Islam prohibits backbiting and slandering

Subject: Islam prohibits backbiting and slandering Thu May 13, 2010 9:33 am

Islam prohibits backbiting and slandering

Major sins are indeed the cause for all misery, evil and torment
in this world and the hereafter.

And the worst of all sins
are those that are greatest in harm and danger to humanity. Among the
destructive major sins are backbiting and slandering. These two sins are
forbidden by Allah because they sow enmity, evils and discord among
people and lead to destruction. They cause hostilities between people of
the same household and between neighbors and relatives. They can
decrease in good deeds and increase in evil ones and lead to dishonor
and ignominy.

Backbiting and slandering are shame and disgrace.
Their perpetrator is detested and he shall not have a noble death. Allah
forbids these acts, as He says in the Qur'an:

"Backbiting and
Gossiping are from the most vilest and despicable of things, yet the
most widely spread amongst mankind, such that no one is free from it
except for a few people."

Backbiting (gheebah) means
mentioning something about a person (in his absence), that he hates (to
have mentioned), whether it is about: His body, his religious
characteristics, his worldly affairs, his self, his physical appearance,
his character, his wealth, his child, his father, his wife, his manner
of walking, his smile, it is the same whether you mention that about him
with words, through writings, or whether you point or indicate him by
gesturing with your eyes, hand or head.

As for the body, is when
you make fun of how someone looks, or mentioning any bad quality in him,
as saying: "he is blind", "he limps", "he is bleary-eyed", "he is
bald", "he is short", "he is tall", "he is black", "he is yellow", "he's
too thin", "he's too fat". As for his religious qualities, it is when
you say: "he is a sinner", "he is a thief", "he is a betrayer", "he is
an oppressor", "he doesn't pray", "he prays so fast", "he does not
behave well towards his parents", "he does not pay the Zakat duly"." As
for the worldly matters, then it is when you say: "he has poor manners",
"he does not
think that anyone has a right over him", "he talks too much" …etc

Allah
says in the Qur'an:

"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion,
in deeds some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one
another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You
would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah, verily, Allah is
The One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful" (Qur'an 49: 12)

In
this verse, Allah strongly forbids backbiting, and he compares the
backbiter to one who eats the flesh of his dead brother. If he would
hate eating the flesh of his brother, he should also hate to eat his
flesh while he is alive by backbiting and slandering him.

When
one reflects deeply over this assimilation it will be enough to keep one
away from backbiting.

Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with
him) narrated that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

"Do you know
what backbiting is?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He
then said, “It is to say something about your brother that he would
dislike.” Someone asked him, “But what if what I say is true?” The
Messenger of Allah said, “If what you say about him is true, you are
backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him."

Backbiting
is so widespread among people that it has become an issue of people’s
meetings and an avenue for expressing their anger, misgivings and
jealousy. Those who indulge in backbiting are hiding their own
imperfections and harming others. They are oblivious of the fact that
they are only harming themselves.

This is because the backbiter
if the wrongdoer and his victim is the wronged, on the Day of
Resurrection both the wrongdoer and the wronged will stand before Allah
Who is the Just Judge and the wronged will appeal to Allah to avenge the
wrong done to him, Allah will then give this wronged person from the
good deeds of the person who wronged him in accordance with his wrong by
backbiting his brother on a Day that no father will give his son
any of his good deeds nor a friend to his friend. All will be saying,
‘Myself, myself.’

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him)
reported that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) once passed by two graves and
said:

"Verily, they (occupants of graves) are both being
tormented and they are not being tormented for something major."
In the report from Al-Bukhari:
"Rather, it is indeed something major.
As for the first one, he used to go around spreading gossip (nameemah)
and as for the other, and then he used not to protect himself from his
own urine." [2]
The scholars say the meaning of "and they are not
being tormented for something major" is "something major" according to
their opinion or "something major" for them to have abandoned doing.

Prophet
Mohammad (PBUH) also said:

"Who protects his tongue from
unlawful utterances and his private parts from illegal sexual
intercourse; I shall guarantee him entrance into Paradise."

Also
Abu Mousa Al-Ash’aree narrated that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

"I
asked the Messenger of Allah: Who is the best Muslim? The Messenger of
Allah replied, "He is the one from whom Muslims are safe from the evil
of his tongue and hands."

And Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudree narrated
that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

"When man wakes up in the
morning each day, all parts of the body warn the tongue saying, ‘Fear
Allah as regards us for we are at your mercy; if you are upright, we
will be upright and if you are crooked, we become crooked."

So,
Muslims, you should beware of slipping of your tongues and do not give
it free hand to wreak havoc on you. For a too free tongue destroys its
owner and causes him calamities and evils.

Subject: Re: Islam prohibits backbiting and slandering Thu May 13, 2010 9:55 am

Akhi, you have given an excellent set of references, may Allah be pleased with you. Allahu alim, but I think this is one of the main reasons why the majority of the inhabitants of hell will be women.....
having said that, I must add that a lot of brothers are backbiting to the extent that they exceed their female counterparts Neutral

May Allah save us from harming others, and ourselves by this shameful behaviour, ameen

Subject: Re: Islam prohibits backbiting and slandering Thu May 13, 2010 10:12 am

thanks!
yae i agree with u ...
may Allah give us hidayat to become a good and harmless human for the society Smile

fee amaan ullah.

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