Chapter on the Prohibition of Two Whispering to Each Other in the Presence of a Third: Allah the Exalted said: ((Indeed, whispering is from Satan)).
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on the Prohibition of Two Whispering to Each Other in the Presence of a Third. Allah the Exalted said: It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 6288 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. Abu Dawud also narrated it and added: Abu Salih said: I asked Ibn 'Umar, "What about four?" He said: "It does not harm you."
Malik also narrated it in al-Muwatta from 'Abdullah ibn Dinar, who said:Riyad as-Salihin 1598
And it was narrated from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1599 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim."
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Among the etiquettes that Islam encouraged and incited people to is what al-Nawawi pointed to in his book *Riyad al-Salihin* in the chapter on the Prohibition of Two Whispering to Each Other in the Presence of a Third. He cited as evidence for this the saying of Allah the Exalted: meaning that whispering is from Satan. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, explained what Satan wants with this whispering. He said: [Al-Mujadila 58:10] And when the Muslims passed by them, they would whisper to one another, meaning by secret speech, whispering among themselves in order to sadden the believers, so they would say, "These people intended harm for us" or something similar. This is because the enemies of the believers, the hypocrites and the disbelievers, always strive to do what saddens them and harms them, for this is what Satan wants from the enemies of Allah; that is, he wants to sadden the believers in any case, through himself and through his allies. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Mujadila 58:10] So whoever relies upon Allah and places his trust in Him, no one can harm him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2516Hasan (Darussalam) So they whisper to each other in order to sadden the believers.
Then he mentioned the hadith of Ibn 'Umar and Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them both) in this sense, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited two from whispering to each other in the presence of a third. This means that if there are three, it is not permissible for two to whisper to each other in the presence of the third, because the third will be saddened. Why was I not addressed? Why did they not speak to me? This is if one has a good opinion of them. But one might have a bad opinion of them; one might have a bad opinion of them. However, if one has a good opinion of them, he says, "Why am I of no value? They whisper to each other in my presence." Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this, and there is no doubt that this is among the etiquettes.
If someone were to say, "If there is a matter between me and my companion that I do not want anyone to know about, a private matter," we say: Do as 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) did. Call one person so that you are four, and then two whisper to each other and two speak to each other, as Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to do, and as the hadith indicates: The hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: So when we mix with the people, the problem is resolved.
And among this is whispering between two in the presence of a third when there are three, and two are proficient in a foreign language while the third is not, so they speak in their language and the third hears but does not know what they are saying. This is the same thing, because that saddens him. Why did they leave me and start talking alone? Or perhaps he might have a bad opinion of them, such as one speaking to another in English while the third does not know it. This is like those who whisper, for raising the voice... does not benefit him, so he prohibits that. If someone were to say, "If he has a need... with his brother," we say: He does as Ibn 'Umar did. And if it is not possible and no one is available for them, then they seek his permission. They say, "Do you permit us to speak?" If he permits them to do so, then the right is his, and at that time he is not saddened and does not worry about the matter. And success is from Allah.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on the Prohibition of Two Whispering to Each Other in the Presence of a Third. Allah the Exalted said:
Private conversation is only from Satan
إنما النجوى من الشيطانWhen three persons are together, then no two of them should hold secret counsel excluding the third person.
إذا كانوا ثلاثة فلا يتناجى اثنان دون الثالثMalik also narrated it in al-Muwatta from 'Abdullah ibn Dinar, who said:
Ibn 'Umar and I were together in Khalid bin 'Uqbah's house which was situated in the market place. A man came to consult Ibn 'Umar. None besides me was present. Ibn 'Umar called another man in and we became four and said to me and the man he had called: Move away a bit because I have heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "The two people should not hold secret counsel together excluding the third."
كنت أنا وابن عمر عند دار خالد بن عقبة التي في السوق فجاء رجل يريد أن يناجيه وليس مع ابن عمر أحد غيري فدعا ابن عمر رجلا آخر حتى كنا أربعة فقال لي وللرجل الثالث الذي دعا استأخرا شيئا فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول لا يتناجى اثنان دون واحدAnd it was narrated from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When three of you are together, two of you must not converse privately ignoring the third till the number increases, lest the third should be grieved.
إذا كنتم ثلاثة فلا يتناجى اثنان دون الآخر حتى تختلطوا بالناس من أجل أن ذلك يحزنهThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Among the etiquettes that Islam encouraged and incited people to is what al-Nawawi pointed to in his book *Riyad al-Salihin* in the chapter on the Prohibition of Two Whispering to Each Other in the Presence of a Third. He cited as evidence for this the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Private conversation is only from Satan
إنما النجوى من الشيطانthat he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allah
ليحزن الذين آمنوا وليس بضارهم شيئا إلا بإذن اللهbut he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allah
وليس بضارهم شيئا إلا بإذن اللهKnow that if the entire creation were to gather together to do something to benefit you- you would never get any benefit except that Allah had written for you
واعلم أن الأمة لو اجتمعوا على أن ينفعوك بشيء لم ينفعوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله عليكThen he mentioned the hadith of Ibn 'Umar and Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them both) in this sense, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited two from whispering to each other in the presence of a third. This means that if there are three, it is not permissible for two to whisper to each other in the presence of the third, because the third will be saddened. Why was I not addressed? Why did they not speak to me? This is if one has a good opinion of them. But one might have a bad opinion of them; one might have a bad opinion of them. However, if one has a good opinion of them, he says, "Why am I of no value? They whisper to each other in my presence." Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this, and there is no doubt that this is among the etiquettes.
If someone were to say, "If there is a matter between me and my companion that I do not want anyone to know about, a private matter," we say: Do as 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) did. Call one person so that you are four, and then two whisper to each other and two speak to each other, as Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to do, and as the hadith indicates:
Until you mix with the people.
حتى تختلطوا بالناسuntil you mix with the people
حتى تختلطوا بالناسAnd among this is whispering between two in the presence of a third when there are three, and two are proficient in a foreign language while the third is not, so they speak in their language and the third hears but does not know what they are saying. This is the same thing, because that saddens him. Why did they leave me and start talking alone? Or perhaps he might have a bad opinion of them, such as one speaking to another in English while the third does not know it. This is like those who whisper, for raising the voice... does not benefit him, so he prohibits that. If someone were to say, "If he has a need... with his brother," we say: He does as Ibn 'Umar did. And if it is not possible and no one is available for them, then they seek his permission. They say, "Do you permit us to speak?" If he permits them to do so, then the right is his, and at that time he is not saddened and does not worry about the matter. And success is from Allah.