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The Evils Of Backbiting

Backbiting – mere words – but they are words that bring upon the one who utters them shame and ignominy and that consigns him to the Fire. Such a person has given in to his vain desires and succumbed to his destructive tendencies.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A man might speak a word without thinking about its implications, but because of it, he will plunge into the Hellfire further than the distance between the east and west.“ [ Sahih al-Bukhari (6477) and Sahih Muslim (2988)]

A Muslim utters a word whereby he describes his brother Muslim in a negative way – either explicitly or implicitly – and it plunges the speaker into a clear and evident loss. And what could be a greater loss than for a person to say something that does nothing for him but rob him of his blessings and of the rewards for his good deeds? Then, if his good deeds run out, the sins of the one he has backbitten are taken from that person and foisted upon the speaker until he is hurled by them into Hell.

A Muslim utters a mere word upon his tongue thoughtlessly, without any consideration, and without thinking that he will be taken to task for it. Indeed, it is something about which many people are heedless.

Once Mu’adh b. Jabal, the illustrious Companion, asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to inform him of some good work that would admit him into Paradise and distance him from the Hellfire. The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned to him the virtues of many good deeds, then said: “Shall I inform you of the foundation of all of that?”
Mu’adh said: “Certainly.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) took hold of his own tongue and said: “Restrain yourself from this.”

Mu’adh then asked: “O Prophet of Allah! Are we held to task for the things that we say?”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Mu’adh! Does anything topple people headlong into the Hellfire save the harvests of their tongues?” [Sunan al-Tirmidhi (2616) and Sunan Ibn Majah (3973)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever can guarantee to me what is between his two lips and what is between his two legs, I can guarantee for him Paradise.“ [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6474)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him), when he said “what is between his two lips” was alluding to the words that a person speaks. To guarantee it means to only speak what Allah is pleased with. When he said ” and what is between his legs” he was alluding to sexual relations, meaning that the person guarantees that he will not engage in any unlawful sexual activity that is prohibited by Allah.

Backbiting can be defined as the utterance of words whereby one mentions his fellow Muslim in a bad way or mentions him in a manner that he would be displeased with. It is called backbiting because a person generally berates another person in that person’s absence.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) defines backbiting in the following way, and his definition is preferred over any other:

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.” [Sahih Muslim (2589)]

Prophet Abraham (Aleh Salam) And The First House Of Allah On Earth

Prophet Abraham (Aleh Salam) was born to honorable parents descended from Prophet Noah(Aleh Salam). He was born in the city of Hara, Iraq during the reign of King Nimrod and is often referred to as “The Friend of Allah” and “The Father of the Prophets”. Before Abraham (Aleh Salam) reached maturity his father passed away, and as was the custom in those days, he would, out of respect for his paternal uncle, refer to him as his father. There had been a void in guidance since the death of Prophet Noah and the people of Hara reverted to idolatry.

Hara was renowned for its ornate, pagan temples and its citizens took great pride in the idols housed within them. Offerings were sacrificed to the idols and ritual ceremonies, wishfully invoking their favors performed before them. Lucrative commerce had grown around the activities of the temples. Carved replicas of the idols were a much sought-after possession and it was to this profession that Azar, Abraham (Aleh Salam)’s uncle, whom he now called “father” directed his talents.

WHO IS MY LORD
Abraham (Aleh Salam) was unlike his contemporaries, he grew to be an upright, caring, young man repulsed by idol worship and sought the answer to a question that had consumed him for many years — who was his Lord? In the process of his guidance, Allah in His Mercy caused Abraham (Aleh Salam) to contemplate upon the kingdoms of the heavens and earth. One evening, as he gazed up into the night sky, he saw a planet shining more brightly than the others and exclaimed, “This is surely my Lord!” but, as the morning light came the planet set he rejected his thought saying, “I do not like the setting ones!” On another occasion, as he saw the moon rise he said once again, “This is my Lord!” But like the planet as the light of the morning broke it disappeared whereupon he said, “If my Lord does not guide me, I shall be amongst the astray nation!” Then, when he saw the sun rise upon the horizon he said, “This must be my Lord, it is larger!” But as it set he turned to his people saying, “O nation I am quit of what you associate (with Allah, the Creator) I have turned my face to Him who created the heavens and the earth, uprightly, and I am not among the idolaters!” Qur’an, Chapter 6 verses 76-79 “Abraham (Aleh Salam) IS CHOSEN BY ALLAH AND BECOMES A PROPHET”.

Shortly after this Allah sent the Arch Angel Gabriel to inform Abraham (Aleh Salam) that He had chosen him to be His Messenger. Abraham (Aleh Salam) was deeply humbled by the news and Gabriel brought him, over a period of forty-two visits, ten Holy Scrolls. Prophet Muhammad(saws) informed his companions later on that the contents of the Scrolls were examples. Abraham (Aleh Salam)’s open rejection of idolatry caused a commotion, no one had ever challenged the deity of the idols of Hara; to his fellow citizens, the notion was deemed blasphemous. However, Abraham (Aleh Salam) was resolved, he had no doubt that Allah was the only One to be worshiped because he was convinced that it was He alone who had created everything.

The Gates of Hell

Allah has told us that Hell has seven gates, as He (SWT) said: “And surely, Hell is the promised place for them all. It [Hell] has seven gates, for each of these gates is a [special] class [of sinners] assigned“. (15:43-44)

Ibn Katheer commenting on this ayah, said: “This means that each gate has been allotted its share of the followers of Iblees who will enter it, and they will not be able to avoid it. May Allah (SWT) protect us from it. Each will enter a gate according to his deeds, and will be assigned to a level of Hell according to his deeds.”

It was reported from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (ra) that he said, during a khutbah (sermon): “The gates of Hell are such-and-such”. Abu Harun said, “They are in layers, one above the other”. It is reported that he also said, “The gates of Hell number seven, one above the other. The first will be filled, then the second, then the third, until all of them are filled.” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/162)

When the disbelievers come to Hell, its gates will be opened, and they will enter it, to remain there forever:

“And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till, when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened [suddenly like a prison at the arrival of the prisoners]. And its keepers will say, “Did not the Messengers come to you from yourselves – reciting to you the Verses of your Rabb, and warning you of the Meeting of this Day of yours”. They will say, “Yes” but the Word of torment has been justified against the disbelievers“. (39:71)

After they are admitted, they will be told:
“Enter you the gates of Hell, to abide therein. And [indeed] what an evil abode of the arrogant!” (39:72)

These gates will be shut upon the evildoers, and they will have no hope of ever escaping from them after that, as Allah (SWT) says, “But those who reject Our Signs, they are the [unhappy] Companions of the Left Hand. On them will be Fire vaulted over [all round].” (90:19-20)

Ibn ‘Abbaas said, “vaulted” (literally: “shut over them”) means that the gates will be locked”. al-Mujaahid pointed out that the word used (mu’sadah) is the word used in the dialect of Quraysh to mean “locked” or shut” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer 7/298)

In the Qur’an Allah (SWT) says:
“Woe to every [kind of] scandalmonger and backbiter, who piles up wealth and lays it by. Thinking that his wealth would make him last forever! By no means! He will be sure to be thrown into that which Breaks to Pieces. And what will explain to you that which breaks to pieces? The Fire of [the wrath of] Allah, kindled [to a blaze], which mounts [right] to the heart. It shall be made into a vault over them, in columns outstretched.” (104:1-9)

Salath

The one who disdains the prayers will receive fifteen punishments from Allah.
Six punishments in this lifetime Three while dying three in the grave & three on the Day of Judgment.

THE SIX PUNISHMENTS OF LIFE:

  1. Allah takes away blessings from his age (makes his life misfortunate)
  2. Allah does not accept his plea (Dua’s)
  3. Allah erases the features of good people from his face.
  4. He will be detested by all creatures on earth.
  5. Allah does not award him for his good deeds. (No thawab)
  6. He will not be included in the Dua’s of good people.

THE THREE PUNISHMENTS WHILE DYING:

  1. He dies humiliated.
  2. He dies hungry.
  3. He dies thirsty. Even if he drinks the water of all seas he will still be thirsty.

THE THREE PUNISHMENTS IN THE GRAVE:

  1. Allah tightens his grave until his chest ribs come over each other.
  2. Allah pours on him fire with embers.
  3. Allah sets on him a snake called “the brave”, and “the bold” which hits Him from morning until afternoon for leaving the Fajr prayer, from the afternoon until Asr for leaving Dhuhr prayer, and so on. With each strike, he sinks 70 yards under the ground.

THE THREE PUNISHMENTS ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT:

  1. Allah sends who would accompany him to hell pulling him in the face.
  2. Allah gives him an angry look that makes the flesh on his face fall down.
  3. Allah judges him strictly and orders him to be thrown in hell.

Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Mercy To Animals

Allah said in the Qur’an that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a mercy, not only for human beings and jinn, but also to the entire creation. His kindness is exemplary even when it comes to animals, who are very often neglected.

While he permitted to use animals for specific purposes, he forbade misusing or abusing them. Muhammad Al-’Arifi mentions this aspect of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his book “Enjoy your life” published by Darussalam.

ONCE, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was on a journey with his companions, he stopped over to answer the call of nature. Meanwhile, some of his companions noticed a redstart bird with two chicks. They took the chicks away. The bird came and began to circle around them flapping its wings. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) came and saw the scene, he turned to his companions and said, “Who distressed the bird by taking its chicks from it? Return the chicks to the bird!”

On a different occasion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) noticed a burnt ants’ nest. “Who burnt the nest?” he demanded.

One of his companions replied, “I did.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) became angry and said, “No one but Allah punishes with fire!”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was so merciful that if he saw a cat whilst he was performing ablution, he would lower the utensil down for the cat to drink from and then perform ablution from the leftover water.

Once he passed by a man who had laid a sheep on the ground and placed his foot on its neck to slaughter it while sharpening the knife as the sheep looked on. The Prophet (peace be upon him) became angry upon seeing this and said, “Do you want it to die twice? Why didn’t you sharpen your knife before you laid it on the ground?”

On another occasion, he (peace be upon him) passed by two men in the middle of a conversation and each of them was sitting on his camel. When he saw this, he felt pity for the camels and therefore forbade people from using animals as chairs, meaning that one is not to mount it except when required and that when the need is fulfilled, one should dismount and allow it to rest. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also forbade branding an animal on its face.

Secret For Du’a To Be Answered

I often find that people supplicate with certain prayers and have their prayers answered, and they couple their supplication with their neediness and turn towards Allah, or a good deed they carried out that caused Allah to respond to this supplication out of appreciation for this good deed, or they happened to supplicate at a time in which it is more likely to be accepted, etc. So, his supplication was answered because of this.

One might think that the secret was in the specific wording of his supplication, and might therefore approach it simply from this angle while ignoring all of these other things that were coupled with it by the person supplicating. This is like someone who uses beneficial medicine at its proper time and in the proper manner and it benefits him as a result, and someone else thinks that simply using this medicine regardless of these other factors will bring about the same benefit. This person is wrong, and this is where many people fall into error.

And supplications and prayers of refuge are like weapons, and a weapon is only as effective as the person using it, not just based on how sharp it is. So, as perfect and flawless a weapon is, as strong as the arm that is using it, as much as there is nothing to nullify its effectiveness – the more damaging it will be against the enemy. And whenever one of these three elements is absent, the effect will be held back.

So, if the supplication itself is not good, or the one supplicating does not have both his heart and tongue present when making it, or there is some element present to prevent it from being answered, it will have no effect.

–  By Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah
–       Ad-Da’ wad-Dawa’; p. 40-41

Do Not Take Sins Lightly

If we say that sins are dangerous, then belittling sins and taking them lightly is more dangerous than sinning itself. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned us against taking sins lightly because, doing so, sins will become an inherent habit in us and we will have no problem insisting on them. This will lead the person to be categorized as a pervert (fasiq) and will lead him in the end to be subject to Allah’s severe punishment, which will overtake him at any time.

Allah has made repentance obligatory saying: “O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance . . . ” (At-Tahrim, 66:8), and He has granted us time to repent until the Scribes register the sin in our names.

But the problem with most people is that they do not estimate the majesty of the Lord as they should. They disobey Him in many ways, day and night. Adding insult to injury, they take many sins lightly and claim that such sins are minor and thus of no great harm. In consequence, they stare freely at pictures of women in magazines or on television. Some of them, when told about the sin of it, go a step further and inquire amusedly, “OK, what’s the magnitude of the sin involved? Is it a major or minor one?”

Compare this attitude with that of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Anas radi allahu anhu said to one of his followers, “You imagine certain sins to be more insignificant than a straw. But at the time of the Prophet, we used to count them among those that can destroy a man.” Ibn Mas`ud radi allahu anhu said, “A believer treats a sin as if it is a mountain over his head that may fall on him any moment; whereas a dissolute (fajir) looks at them as a fly that perked on his nose and he waived it away with his hand.”

Will these people then learn something from the above, and from the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that says: “Beware of the minor sins. For the example of the minor sins is like that of a group of travelers who broke their journey in a valley. Then one of them brought in a straw. Another came up with another (and a third with one more) until with their collection they were able to gather enough to cook their food. Remember! If a man is held for questioning (on the Day of Judgment) for his minor sins, surely they will destroy him.” In another version, he is reported to have said: “Beware of minor sins. For they add on until they destroy the man.”

Scholars say that when minor sins are committed without any remorse, without the fear of Allah, and accompanied by contempt, there is the fear they will be counted as major sins. To those who belittle their sins, we say, “Do not look at the sins if they are small or big. Look at Him in Whose defiance you are committing them.”

Still, for all sinners, the doors are open, for Allah says: “Declare   ( O Muhammad, peace be upon him) unto My slaves that truly I am  Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” (Al-Hijr 15:49).