Backbiting - Islamic School System - Dawat-e-Islami

ُِ‏ِه ‏َم ‏ِهُْBackbiting – A Cancer in our Society 159outside, some criticized that on the outward he seemed like a very pious person but hecould not even utter the Statement of Faith at the time of his death. Most attendees wereoffended by this statement but at that very moment the deceased Maulānā folded his legsand invoked the Statement of Faith aloud. When people heard this, they started criticizingthe accusers. (Ghībat kyā ĥay, pp. 19)Backbiting against a deceased non-believerCommentator of Bukhārī, Muftī Sharīf-ul-Ḥaq Amjadī الۡ‏ has written that it ispermissible to talk ill of non-believers even if he is dead. However, if the family membersof the deceased are Muslims and speaking ill of their non-Muslim parents or grandparentsbrings them grief then it is essential to refrain from it as now talking ill of their kin fallsunder causing grief to a fellow Muslim and that is not allowed. (Nuzĥa-tul-Qārī, vol. 2, pp. 886)قَوِی ‏ُةالل عَ‏ لَي رَ‏ ‏ْحShaĥā manḋlā raĥī ĥay maut sar per pĥir bĥī mayrā NafsGunāĥaun kī ṭaraf ĥar dam ĥay mā-il Yā RasūlallāĥMaster, death is hovering over my headYet the Nafs prefers the path of sins to treadSix lurid narrations of the deceasedThere is no restriction under Islamic law against relaying the incidents of deceased toMuslims as long as it is to warn them. To engender aversion towards sins amongstMuslims, the masters of Ḥadīš have relayed in their books the incidents of deceasednon-believers, deviants and even Muslims and the punishments they endured after theirdeaths. In this context, read the following six lurid narrations:1. Kurtā of fireSayyidunā Abū Rāfi’ ر‎5َ‎ االلهُ‏ تَعَالىٰ‏ عَنْهُ‏ َ narrated, ‘I went by Baqī with the Most Blessed Prophetتَعَالىٰ‏ ‏َلَيْهِ‏ وَاٰلِهٖ‏ وَسَلَّم said, ‘Oh! Oh!’ I thought He عَالىٰ‏ ‏َلَيْهِ‏ وَاٰلِهٖ‏ وَسَلَّمصَ‏ !َّ االله تَ‏ He ‏,صَ‏ !َّ االلهتَعَالىٰ‏ ‏َلَيْهِ‏ وَاٰلِهٖ‏ وَسَلَّمُhad صَ‏ !َّ االلهintended this for me so I inquired, ‘Prophet of Allah, have I done something wrong?’ Heperson, then explained, I‘ had sent this صَ‏ !َّ االلهُ‏ تَعَالىٰ‏ ‏َلَيْهِ‏ وَاٰلِهٖ‏ وَسَلَّم replied, ‘No.’ He صَ‏ !َّ االلهُ‏ تَعَالىٰ‏ ‏َلَيْهِ‏ وَاٰلِهٖ‏ وَسَلَّمlying in the grave, to collect Ṣadaqaĥ from a certain tribe. He embezzled one piece ofcloth. Ultimately, he is wearing a similar Kurtā made of fire.’ (Sunan Nasāī, pp. 150, Ḥadīš 859)