Hadith Text
عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رضي الله عنهما قَالَ: حَفِظْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ:
«دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَىٰ مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ، فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ، وَالْكَذِبَ رِيبَةٌ».
رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ.
Full Translation
On the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with both of them), who said: I memorized from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
“Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt, for truthfulness is peace of mind, and falsehood is doubt.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: a sound hadith.
Meanings of Key Words
- دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ — leave what causes you uncertainty or inner disturbance; do not stay attached to what your heart does not settle over.
- إِلَىٰ مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ — for what does not trouble you; choose the path that is clear and calm.
- الصِّدْق — truthfulness; not only in speech, but in the state of the heart and the clarity of the path.
- طُمَأْنِينَة — peace, stillness, inward calm; the soul settles when it is aligned with what is right.
- رِيبَة — doubt, suspicion, uneasy uncertainty; the heart feels it is standing on unstable ground.
Hadith Lessons
This hadith is about inner clarity. Not every question in life has to be answered by force, and not every doubtful thing has to be held onto just because it is available. The Prophet ﷺ gives a very simple rule: if something leaves you uneasy, step away from it and choose what is clear. That is a deep form of faith, because it assumes that a believer should not make a home in confusion when clarity is available.
The hadith also connects truthfulness with peace. Truth does not only mean correct facts. It means the soul is no longer splitting itself into different versions. A truthful person is not constantly managing cover-ups, explanations, and excuses. That is why truth brings ṭuma’nīnah. The heart can rest because it is not carrying a hidden contradiction.
Life Example: Food, Money, and Doubt
A person may be unsure whether a certain source of money is clean, or whether a certain food is truly permissible, or whether a deal contains something questionable. The hadith does not ask him to become obsessive. It asks him to choose the path that does not leave the heart in anxiety. If he can step away and choose a cleaner option, that is often better for the soul than forcing himself to live with internal alarm.
Life Example: Relationships
Sometimes a relationship feels wrong even if you cannot immediately explain why. The person may not be openly sinful, but the connection brings confusion, mixed signals, secrecy, or inner discomfort. This hadith teaches that the believer should not ignore that inner unease forever. If the path is making the heart unstable, it may be safer to leave it for what is calmer and more transparent.
Life Example: Decision-Making
A student choosing a field, a worker choosing a job, or a family choosing a move may face two options. One looks attractive but unsettled; the other is simpler but cleaner. The hadith teaches that peace of mind is not a trivial thing. Often the path with less anxiety is not just emotionally easier — it is spiritually safer. This does not mean every hard choice is wrong. It means the believer should not ignore the soul’s alarm when a clear alternative exists.
Why This Hadith Fits Bab al-Sidq
This hadith belongs in the chapter of truthfulness because truth is not only about what is said. Truth is also the state of a life that can stand without needing concealment. A truthful path does not require constant self-justification. A false path does. That is why the hadith says falsehood is rībah — it creates inner agitation. Even if a person outwardly gets away with it, the heart often knows.
The best kind of clarity is not merely intellectual. It is moral. The believer wants a life where he can sleep with a clean conscience, speak without fear of contradiction, and stand before Allah without carrying a deliberate confusion he chose to keep.
Three Questions to Close With
- When I feel uneasy about a matter, do I honestly step away from it, or do I try to silence the unease and continue anyway?
- Do I trust that truth brings peace of heart, even if it costs me something outwardly?
- Are there choices in my life that look acceptable on the outside but keep my heart in a state of restless doubt?