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Concealing a Muslim's fault (satr)

ستر المسلم

Concealing a Muslim, in Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him)'s hadith — the thirty-sixth of the Forty — is one of the acts of aiding a brother that are repaid in kind: 'whoever conceals a Muslim, God will conceal him in this world and the next' — shielding a brother's exposed fault in religion or worldly affairs from people's eyes and not tearing his covering, set alongside relieving distress, easing for the insolvent, and the rule 'God is at the servant's aid so long as the servant is at his brother's aid' — so that concealment is a form of aid rewarded with its like in both abodes (Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam p. 731).

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Spirituality and Sufism

Overview

Veiling a Muslim (satr) is one of the deeds of helping a brother. It occurs in the thirty-sixth hadith of the Forty of al-Nawawi: "Whoever veils a Muslim, God will veil him in this world and the next." 1

Its meaning

Ibn Rajab explains veiling as withholding people's view of a brother's nakedness in his religion or his worldly affairs, and not exposing his concealment. 1

Its place in the hadith

Veiling is paired with relieving distress and easing the lot of one in difficulty, and with the principle "God is in the aid of the servant as long as the servant is in the aid of his brother." Veiling is a kind of help, and it is rewarded in kind in both abodes. 1

It is connected with the concept of brotherhood.

Connections

Explore the connections

Based on
Arba'un 36 — whoever relieves a believer's distress
Part of
Muslim brotherhood

People and things also explored

Muslim brotherhood· Arba'un 36 — whoever relieves a believer's distress· The ethics of the new community in Medina· The sanctity of a Muslim's blood· Seeking knowledge· Arba'un 35 — do not envy one another; be brothers· Muslim 45 — None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself· Muslim 54 — You will not enter Paradise until you believe and love one another

Sources

  1. Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam — Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali , p.731
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Concealing a Muslim's fault (satr)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/satr/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Muslim brotherhood

The brotherhood between Muslims in the thirty-fifth hadith of the Forty: 'be servants of God, brothers — a Muslim is a Muslim's brother, he does not wrong him, fail him, lie to him or despise him', followed by the prohibition of each one's blood, property and honour for another — a brotherhood that preserves rights, not a mere sentiment, forbidding envy, artificial bidding, mutual hatred, turning away and selling upon a brother's sale; and in Ibn Umar's hadith — the thirty-seventh — 'whoever attends to his brother's need, God attends to his need', while despising a Muslim brother is declared 'enough evil' — in his commentary Ibn Rajab develops brotherhood as requiring preferring one's brother, loving him and looking to his state (Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam pp. 710–711).