My teacher does not adhere to Islamic teachings; he shaves his beard, smokes, and wears his garment long. Is it obligatory for me to respect and honor him?
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The questioner : This man says: O honorable Shaykh, I have a teacher who does not adhere to Islamic teachings; he shaves his beard, smokes, and wears his garment long. Is it obligatory for me to respect and honor him? And is it permissible for me to turn away from him? And before finishing, he said: It previously happened that I committed backbiting about you, O honorable Shaykh; I heard backbiting about you, O honorable Shaykh, and I did not refute it, so I hope you will forgive me for that before there is no dinar or dirham.
The Shaykh : As for the teacher with this description, I see that his case should be reported to the school principal, and the school principal will do what is necessary regarding this teacher by advising him in the best manner, and matters will be resolved if you approach them through their proper channels. However, in the classroom where the study takes place, he is to be respected, not for his own sake, but because he has authority over the students in that classroom, meaning the study class.
And as for the fact that he did not defend me, I thank him for this, for this apology. But I inform him of something important: every person who backbites another person is actually presenting him with a righteous deed, a righteous deed that remains for whom? For the one who was backbitten. Therefore, some of the Salaf said: "I would like to offer dirhams to whoever backbites me", because the one who backbites me is giving me a gift more valuable than dirhams, which is good deeds. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: We ask Allah for safety.
And I do not say that I am sinless, that there is nothing in which people can backbite me. But I say: every person who is informed of something about me, it is obligatory upon him to inform me of it, because this is part of giving sincere advice. And a person is human, and this is better than him speaking about a person's honor. Inform your brother of his fault, and whoever presents you with your fault has given you sincere advice and done you good. Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the teacher with this description, I see that his case should be reported to the school principal, and the school principal will do what is necessary regarding this teacher by advising him in the best manner, and matters will be resolved if you approach them through their proper channels. However, in the classroom where the study takes place, he is to be respected, not for his own sake, but because he has authority over the students in that classroom, meaning the study class.
And as for the fact that he did not defend me, I thank him for this, for this apology. But I inform him of something important: every person who backbites another person is actually presenting him with a righteous deed, a righteous deed that remains for whom? For the one who was backbitten. Therefore, some of the Salaf said: "I would like to offer dirhams to whoever backbites me", because the one who backbites me is giving me a gift more valuable than dirhams, which is good deeds. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
Whom do you consider a bankrupt person among you? They said: The one who has no dirham and no goods - or they said: and no dinar - He said: No, the bankrupt person is the one who comes on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like mountains, and he comes having struck this one, insulted this one, and taken the wealth of this one. So this one takes from his good deeds, and this one takes from his good deeds, and this one takes from his good deeds. If anything remains of his good deeds, otherwise, their sins are taken and thrown upon him, and then he is thrown into the Fire.
من تعدون المفلس فيكم ؟ قالوا : من لا درهم عنده ولا متاع - أو قالوا : ولا دينار - قال : لا، المفلس من يأتي يوم القيامة بحسنات أمثال الجبال، فيأتي وقد ضرب هذا، وشتم هذا، وأخذ مال هذا، فيأخذ هذا من حسناته وهذا من حسناته، وهذا من حسناته، فإن بقي من حسناته شيء وإلا أخذ من سيئاتهم فطرح عليه ثم طرح في النارAnd I do not say that I am sinless, that there is nothing in which people can backbite me. But I say: every person who is informed of something about me, it is obligatory upon him to inform me of it, because this is part of giving sincere advice. And a person is human, and this is better than him speaking about a person's honor. Inform your brother of his fault, and whoever presents you with your fault has given you sincere advice and done you good. Yes.