The Shaykh’s remarks on the permissibility of backbiting
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The Shaykh : Here, the verse commands us to leave the rule aside in order to prevent harm.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Ah, so we now have a rule, the summary of which, as was also said:
“Censure is not backbiting in six cases: *** the complainant, the identifier, and the one who warns,
the one who openly commits open sinfulness, the one who seeks a ruling, and the one *** who seeks assistance in removing what is wrong.”
This permits censure, but if it is for the purpose of describing the state of the one censured, and a greater harm results than the benefit, then the rule is left aside.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Is that clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Ah, so we now have a rule, the summary of which, as was also said:
“Censure is not backbiting in six cases: *** the complainant, the identifier, and the one who warns,
the one who openly commits open sinfulness, the one who seeks a ruling, and the one *** who seeks assistance in removing what is wrong.”
This permits censure, but if it is for the purpose of describing the state of the one censured, and a greater harm results than the benefit, then the rule is left aside.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Is that clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: All right.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.