Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And those who harm believing men and believing women without [anything] they have earned have certainly borne upon themselves a slander and glaring sin."
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The Shaykh : Allah Mighty and Majestic said: [Al-Ahzab 33:58] Look at the difference between those who harm Allah and His Messenger and those who harm believing men and believing women. The former, their reward is the curse and a humiliating punishment, while these have borne upon themselves a slander and a glaring sin, so it is lighter. Those who harm believing men and believing women, either that is due to something the believer earned, in which case there is no harm in harming him, or it is without cause, and these are the ones who have borne upon themselves a slander and a glaring sin. An example of the first: a man accuses another man of zina, saying, "This man is a fornicator." This accuser, it is obligatory upon the one in authority to establish the hadd upon him. How much? Eighty lashes. He will be harmed by this. So, if we establish the hadd upon this person, does that become a reason for us to have borne upon ourselves a slander and a glaring sin? No, because he is the one who earned this; he is the one who earned it for himself.
If a person steals and the conditions for cutting off his hand are met, and then we cut off his hand, will he be harmed or not? Answer, everyone. Will he be harmed or not?
The student: He will be harmed.
The Shaykh : He will be harmed, without doubt. And the one whose right hand is cut off, what about the left? The right hand is the tool for writing, the tool for eating, the tool for working. It is the norm for the children of Adam that their right hands are the tools for work. The right hand is cut off, so there is harm, severe harm. But we harmed him due to a cause from him; he is the one who earned this. And for this reason, Allah Mighty and Majestic qualified that by saying, what? :[Al-Ahzab 33:58] Whether they harm believers by speech or by action. The one who harms a believer by speech is one who backbites him or curses him. Backbiting him is mentioning him with a defect in his absence. Cursing him is mentioning him with a defect in his presence. This harms him. And the one who transgresses against his car by breaking the glass or changing the paint or the like, does he harm him or not?
The student: He harms him.
The Shaykh : He harms him. And the one who puts garbage at his neighbor's door, does he harm him or not?
The student: He harms him.
The Shaykh : He harms him. And the one who turns on entertainment devices until his neighbor is annoyed by them, does he harm him or not? He harms him. These are the ones who harm believers in this manner, and they have borne upon themselves a slander and a glaring sin. And for this reason, it is obligatory upon us, my brothers, that a person should avoid harming his brothers by any type of harm, not by speech and not by action. And let him know that if he harms his Muslim brother, he has borne upon himself a slander and a glaring sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6016 And he said: Sahih Muslim 47b And he said: Sahih Muslim 47a And he said: Sahih Muslim 2625b Beware of harming your brother, not by speech and not by action, until you are safe from bearing a slander and a glaring sin.
The questioner : In the name of Allah, and all praise is for Allah.
And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.
والذين يؤذون المؤمنين والمؤمنات بغير ما اكتسبوا فقد احتملوا بهتاناً وإثماً مبيناًIf a person steals and the conditions for cutting off his hand are met, and then we cut off his hand, will he be harmed or not? Answer, everyone. Will he be harmed or not?
The student: He will be harmed.
The Shaykh : He will be harmed, without doubt. And the one whose right hand is cut off, what about the left? The right hand is the tool for writing, the tool for eating, the tool for working. It is the norm for the children of Adam that their right hands are the tools for work. The right hand is cut off, so there is harm, severe harm. But we harmed him due to a cause from him; he is the one who earned this. And for this reason, Allah Mighty and Majestic qualified that by saying, what? :
for [something] other than what they have earned
بغير ما اكتسبواThe student: He harms him.
The Shaykh : He harms him. And the one who puts garbage at his neighbor's door, does he harm him or not?
The student: He harms him.
The Shaykh : He harms him. And the one who turns on entertainment devices until his neighbor is annoyed by them, does he harm him or not? He harms him. These are the ones who harm believers in this manner, and they have borne upon themselves a slander and a glaring sin. And for this reason, it is obligatory upon us, my brothers, that a person should avoid harming his brothers by any type of harm, not by speech and not by action. And let him know that if he harms his Muslim brother, he has borne upon himself a slander and a glaring sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!" It was said, "Who is that, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)?" He said, "That person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil.
والله لا يؤمن والله لا يؤمن والله لا يؤمن قالوا من يا رسول الله ؟ قال : من لا يأمن جارُه بوائقهHe who believes in Allah and the Last Day does not harm is neighbour
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فلا يؤذي جارَهhe who believes in Allah and the Last Day should treat his neighbour with kindness
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم جارهwhen you prepare the broth, add water to that and give that (as a present) to your neighbour.
إذا طبخت مرقةً فأكثر ماءها وتعاهد جيرانكThe questioner : In the name of Allah, and all praise is for Allah.