33– NOT THINKING PROFOUNDLY, NOT PONDERING
A person should think about his sins and repent for them and think about his worships and thank for them. He should also ponder about extremely beautiful and delicate arts and systems and their relationships to each other on his own body as well as on other creatures in order to appreciate the greatness of Allâhu ta’âlâ. The totality of all creatures and other beings are called world (’âlam).
[“’Âlam” consists of three parts, ’âlam-i-ajsâd, i.e. the world of bodies, the physical world or corporeal world; ’âlam-i-arwâh, i.e. the world of souls, the spiritual world; and ’âlam-i-mithâl, i.e. the world between the spiritual and the physical worlds. “’Âlam-i-mithâl” is not a world of existence. It is a world of appearance. Every existence in the other two worlds has an appearance in ’âlam-i-mithâl.[33] ’Âlam-i-arwâh (the world of souls) consists of beings beyond the ’Arsh, (i.e. the ninth heaven). They are not material beings. Their world is also called ’âlam-i-amr. ’Âlam-i-ajsâd is the world of material beings. It is also called ’âlam-i-khalq. It consists of two parts. Mankind is called ’âlam-i-saghîr. Everything other than mankind is called ’âlam-i-kebîr. Everything which exists in the ’âlam-i-kebîr has a representation or likeness in mankind (’âlam-i-saghîr). Man’s spiritual heart is a gateway to the world of souls. This gateway is blocked off, ruined in the hearts of disbelievers. For this reason, disbelievers are not aware of the world of souls. The only possibility, the only prescription in order for the spiritual heart to obtain life, in order for it to open its door to the world of souls is through believing and becoming a Muslim. A Believer should strive hard to enter the world of souls through this gateway of the spiritual heart and thereafter make progress towards eternity. The comprehensive knowledge of Sufism (Tasawwuf), which is one of the main eight branches of Islam’s teachings, disciplines in this kind of endeavour. The specialists of this branch of knowledge are called friends (Walî) of Allah and enlightener (Murshid). The most famous among all “Murshids” is Imâm ar-Rabbânî Ahmad Fârûqî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’. He passed away in India in 1034 Hijrî, 1624 A.D.
It is not possible for a sensible person who studies in medical and scientific universities to observe the delicate art and balance in the creatures and sees and understands their delicate relationships to each other, not to believe the greatness, knowledge, and power of Allâhu ta’âlâ. A person who does not believe after observing and understanding all of these must be either an abnormal, retrogressive, ignorant and stubborn idiot pursuing his sensuous desires, or a person enslaved by his nafs, or a sadistic tyrant obtaining pleasure from tormenting other people. If one studies life stories of disbelievers, it becomes clear that they belong to one of these categories.]
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Have belief in Allâhu ta’âlâ by meditating on the order among the created beings.” It will solidify a person’s belief (îmân) to study astronomy and thereby to discern the systematic order in the movements of the earth, the moon, the sun and all the other heavenly bodies, in their rotations and revolutions, and in the delicate calculations in their distances from one another. There are multifarious benefits and uses in the creation of mountains, metals, rivers, seas, animals, vegetation, and even microbes. None of them were created for a useless purpose. Clouds, rain, lightening, thunderbolt, underground waters, energy materials and air, in short, all created beings perform certain functions and services. Mankind, so far, has been able to understand very little about these innumerable number of services rendered by these innumerable beings. Is it ever possible for mind, which is not capable of understanding the creatures, to comprehend the Creator? Islamic scholars who discerned His greatness and Attributes were bewildered and stated that they realized that it is not possible to understand Him. One of the Believers of Mûsâ (Moses) ‘alaihis-salâm’ prayed for thirty years. The shadow of an overhanging cloud was protecting him against the sun. One day the cloud did not show up, so that he had to stay under the sun. When he asked his mother what the reason could be, she said that he probably committed a sin. When he said that he had not committed any sins, his mother inquired, “Didn’t you look at the skies, or at flowers? When you saw them, didn’t you think of the greatness of the Creator?” “I did look at them,” he replied, “but I was remiss in the business of pondering.” There upon she said, “Is there any other sin bigger than this? Make tawba right away.” A sensible person should not forget about the duty of pondering. Is there anyone who has any guaranty that he will not die tomorrow? Allâhu ta’âlâ did not create anything without any use. The uses which men have so far been able to discern are by far more numerous than those which they have not. Pondering can be done in four ways, according to (Islamic) scholars. Pondering about the beautiful arts of Allâhu ta’âlâ which manifest on human beings causes one to believe Him and love Him. Pondering about the rewards promised by Him for the worships causes one to perform those worships. Pondering about the punishments informed by Him causes one to be afraid of Him and thereby inhibits one from wronging others. Pondering about one’s having enslaved oneself to one’s nafs and committing sins and living in a state of heedlessness regardless of all the blessings bestowed by Him causes one to have shame towards Allâhu ta’âlâ. Allâhu ta’âlâloves those who observe the terrestrial and celestial creatures and take lessons from them. It is stated as follows in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “No other act of worship is so valuable as meditation.” And another hadîth-i-sherîf reads: “A momentary meditation is more useful than sixty years’ worship.” The book Kimyâ-i-sa’âdat, in Persian, by Imâm Ghazâlî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ contains a lengthy discourse on tafakkur (meditation, pondering).
Two hadîth-i-sherîfs read as follows: “Do not pronounce maledictions over yourselves or over your offspring. Acquiesce in what Allâhu ta’âlâ foreordained. Pray so that He will increase His blessings.” “Maledictions pronounced over you by your parents or by the oppressed over their oppressor will not be rejected (by Allâhu ta’âlâ).” A person who prays that another Muslim should become a disbeliever becomes a disbeliever himself. Desiring that an oppressing person should die as a disbeliever so that he may suffer eternal punishment, would not cause disbelief. The Qur’ân al-kerîm informs us that Mûsâ (Moses) ‘alaihis-salâm’ made a similar malediction. Imâm a’zâm Abû Hanîfa ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ stated that it would cause a state of disbelief to wish that someone else should become a disbeliever. It is forbidden (harâm) to pronounce a malediction over anyone, with the exception of one’s oppressor. It is permissible to pronounce a malediction over one’s oppressor with an earnestness and vehemence equivalent to the degree of the injustice perpetrated. Anything permissible should (only) countervail the ’udhr (, i.e. the reason,) which makes it (canonically) permissible (, i.e. jâiz). If you are patient enough not to pronounce a malediction over someone who has wronged you, then so much the better; and forgiving is the best. It is not permissible to say “May Allâhu ta’âlâ give you a long life” to any disbeliever or to a non-Muslim citizen of an Islamic state. It is permissible to make such a prayer with the following intentions, e.g., in order for him to become a Muslim or in order for him to pay his taxes so that Muslims will become more powerful. A person who greets a disbeliever, (by saying ‘salâmun ’alaikum’ and) with reverence, becomes a disbeliever. Saying any word which would come to mean a reverence to a disbeliever causes disbelief. For example, saying “My master” to a disbeliever causes disbelief.
Angels in grave to question
thee,
Will ask, “Hast thou prayed properly?
You think once dead you attain safety?
Nota bene, torment awaits thee!”
35– GIVING IMPROPER NAMES TO MUSLIMS
Giving improper names to a Muslim or calling a Muslim an improper name given by others is not permissible. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf:“A person who has an improper name should change it to a good name.” For example, the name ‘Âsiya’ ought to be replaced with ‘Jamîla’. It is permissible to give nice names to Muslims. Children should not be given eulogistic names such as Rashîd and Amîn. Names like Muhyiddîn or Nûruddîn would be fictitious and neulogistic (bid’at). It is an act of makrûh to call sinners, ignoramuses and apostates with names of this sort, which are eulogistic and laudatory. Nor can they be used in their figurative subsenses. Some (Islamic scholars) expressed their deductions as to the vindicability of giving such names to your children for being blessed with the auspicious connotations inherent in their meanings. It is permissible and useful to use these names for those scholars who are renowned for their piety.
[Famous scholar Ibn al-Âbidîn ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ states in the fifth fascicle of his book Radd-ul-Muhtâr that the best and most proper names for Muslim children are Abdullah, then Abdurrahman, then Muhammad, then Ahmad and then Ibrâhîm in the order of priority. It is also permissible to give names of Allâhu ta’âlâ such as Alî, Rashîd, ’Azîz. However, names of this level will have be uttered with due reverence. A person who knowingly shows disrespect while mentioning these names becomes a disbeliever. For example, saying “Abdulkoydur” instead of Abdulqâdir, or “Hasso” instead of Hasan, or “Ibo” instead of Ibrâhîm would be degrading these names. Even though saying these words would not cause disbelief when one does not intend to degrade them, it is better to avoid using such words which would verge on disbelief. If a child dies immediately after birth, it should not be buried without giving a name. Even though the name ’Abdunnabî is permissible, it is better not to use it. Hadrat Sayyid Abdulhakîm Arwâsî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ preached for twenty-five years after late afternoon prayer every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at the Bayazid mosque in Istanbul until he passed away in the year 1362 hijrî qamarî, [1943 A.D.] During one of his preaches he stated: “A child has three rights on his parents: giving a Muslim name at birth; teaching him reading/writing, knowledge (’ilm), and crafts upon reaching the age of discretion; and marrying him when he reaches the age of puberty.” Some degenerate people in Europe and America are raised in an irreligious and non-ethical manner and are given fake diplomas and scholarly titles and then sent to Islamic countries. These ignorant disbelivers are appointed to high schools and universities as teachers or professors. They trap Muslim children with their position and make them irreligious and non-madhhabite. These children influenced by them easily become murderers and traitors. Those parents who send their sons and daughters to these schools are throwing their children to the Hell with their own hands.]
Rejecting an excuse shown by a Muslim is makrûh[34]. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “It is a sin not to accept an excuse shown by your Muslim Brother.” Accepting excuses and overlooking faults are Attributes of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Allâhu ta’âlâ will be wrathful towards a person who does not adapt himself to these Attributes, and He will torment him. There are three ways of showing excuses. The first way is to rue, saying, “Why did I do so,” or to explain yourself, saying, “I did so for this (or that) reason.” The second way is to apologize, saying, “I wish I hadn’t done so,” or “Yes, I did so, but I shall not do so again.” The third way is to deny what you have done. Saying “I did it but I will not do it again,” would be tawba. A Believer will wait for an excuse to be shown in order to forgive the offender. Hypocrites want others’ faults to be exposed. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in the following hadîth-i-sherîfs: “You should be chaste. Do not commit ugly things. Also, make your wives chaste.” And “If you yourselves are chaste, your wives will also be chaste. If you are kind to your parents, your children will also be kind to you. A person who does not accept an excuse of another Muslim will not drink water from the Kawthar lake in the Hereafter ‘Âkhirat’.” This hadîth-i-sherîf concerns the Muslim who does not know that his Muslim brother committed an evil action and also he doesn’t know that his excuse is a lie. For rejecting his excuse would mean sû-i-zan about another Muslim.” Accepting his excuse although you know that he is lying means to forgive him. Forgiving in such cases is not obligatory (wâjib); yet it is a meritorious act (mustahab), (which yields much thawâb).
37– ERRONEOUS EXPLANATION OF THE QUR’AN AL-KERÎM
“Tafsîr” means stating and discovering. It is a process of informing and explaining. “Ta’wîl” means ‘recision’ or ‘recourse’. “Tafsîr” means to give a meaning. “Ta’wîl” means ‘to make a choice from several possible meanings.” It is not permissible to state your personal views in the name of tafsîr. Riwâyat (reporting, transmission, narration) is the foundation whereon tafsîr is based, whereas the dominant factor in ta’wîl is dirâyat (personal comprehension, intellectual subtlety). Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in ahadîth-i-sherîf: “A person who explains the Qur’ân al-kerîm with his personal views, is virtually in error even if his explanation happens to be correct.” It would be quite wrong to relegate the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ down into a parochial meaning which is propounded in total absence of certain high-level qualifications such as full knowledge of the reports coming from Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ and his Sahâba ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhum’ and the various tafsîrs rendered by scholars, mastery over the usûl (methodology) of the science of Tafsîr and over the Qoureishî dialect, connoiseurship in literary stylistics such as verbal and metaphorical phraseology, scientistic ability to demarcate between mujmal (~ concise) and mufassal (~detailed, comprehensive) narrations as well as between general and specific meanings, awareness of the causes and occasions for the revelation of each and every âyat-i-kerîma, and a deep-rooted research concerning the nâsikh (abrogating) âyat-i-kerîmas as well as the mansûkh (abrogated) ones. “Tafsîr” means ability to understand from the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ what Allâhu ta’âlâ means with that Word. Even if one’s interpretation according to one’s own opinion is correct, since it is not derived by following the proper methodology, it is a mistake. If one’s interpretation according to one’s own opinion is not correct, in this case it causes disbelief. By the same token, it is sinful to quote hadîth-i-sherîfs without definitely knowing whether they are sahîh[35] or false, even if you have incidentally quoted sahîh ones. It is not permissible for a person in this capacity to readhadîth-i-sherîfs. Quoting hadîth-i-sherîfs from books of hadîth-i-sherîfs requires having received a (diploma called) ijâzat from a scholar of Hadîth. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “A person who invents a phrase and says that it is hadîth, will be punished in Hell.” It is permissible for those who do not have diplomas from Tafsîr scholars to talk or write about âyats of the Qur’ân al-kerîm by looking at books of Tafsîr written by scholars of Tafsîr. People who fulfil the above-cited qualifications for explaining the Qur’ân al-kerîm can do so or report hadîth-i-sherîfs without a written diploma. It is not permissible to charge for the diploma (ijâzat) given. It is wâjib to give an ijâzat to a person entitled to it. It is harâm to give an ijâzat to a person who does not fulfil the qualifications.
It is stated in hadîth-i-sherîfs: “If people without the required qualifications attempt to explain the Qur’ân al-kerîm, they will be subjected to torment in Hell.” “Those who say something as hadîth without knowing it, will be punished in Hell,” and “Those who express their personal views in the name of explaining the Qur’ân al-kerîm, will be punished in Hell.” As a matter of fact, some groups of bid’at adduce hadîth-i-sherîfs and âyat-i-kerîmas to support their heresies. [Shi’îs (Shiites), Wahhâbîs, miscreants who call themselves Tablîgh-i-jamâ’at, and followers of Mawdûdî and Sayyid Qutb are a few of these groups. Yûsuf an-Nabhânî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ explains these misleading tafsîrs at length in his book Shawâhid-ul-haqq. So are those people who attempt to contort the meanings of âyat-i-kerîmas at will under the hyperbolical casuistry that the Qur’ân al-kerîm comprises an inner essence as well as a façade with respect to meanings; as well as those who immure their manipulations under the name of tafsîr into the socio-regional and temporal insularity of their semantic repertoires.
One of the Ottoman scholars, Nuh bin Mustafa Konawi ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’, who passed away in 1070 hijrî, 1660 A.D. in Cairo, Egypt makes the following remarks in his translation of the book Milal wa Nihal, which was written by Muhammad Shihristânî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’: People who are in “Ismâ’îliyya” group are called as such because they say that they are the followers of Ismâ’îl, ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’, who was the elder son of the Ja’far as-Sadiq, ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’. They are also called “Bâtiniyya” group, because they say that Qur’ân al-kerîm has an inner meaning (bâtin) as well as a literal meaning. They say that the literal meanings in the Qur’ân al-kerîm are the limited meanings which have been clichéd by “Fiqh” scholars and the inner meaning of the Qur’ân al-kerîm is like an endless ocean. They Believed in their own fabrications in the name of the inner meanings instead of following the literal meanings of the Qur’ân al-kerîm. In point of fact, what the Messenger of Allah ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ taught was the literal meanings. Leaving the literal meanings aside and following fabricated inner meanings causes disbelief. Their falsification is intended to destroy Islam from within. Fire worshippers (Majûsî), especially their leader Hamdan Qurmut, in order to stop the spreading of Islam, invented these tricks and established Qarâmuta State. He killed people who were making pilgrimage (hajj) to “Kâ’ba” and moved the “Hajar al-aswad” from “Kâ’ba” to Basra. They fabricated such sayings as, “Jannat means to pursue worldly pleasures and Hell means to obey Islam’s principles.” They named Islam’s prohibitions fine arts. Disguising what Islam calls immorality and indecency as moral recreation, they misguided younger generations into perdition. The harm which their State caused to Islam was irreparable. Incurring the Divine Wrath, they had their nemesis in 372 hicrî (983 A.D.), and perished once and for all.]
Tafsîr should be done in accordance to the principles of transmission (naql). To perform Tafsîr, one should be learned in the following fifteen Islamic Sciences: Lughat (Lexicology); Nahw and Sarf (Grammar and Syntax); Ishtiqaq (Etymology, Derivation); Ma’ânî (Meanings, Semantics); Bayân (Explanation, Phraseology); Badi’ (Figures of Speech); Qirâ’at (Reading or Reciting the Qur’ân al-kerîm); Usûl-i-dîn (Religious Methodology); Fiqh (Knowledge pertaining to acts of worship and deeds); Asbâb-i-nuzûl (Events and causes which occasioned the revelation of âyat-i-kerîmas); Nâsikh and Mansûkh (âyat-i-kerîmas which invalidated others and those which they invalidated); Usûl-i-fiqh (Methodology employed in the science of Fiqh); Hadîth; and ’Ilm-i-qalb (Science dealing with the spiritual heart). It is not permissible for a person who is not learned in these sciences to attempt a tafsîr of the Qur’ân al-kerîm. The knowledge of spiritual heart (Qalb)” or “Mawhiba” is a kind of knowledge which Allâhu ta’âlâ sends without an intermediary to pious scholars who follow Islam minutely. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person practises what he knows, Allâhu ta’âlâ will teach him what he does not know.” Tafsîr is not a practice permissible for a person who is not learned in the aforesaid fifteen sciences. An attempt to explain âyat-i-kerîmas without a preliminary education in these sciences would yield some personal views under the cloak of tafsîr, which in turn is an act incurring fire of Hell. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person spends forty days (running) in a state obedient to Islam’s principles with ikhlâs, Allâhu ta’âlâ will fill his heart with hikmat, and he will say (this hidden knowledge called)hikmat.” To interpret mutashâbih (metaphorical) âyat-i-kerîmas is equivalent to presenting one’s personal views in the name of tafsîr. It is this kind of tafsîr which holders of bid’at claim to have been accomplishing.
The Qur’ân al-kerîm contains three kinds of knowledge. The first kind is the knowledge which Allâhu ta’âlâ did not impart to any of His slaves. The true essence of His Dhât (Person) and His Attributes, and knowledge of (what we term) ghayb exemplify this category. The second kind is the secret knowledge He revealed to Hisprophets. Prophets ‘alaihim-us-salawât-u-wa-t-taslîmât’ may reveal this knowledge to those whom Allâhu ta’âlâ chooses. He taught the third type of knowledge to His prophets ‘alaihim-us-salawât-u-wa-t-taslîmât’ and ordered them to teach this knowledge to all their Ummat. The third type is divided into two sections. The first one is learned only by hearing. Knowledge about Doomsday (Qiyâmat) is of this kind. The second one is learned by observing, examining, reading and understanding its meaning. Knowledge which pertains to belief and Islam is in this category. Even (those profoundly learned Islamic scholars called) mujtahid imâms were unable to categrically understand the teachings of Sharî’at which are not communicated with clarity in the ‘Nass’, and were at variance with one another as to their meanings, which gave birth to various Madhhabs with respect to practices. Meanings derived by people well-versed in the aforesaid fifteen sciences are called ta’wîl, not tafsîr, for those meanings contain the interpreter’s personal choice; in other words, he makes a choice from among the various meanings he has inferred. If the meaning he chooses does not conform to the literal and clear meanings of the âyats of the Qur’ân and hadîths or to the unanimity of scholars (ijmâ’), then it is invalid (fâsid). The book Berîka, while explaining that dancing is forbidden, notes: “We are not commanded to practice our religion according to the books of tafsîr. We are commanded to adapt ourselves to books of Fiqh.”
38– INSISTENCE IN COMMITTING FORBIDDEN (HARÂM) ACTIONS
Intentional sinning is insistence in sinning, even if the sin committed is venial in quantity. Intentional sinning means sinning committed purposely, willingly, and decisively. Once a person has decided and committed a sin, he has already been insistent in doing so. However, a sin which has not been committed is not classified as an insistent sinning even though one may have decided to commit it continually. If a person decides to commit a sin continually and commits it and then repents and stops committing it, it will not be insistence. If he commits it again and then repents again, it will not be insistence. Nor will it be insistence to commit a sin several times within a day, making tawba after each time the sin is committed. However, the tawba has to be made with a remorseful and sorrowful heart and the sinner has to stop sinning and be resolved not to do so again. A lip-service tawba made without fulfilling these three conditions would be sheer mendacity. Insisting in committing venial sins is a grave sin. It is a graver sin than committing a grave sin once. When the sinner makes tawba, the grave sin will also be forgiven. Considering a venial sin as something unimportant is a grave sin. Bragging about committing a venial sin is a grave sin. It would also be a grave sin to look on a person who commits venial sins as a scholarly (’âlim) and pious (sâlih) person. One ought to shudder with the fear of Allâhu ta’âlâ and His torment even if the sin one commits is a venial one. It is grave sin if one is not ashamed of Allâhu ta’âlâ and does not think that He will punish.
Ghiybat means to backbite a Believer or a (non-Muslim citizen termed) zimmî by mentioning (one of) their faults in order to vilify them. Ghiybat is harâm. It is not ghiybat if the listener does not know the person backbitten. If the person who has been backbitten would be sad if he heard it, then it is backbiting. When a person is talked about in his absence, if the remarks made about his body, his family genealogy, his moral behaviour, his work, his speech, his faith, his worldly life, his clothes, or his animals, are in such a nature as to hurt him if he heard them, they are ghiybat. Covert backbiting, as well as that which is done through signs, gestures or writing, is as sinful as overt verbal backbiting. The most sordid type of ghiybat is, for instance, a religious or pious person’s saying, “Al-hamd-u-lillâh (praise and gratitude be to Allah), we are not like him,” when a Muslim’s sins or faults are mentioned behind his back. [A hâfiz is a person who has committed the entire Qur’ân al-kerîm to his memory.] Another utterly loathsome type of libelling is to say, for instance, “Al-hamd-u-lillâh, Allah did not make us shameless like him,” amidst a conversation which somehow concerns a certain person. So is the case with ambivalent backbiting like, for instance, to say about a person, “He is a very good person, unless... .” The twelfth âyat of Sûra Hujurât purports: “... Nor speak ill of each other behind their backs. ...” Ghiybat means backbiting, which in turn has been compared to eating a dead person’s flesh. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “On the day of Judgement, a person’s reward-book will be opened. He will say, Oh my Lord! As I was in the world I performed such and such acts of worship but they are not recorded in the page. He will be answered as follows: They have been erased from your book and transferred to the books of people you spoke ill of.” Another hadîth-i-sherîf reads: “On the day of Judgement, the book containing a person’s good deeds ‘hasanât’ will be opened. He will see there the worships he never performed. They will tell him that these are the rewards ‘thawâbs’ of those who spoke ill of him.”
Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ related
the following event: We were sitting with Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu
ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sal-lam’. One of us got up and left. Someone
among us made a commenting remark on why he had left. Thereupon
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ said, “You
have backbitten your friend. You have eaten his flesh.” Âisha
‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhâ’ related the following event: One day, in the
presence of Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ I talked
about a certain woman, saying that she was tall. The blessed
Messenger of Allah expostulated: “Spit out whatever is in your
mouth!” I spat out. A piece of meat came out of my mouth.
Allâhu ta’âlâ has power to manifest attributes and specificities as
material objects. Ghiybat means to mention a Muslim brother’s or a
non-Muslim citizen’s (zimmî’s) fault in their absence and in a
manner which would cause them to feel sadness if they heard it.
Allâhu ta’âlâ sent the following revelation to Mûsâ (Moses)
‘alaihis-salâm’ “The gossipper who (repents and) makes tawba
thereafter will be the last person to enter Paradise, whereas the
gossipper who does not (repent and) make tawba for it will be the
earliest resident of Hell.” Ibrâhîm Adham ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’,
(a beloved slave of Allâhu ta’âlâ,) was invited to a dinner. During
the meal an absentee, who must have been late for the reception,
was criticized behind his back for his slowness. Thereupon Ibrâhîm
Adham ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ said, “Ghiybat has been committed at
this place,” and left outright. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf:
“If the person criticized (behind his back)