Backbiting - Islamic School System - Dawat-e-Islami

ِ214 Backbiting – A Cancer in our Society15 th night of Sha’bān, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ‏ casts a glance of mercy upon His bondmen and forgivesall, except the polytheists and the ones who bear malice.’ (Al-Iḥsān bittartīb Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān,vol. 7, pp. 470, Ḥadīš 5236)َ االلهُ‏ Jealousy is another disease that causes one to backbite. Sayyidunā Abū Dardāhas relayed, ‘The one who remembers death extensively; their jealousy and happinesswill diminish.’ (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybaĥ, vol. 8, pp. 167, Ḥadīš 4)تَعَالىٰ‏ عَنْ‏ ‏ُه ر‎5َ‎Eradicate conflicts in your households as these open the doorways for backbiting. Reconcilewith all the members of the household who are upset with you like your mother, father,brother, sister and other relatives and in the future always be courteous towards them,no matter how hard they try to sever relations with you. Keep these two Ḥadīš in theback of your mind:1. ‘The best charity is the one that is given to a spiteful relative.’ (Al-Mustadrak, vol. 2,pp. 27, Ḥadīš 1515)The reason for this is that when you give charity to the relative who is full of malice,it serves two purposes: One you give charity and second you mend relations, andshow kindness and courtesy towards people close to kin.2. ‘The one who breaks ties will not enter Paradise.’ (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, pp. 383, Ḥadīš 2556)Put an end to the habit of joking and bantering and adopt the virtues of seriousness andquietness. When you are enticed to backbite, recall the worldly perils and the risks of theHereafter. Consider the punishment associated with backbiting like eating the flesh,peeling the face and chest with the nails made of copper, the cutting of the flesh from thesides and then being made to eat it. Furthermore, condition yourself by thinking aboutthe loss of good deeds, the increase in sins and the high probability of having a faithlessdemise; all due to backbiting.Another word of advice – do not regard these few lines of brief overview regarding theantidote to backbite as sufficient – do read the details in the following pages. Satan willmake every effort to keep you away from reading them, and will make you lazy. But,counter his attacks by reading the remedies of backbiting in its entirety and let thedegenerate Satan fall into despair. Also, continue to refresh your memory by reading