Afflicting a Muslim with the Tongue (3/5)

Slander and false accusations:

Slander, and the making of false accusations, are considered to be major sins in Islam. This involves fabricating or spreading a lie about your brother (Muslim) in his absence.

The Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:

"Do you know what is gheebah (Backbiting)?” They said: "Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him) know best. He (Peace be upon him) said, "Mentioning about your brother what he would hate (in his absence)'. It was said: 'What about if what I say about my brother is true?' He (Peace be upon him) said: "If in him is what you say you would have backbitten him, and if it is not in him, then he is slandered (Buhtaan)."  [Reported by Muslim]

Of course, slander is a more heinous sin than backbiting, since it involves not only backbiting but also lying with intent to maliciously dishonor a Muslim.

The Messenger (Peace be upon him) also said: "...And whoever knowingly argues uselessly, Allah will continue to be angry with Him until he refrains from it, and  whoever says about a believer, that which is not in him Allah will house him in a mill of the people of the fire of Jahannam until he leaves off what he said..."  [Reported by Abu Dawood, Al-Haakim and others]

Some of the punishment for backbiting and slandering are:

1. They are both major sins in Islam, and the one who does not cease from it and repent, would be punished severely in the grave. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "...On the night that I was taken (to Jerusalem and up to the heavens), I saw a set of people who were (being punished by) taking their own finger-nails (which were long and metallic) and scraping the flesh of their own faces (and eating it). When I asked Jibreel about them, he said: 'these are people who used to be engaged in backbiting'." [Reported by Ibn Abi Duniya- Kitaab Al-Ghiba wan Nameemah]

Ibn 'Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) passed by two graves and said: "The inhabitants of (these graves) are being punished for major sins; one of them used to engage in slandering others..."  [Reported by Al-Bukhari Vol. 2 Pg. 259]

2. Whoever backbites or slanders, Allah, the Most High vows to expose their faults. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "O you who believe with your tongue and not your hearts, do not seek after the faults of Muslims, nor pry into their mistakes or downfalls. For whoever amongst you will investigate the mistakes of Muslims, then Allah will go after his mistakes and expose him, even if that mistake was committed (secretly) in the privacy of his house." [Reported by Ibn Abi Duniya- Kitaab Al-Ghiba wan Nameemah]

Giving false testimonies or bearing false witness:

Among the other blatant misuse of the tongue is witnessing to falsehood or bearing false witness. Allah, the Glorious said:

"...And shun lying speech (false statement)" [Surah Al-Hajj 22: 30]

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: "Shall I not inform you about the greatest of sins." We said: "Most assuredly" He (Peace be upon him) said: "Shirk! (associating partners) with Allah, ungratefulness to parents', he was reclining but now sat up and said: 'and bearing false witness', he continued to repeat it so much that we said: We wish that he would stop speaking." [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim]

Imaam Adh-Dhahabee in his work Al-Kabaair (The Major Sins) said: The bearer of false witness commits several major sins. These are as follow:

(a) He is spreading lies and falsehood. And Allah, the Most High said: "... Truly, Allah does not guide anyone who is a Musrif (one who commit great sins, oppressor, transgressor), a liar..." [Surah Ghaafir 40: 28]

(b) He was unjust to the person against whom he testified, because it is from his witness, that the person was either deprived of his property, or his honor, or his life.

(c) He was unjust to the person in whose favor he testified,, because he made it possible for him to acquire property that does not belong to him, thereby rendering him a sinner.

(d) He is unjust to himself, by being the one who bore false witness.

Accusing/slandering pious women (of adultery):

Allah, the Sublime said:

"Verily, those who accuse chaste women who never ever think of anything touching their chastity, and (who) are good believers, (their accusers) are cursed in this Life and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a great torment " [Surah An-Noor 24:23]

Allah, the Most High, is making it clear in this aayah that anyone who slanders pious women are cursed in this world, and in the Hereafter, they will have a severe torment.

The Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: "Keep away from 7 (seven) dangerous and destructive sins (and from them is) ............ slandering pious women (by accusing them of adultery)..." [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim]

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

"Whoever accuses what his right hand possesses of adultery will have the judgment established (against him for it) on the Day of Judgment, unless it is as he claimed.” [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim]

Note: The Shar'eeah stipulates that, for the accusation of Zinaa (adultery or fornication), that four mature, male witnesses must testify that they all (together) saw the accused in the actual act itself (i.e. "as a bucket enters into a well" according to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). If the testimony is not as stipulated above (i.e. they have not seen the actual act in itself), but have only seen convincing evidences, or there is three or less witnesses, then their testimonies are rejected. And Allah, the Most High stipulates:

"And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, hog them with eighty stripes, and reject their testimony forever..." [Surah An-Noor 24: 4]

Lying is another evil of the tongue:

Allah, the Sublime, said:

"Indeed those who fabricate Lies upon Allah, are only those who disbelieve in His signs, and it is they who are truly liars." [Surah An-Nahl 16: 105]

Allah, the Almighty said:

"A painful torment is theirs because they used to be liars" [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:10]

Ibn Mas`oud, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: 'Truth guides to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Janaah and indeed a person would involve in truth until he is written with Allah as truthful. And lying guides to immorality which guide to Jahannam, and a person would lie until he is written with Allah as a liar.” [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]

From among the characteristic of a hypocrite, described to us by the Prophet (Peace be upon him), is that "when he speaks he lies" [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]

Hypocrites are the worst of people, because of their evil deeds which involve deception. Consequently, their punishment would be the most severe on the Day of Judgment. So, brothers and sisters, avoid lying at all cost, so as to save yourself from being even considered to be associated with the worst of mankind.

'Aaishah, informing us about the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: "If he (Peace be upon him) finds anyone from his family lying, he would turn away from that person until he/she repents." [Reported by Ahmad and Al-Haakim]

(Continued)