Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (161) | Chapter on the prohibition of backbiting (2)

0:00 Riyad al-Salihin

0:03 From the words of the Master of the Messengers

0:06 Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him

0:09 Chapter: The Prohibition of Backbiting

0:14 And the Command to Guard the Tongue

0:17 On the authority of Mu'adh, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

0:21 I said, "O Messenger of Allah,

0:24 tell me of an action that will admit me into Paradise

0:27 and distance me from the Fire."

0:30 He said, "You have asked about a momentous matter,

0:33 yet it is easy for the one

0:36 whom Allah, the Exalted, makes it easy for."

0:39 "Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him,

0:43 establish the prayer,

0:46 give the zakat, fast

0:49 Ramadan, and perform the Hajj to the House."

0:52 Then he said,

0:55 "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness?

0:58 Fasting is a shield,

1:01 and charity extinguishes sin

1:04 just as water extinguishes fire,

1:07 and a man’s prayer in the middle of the night."

1:10 Then he recited:

1:13 “Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them.” (32:16)

1:16 until he reached "they used to do."

1:19 Then he said,

1:23 "Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter, its pillar,

1:26 and the peak of its hump?"

1:28 I said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."

1:31 He said, "The head of the matter is Islam,

1:34 its pillar is the prayer,

1:37 and the peak of its hump is jihad."

1:40 Then he said,

1:43 "Shall I not inform you of the foundation of all that?"

1:46 I said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."

1:50 He took hold of his tongue and said,

1:53 "Restrain this for yourself."

1:56 I said, "O Messenger of Allah,

1:59 are we to be held accountable for what we say?"

2:02 He said,

2:05 "May your mother be bereaved of you!

2:08 Does anything cast people into the Fire upon their faces—

2:11 or upon their noses—except the harvests of their tongues?"

2:14 Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.

2:18 "Shield" means a protection and a covering from the Fire.

2:21 "Middle of the night"

2:25 means the center of it.

2:28 "Forsake" means to distance themselves.

2:31 "Beds" means the places of rest and sleep.

2:34 "Peak" means the highest part of something.

2:37 "Hump"

2:41 refers to the raised part on a camel's back.

2:44 "Foundation" means the essential stability of a thing.

2:47 "Restrain" means to withhold or abstain.

2:50 "May your mother be bereaved of you"

2:54 is outwardly an invocation of death against someone,

2:57 but it is not intended to actually occur;

3:00 it is one of the expressions that flow upon their tongues

3:03 without them intending the literal meaning.

3:06 It is like other invocations,

3:09 such as "May your hands be covered in dust" or "May you have no mother."

3:12 And "May Allah fight you."

3:16 "Cast" means to throw someone down upon their face.

3:19 From the benefits of the hadith:

3:23 It is beloved for a student to ask his teacher

3:26 about the best and highest-ranking deeds

3:29 in order to attain Paradise and escape

3:32 from the Fire.

3:36 The question should be from a student to a scholar more knowledgeable than himself.

3:39 It shows the scholar’s intense concern

3:42 for his student’s inquiry,

3:45 and that he should respond with a sufficient and satisfying answer

3:48 in an easy style.

3:51 Mu'adh’s statement,

3:55 "Tell me of an action that will admit me into Paradise,"

3:58 contains evidence that deeds

4:01 are a cause for entering Paradise,

4:04 as the Almighty said:

4:07 "Enter Paradise for what you used to do."

4:10 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, explained

4:13 that his question was momentous,

4:16 because entering Paradise and being saved from the Fire

4:19 is a very great matter,

4:22 and for its sake the Books were revealed

4:25 and the Messengers were sent.

4:29 A matter, no matter how great, severe,

4:32 or burdensome it may be to a person,

4:35 if Allah grants him success in it and makes it easy for him,

4:38 it becomes simple and easy.

4:41 The best and highest of deeds

4:44 is the worship of Allah alone;

4:47 it is the first door through which the servant enters into faith.

4:50 Prayer is the pillar of the religion,

4:54 as he explained at the end of this hadith,

4:57 and that is why he placed it after the oneness of Allah

5:00 in His worship, due to its importance

5:03 in the righteousness of the servant.

5:06 The deeds that draw one closer to Paradise

5:09 and distance one from the Fire, in succession,

5:12 are zakat, then fasting, then Hajj,

5:15 because they, along with prayer,

5:18 are the pillars upon which

5:21 the structure of the servant's Islam stands.

5:25 It is permissible for a teacher to add to his answer for a student

5:28 if he knows there is benefit in it,

5:31 even if he was not asked about it.

5:34 That is why the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

5:37 "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness?"

5:40 The gates of goodness are many,

5:43 and that is why he mentioned them generally in the hadith

5:46 and did not limit them.

5:50 It is recommended to leave one's bed to rise for prayer,

5:53 despite the hardship it entails for the soul.

5:56 It is recommended to spend

5:59 from what Allah has provided His servants.

6:03 No one knows what has been hidden for him of reward

6:06 and bliss from the Lord of the Worlds

6:09 in exchange for the acts of obedience and worship he performed.

6:12 The eyes of the servants will be gladdened

6:15 by what Allah rewards them for their deeds.

6:19 It is recommended for a teacher to illustrate

6:22 for his student the matters he wishes to teach

6:25 with things tangible to him,

6:28 so that they may be understood easily.

6:31 The foundation of all truths and virtues

6:34 is Islam,

6:37 for it is the base of the structure.

6:41 This structure must have a pillar upon which it stands,

6:44 which is prayer;

6:47 through it, the structure is strengthened

6:50 and increases in power and perfection,

6:53 while without it, it weakens and collapses.

6:57 Jihad in the way of Allah

7:00 gives this structure height and loftiness,

7:03 and therefore it is among the best of deeds

7:06 and the highest in rank after the pillars of Islam.

7:09 It is permissible to gesture or take hold of something with the hand

7:12 regarding a matter one wishes to emphasize,

7:15 as an increase in confirming its explanation

7:18 and alerting one to the difficulty of the matter.

7:22 Excessive speech has countless evils.

7:25 It is recommended that a person leave

7:28 speech that does not concern him,

7:31 for excessive speech leads to error,

7:34 and whoever has many errors has many sins.

7:37 It is clear that the servant is held accountable for everything he says,

7:41 whether he is serious or joking.

7:44 What casts people into the Fire

7:47 and leads them to destruction

7:50 is what comes out of this tongue.

7:53 There is humiliation for those cast into the Fire

7:57 by being thrown upon their faces or their noses,

8:00 as this face

8:03 is the place of honor on the body.

8:07 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

8:10 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

8:13 said, "Do you know what backbiting is?"

8:16 They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best."

8:19 He said,

8:22 "Your mentioning your brother with what he dislikes."

8:25 It was said, "What if what I say

8:28 is actually in my brother?"

8:31 He said, "If what you say is in him,

8:34 then you have backbitten him,

8:37 and if what you say is not in him,

8:40 then you have slandered him."

8:44 Narrated by Muslim.

8:47 Backbiting is mentioning a person in his absence

8:51 with what he dislikes. "What if..."

8:54 means, "Tell me." "Slandered him"

8:57 means you have fabricated a lie against him.

9:00 From the benefits of the hadith:

9:05 It is for the sake of teaching them

9:08 by answering the question after that.

9:11 It is recommended to refer knowledge to Allah

9:14 and His Messenger during his lifetime

9:17 when one does not have the knowledge,

9:20 acting out of etiquette and stopping

9:24 at the limit of one's knowledge.

9:27 It provides a precise definition of the meaning of backbiting and slander,

9:30 leaving no room for doubt regarding them.

9:33 [Regarding] his brother with something that is not in him,

9:36 this is falsehood and a fabrication of lies against him.

9:39 It is not permissible to speak

9:43 about the Muslims with what they dislike,

9:46 even if that matter is [actually] in them.

9:50 On the authority of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

9:53 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

9:56 said in his sermon one day at the time of sacrifice in Mina

9:59 during the Farewell Pilgrimage:

10:02 "Indeed, your blood, your wealth, and your honor

10:05 are sacred to you,

10:08 like the sanctity of this day of yours,

10:11 in this month of yours,

10:14 in this land of yours.

10:17 Have I not conveyed the message?"

10:21 Agreed upon.

10:24 "Day of Sacrifice"

10:27 means the day of slaughtering the sacrificial animals and the Hady.

10:31 This day of yours,

10:34 meaning the Day of Sacrifice.

10:38 This month of yours,

10:41 meaning the month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

10:44 This land of yours,

10:48 meaning the sacred city of Makkah.

10:51 Among the lessons of the hadith:

10:54 An explanation of the prohibition against shedding blood without a lawful right.

10:58 An explanation of the prohibition against wasting wealth.

11:01 The prohibition against violating reputations and speaking ill of them,

11:04 without right or evidence.

11:08 The magnification of the sanctity of the Day of Sacrifice,

11:11 the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, and Makkah.

11:14 The sanctity of a Muslim’s life, wealth, and reputation

11:17 is greater in the sight of Allah than the sanctity of the land,

11:20 the month, and the day.

11:24 The Prophet’s verification of those to whom he was sent,

11:27 as to whether he had delivered the message as he was commanded.

11:31 On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

11:35 she said: I said to the Prophet,

11:38 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

11:41 "It is enough for you that Safiyyah is such and such,"

11:44 some of the narrators said,

11:47 "meaning she is short."

11:51 He replied, "You have spoken a word

11:54 that, if it were mixed with the water of the sea, would pollute it."

11:57 She said: I also mimicked a person for him,

12:00 and he said,

12:02 "I would not love to mimic anyone,

12:05 even if I were given such and such [in return]."

12:08 Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.

12:12 The meaning of "it would pollute it" [mazajathu],

12:14 is that it would mix with it in such a way

12:16 that its taste or smell would change,

12:19 due to its extreme foulness and repulsiveness.

12:22 This is among the most eloquent warnings against backbiting.

12:25 Allah the Exalted says:

12:28 “Nor doth he speak of (his own) desire.” (53:3)

12:31 “It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired,” (53:4)

12:34 "It is enough for you," meaning it suffices you.

12:38 "I mimicked a person for him,"

12:41 meaning I mimicked for him, through my actions,

12:44 a gesture of a person that they would dislike.

12:48 Among the lessons of the hadith:

12:51 Describing physical defects

12:54 is a part of backbiting.

12:59 An explanation of the intensity of jealousy among co-wives

13:02 toward one another.

13:05 This hadith

13:09 is among the most eloquent texts prohibiting backbiting,

13:12 and explaining the severity of its prohibition,

13:15 and the magnitude of its sin and ugliness.

13:18 For if this word

13:21 could pollute the sea, which is among the greatest of creations,

13:24 then what of backbiting that is even more heinous?

13:27 On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:

13:31 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

13:34 "When I was taken on the Night Journey,

13:37 I passed by a people who had copper nails,

13:40 with which they were scratching their faces

13:43 and their chests."

13:46 I asked, "Who are these, O Jibril?"

13:49 He said, "These are those

13:52 who eat the flesh of people

13:55 and attack their reputations."

13:58 Narrated by Abu Dawud.

14:02 "Scratching" [yakhmishun],

14:05 meaning they were scraping and wounding.

14:08 "I was taken on the Night Journey" [‘urija bi], meaning I was ascended to the heavens,

14:11 and that was on the night of the Isra’ and Mi‘raj.

14:14 "Eating the flesh of people,"

14:17 meaning they backbite them.

14:20 "Attacking their reputations,"

14:23 with ugly speech that they dislike.

14:26 Among the lessons of the hadith:

14:30 The people of the Fire are given strength on the Day of Resurrection

14:34 so that they may punish

14:37 themselves with their own hands,

14:40 thus their punishment is a result of their own actions.

14:43 The prohibition of backbiting,

14:46 as he likened it to eating flesh and taking pleasure in doing so.

14:49 The prohibition of attacking [reputations].

14:53 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

14:57 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

15:00 said:

15:04 "Every Muslim is sacred to another Muslim:

15:07 his blood, his reputation, and his wealth."

15:10 Narrated by Muslim.

15:13 Riyad al-Salihin.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (161) | Chapter on the prohibition of backbiting (2)

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