Part of Echo of the Pulpits
· Lesson 25 of 48
Echo of platforms | By Sheikh Khaled Al-Hamoudi | Sermon (22) | Backbiting (deadly disease)
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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The echo of the pulpit.
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Backbiting is the performance of the destructive.
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A sermon by the honorable Sheikh,
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Khalid Ibn 'Abdullah al-Hamudi,
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May Allah preserve him.
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Indeed, all praise is due to Allah.
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We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness.
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We seek refuge in Allah, the Exalted, from the evils of our own selves and from our wicked deeds.
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Whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray.
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And whoever He leads astray, none can guide.
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I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, having no partner.
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“All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah; unto Him belongeth Sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise, and He is Able to do all things.” (64:1)
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And I bear witness that our master, our Prophet, and our beloved, Muhammad, is the servant of Allah and His Messenger,
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His chosen one and His intimate friend.
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We all bear witness that he conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust,
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And gave sincere counsel to the Ummah.
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Through him, Allah, the Majestic and Exalted, dispelled the distress.
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He strove for the sake of Allah with the true striving until certainty came to him.
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O Allah, send prayers, peace, increase, and blessings
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Upon Your servant, Your Messenger, Your Prophet, and Your beloved, Muhammad,
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And upon his family and his Companions,
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And whoever follows his guidance,
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Adheres to his Sunnah, and treads his path,
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And grant him abundant peace until the Day of Judgment.
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To proceed, O servants of Allah:
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I advise you and myself to fear Allah,
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For it is the commandment of Allah to us and to those before us.
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“Unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. And We charged those who received the Scripture before you, and (We charge) you, that ye keep your duty toward Allah. And if ye disbelieve, lo! unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and Allah is ever Absolute, Owner of Praise.” (4:131)
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We ask Allah, the Majestic in His Majesty,
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To make us all among His righteous servants,
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And among His successful party.
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O Allah, answer our prayer.
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O community of believers,
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Our topic today is a disease,
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One of the most corrupting and destructive diseases for individuals and societies.
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It is a disease that brings evil, invites division, fills hearts with resentment,
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And stirs up hatred.
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Our topic is a disease
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That drags its practitioner to the lowest depths,
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And spreads hatred and malice among people.
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That is why Allah and His Messenger have warned against it.
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Yet, unfortunately,
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It has become widespread among us and has become a delicacy,
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With which we decorate our gatherings.
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Few of us are safe from falling into it.
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Indeed, one practices it,
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And you find no one to forbid him.
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You may find a worshiper,
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A giver of charity,
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A doer of good,
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A person of Sunnah,
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Who attends funerals,
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And is truthful,
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Yet he falls into this destructive disease.
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It is backbiting, O servants of Allah.
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O noble ones,
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Major sins
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Are the cause of every misery and evil,
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And punishment in this world and the Hereafter.
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The worst of sins and acts of disobedience
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Are those whose harm is great,
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And whose danger is increased.
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Among the major sins and acts of disobedience
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Is backbiting, O servants of Allah.
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Allah has forbidden it in His Book,
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And upon the tongue of His Messenger,
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Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Because it corrupts hearts,
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Sows evil,
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Inherits trials,
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And leads to great sins and destructive matters.
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It causes its practitioner regret,
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At a time when regret will not benefit him.
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It widens the rift of disagreement,
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Grows hatred and envy,
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And brings about enmities
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Between households, neighbors, and relatives.
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It diminishes good deeds,
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And increases bad deeds.
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It is one of the major sins, and we seek refuge in Allah from it.
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For backbiting, O servants of Allah,
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Its practitioner is disgraced,
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And dies in an unseemly state.
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Hearts are repulsed by him,
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And his faults are many.
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Allah has forbidden it,
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And likened its perpetrator
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To an image hateful to man,
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From which his nature recoils.
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The Exalted says:
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"O you who have believed,
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“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (49:12)
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“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (49:12)
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And do not spy,
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“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (49:12)
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“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (49:12)
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Would one of you like
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To eat the flesh of his brother when dead?
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You would detest it."
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You would detest it.
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And fear Allah;
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Indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance, Merciful.
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This prohibition
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Is the ultimate deterrent against backbiting,
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When Allah likens the backbiter,
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The one who backbites a Muslim,
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To one who eats his flesh while dead.
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If the backbiter dislikes
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Eating the flesh of his brother while dead,
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And recoils from that image,
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Then he should not eat his flesh while alive through backbiting.
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For backbiting
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Is like eating his flesh while dead.
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If the Muslim were to reflect only on this analogy,
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It would be a deterrent from backbiting,
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Sufficient to keep him away from it.
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And if you fall into the honor of someone with falsehood,
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You have slandered him,
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And assaulted his honor and person.
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How common is slander today,
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Through tale-bearing,
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Accusing people
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Of what is not in them,
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And striving
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To cause them harm.
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On the authority of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"Indeed, your blood,
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Your wealth,
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And your honor
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Are sacred to you,
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Like the sanctity of this day of yours,
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In this land of yours,
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In this month of yours.
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Have I conveyed the message?
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O Allah, bear witness."
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Agreed upon.
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So guard, O servants of Allah,
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Guard your tongues from this heinous backbiting,
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And from this lowly sin.
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For he has succeeded
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Who guards his tongue from slips,
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And binds his limbs to acts of obedience.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"Whoever guarantees for me what is between his jaws
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And what is between his legs,
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I guarantee Paradise for him."
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Agreed upon.
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On the authority of Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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"I said, O Messenger of Allah,
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Which of the Muslims is best?"
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He said: "The one from whose tongue and hand
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The Muslims are safe."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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On the authority of 'Uqbah Ibn 'Amir, may Allah be pleased with him,
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Who said: "I said, O Messenger of Allah,
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Wherein lies salvation?"
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He said: "Restrain your tongue,
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Let your house suffice you,
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And weep over your sins."
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Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,
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Who said it is a hasan (good) hadith.
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So, O servants of Allah,
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Respecting honor
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Is one of the five necessities
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That Islam has brought.
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So respect it,
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And avoid encroaching upon it.
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Purify your tongues
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From what harms the Muslims.
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Purify your gatherings from backbiting,
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And from attacking the honor of the Muslims.
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Protect the honor of people,
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And your honor will be protected.
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Defend it,
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And your honor will be defended.
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Be sincere to them,
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And those around you among the believers will be sincere to you.
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O noble ones,
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If backbiting is forbidden,
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And is a major sin,
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Then listening to it,
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And paying attention to it,
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Is a sin and a transgression.
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So be mindful of that, may Allah protect you.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"When I was taken on the Night Journey,
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I passed by people who had nails of copper,
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We seek refuge in Allah,
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Scratching their faces and their chests.
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I said: Who are these, O Jibril?
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He said: These are
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Those who eat the flesh of people,
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And attack their honor."
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Narrated by Abu Dawud.
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So do not take lightly, O servant of Allah,
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The sin of backbiting,
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Do not belittle its gravity,
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Do not despise it,
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And do not let the pleasure of forbidden speech deceive you.
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For its sin is great,
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And its danger is grave.
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And a person cannot
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Seeking release from it,
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for it pertains to the rights of people,
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is only possible by returning
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to the one whom you spoke about,
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and constantly asking for his forgiveness
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for what you said regarding him,
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even though you may consider it a light matter.
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“When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great.” (24:15)
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O Allah, keep us away from evils and sins,
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and distance us from misdeeds,
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just as You have distanced the East from the West.
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O Allah, answer our prayer.
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May Allah bless me and you through the Great Qur'an,
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and benefit me and you with the verses and the wise reminder it contains.
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I say what you hear, and I ask Allah for forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness,
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for how successful are those who seek forgiveness.
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Praise be to Allah.
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I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
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May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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To proceed, O servants of Allah,
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listen to this remarkable dialogue
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between our Prophet, peace be upon him,
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and ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
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So that you may know the danger of backbiting.
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She said, may Allah be pleased with her,
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"I said to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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'It is enough for you that Safiyyah is
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such and such,'
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meaning that she was short."
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So he said to her,
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"O ‘A’ishah,
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you have uttered a word
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that, if it were mixed with the water of the sea, it would pollute it."
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It would pollute it,
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meaning it would change its taste.
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So observe, O servants of Allah,
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the insignificance of the word
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which many people take lightly,
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and which we hear from many:
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"This one is short,"
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"This one is fat,"
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"This one is such,"
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"And this one is such."
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How grave is the impact of that in the sight of Allah!
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So let us be mindful of that, O servants of Allah.
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Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him,
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would take hold of his tongue and say,
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"This is what has led me to ruin,"
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due to his humility
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and his intense self-accountability,
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may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction.
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Therefore,
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the salaf understood
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the prohibition of backbiting,
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and they realized its danger,
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so they restrained their tongues
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from speaking against anyone’s honor,
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or insulting them,
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and occupied them
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with the remembrance of Allah and His obedience.
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And if a transgressor came to them with news,
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they would blame him,
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they would blame him for spreading the report,
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and warn him of the consequences of his action,
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and they would not accept it from him.
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For backbiting, O servants of Allah,
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its harm has spread,
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and its danger has increased,
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and it has become the main course
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of our gatherings,
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and the dessert
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for our evening conversations,
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for our late-night talks,
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and a way to vent,
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and to vent anger,
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and hatred, and envy.
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The backbiter may think
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that by backbiting he is concealing his own faults,
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and that he is harming the one he backbites,
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yet he does not know
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that the harm of backbiting falls upon himself.
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For the backbiter is an oppressor,
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and the one spoken about is the oppressed.
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So beware, O servants of Allah,
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of this dangerous disease.
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And whoever you find backbiting,
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advise him,
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or leave the gathering,
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it is better for you.
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Do not sit, after the reminder,
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with the wrongdoing people.
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Having said this, send prayers and peace
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upon the best of Allah’s creation,
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as the Lord has commanded you to do,
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for He, the Almighty, said:
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“Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.” (33:56)
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"O you who have believed..."
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“Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.” (33:56)
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O Allah, send prayers, peace, and increase blessings
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upon Your servant, Messenger, and Prophet, Muhammad,
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and upon all his family and companions.
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And be pleased, O Allah, with the Rightly Guided Caliphs,
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the four who were rightly guided:
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Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali,
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and with us along with them,
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by Your grace and generosity, O Most Generous of the generous.
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O Allah, grant honor to Islam and the Muslims,
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and bring humiliation to polytheism and the polytheists,
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and destroy Your enemies, the enemies of the religion.
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O Allah, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer,
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forgive all of our sins.
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O Allah, grant us security in our homelands,
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and rectify our leaders and those in authority over us.
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O Allah, make our stay pleasant,
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and grant us a good end.
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Rectify our intentions and our offspring.
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O Allah, forgive the sins that You have concealed,
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and erase the misdeeds that people know of and those that You know of.
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O Allah, You know our faults, so conceal them,
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You know our deeds, so accept them,
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and You know our needs, so fulfill them,
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O Fulfiller of needs.
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O Allah, suffice us with Your lawful provisions so we have no need for the forbidden,
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and enrich us by Your bounty so we have no need for anyone besides You.
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O Allah, grant victory to our soldiers at the borders,
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and grant victory to our oppressed brothers everywhere,
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especially our brothers in Palestine.
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O Allah, deal with the usurping Jews,
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do not raise any banner for them,
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do not let them achieve any goal,
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and make them a lesson and a sign for those who come after them.
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O Allah, show us the wonders of Your power regarding them,
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O Allah, show us the wonders of Your power regarding them,
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by Your might and Your power, O All-Powerful.
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O Allah, O Hearer of supplications,
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O Vast in giving,
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we ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise,
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and we seek refuge in You from Your wrath and the Fire.
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O Allah, just as You have gathered us upon this earth,
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gather us beneath Your Throne,
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as loving brothers,
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sitting on thrones facing one another.
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O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master Muhammad,
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and upon all his family and companions.
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And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.