It is reported from Imam al-Shafi'i that when a person mentions bad speech, he should phrase it in the third person and obscure it, such as saying "he is a disbeliever" for someone who said "I am a disbeliever." What is your guidance?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I would say that perhaps in the report from Imam al-Shafi'i, a person, for example, when in a lesson or during conversation, if he encounters a word that harms the speaker himself, he should obscure it, meaning he should speak in a way that does not intend himself, for example, like, for instance, a man, for example... for example, his wife, my wife, so-and-so says, or instead of saying "he"... for example, a word like this, he says "he is a disbeliever." So in the case of such badness, he speaks in the language of backbiting or in another phrase, meaning?
The Shaykh : Yes
Another questioner: What is the question?
The Shaykh : What is the question? May Allah guide you.
The questioner : The question is, do you see here that sometimes the meaning is not understood by those present?
The Shaykh : It is not understood?
The questioner : Yes, that is right.
The Shaykh : If it is not understood, do not speak in this soft language; this requires people who are soft!
The questioner : Yes.
The questioner : Regarding, may Allah preserve you, when you called it "soft language"? Does this imply an admission from your words? So do we say that the original rule is to use this phrase? For example, he says, "So-and-so said, 'I am a disbeliever,'" and he says, "He is a disbeliever," following the hadithRiyad as-Salihin 942 about the funeral if it is not righteous Riyad as-Salihin 942, and he did not say ? Do you see that this usage is the original rule, or what is the original rule?
The Shaykh : The original rule is to employ wisdom, and wisdom varies from place to place, and the Shari'ah came with this, and this is a rule, meaning that softening the expression is the original rule, and the opposite is contrary to the original rule, except that here the matter of "speak to people according to their understanding" comes in.
The questioner : This company, this company that took a contract, took the urban queue bid... I benefit, and he is an engineer... and we put our price, they refer to the validity of the harvest, so I asked... the forests, and he said no, I will speak with the engineer, he told me there are devices, I like, meaning... I like to specify, I like to build with his knowledge, the craft that he wants, meaning he will work, he will take a wage, and he will learn the craft. I said, okay, where will you come? He said, I will come to the project. I said to him, where is your project? He told me, my project is in urban development, like this, yes.
So I am thinking, I and my professor... I say, is it related to sins and related to such and such, and the Shaykh, meaning, if we explain this topic, we see that it does not proceed... the work, but also the engineer's opinion is necessary... meaning, they were as if he said, "Please," and this is my phone, let him come down to work tomorrow, and so on. I could not, I did not review the topic with them. I reviewed it and said to him, meaning, may Allah reward you... we were embarrassed when we heard that it is urban development, and urban development has such and such, and our Shaykh, may Allah reward him, was explaining that the matters are usurious, and dealing with riba and its outcome is such and such, and its basis is[Al-Ma'idah 5:2], and it is not permissible for us to cooperate. So this urban development involves assistance because it contains riba. He said, it is possible, meaning, there is a part of people who buy with riba and people who buy without riba. I said to him, no problem, meaning, here is one thing and here is another, but the majority, meaning, it is your suspicion that it is riba. And he told me, okay, I mean, the company took from the company... is it related or not related?
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : He said, it is not that I take the bid from this; I mean, I am the manager of a company that took a bid, so my Shaykh, they remain the same thing, it does not benefit us now, the distance of it, meaning?
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : All of it... is in one outlet, which is cooperation.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Because banks are usurious, and all is not... by Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes
Another questioner: What is the question?
The Shaykh : What is the question? May Allah guide you.
The questioner : The question is, do you see here that sometimes the meaning is not understood by those present?
The Shaykh : It is not understood?
The questioner : Yes, that is right.
The Shaykh : If it is not understood, do not speak in this soft language; this requires people who are soft!
The questioner : Yes.
The questioner : Regarding, may Allah preserve you, when you called it "soft language"? Does this imply an admission from your words? So do we say that the original rule is to use this phrase? For example, he says, "So-and-so said, 'I am a disbeliever,'" and he says, "He is a disbeliever," following the hadith
Woe to it. Where are you taking it?
يا ويلها أين تذهبون بهاWoe to it. Where are you taking it?
يا ويلها أين تذهبون بهاWoe to me
يا ويليThe Shaykh : The original rule is to employ wisdom, and wisdom varies from place to place, and the Shari'ah came with this, and this is a rule, meaning that softening the expression is the original rule, and the opposite is contrary to the original rule, except that here the matter of "speak to people according to their understanding" comes in.
The questioner : This company, this company that took a contract, took the urban queue bid... I benefit, and he is an engineer... and we put our price, they refer to the validity of the harvest, so I asked... the forests, and he said no, I will speak with the engineer, he told me there are devices, I like, meaning... I like to specify, I like to build with his knowledge, the craft that he wants, meaning he will work, he will take a wage, and he will learn the craft. I said, okay, where will you come? He said, I will come to the project. I said to him, where is your project? He told me, my project is in urban development, like this, yes.
So I am thinking, I and my professor... I say, is it related to sins and related to such and such, and the Shaykh, meaning, if we explain this topic, we see that it does not proceed... the work, but also the engineer's opinion is necessary... meaning, they were as if he said, "Please," and this is my phone, let him come down to work tomorrow, and so on. I could not, I did not review the topic with them. I reviewed it and said to him, meaning, may Allah reward you... we were embarrassed when we heard that it is urban development, and urban development has such and such, and our Shaykh, may Allah reward him, was explaining that the matters are usurious, and dealing with riba and its outcome is such and such, and its basis is
cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression
تعاونوا على البر والتقوى ولا تعاونوا على الإثم والعدوانThe Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : He said, it is not that I take the bid from this; I mean, I am the manager of a company that took a bid, so my Shaykh, they remain the same thing, it does not benefit us now, the distance of it, meaning?
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : All of it... is in one outlet, which is cooperation.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Because banks are usurious, and all is not... by Allah.