12.17.06
Backbiting
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa BarakatuhujazakAllaah khair to the bro who showed me this on paltalk when I was feeling gloomy =]
(now i know why i left paltalk before - sheesh)Al-Hasan was told that a certain person had gossiped about him. So he sent him a dish of dates. The person came to him and asked him, “I gossiped about you and you sent me a gift?” Al-Hasan replied, “You have given me your Hasanaat as a gift, so I wanted to return the favor.”Ashhab Bin Abdul-Aziz wrote to a man who had defamed him. “I’m writing to you because I hate what you’re saying about me. But I don’t want to help you in disobeying Allah. Beware that I enjoy grazing in your Hasanaat, just like a sheep grazes in a pasture. And greetings for you.
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “I met in this town (meaning Al-Madinah) people that have no faults, but when they start talking about the faults of others, they start getting faults. I also met in this town people who have faults, but who didn’t talk about the faults of others, so people overlooked their faults.Al-Rabi’a Bin Khuthaim was asked, “Why have you never criticized anyone?” He said, “I’m not satisfied with myself. How could I go criticizing others.”
Ibn Al-Mubarak said, “If I were to make Gheebah against anyone, it would be about my parents for they have more right to my Hasanaat.”
Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taimiyah, may Allah bless his soul, said: “Some people have the disease of criticizing all the time. They forget the good about others and only mention their faults. They are like flies that avoid the good and pure places and land on the bad and wounds. This is because of the evil within the self and the spoiled nature.”
Wahab said: “I made Nadhr (a vow to Allah) that anytime I commit Gheebah about a man I would fast a day. That was too constricting, but I would make Gheebah and then fast. Then I had the intention that anytime I made Gheebah I would give a Dirham as charity. The love of Dirhams finally made me give up Gheebah.”
Sufyaan Bin Al-Husain said: “I was in the company of Iyas Bin Mu’aawiyah. A man passed by and I said bad things about him. He said, ‘Be quiet,’ and then asked ‘Have you fought against the Romans?’ I said, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Have you fought against the Turks?’ I replied, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Both the Romans and the Turks are safe from you but your Muslim brother is not’. I never repeated what I did after that.”
Abu-Bakr Bin Abdur-Rahmaan said: “Do not let the affairs of others make you neglect your own self. Everything goes back to you. Don’t waste your day talking about this and that, for everything you say will be recorded and preserved against you.”
It was narrated by Abu Musa : Some people asked Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) whose Islam is the best? (i.e., who is a very good Muslim?) He replied, “One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongues and hands.” (Agreed upon)
The Prophet (pbuh) defined backbiting when he said:
“Do you know what is meant by backbiting?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “To say something about your brother which he dislikes.” One asked, “Even if what I say is true about my brother?” He replied, “If such defects you say are true about him, then you have backbitten him, and if he doesn’t have what you say, then you have committed slander against him.” (Related by Muslim, Abu Dawood, and Tirmidhi)
Committing Gheebah is forbidden by the Ijmaa’ of the scholars, and considered a major sin. Scholars differ in the Kaffaarah of the Mughtaab, but they all agree that he must make Tawbah as the first step. Repentance itself has three conditions: refraining from the sin, regret for the commission of the sin, and determination not to commit it ever again. Repentance from Gheebah, however, has an additional condition, a fourth one because the Mughtaab has actually committed two offenses:
1. One offense is towards Allah ( because he committed an act which Allah ( has prohibited. The expiation is to turn to Allah ( in repentance and to regret what has been done.
2. The other one is against Allah’s creatures. If the Gheebah has reached the person, then forgiveness must be sought from him and regret must be expressed to him for what has been said. But if the Gheebah didn’t reach the person, then he should pray for the person’s forgiveness and not tell him something he didn’t know anyway, fearing that some evil may result from telling him.
This was going to be a *mad* post to someone (that person will know who it is)….and then I read the above. If I am being rewarded, then I’m happy. Yeah, majorly hurt that a brother will be that rude to a sister (and attack her like she’s a brother), but hey, it’s my akhira that is benefitting inshaAllaah.
I do not know why this is bothering me so much. Maybe because I am being falsely accused of things. Or maybe because I am just ultra sensitive and I’m even more hurt when people who hurt me were considered my friends. I have had this happen several times in the past month. Maybe it shows that I have not been wise in choosing friends? Allaahu Alam
Allaahul Musta’an. He who has no one has Allaah.
May Allaah protect us all from using our tongues in a harmful manner, ameen.
hmm, I just realized…I may have fallen into backbiting (not slandering though, like what was done to me) when I said that the person was being a jerk to me. If so then I apologize to the person for that & that only (backbiting).
For the full article, go to the following link:
