
“Don't make a judgment when you're in a heightened emotional state.”
Good judgment requires verifying information, hearing all sides calmly, avoiding status-based assumptions, and remaining humble enough to accept better solutions.
The khutbah in 5 steps
- Introduces everyday judgments and the Quranic command to verify unreliable or unknown reports.
- Retells Dawood's hasty sheep-dispute judgment and extracts lessons about calmness, evidence, and hearing both sides.
- Retells Dawood and Suleiman's garden dispute, contrasting an acceptable ruling with a better restorative solution.
- Applies these principles to family, business, voting, investments, and leadership, emphasizing humility.
- Reminds listeners to fast Ashura and concludes with prayers for struggling people, justice, and Gaza.
In the khateeb's words
“You have to make sure that you carefully weigh to the extent you can or that you care. You weigh all sides of an issue before making a judgment.”
“don't make a judgment when you're in a heightened emotional state. Because if you do, you're not going to be thinking fully.”
“We don't judge based on race. You're Arab, you're Desi. Well, therefore, you must be true because you're from my tribe and you must be wrong because you're not.”
For the dinner table
Shaykh Mustafa reminded us that our decisions can affect both ourselves and other people, so we should slow down and check what we hear. Through the first story of Prophet Dawood, he taught us to hear both sides and avoid making important judgments when we are upset. He also reminded us that someone's wealth, gender, or background should not decide whether we believe them; we need to weigh the evidence. In the story of the damaged garden, Suleiman suggested a solution that allowed the garden to be repaired and both owners to receive their property back. Prophet Dawood welcomed that better idea, showing us the humility to listen and change our minds. We can ask Allah to help us practice that wisdom and fairness at home and with our friends.
- What could you do before passing along a surprising story about someone at school?
- When you feel angry, what helps you calm down before deciding what to do?
- How could we make it easier for everyone in our family to suggest a better idea?
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