Human beings possess certain innate characteristics. One such characteristic is the ability to critique or complain. With this ability, however, we have two choices: 1) To direct that criticism toward everything around us, or 2) To direct that criticism toward ourselves. The successful individual is the one who directs criticism toward themselves with the intention of self-improvement. This principle applies universally. For example, successful athletes are those who direct criticism toward themselves and work on their own deficiencies, and the result is that the entire team benefits. Similarly if we direct the criticism toward ourselves, using it to identify our own weakness and work toward improving them, then we will be successful, as will our communities, both in this life and on the Day of Judgement.
Today we are quick to find faults and critique everyone around us, whether it be our friends, our parents, our children, our spouses, our in-laws, our neighbors — even though we ourselves are not free of fault. This principle is best highlighted in the life of the Prophet ﷺ during the incident at Ta’if, when, despite the difficulty he suffered at the hands of those people when they attempted to humiliate him, he only looked at himself and complained to Allah ﷻ of his own weakness. Despite being in a rightful position to criticize and complain about others, the Prophet ﷺ instead forgave others and focused his criticism on himself.
