On Gheebah

As'Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu,

Here's an article i wish  to share with you. Its written by Amatullah Abdullah. {I donno who he is but liked the content of it. I wish our members to correct it if u find it wrong any where}

A sister  requested  me to write an article on  "Gheebah". I asked myself , " How can i write or talk about Gheebah when i myself is not free from it ------" And then i realized that i shud write about it, in order to remind and warn myself and my dear brothers and sisters in Islam.

Now what does Gheebah mean?

In Arabic  backbiting or slandering or any misuse of the toungue  is Gheebah. It comes from the root : Gha - yaa- Baa, meaning that which is unseen. Gheebah is totalk about your brother  or sister in such a manner that he or she would dislike it if told before them. Gheebah is one of the major sins in Islam because it hurts ithers and destroys their self esteem. We sacrifice the honor of our brothers and sisters when we commit gheebah.

We, as muslims shud be loving and compassionate with one another. An islamic speaker said , " Even in our thoughts one shud honour his brothers and sisters in Islam." Gheebah is one of the biggest and most evil of the wreckers of this compassion, love, and brotherhood.

Do we know that Gheebah will wach away our good deeds and our good deeds would be snatched from us and given to the one against whom we spoke  ill off on the Day of Judgement? Yes ! This is what will happen to one who indulges in Gheebah !

We will have survived all of the horrible trials, the judgement, the bridge and the huge thorns which snatch us according to our deeds and throw us into Hell. {Sahih Bukhari ; Volume 8, Book 76, Number 577} We will have been thru all this, only to lose all our good deeds because we cud not, or would not, control our toungue.

The Prophet s.a.w.s has clearly defined Gheebah {backbiting} for us, so that we can identify and keep away from this terrible sin.

Abu Hurairah [ RA]  narrated that Prophet {s.a.w.s} said, " Do u know what is backbiting ?" There upon he {Prophet} said , "Backbiting  implies your talking about your brother in a manner which he does not like." It was said to him, " What if i say about my brother is true?" He said , " If what u said about him is true , then u would have back bitten him, and if it is not true, then  he is  slandered [buhtaan] {Reported in saheeh Muslim ; hadeeth 1183, Sahih Muslim : Book 31, NUmber 6265, Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Tirmidhi etc} and in other hadith Al0mutallib ibn Abdullah said , " The messenger of Allah said , "Gheebah {backbiting} means that a man mentions about a person something which is true, behind his back." [Al - Suyuti, Zawa'id Al Jami from report something similar with a Mursal Isnad as mentioned in Al-Sahihah, No. 1992}

Narrated Aisha RA , " I said to the Prophet {s.a.w.s] : "It is enough for u in Saffiyah that she is such and such" {the other version than Musaddad's has the meaning  that she was short-statured}. He replied, " U have said a word which would change the sea if it were mixed in it -------" { Sunan Abu Dawud Book 41, Number 4857}

The Prophet says that Allah is the Judge of Judges and taht no one can judge as Allah judges. If one is judgemental, he is making himseld into judge with no authority from the Judge of  the Judges, when he says ; "So and so is a no-good person " We shud remember  that we are not the judgeof our Lord's servants; He created them and judges them as He wills ! Whoever ignores this point is competing with Allah and taking his attribute of Al-Hakeem {The Judge} and setting  himself as  partner against Allah. What a grave mistake ! Don't we know that Allah would forgive any sin except Shirk ? This is definetly shirk !

This {Gheebah} is indeed a terrible sin but do we realize it? No! It has become so common in our lives  that we actually fail to realize it and we take it so lightly.

Insha-Allah, rest of the part, at my next post.   

The Prophet  describes the torment  that the people who commit Gheebah would face.

Anas RA, related that the Prophet {s.a.w.s} said, " When i ascended to the heavens i passed by a group of people  with nails of copper, combing their faces and chests with it. I asked : "Who are those people, Jibreel?", i asked

Jibreel replied : " Those are the ones who eat the flesh of people and backbite them"  {Abu Dawood}

In another Hadith :
Narrated Abu Burdhah al-Aslami : "The Prophet {s.a.w.s} said : "O community  of people, who believed by their tongue , and belief  did not enter their hearts, do not backbite  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 the open for everyone to see, even if he hid it in the innermost part of his house." Sunan Abu Dawud : Book 41, Number 4862, Sahih Suan Al Tirmidhi {1655}

Surah Humazah in the Holy Quran describes clearly that one who  indulges in Gheebah is in clear error  and in great loss.
1. Woe to every slanderer and backbiter
2. Who has gathered wealth and counted it.
3. He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever
4. Nay ! Verily he will thrown into the crushing fire
5. And what will make you know what the crushing Fire is?
6. The fire of Allah, kindled
7. Which leaps up over the hearts
8. Verily, it shall be closed  in on them
9. In pillars streched forth {i.e they will be punished in the Fire with pillars, etc}

These verses tell us about the terrible  punishment  that befalls the Muslim who commit Gheebah.

Allah teaches us to speak out against slander and try to put a stop to it in the following verse :
"And why did you not, when you heard it, say : "It is not right of us  to speak of this ; Glory to God, this is a most serious slander?" {Surah An-Nur 24 :16 }

Just as talking about others is forbidden so too is listening to it. Allah says, "And follow {O Man} [i.e say not, or do not or witness not etc} that of which you have no knowledge {Example, one's saying : "I have seen, "While in fact  has not seen, or "i have heard", while he has not heard}  Verily! The hearing and the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned {by Allah}" {Surah Al-Israa :36}

Narrated Abu Hurairah :" The Prophet {s.a.w.s} said, " Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day shud talk what is good or keep quiet, and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day shud not hurt {or insult} his neighbour ----"{Sahih Bukhari : Volume 8, Book 76, Number 482}

As Salamu Alaikum

Masha Allah, interesting reading here.

It is so strange sometimes even the smallest insignificant word can affect our position in the Hereafter.

May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala protect us from our shortcomings Ameen!

Wa Alaikum Salam