How Do We Prevent or Cure Backbiting and Gossip?
ما هو علاج الغيبة والنميمة؟
How do we prevent or cure backbiting and gossip?
The answer gives two steps to take before speaking about others: remember that you have faults just as other people have faults, and know that Allah will ask you about every word you utter.
The cure for these destructive diseases of the tongue starts from within the heart and the mind. Islam provides a practical and spiritual remedy based on humility and the fear of divine judgment.
The Two Steps to Cure the Tongue
Before one backbites other Muslims, they must pause and apply these two fundamental principles:
1. Reflecting on Personal Flaws
He has to remember that he has flaws just as other people have flaws. Recognizing one's own imperfections naturally stops a person from judging or exposing the faults of others.
2. Remembering Divine Accountability
Man must know that Allah will ask him about every word he utters. Understanding that every spoken word is recorded and will be presented on the Day of Judgment creates a strong internal filter.
ما هو علاج الغيبة والنميمة؟
يذكر الجواب خطوتين قبل الكلام في الناس: أن يتذكر المرء أن له عيوبا كما أن للناس عيوبا، وأن يعلم أن الله سيسأله عن كل قول يتلفظ به.
يبدأ علاج هذه الأمراض المدمرة للسان من داخل القلب والعقل. ويقدم الإسلام علاجا عمليا وروحيا يعتمد على التواضع واستشعار الحساب الإلهي.
خطوتا علاج اللسان
قبل أن يغتاب المسلمين، يجب عليه التوقف وتطبيق هذين المبدأين الأساسيين:
1. تذكر العيوب الشخصية
عليه أن يتذكر أن له عيوبا كما أن للناس عيوبا. إن إدراك الإنسان لنقائصه يمنعه بطبيعة الحال من الحكم على الآخرين أو فضح عيوبهم.
2. استشعار الحساب الإلهي
على الإنسان أن يعلم أن الله سيسأله عن كل قول يتلفظ به. إن إدراك أن كل كلمة منطوقة مسجلة وستعرض يوم القيامة يخلق رقابة داخلية قوية.
1. Busy With One's Own Faults | الانشغال بعيوب النفس
The Prophet said: O you who have believed with your tongues while faith has not entered your hearts, do not backbite the Muslims and do not seek out their faults, for whoever seeks out their faults, Allah will seek out his fault, and whoever Allah seeks out, He exposes him even in his own house (Sunan Abi Dawud 4880, graded hasan sahih by al-Albani). He also said: No servant covers another servant's fault in this world but Allah will cover his on the Day of Resurrection (Sahih Muslim 2590). Allah warns: perhaps they are better than them (Al-Hujurat 49:11).
لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ (سورة الحجرات: 11)
قال النبي ﷺ: "يا معشر من آمن بلسانه ولم يدخل الإيمان قلبه، لا تغتابوا المسلمين ولا تتبعوا عوراتهم، فإنه من اتبع عوراتهم يتبع الله عورته، ومن يتبع الله عورته يفضحه في بيته" (سنن أبي داود 4880، وصححه الألباني)، وقال: "لا يستر عبد عبدا في الدنيا إلا ستره الله يوم القيامة" (صحيح مسلم 2590).
2. Every Word Will Be Asked About | السؤال عن كل قول
Allah says: do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge; hearing, sight, and the heart will all be questioned (Al-Isra 17:36). The Prophet said: Whoever guarantees me what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I guarantee him Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 6474). Guarding the tongue is a path to Paradise.
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا (سورة الإسراء: 36)
قال الله تعالى: ولا تقف ما ليس لك به علم إن السمع والبصر والفؤاد كل أولئك كان عنه مسئولا (الإسراء 17:36). وقال النبي ﷺ: "من يضمن لي ما بين لحييه وما بين رجليه أضمن له الجنة" (صحيح البخاري 6474).
3. Defending Your Brother's Honor | الذب عن عرض الأخ
When backbiting starts in a gathering, the cure is to stop it or leave. The Prophet said: Whoever defends his brother's honor, Allah will keep the Fire away from his face on the Day of Resurrection (Jami at-Tirmidhi 1931, graded hasan by al-Tirmidhi). Allah describes the believers: when they hear idle talk, they turn away from it (Al-Qasas 28:55).
وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا اللَّغْوَ أَعْرَضُوا عَنْهُ (سورة القصص: 55)
إذا بدأت الغيبة في مجلس فعلاجها أن تردها أو تقوم. قال النبي ﷺ: "من رد عن عرض أخيه رد الله عن وجهه النار يوم القيامة" (جامع الترمذي 1931، وقال: حسن). ووصف الله المؤمنين بأنهم إذا سمعوا اللغو أعرضوا عنه (القصص 28:55).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What is the first step to stop backbiting?
The answer says to remember that you have faults just as others have faults. The Prophet said that whoever covers another's fault in this world, Allah will cover his on the Day of Resurrection (Sahih Muslim 2590).
Will we really be asked about every word?
Yes. Allah says that hearing, sight, and the heart will all be questioned (Al-Isra 17:36), and that every word a person utters is recorded (Qaf 50:18).
What happens to someone who seeks out others' faults?
The Prophet said that whoever seeks out the faults of Muslims, Allah will seek out his fault and expose him even in his own house (Sunan Abi Dawud 4880).
What should I do when people backbite in front of me?
Defend the absent person or turn away. The Prophet said: whoever defends his brother's honor, Allah will keep the Fire away from his face on the Day of Resurrection (Jami at-Tirmidhi 1931).