The Ruling on Forbidding Evil in Backbiting and Talebearing
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Question:
Good morning, Shaykh. We received a message from Mosul, from the Muthanna district in the Iraqi Republic. It says: A Muslim woman states that her family speaks about people’s reputations, both truthfully and falsely. She attempts to stop them, but they respond with abusive words and ask her to stay away from them, which irritates her. Then her brother got married, and his wife insults her mother, does not help her in the house, and participates in insulting people by speaking about them. She is married. Her brother got married, and his wife insults her mother. She does not help her in the house and participates in insulting people by speaking about them. What should this Muslim woman do regarding her parents and her brother’s wife? In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Answer:
The Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and may prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows his guidance. As for what follows, we hope for much good for this questioner; because forbidding what is wrong is something Allah has prescribed for His servants, and because that is among the characteristics of believing men and women, as Allah the Exalted said:[At-Tawbah 9:71] He commands [Ali 'Imran 3:104]. There is no doubt that speaking about people's reputations and backbiting about people is among what is wrong. Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: [Al-Hujurat 49:12] So backbiting is mentioning your brother in a way he dislikes. And when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about that, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 18:232 he died.
In summary, she is rewarded for her forbidding of evil, and this is obligatory upon her if she is present. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the hadith: If it is an evil committed by the one who did it, it is a binding duty upon both men and women. She must strive, ask Allah for their guidance, and address them in the best manner. She should advise them and remind them that this is dangerous and that this is among the causes of Allah’s anger and the causes of that speech, so perhaps Allah will guide them. Likewise, with her brother’s wife who insults the mother and attacks reputations, she should advise her and say to her: Fear Allah and watch out for Allah, so perhaps Allah will guide her through these means. This is what you should do, O sister questioner. Be steadfast in forbidding evil and be patient, for patience is necessary, as Luqman said to his son: [Luqman 31:17] The one who believes and forbids evil must endure harm and must hear what he dislikes, so he must be patient. Allah described the successful ones in His Noble Book as those who are patient, so He the Glorious and Exalted said: [Al-'Asr 103:1-3] These are the characteristics of the successful ones: the characteristics of faith and truthfulness, sincere faith and righteous deeds, and enjoining one another to truth and enjoining one another to patience.
Good morning, Shaykh. We received a message from Mosul, from the Muthanna district in the Iraqi Republic. It says: A Muslim woman states that her family speaks about people’s reputations, both truthfully and falsely. She attempts to stop them, but they respond with abusive words and ask her to stay away from them, which irritates her. Then her brother got married, and his wife insults her mother, does not help her in the house, and participates in insulting people by speaking about them. She is married. Her brother got married, and his wife insults her mother. She does not help her in the house and participates in insulting people by speaking about them. What should this Muslim woman do regarding her parents and her brother’s wife? In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Answer:
The Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and may prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows his guidance. As for what follows, we hope for much good for this questioner; because forbidding what is wrong is something Allah has prescribed for His servants, and because that is among the characteristics of believing men and women, as Allah the Exalted said:
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another
وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍenjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong
بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِor backbite each other
وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًاHe said: If there is in your brother what you are saying, you have backbitten him, and if there is not, you have
قال إن كان في أخيك ما تقول فقد اغتبته، وإن لم يكن فيه فقدIn summary, she is rewarded for her forbidding of evil, and this is obligatory upon her if she is present. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the hadith:
In another hadith: Whoever defends the reputation of his brother in his absence, Allah will defend his face from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection,
الآخر من رد عن عرض أخيه بغيبه رد الله على وجهه النار يوم القيامة،O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] determination.
يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ(1) By time, (2) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (3) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.
وَالْعَصْرِ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 24 — youtube.com (0:22)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.