Hidayatus Salikin - Staying Away From Sins of The Tongue #3

The prophet (saw) said:

مررت ليلة اسرى بي على قوم يخمشون وجوههم بأظافيرهم فقلت يا جبريل من هؤلاء فقال هؤلاء الذين يغتابون الناس ويقعون في اعراضهم

During the night of Isra’ I passed by a group of people scratching their faces with their fingernails so I said “O Jibril, who are they?” Jibril said “they are people who backbite and humiliate others.”

Imam Ghazali (rh) said:

“Backbiting is more evil than 30 fornications in Islam, such is reported in hadith of the Prophet (saw)”

Backbiting is defined as talking about a third person, which if heard, that person he will not like it. The subject could be about his physical flaw, his words, his actions, his religion, his life, his house, his clothes, his animal, his ethnicity or anything else. These are all deemed backbiting and cruel (zolim), even if the accusations are all true.

Know that talking behind somebody’s back is sometimes allowed in 6 circumstances because these could bring good outcomes:
1. In reporting acts of injustice to the authority (qadhi); or report acts of injustice by an authority to the ruler (sultan).
2. In reporting sinful behavior with the intent that the perpretor cease doing it.
3. In talking about others in order to get a ruling (fatwa) from a mufti, such as “somebody is being cruel to me, what is your verdict, and what should I do about it?”
4. To prevent a person from befriending a sinner, as in saying “don’t mix with him, he is a sinner, a tyrant, or evil.”
5. To mention a name, which is tied to a deficiency he is well known for such as “the Blind”, “the Leper”, “the Limp”.
6. To mention somebody who is well know for being a sinner such as famous for his cruelty, fornication, drinking, thievery or others.


Wallahu a'lam

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Hidayatus Salikin - Staying Away From Sins of The Tongue #2

Imam Ghazali said in Ihya Ulumiddin:

"For every noble intention that can be reached either by tellling the truth or lies in equal likelihood, then lying is not allowed (haram), and if the intention can be achieved only by telling lies, not by truth, then lying is allowed (mubah). This if the intention is of mubah nature.

If the intention is of wajib nature, then telling lies is wajib to make. An example is if telling the truth would spill a fellow Muslim’s blood, who is hiding from a tyrant.

If the following intention cannot be realized except through deceit, then lying is allowed:
1. In a war fi sabilillah
2. In fighting off rebellion against a just government
3. In trying to reconciliate a person who is emotionally hurt

However it is proper that one tries very hard not to tell lies."

Prevent yourself from breaking a promise except due to weakness or emergency. Nabi (saw) has said (what we translate):

Three characteristics, any of them in possession shows a person as a hypocrite (munafiq) even if he fasts and prays: When he talks he lies, when promises he breaks, when entrusted he betrays

Safeguard yourself from backbiting , Allah The Most High said (what we translate):

Do not backbite each other, would you enjoy eating your own dead brother’s flesh? So be repulsed with it.

What we learn from this verse is that backbiting is as unlawful and disgusting as eating rotten flesh. Our Nabi (saw) had said (what we translate):

Fear backbiting, for it is more evil than fornication (zina). A man fornicated and later he repents, and Allah forgives. But Allah does not forgive a backbiter until he is forgiven by the person being backbitten.

Wallahu a'lam

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Hidayatus Salikin - Staying Away From Sins of The Tongue

The tongue is for you to make plenty remembrance of Allah, to read the Quran, to lead others towards Allah and the Hereafter, to invite people to good deeds and prevent from bad conducts.

With the tongue you are able to deliver what is in your heart, therefore refrain yourselves from telling lies whether for real or playful. Lying in humor will soon make you lie in earnest. Imam Ghazali said lying is a major sin, and the Nabi (saw) once said (what we understand from it):

Fear telling lies, liars are companies of the sinners, and both will be in Hell.

Lying is a door from doors of nifaq (hypocrisy).

Know that telling lies sometimes becomes obligatory (wajib) and sometimes allowed (mubah) due to need.

If lying is the only way out, then it becomes obligatory in these cases:
1. To prevent a person from being killed by a tyrant
2. To prevent another person’s property from being seized by tyrant
3. To safeguard another muslim’s wife or property from a tyrant.

If there is no other way, lying is allowed in these circumstances:
1. To make peace between opposing or arguing parties
2. To make peace between conflicting wives

Wallahu a'lam

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