Backbiting (Gheebah) |
In Islaam, backbiting (ÛíÈÉ - gheebah) is speaking about your Muslim brother or sister behind their back in a way they would dislike, when there is no need to do so. Concerning gheebah, Allaah said: æóáÇ íóÛúÊóÈú ÈóÚúÖõßõãú ÈóÚúÖðÇ ÃóíõÍöÈøõ ÃóÍóÏõßõãú Ãóäú íóÃúßõáó áóÍúãó ÃóÎöíåö ãóíúÊðÇ ÝóßóÑöåúÊõãõæåõ æóÇÊøóÞõæÇ Çááøóåó Åöäøó Çááøóåó ÊóæøóÇÈñ ÑóÍöíãñ "neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead In this ayah (verse) is a stern warning to believer not to engage in backbiting. Majdy Wardah (ãÌÏí æÑÏÉ) often speaks about backbiting when he first enters a community or soon afterwards. He will usually mention this verse and the statement from ibn Kathir and others that some of the scholars say that the warning in this ayah is the most serious in the whole Qur'aan. We are in full agreement with Majdy Wardah that backbiting is an issue that all of the believers should be careful about. We also acknowledge that Majdy Wardah gives an effective lecture on the subject. However, when someone has a personal interest in something, they tend to take the matter with additional seriousness, and the reason Wardah always speaks about backbiting and does it so well is to scare people into not speaking about him and learning the true nature of his personality. He has been using this same approach for many years. Know, by Allaah, that if the words on www.STOPMajdyWardah.com were backbiting, the brothers would not have been as keen to warn the Muslims about Majdy Wardah (ãÌÏí æÑÏÉ). What Wardah usually fails to mention is that the scholars have listed specific exceptions where backbiting can be permissible or even recommended. Regarding warning the Muslims, the scholars have said:
ÇáÊÍÐíÑ ãä Úãá ÇáÝÇÓÞ æãÑÊßÈí ÇáßÈÇÆÑ æÇÌÈ ¡ ÝÅÐÇ ÎÔí ÇáãÓáã Úáì ÅÎæÇäå ãä Úãá ÃæáÆß æÌÈ äÕÍåã æßÔÝ ÃÍæÇá ÇáÝÓÇÞ º ÍÊì áÇ íÞÚ ÃÍÏ Ýí ÔÑÇßåã . æíÌÈ ÃíÖÇð ãäÇÕÍÉ ÇáÝÓÇÞ æãÑÊßÈí ÇáßÈÇÆÑ áÚá Çááå Ãä íåÏíåã "Warning others about a person who does evil and commits major sins is obligatory (waajib). If a Muslim fears that his brothers may be harmed by those people’s actions, he must advise them and tell them about these evildoers, so that no one will fall into their trap." One of the scholars summarized the exceptions to backbiting in two lines of poetry. He said:
ÇáÐã áíÓ ÈÛíÈÉ Ýí ÓÊÉ ... ãÊÙáã æãõÚÑøöÝ æãÍÐÑ æáãÙåÑ ÝÓÞÇ æãÓÊÝÊ æãóäú ... ØáÈ ÇáÅÚÇäÉ Ýí ÅÒÇáÉ ãäßÑ "Criticizing is not backbiting (gheebah) in six (situations) - complaining, identifying, warning, When the person is committing evil openly, when advice is sought, and when one is asking for help in removing an evil." Know, by Allaah, that the brothers who created www.STOPMajdyWardah.com are not seeking any earthly benefit for this service. We do not ask for anything from you. We only want to warn you about someone who is hurting the Muslims and to advise you on how to best approach ending this fitnah (trial and test).
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