Manners of giving Naseeha (advice)

　　· Naseehah is to be given in secret

　　Naseehah is most likely to bear its fruit when given to a person when he is by himself, for in such a situation the person is less likely to be affected by the thoughts of others. The sincere advisor should not aid the devil over his brother by publicly rebuking him and letting Shaitan (Satan) beguile his brother into not taking the Naseehah. This closes the doors of goodness and acceptance, and reduces the chances of the Naseehah from being accepted.

　　This is why our pious predecessors used to give Naseehah in secret. Ibn Rajab wrote, "When the righteous predecessors intended to give Naseehah to someone, they admonished him privately, to the point that some of them said, 'The one who exhorts his brother between him and himself, then it is Naseehah. The one who exhorts him in front of people, then it is merely scolding!'"

　　Al-Fudhail Ibn 'Iyyadh one of the pious scholars from our predecessors, said, "A believer covers up and gives Naseehah, whereas an evildoer exposes and humiliates." Ibn Rajab commented on this statement saying, "It is Naseehah if it is with a cover, while it is humiliation with broadcasting".

　　· Choosing the proper time to give Naseehah

　　The one giving Naseehah must choose the right time to give his advice, since a person is not always ready to receive Naseehah. A person may be angry about something, upset about not getting what he wanted, grieved for something he may have lost, or there may be some other reason that might prevent him from responding to the Naseehah.

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