THE DANGER OF BACKBITING AND SLANDER
All praise is for Alláh, the All-Acquainted of what we conceal and what we reveal. Nothing on the earth or in heaven is concealed from Alláh. I praise Alláh the way the one whose defects preoccupy him so much so that he can not look at other people’s defects. I thank Him and seek his forgiveness. I testify that there is no God worthy of worship save Alláh alone having no partner with Him, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. May the peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his Companions, who listened to the lessons and admonishment and followed the best of them. If they passed by some evil talk, they passed by with dignity. May the same blessings be upon anyone following on their footsteps, who keeps his soul and tongue away from harming any Muslim.
O Muslims! Fear Alláh and do not throw yourselves into backbiting and slander. These two qualities are so dangerous that they destroy the brotherly relationships and the Islamic bonds among Muslims. It only takes one of the two qualities to divide a nation, separate between the hearts of its people, and disclose its weakness to its enemy so that it becomes vulnerable to any of the enemy’s attacks. Al-Namimah is to tell someone what another has said about him for the sake of setting the two of them against each other. This gossip has brought misfortune to humanity, and been the cause of too many disasters. How many times did gossip sow dissension between the man and his brother, the man and his wife and the man and his friend? Upon which, love turns to hatred and serenity turns to distress. Knowing that gossip is the enemy of peace, harmony, and agreement, and the cause for hatred and feud, how could someone not imagine what it does among friends, brothers and family members? Many scholars have considered it from the types of magic. Ibn Abdul-Barr reported from Yahya Bin Kathir that he said: “The slanderer and liar ruin in one hour what a magician can not ruin in a whole year.” So you who possess superb souls, save your souls from falling into these low manners. Slander and gossip are two of the lowest and most repulsive behaviors. They are indeed the qualities of the mean and contemptible people, who violate other people’s privacy and spread their secrets. Too many intact houses were destroyed, too many families were disunited, and too many innocent souls were dissipated, all because of gossip and slander.
For this people must verify any information and allegations that come across, especially when the transmitter is one of those talebearers. In this regard Allah(swt) says:
“O you who believe! If a Fásiq (liar – evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done.” (49:6)
So do not be deceived by informants and talebearers, for if they are telling you about someone, next time they will tell about you. A talebearer is also a traitor even when honest. He is negligent of all the divine teachings, which condemned his behavior, and threatened those who slander and walk about with calumnies. He does not fear being prevented from entering Paradise. The Messenger of Allah(swt) said:
“He who spreads calumnies shall not enter Paradise.”
He also said:
“Shall I not tell you who the most evil among you are? Those who walk about with calumnies.” (Ahmed)
Backbiting is your mentioning ofyour Muslim brother behind his back something that he hates, whether this thing is related to his appearance or behavior, and whether it is true or a lie. The Messenger of Allah(pbuh) was once asked about backbiting, upon which he replied:
” … It is your mentioning your brother with what he hates.” A man then asked: “What if what I said about him is true?” The Prophet said: “If he is like what you said, then you have backbitten him. Yet, if he is not, then you have slandered him.”
Fear Alláh! O servants of Alláhl Do not stain your manners and behavior with backbiting, for Allah(swt) has indeed forbidden you to do so as He said:
“And do not backbite one another.” (49: 12)
He then depicted the backbiter in a very ugly scene that provokes disgust: aman eating from the flesh of his dead brother. Allah(swt) said:
“Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting).” (49:12)
O servants of Alláh! Can a normal person who has dignity and faith tolerate eating from meat that is a human’s flesh which belongs to a dead person and this person is his brother? (That is precisely how ugly the depiction of backbiting is.)
O Muslims! Stay away from all these vices. Purify your speech from saying anything that may be classified as slander or backbiting, regardless of how trivial it may sound. The Prophet(pbuh) once heard ‘Áishah say something about Safia. She said: “It is sufficient for you that she is such and such (meaning short).” Upon that the Prophet(pbuh) said:
“You said a word that if it were mixed with the sea water, it would spoil it. “
O Muslims! Fear the torture ofthe grave and be aware that slander and backbiting are sorne of the sins that lead to the torture of the grave. Do ot perform the actions that may lead to the torment of Hellfire. In this respect the Prophet(pbuh) said:
“When I ascended up through the heavens, on the way I passed by some people who had nails from copper scratching their own faces and chests. I asked Jibreel: ‘Who are these people?’ He answered: “They are those who eat the flesh of people and hurt their honor.”
O Muslims! Fear Allah(swt) and have great regard for your brothers’ honor, as it is indeed regarded and preserved according to the teachings of Islam. The Messenger of Alláh(pbuh) had called for prohibiting the degradation of the honor of any Muslim. He said:
“It is prohibited upon you to shed the blood of one another, to claim (unlawfully) the property of one another, to degrade the honor of one another. They are as prohibited as this day, in a place like this sacred place, in a month like this Haram (sacred) month.”
These are the teachings of Islam that state clearly the terrible fate of slanderers and backbiters for the disgraces they spread, and the shortcomings, defects and errors of the people that they pursue. Their example in that is like the example of the fly that does not land except on foul-smelling trash. They further state the adverse effects of backbiting and slander on the society. Islam has prohibited its followers from pursuing the defects and errors of one another, as the Prophet(pbuh) said:
“Alláh pursues the errors of hirn, who pursues the errors of the Muslims, until he is exposed even in the very middle of his home.”
Allah(swt) says:
“Verily, those who like that (the crime of) illegal sexual intercourse should be propagated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Alláh knows and you know not.” (24: 19)
May Allah(swt) bless us all with His Book and benefit us with its Áyat and wisdom. By this, I conclude my speech and ask Allah(swt) to forgive all of our wrongdoings. So seek His forgiveness, as He is the All Forgiving, Most Merciful.
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