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Lesson: 65 Backbiting Prohibited
One of the
sins which corrupts the society and which creates a state of suspicion in society
and which sometimes, is likely to creep into human beings in the heinous form
of cynicism is backbiting. Quranic verses and traditions have censured it is
a very harsh tone. Here are some examples:
Nor let
some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead
brother? But you abhor it; and be careful of your duty to Allah, surely Allah
is Oft-returning to mercy, Merciful.
In this phrase
of the verse, one of the worst immoralities has been discussed. It is so bad
that the Holy Quran, in order to make its heinousness explicit, compared it
with an unprecedented ugly matter. Backbiting has been compared with eating
ones dead brother's flesh!
In other words,
we get four points from this Ayat:1. A Muslim and a brother-in-Faith is like a real brother blood related 2. His honour is like his flesh. 3. Speaking bad of him in his absence and thereby destroying his honour and
position is like eating flesh from his body. 4. Since he is not present to defend himself against at attack that is indeed
cowardly, he is unaware. He is like a dead body that has been attacked.
Woe to every
slanderer, defamer.
Commentators
have, while explaining this verse, quote possibilities:1. Humazah means big backbiter and Lumazah - big faultfinder. 2. Humazah - who speaks bad face to face and Lumazah - backbiter. 3. Humazah - Pointing to fault by hand and Lumazah - by tongue. 4. Humazah - open bad talk and Lumazah - secret bad talk.
Whatever be
its exact meaning this verse applies to all these cases and asserts that backbiting
is Haraam by God.
The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) said: Everything of a Muslim is prohibited for another Muslim be
it his blood, property or honour.
That it, it
is imperative for a Muslim. Just as he safeguards the life and property of a
Muslim, he must also protect the honour and respect of his brother and should
not be after his honour through backbiting.
It is reported
to have been said by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.): Keep away from backbiting
as, if fact, backbiting is worse than adultery. If the adulterer repents Allah
may forgive him but if fact, the backbiter is not pardoned until his victim
is pleased with him!
That is, adultery
and other similar sins belong to the category of the rights of God whereas backbiting
and its like pertains to the rights of me.
A backbiter,
if he dies after repenting, is the last to enter paradise and the one who insists
on this evil is the first to enter the hell.
The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) has said: Backbiting, is more effective in destroying the religion
of a Muslim than the illness of leprosy.
The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) has also said: Sitting in a mosque awaiting prayer is worship until
he commits hadas. People asked what was meant by hadas. He said: backbiting.
Now that we
have seen a number of verses and traditions about backbiting (gheebat) let us
know what is gheebat or backbiting. It has been narrated in traditions: gheebat
means talking of a thing about your brother in his ghaibat absence what God
has kept covered.
Fuqaha have
also said: It means saying something about your brother which, if he hears,
would not like.
And it must
also be remembered that it is backbiting if the evil is found in the bitten
man and that if that evil is not there in him it is false allegation.
And sometimes
people, in order to justify their deed, say that we say these words to them
on their face also. But it should be remembered that saying such ting, if itself,
even if it falls in the category of Nahy anil Munkar stopping the evil, is not
proper to be uttered before others.
It should also
be understood that backbiting is not limited only to the tongue but it also
involves signals and gestures.
Similarly,
just as backbiting is Haraam, so is also sitting in a meeting where backbiting
is being done.
Reasons
of backbiting
1. Jealousy
makes one point out the weak points of others whereby one intends to bring them
down in the eyes of people. 2. Sometimes anger and uneasiness also causes backbiting. 3. Sometimes one tries to show off himself as clean and clear by talking bad
about others. 4. Sometimes, just for making a gathering joyful and happy one resorts to backbiting
those who are not present there. 5. Sometimes man describes others offences by way of astonishment and angrily
whereas it should be pointed out to that person and not between other people.
6. Sometimes some hidden trouble makes people backbite in the form of friendship
and sympathy.
Anyway it must
be remembered that back-biting others and dishonouring them due to any of such
reasons is, from the viewpoint of Islam, haraam and prohibited.
Harms of
backbiting
There are many
harms in backbiting both for the individual and the society.
From the individual
viewpoint, it is considered injustice and oppression to a Mo-min and Muslim
brother-in-Faith. What oppression is greater than if it one destroys the honour
of another as it cannot be compensated in any way!
And from the
collective or social viewpoint, backbiting, in one way, is common in it harmfulness
with two other heinous evils of cynicism and faultfinding.
1. A society
having backbiters will never be able to achieve unity and harmony and integrity
and love and hence will never be a group of good people full of affection and
sympathy. 2. Mutual help and assistance required for Holy aims depends upon the feeling
of reliance and trust. A society that reveals the defects of people and raises
curtain from their errors destroys the feeling of trust that is created through
good opinion about others. 3. Talking bad of others in their absence, fans the flames of enmity, because,
the man who has been bitten from back, and whose secret has been revealed and
whose honour has been taken away, becomes very angry and so he decides to take
avenger. 4. If curtain is raised from the hidden sins of people it makes them hold and
carefree and then they insist on their evils, because, what prevents man from
sin is the fear of being dishonoured. So even if he sins he does so secretly
and with caution. If we tear away that curtain and dishonour him then there
will be no reason for him to keep them secret.
Many people
refrain from a series of crimes merely because of the fear of a decline in their
honour and position. If we take away this deterrent which is in fact a spiritual
treasure of a man from him there will be no other thing to block him from sinning.
Moreover, revealing
people secrets does not only encourage them but, in case of those having weak
faith, it also embolden them to do bad things and in this way back-biting will
be a source of spreading immorality and corruption.
Imam Sadiq
(a.s.) has said: Those who say about Muslims that which they have themselves
seen or heard are those about whom God has said: Surely as for those who
love that scandal should circulate respecting those who believe, they shall
have a grievous chastisement in this world and the Hereafter.
