Do not live in suspicion

Suspicion means to believe something to be bad without any substantial evidence. In the social sense, allowing suspicion to become a habit can have a disastrous effect on society. In moral terms, suspicion is a sin.

In both cases, it is to be avoided. Bhagavat Gita says that some of the impediments to sound health are suspicion, anger and frustration. The Quran says, “Believers, avoid much suspicion, indeed, some suspicion is a sin” (49:12). Prophet Muhammad said: “Don’t be suspicious of your fellow men.”

Suspicion is tantamount to a lie. When we suspect another person of some wrongdoing and we have no irrefutable evidence in support of our suspicion, we are committing falsehood. In other words, we are telling a lie.

The habit of suspicion is like smoking. It not only ruins the health of the individual, who has the habit, but it also pollutes the social atmosphere. Suspicion is like moral pollution. Just as air pollution is harmful to everyone, so is this kind of moral pollution. It is, in fact, spiritual pollution. The Bible tells us that sin produces five sets of perverting attitudes, among them is suspicion. It further tells us to set aside our anxieties, doubts and suspicion. All those in society, where the majority are of a suspicious cast of mind, are bound to inhale its morally polluted air. Everyone is bound to suffer from bad health in terms of morality. Suspicion is not an individual, but rather a social evil. Thus in a society, everyone becomes unpredictable, causing the mutual trust to disappear. There will be
no unity and solidarity in such a society.

Suspicion is not a solitary evil. It leads to many others. Suspicion is like a poisonous weed that rapidly multiplies in a jungle of moral evils. When the individual develops the habit of suspicion, it gradually becomes his second nature. He starts suspecting everything and feels that every person except himself is a suspicious person. He does not realise that suspicion is the result of confused thinking and suspicious nature is very dangerous for himself as well as for other individuals.