Stoppage on Gossiping -1

Gossip (ghibah) is a disease prevailing in many societies. In addressing this issue, let us remind ourselves and others to be cautious of spreading this disease

Allah warns us: 

“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed 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 God, verily, God is the one who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (49: 12)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) defines backbiting in the following way:

He said: “Do you know what backbiting is?”They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.”He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)]

The Prophet goes on in the same hadîth to explain the difference between

backbiting and slander. He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.”Someone enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! How do you see it if what I said about him is true?”He replied: “If what you said about him is true, then you have backbitten him. If what you said about him is false, then you have slandered him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)]

 

Making Fun

Backbiting (Gheebah) can even be making fun of a person.  

The Prophet (SAS) vigorously opposed all aspects of backbiting even when it occurred in his own family. For example, once a woman visited Hadrat Aishah (RAa) and when the woman got up to leave, Hadrat Aishah Siddiqua (RAa) made a sign with her hand indicating to the Prophet (SAS) that the woman was short of stature.  

The Prophet (SAS) immediately chastised her, saying, "You have backbitten!" (Tirmidhi)

Imam Al- Nawawi, a great scholar, commented regarding the above Hadith saying,

 "This Hadith is paramount with regard to backbiting and I don't know anything 

more severe than this."

 

Nameemah (Tale carrying)

Nameemah is the use of speech by people against each other, wishing to cause corruption. ALLAH says in regard to this matter:

"...Neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it [so hate backbiting]" (Surah Hujurat, 49:12)

The Prophet (SAS) has clearly stated, "The gossip-monger will not enter paradise" (Bukhari, Muslim). 

 

Guarding the Tongue

"And follow not that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, and 

the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned." (17:36)

"Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created. He has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not." (96:1-5)

Imam Nawawi said, "Be aware that it is incumbent upon every Mukallaf (competent person in full possession of his faculties) to guard his tongue against all kinds of talking except when it is evident that talking will be a means of beneficence. When talking and being quiet are both equal as a prudent measure, and then the Sunnah is to abstain from talking. Sometimes even a lawful talking may lead to unlawful or distasteful matters. This is a common practice, but there is nothing equivalent to safety." If your tongue is right and straight then the extremities will be straight. But if your tongue disobeys and indulges in the private affairs and honor of people, then the extremities will disobey and Allah's prohibitions will be violated. 

 

Prohibition of Gheebah

 Allah has said:

"And spy not, neither backbite against one another. Would any 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." (49:12)

"And follow not that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, and

 the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned." (17:36) 

"Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is watcher by him ready 

(to record it)."(50:18)

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?) 

The Prophet (SAS) replied, "One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongues and hands."  He is also reported to have said, "Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should talk what is good or keep quiet. Sometimes a person may utter a word to which he attaches no importance and by it he falls into Hell farther than the distance between the East and West." 

 

"And the person may utter a word which displeases Allah without thinking how serious

 it is, as a result of which Allah will record His wrath for him, because of His displeasure until the Day when he meets Him." (Related by Mu'atta Imam Malik and Tirmidhi).

Uqbah Bin 'Aamer asked, "O Allah's Messenger (pbuh), what is salvation?" 

He said: "Control your tongue, keep inside your house, and weep for your sins." 

(Related by Tirmidhi)

In one Hadith, Allah's Messenger (pbuh) took hold of his tongue and then said,

 "Keep this under control."  When the Sahaba asked, "will we be called to account for what we say?" He replied, "Won't the people be thrown face down into Hell on account 

of the produce of their tongues." (Related by Tirmidhi).

Now let us see the punishment of the person that backbites in this life and the Hereafter. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "O you people who believe with their tongues 

(meaning those who pay lip-service to faith), when faith has not entered their

 hearts, do not backbite the Muslims and do not expose their faults. 

Whoever exposes the faults of his Muslim brother, Allah will expose his faults. 

And if Allah exposes  his faults, his faults will be open for everyone even

 if he would hide inside his house." 

(Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi).

 

Backbiting by writing 

Gheebah can also be through writing, for the pen is one of two tongues. This is 

the case when the person tells the truth about others. It is Gheebah and 

he is Mughtaab, a backbiter. 

By doing this he disobeys his Lord and he eats the flesh of his brother. But if he is lying then he combines Gheebah and Kidhib (lying). 

"When people mention others they may commit one of these three: Gheebah, Buhtan and If, and all are in the Book of Allah. Gheebah is to say what is true about a person. Buhtan is to say what is not true about a person. And If is to say what was conveyed to you." Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: "All things belonging to a Muslim are unlawful for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honor." (Muslim, Ahmad and Bayhaqi) Gheebah deals with honor and Allah has combined honor with property and blood.

 

 Types of Gheebah

Gheebah has different forms and may take all kinds of means. The worst type of

 Gheebah is the one that combines gossip and riyaa'. An example would be when some person is mentioned and a man would say: "Al-hamdu lillah that He didn't try us, we would have been tempted to enter the doors of the sultan, or that we don't demean ourselves in seeking the ruins of this world." Or one may say, "I seek refuge with Allah from shamelessness. 

I ask Allah to protect me from such." The intention here is to criticize the other

 person and it is done in the form of a Du'a (supplication).

One may also praise another person but the intent is to criticize, such as saying: 

"How good such-and-such person is, he never had a shortcoming in his worship but now

 he is being lazy. He was tried with something everyone of us is tried with, which is 

lack of patience."

 One would criticize oneself but his/her intention is to criticize others by doing this.

 At the same time he praises himself by showing that he is righteous since he criticizes himself. In this case, he is Mughtaab, Muraa'ee and praising himself. He combines 

three shameful deeds and because of his ignorance he thinks that he is a righteous person who would not make Gheebah.

Another form of Gheebah is that one criticizes another person, but the people don't pay attention to what has been said. So he says, "Subhaan Allah. How amazing!..." so the people may listen to him and know what he is saying. Or he may say, "I was hurt to hear about our friend and how he was humiliated. I ask Allah to relieve him." He is actually lying about his concern regarding the friend, in his pretence of making Du'a. If he meant to pray for him, he would have prayed for him while alone.

 

The Motives for Gheebah

 There may be numerous reasons to motivate one to make Gheebah. The following examples are among these reasons:

 1. Lack of fear of Allah.  Whoever feels the greatness of Allah and acknowledges that Allah is watching all his deeds and utterances, he would avoid anything that may displease Allah.

 2. Getting things off one's chest. A person may do something to upset another. Every time the aggrieved person feels angry about it, he alleviates the anxiety by making Gheebah about the other person.

 3. Joining a group of friends. When a group is engaged in a loose talk aimed at slandering others, a person may think that if he speaks out and tries to stop them they may dislike him and exclude him. So, he joins them in talking ill about others, assuring that this is the only way to be acceptable to them.

 4. Seeking to raise one's own status by putting down others. A person may say: "So-and-so person is ignorant, he is not smart." The intention is to praise oneself and show that he has more knowledge than the other person.

5. Envy and jealousy. Some person may be praised by people who like him.

 A jealous person may hear them and make Gheebah of the other person, criticizing

 and insulting him, so that the people may think differently about the person they have just praised.