In The Name Of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Gracious, the most Merciful!

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In The Name Of Allah,the most Beneficent, the
most Gracious, the most Merciful!
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Backbiting Slander an Islamic perspective
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Islam prohibits backbiting and slandering
No Backbiting
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• To talk about backbiting we need to first define
  exactly
• what is backbiting ?
• If we turn towards the sayings of Prophet
  Muhammad(saw)
• we can find a very accurate definition of this
  term and it differentiates between the term
  "backbiting" and "slander" .

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• Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him)
  narrated that
• Prophet Mohammad (SAW) said"Do
  you know what backbiting is?
• They said, Allah and His Messenger know best.
• He (SAW) 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 (SAW) said,
• If what you say about him is true, you are
  backbiting him, but if it is not true then you
  have slandered him.
• Sahih Muslim Book 32, 6265

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So Now we have understood
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Backbiting To say something about a person in
his absence that he would not like for you to
say and it is the truth.

• Note Backbiting is not done by the tongue alone,
  it can also be done with the eyes, hands and
  other movements. For example, copying somebody
  who is limping, in order to insult him.

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Slander To say something that a person would
not like in his absence and that is not true.
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Gossip To carry tales back and forth to others.
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• Remember We are all answerable to Allah (swt) and
  one day we will be questioned for what we spoke.
• What will we do then?
• It is important to have fear of Allah (swt) in
  our hearts. We have to know and realize that our
  deeds are being recorded, that Allah (swt) is
  seeing everything ALLAH (swt) says in the Quran
•  "Or do they think that We hear not their
  secrets and their private counsels? Indeed (We
  do), and Our messengers are by them, to record.
• Quran 43-Surah Al Zukhruf 80

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Allah (SWT) says in the Quran about Backbiting ?
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??????? ????????? ?????????? ??? ???????? ??????
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Surah 49 Al- Hujuraat Ayah 12
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Translation of the meaning
O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, 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 Allah. Verily,
Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most
Merciful.
Surah 49 Al-Hujurat Ayah 12
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Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his
dead brother? You would hate it (so hate
backbiting) . And fear Allah.
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• 2. Allah (SWT) says
• "O you who believe! Let not some men among you
  deride others who may be better than they (are),
  nor let women (deride) women who may be better
  than they are neither defame one another, nor
  insult one another by nicknames. Evil is a bad
  name after faith."
• Surah 49 Al-Hujurat Ayah11

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3. Allah (SWT) says "Woe to every sneering
defamer." Surah 104 Al- Humazah Ayah1
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• 4.Allah(SWT) says
• "Neither obey thou each feeble oath-monger
  detractor, going about with slander."

Surah 68 Al- Qalam Ayah10-11
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Evidence from the Sunnah

• Abu Huraira reported
• Allah's Messenger (SAW) as saying
• Do you know what is
  backbiting?
• They (the Companions) said Allah and His
  Messenger know best.
• Thereupon he (SAW) said
• Backbiting implies your talking about your
  brother in a manner which he does not like.
• It was said to him What is your opinion
  about this that if I actually find (that failing)
  in my brother which I made a mention of?
• He (SAW) said If (that failing) is actually
  found (in him) what you assert, you in fact have
  backbitten him, and if that is not in him it is a
  slander.
• Sahih Muslim Book 32, 6265

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• 2. The Prophet (SAW) said
• "One of the greatest of the major sins is to
  stretch out one's tongue without right against
  the honor of a Muslim.
• Sunan Abî Dâwûd (4877)

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• 3. Aishah (RA) relates
• that she said to the Prophet (SAW) "It should
  tell you enough about Safiyyah that she is
  short."To this he (SAW) replied "You have said
  a word that if it was to be mixed with the water
  of the sea, it would contaminate it."
• Sunan al- Tirmidhî (2502) Sunan Abî Dâwûd
  (4875)

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• 4. Two Companions once criticized a man who had
  been punished for committing adultery.
• The Prophet (SAW) was traveling and he passed
  by the carcass of a donkey.
• He (SAW) said "Where are those two people?
  Get down and eat from the flesh of this
  donkey!"They said "O Prophet of Allah! Who
  would eat this?"He said "What the two of you
  have recently done by defaming the honor of your
  brother is far worse than eating from this."
• Sunan Abî Dâwûd (4428)

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Eat from the flesh of this donkey ? Can we ?
Then Why do we backbite? Why?
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• 5. Narrated by Anas ibn Malik
• The Prophet (saw) said When I was taken up to
  heaven I passed by people who had nails of copper
  and were scratching their faces and their
  breasts.
• I asked Who are these people, O Jibrael? He
  replied They are those who were given to back
  biting and who aspersed people's honour. Sunan
  of Abu- Dawud (4860)

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• 6.Narrated by AbuBarzah al- Aslami
• The Prophet (saw) said O community of people,
  who believed by their tongue, and belief did not
  enter their hearts, do not back-bite Muslims, and
  do not search for their faults, for if anyone
  searches for their faults, Allah will search for
  his fault, and if Allah searches for the fault of
  anyone, He disgraces him in his house! Sunan
  of Abu- Dawud (4862)

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• 7.One time, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) pointed
  towards two graves and said to his companions
  that both of these people are being punished in
  their graves. One of them used to backbite people
  and the other was not careful about spilling
  drops of urine on his clothes and body whilst
  urinating.

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• Some words of the Pious PredecessorsAmr b.
  al-Âs, while traveling with his companions, once
  passed by the dead, rotting body of a mule and
  said "I swear by Allah, it is better that one of
  you should eat from this until he fills his
  stomach than for him to eat the flesh of a Muslim
  ."Kab al-Ahbâr said "Backbiting nullifies a
  person's good deeds."Al- Hasan al- Basrî said
  "I swear by Allah, backbiting is swifter in
  consuming the religion of a Muslim than a
  gangrenous infection is in consuming the human
  body."Sufyân b. Uyaynah said "Backbiting is
  worse than a debt. A debt can be paid out, but
  backbiting cannot."Ali b. al- Husayn once
  heard two people engaged in backbiting and said
  "Keep away from backbiting, for it is the broth
  of the mongrels among people."

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What to do if I did Backbiting Gossiping before
knowing this ?
What is the ransom for backbiting?
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• Backbiting violates the rights of Allah and the
  rights of people simultaneously. Hence,
• It is necessary to ask for forgiveness from
  the victim first, since Allah will not forgive
  until the victim forgives.
• If the victim has died or is untraceable, then
  ransom has to be paid. Anas (RA) narrates that
  the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said
• The ransom for backbiting is to pray to Allah
  for forgiveness by saying, O Allah! Forgive my
  sins and his too.

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What we need to do now ?

•  Today this disease is so widespread that it is
  seen in every house. What we need to do is take
  this disease out of us.
•  
• Narrated By Sahl bin Sa'd
• The Prophet (saw) said, "Whoever guarantees me
  (the chastity of) what is between his legs (i.e.
  his private parts), and what is between his jaws
  (i.e., his tongue), I guarantee him Paradise."
• Sahih Bukhari Vol 8, Book
  82, 799  

We have to control our tongues.
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• The problem is not with the evidence that it
  is forbidden. The problem is
• How to eliminate this from within ourselves?
• How do we make sure we do not commit this
  sin anymore?  One thing is for sure, we have to
  stop this today....right now. 

But How ?
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Let Us see Some factors that causes backbiting
and how we can deal them cure this disease from
us ?

• 1.Subsiding anger
• Cause This is done by backbiting the person who
  kindles his anger -so everytime 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.
• Cure The cure for this is the advice of the
  Messenger Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam "Whoever
  suppresses his anger while in a position to
  enforce it, Allah will call him at the head of
  the creation until he chooses for him from the
  hoor'een (special women of Jannah that are
  promised to the believer), for him to marry from
  them as he pleases .Ahmad and At- Tabaraanee

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• 2. Wanting to keep Mends
• Cause 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
  indulge in it with them.
• Cure To cure this he must remember the saying of
  the Messenger Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam Whoever
  solicit the pleasure of men by displeasing Allah,
  Allah will consign him to mankind. At-
  Tirmidhi

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• 3. Wanting to raise one's status with other
  people
• Cause This is done by debasing others, by saying
  things like such and such a person, is ignorant
  or his understanding is weak, thus indirectly
  implying that he is more knowledgeable than the
  one he debases.
• Cure In order to cure this sickness, the
  perpetrator must be reminded that Allah is the
  final judge and this person that he is claiming
  is ignorant, might be better than him with Allah.
  Furthermore, that person may be excused because
  of his lack of understanding.

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• 4. Playing around and making fun of others
• Cause This could involve mockery and sarcasm.
• Cure 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
  4911At other times, it could involve lies, as
  mention is made of some people in a way to make
  others laugh.
• It is enough to answer with the statement of
  the Messenger Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam "Woe to
  the one who speaks and lies to make people laugh,
  woe to him, woe to him" Ahamad, Abu Dawood
  others

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• 5. Envy
• Cause Through envy, a person is backbited
  because of his noble position and high standing.
• Cure In order to debase and reduce his worth in
  people's eyes. The envier should reflect upon the
  statement of the Messenger Sallallahu Alayhi
  Wasallam "Faith and envy cannot exist together
  in the heart of the slave". Ahmad 8 436

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• 6. Fear of Blame
• Cause Something is attributed to a person who
  wants to free himself from it, by blaming another
  person totally, although they both had shared in
  the act. He does this so that he can free himself
  from being blamed.
• Cure The correct thing to do is to acquit
  himself honestly, and not try to throw the blame
  upon anyone else.

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• 7. Having too much spare time
• Cause This can cause a person to fall into
  backbiting, because it is easy for such an idle
  mind to become busy with women/men, their honor
  and their faults.
• Cure To correct this a person must spend his
  time in acts of obedience to Allah, worship,
  seeking knowledge, and teaching others. The
  Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said "Two
  blessings are misused by people, good health and
  spare time to do good." Bukhari

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• 8. Trying to get close to a person in authority
  to acquire material gains
• Cause In order to get close to those in
  authority and to gain their favors, someone may
  backbite his workmates with his boss.
• Cure To cure this, he must realize the true
  value of this world with Allah, the Glorious, and
  that He is the Provider, and that He would allow
  him to get only what he deserves. And no boss can
  give him anything if Allah, the Sublime does not
  will such for him. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi
  Wasallam said"...know that if the nation (all
  mankind) were to gather together to benefit you
  with something, it would only benefit you with
  something that Allah had already prescribed for
  you..." At-Tirmidhi

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• 9.Another important factor that many of us need
  to change is "bad company
• A good companion would discourage you and
  stop you from doing bad. A bad companion would
  however encourage you and in many cases make you
  do wrong and that is one of the reason why we are
  suffering from the negative "Peer Pressure"
  problem.  Abu Musa (RA) reported Allah's
  Messenger (SAW) as saying The similitude of good
  company and that of bad company is that of the
  owner of musk and of the one (iron-smith) blowing
  bellows, and the owner of musk would either offer
  you free of charge or you would buy it from him
  or you would. smell its pleasant odour , and so
  far as one who blows the bellows is concerned, he
  would either burn your clothes or you shall have
  to smell its repugnant smell. Sahih Muslim Book
  32, 6361  

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• Note
• Backbiting to save a Muslim from harm is
  permitted, but the best thing is not to talk
  unnecessarily about anyone in a good way as well
  because the devil- Shytaan will entice you into
  mentioning his faults. For example, He's a good
  person but he has these habits.
• To save ourselves from this sin and many others,
  one should act upon this Hadith which deserves to
  be written in gold. The Hadith states, Whoever
  stayed quiet saved himself.

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NOW WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT!?
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Dont you want to save yourself your family
relatives friends from this major sin ?
Share it with as many people as you can

• May Allah Taa'la save all of us from the hell
  fire and all sins that we have committed.

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Spreading the Noor of Al-Quran
www.nurulquran.com
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• REFERENCES
• 1. Article on "Suspicion, spying and backbiting"
  online at http//www.inter-  islam.org/Prohibition
  s/Backbiting.html
• 2. Article on  "BACKBITING" online at
  www.iad.org/islam/back.html
• 3. BACKBITING by Abdul Malik Al-Qasim Translated
  by Sami Ayoub and Mrs. Vivian Taylor Ayoub,
  DARUSSALAM Publishers Distributors, Riyadh,
  Saudi Arabia.