By Muhammad Alshareef
Ibn Abbas narrates: On the day of Nahr (in Hajj-the day of Eid), Rasul
Allah addressed the people and said,
“O People what day is this?”
They said, “It is the sacred day!” He then remained quiet. Then he
asked,
“What month is this?”
They said, “It is the sacred month!” He then remained quiet. Then he
asked,
“What land is this?”
They said, “It is the sacred land!” He then remained quiet, then he
announced,
“Verily your blood and your wealth and your honor is sacred (to one
another) as the sacredness of this day, as the sacredness of this month,
as the sacredness of this land.”
Rasul Allah repeated it over and over, then he raised his head to the
heavens and said,
“O Allah, have I given the message? O Allah, have I given the message?”
– Bukhari and Muslim
Allah commanded us to be merciful, loving, and forgiving to one another.
And he made this a quality in His messenger so that we could follow
Rasul Allah’s example:
[It is from the Mercy of Allah that you dealt gently with them. Wert
thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about
thee: so pass over (their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for
them; and consult them in the affairs. Then, when you have taken a
decision, put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their
trust (in Him).]
– Surah Aale Imran, 159.
Indeed, the Sahaabah followed the example of the Rasul Allah and were
described by the Lord of the heavens and the earth as such:
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are
strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate-merciful amongst each
other…”
Surah Fath, 29.
One of the biggest and evilest wreckers of this compassion, love and
brotherhood is backbiting. The word in Arabic is Gheebah, coming from
the root: Gha-Yaa-Baa, meaning that which is unseen. When a Muslim sees
his brother or sister committing a sin, without advising them directly,
they go to others - when they are unseen by the specified brother or
sister - and speak ill of them in their absence.
Backbiting
is Haram, it is one of the major sins and repentance must be sought for
this sin. There is no other opinion in Islam.
Imam Al-Qurtubi said, “There is a consensus (Ijmaa’) that backbiting is
a major sin and that it is Fard that a person do Towbah from it.”
Compiled by Muslim, Rasul Allah said to his companions, “Do
you know what Gheebah is?”
They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said,
“It is to mention something about your brother (in his absence) that he
would hate.”
It was said, 'What if what I say about my brother is true?’ He (sallAllahu
‘alaihi wa sallam) said:
“If what you said about him is true then you would have backbitten him,
and if it is not true, then you would have slandered him (buhtaan).”
[Muslim]
Look at the severity of the situation and the result of someone who runs
after their Muslim brothers and sisters trying to expose their faults:
Rasul Allah said,
“O ye who have believed with (only) their tongues, yet faith has not yet
entered their hearts! Do not backbite the Muslims. And do not search out
their faults. For verily, he who follows the private matters of his
Muslim brother, Allah shall follow his private matters. And whoever has
his private matters followed by Allah, Allah shall expose them even if
they were (hiding) in the belly of their home.”
-authentic hadith narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawood.
Imam Malik said about the sacred city of Madinah, “I have met in this
land people that had no faults. But they spent their time finding faults
in others and (as time passed) they accumulated their own faults.
“And I have met in this land people who had faults. However, they kept
silent when it came to the faults of others, and so (as time passed)
their faults were forgotten!”
Listen! Allah is calling us:
“O ye who believe! Avoid
suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin:
and spy not on each other, nor speak ill of each other behind their
backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay,
ye would abhor it...But fear Allah, for Allah is Oft- Returning, Most
Merciful.” – Surah Al-Hujuraat, 12.
What
causes someone to backbite his Muslim brothers and sisters?
Satisfying Anger
This is done by backbiting the person who kindles his anger - so every
time this person makes him angry, he subsides it by backbiting the
person. Through this (the backbiting), he feels he is getting even with
the other person.
The cure for this is the advice of the Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam) when a man came to him and said advise me,
"(Laa Taqhdab) Do not become angry!”
Wanting to Make or Keep Friends
In order to maintain friends with others, a person indulges in
backbiting because he is afraid of losing their friendship. Thus he does
not reprimand them when they backbite, but indulges in it with them.
To cure this he must remember the saying of the Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam)
"Whoever seeks the pleasure of men by displeasing Allah, Allah will
abandon him to the people."
[At-Tirmidhi]
Playing Around, Joking and Making Fun of Others
This could involve mockery and sarcasm. It is enough to remind those
indulging in this practice of what Allah, the Most High said:
"O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be
that the latter is better than the former..." [Al-Hujuraat 49:11]
It could very well be that Allah loves them and does not love us.
Anger for the Sake of Allah.
A person may become angry because of a sin committed by another person
so he talks about it venting his anger and mentioning that person's name
instead of concealing it and not mentioning him.
Sufyaan ibn al-Husayn narrates: I was sitting with Iyaas ibn Mu’aawiyah
when a man walked by and I said ill of that man. “Keep Quiet!” Iyaas
said to me. “Have you fought the Romans?” I said no. He asked, “Have you
fought the Turk?” I said no. He then said, “The Romans were saved from
you and likewise the Turk were saved from you. But your own Muslim
brother was not saved!” Sufyaan said, “After that I never backbited
anyone.”
Having Too Much Spare Time
This can cause a person to fall into backbiting, because it is easy for
such an idle mind to become busy with men, their honor and their faults.
To correct this a person must spend his time in acts of obedience to
Allah, worship, seeking knowledge, and teaching others.
Conceit and Lack Of Awareness Of One's Faults
Such people should think about their own faults and try to correct
themselves and feel ashamed to criticize others when they have many
faults themselves.
It was said to Rabee’ ibn Khaytham, “We never see you finding fault in
others.” He replied, “I am not satisfied with myself enough to dedicate
my time to finding faults in others.”
Uqbah ibn Aamir narrates: I said, “O Rasul Allah! What is salvation?” He
(sal Allahu alayhi wa Sallam) said,
“Hold your tongue! Your house should suffice you! And cry over your
(own) faults!”
– authentic, narrated by Tirmidhi.
Part
II:
Shaykh Al-Qarnee narrates in one of his lectures: Abu Bakr once disputed
with another companion about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr said
something that he rather would not have said. He did not curse, he did
not attack someone’s honor, he did not poke a fault in anyone, all he
said was something that may have hurt the companion’s feelings.
Immediately, Abu Bakr ordered him, “Say it back to me!” The companion
said, “I shall not say it back to me.” “Say it back to me,” said Abu
Bakr, “Or I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah.” The companion
refused to say it back and went on his way.
Abu Bakr went to Rasul Allah and told what had happened and what he
said. Rasul Allah called that companion and asked him, “Did
Abu Bakr say so and so to you?”
He said, “Yes.” He said, “What
did you reply.”
He said, “I did not reply it back to him.” Rasul Allah said,
“Good, do not reply it back to him (do not hurt Abu Bakr).
Rather say,
‘May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!’”
The Companion turned to Abu Bakr and said, “May Allah forgive you O Abu
Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!” Abu Bakr turned and cried as he
walked away.
How can we revive this air of mercy and love and brotherhood that the
companions lived? The Messenger of Allah showed us in the following
ways:
Having Eeman in Allah and doing acts of goodness.
“On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will the Most
Gracious bestow love.” Surah Maryam: 96
Spreading Salam to those whom you know and those whom you do not.
In Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah: RasulAllah said,
“You shall not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe
until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something that – if
you do it – you shall love one another? Spread Salam amongst
yourselves.”
And in Bukhari and Muslim, from AbdAllah ibn Amr: a man came to Rasul
Allah and asked him, “Which Islam is the best?” He said,
“To feed the hungry and to give salam to those you know and those you
don’t know.”
Giving gifts to your brothers and sisters.
Suffice is the statement of Rasul Allah, “Tahaaddu Tahaabbu. (Give Gifts
and you shall love one another).” – narrated by Imam Bukhari in his book
al-Adab al-Mufrad. Saheeh lishawaahidih.
Telling your brother or sister that you love them for the sake of Allah:
This is one of the ways to solidify the brotherhood/sisterhood when your
brother or sister knows that you love them.
These days people are loved for the clothes they wear, so they buy more
expensive clothes. Others are loved for the cars they drive, so they buy
newer models. But how many are loved for the sake of Allah, and what
kind of effect would that have?
Rasul Allah showed us the example when he said to Mu’aadh,
“O Mu’aadh! I love you for the sake of Allah!”
Allahu akbar! Imagine if it were you that Rasul Allah said it to.
Mu’aadh replied, “May He whom you have loved me for love you also.”
In conclusion, if you remember only one thing today, let it be the
following words of Rasul Allah. Take it as your motto until it carries
you to Jannah:
He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said,
“Whoever believes in Allah and the last Day, let him say good things or
keep quiet!”
muhammad@teacher.com