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الفتح الربانی
Fath al-Rabbani
كتاب آفات اللسانBook of the Afflictions of the Tongue
بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي التَّرْهِيْبِ مِنْ تَشْقِيقِ الْكَلَامِ وَالتَّشَدُّقِ فِيهِ وَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْبَيَانِ فِي الْقَوْلِChapter on what has been narrated regarding warning against splitting speech and being pretentious in it, and what has been narrated regarding eloquence in speech
Hadith 9935
اُردوEn
عَنْ أَبِي يُونُسَ مَوْلَى عَائِشَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ اسْتَأْذَنَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ بِئْسَ ابْنُ الْعَشِيرَةِ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ هَشَّ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَانْبَسَطَ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَاسْتَأْذَنَ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ نِعْمَ ابْنُ الْعَشِيرَةِ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ لَمْ يَنْبَسِطْ إِلَيْهِ كَمَا انْبَسَطَ إِلَى الْآخَرِ وَلَمْ يَهَشَّ لَهُ كَمَا هَشَّ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اسْتَأْذَنَ فُلَانٌ فَقُلْتَ لَهُ مَا قُلْتَ ثُمَّ هَشَشْتَ لَهُ وَانْبَسَطْتَ إِلَيْهِ وَقُلْتَ لِفُلَانٍ مَا قُلْتَ وَلَمْ أَرَكَ صَنَعْتَ بِهِ مَا صَنَعْتَ لِلْآخَرِ فَقَالَ يَا عَائِشَةُ إِنَّ مِنْ شِرَارِ النَّاسِ مَنِ الُّقِيَ لِفُحْشِهِ
It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that a man sought permission to come to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said about him: "He is a bad man of his family." Then, when he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) treated him cheerfully and informally. After that man left, another man came. About him, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He is the best man of his family." Then, when he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not treat him as informally as he had treated the first one, nor was he as cheerful with him. When this man also left, I (Aisha) said: "O Messenger of Allah! When so-and-so sought permission from you, you declared him to be a bad man of his family, but then you treated him cheerfully and informally. And about so-and-so, you commented well, but did not treat him as you did the first one?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Aisha! The worst people are those from whose evil others are cautious."
Brief Explanation
Benefits: … By consensus, backbiting is forbidden (haram). Imam Nawawi said: It is permissible to backbite for a valid Shar‘i (Islamic legal) purpose, provided that it is impossible to achieve that purpose without it. There are six cases of permissibility (which are presented here in summary):
1. When there is aggression: It is permissible for the oppressed to present a detailed account of the oppression committed against him before the king or judge.
2. To prevent matters contrary to Shari‘ah and to seek help in bringing the wrongdoer to the right path: For example, mentioning the evil of a bad person before someone who, according to predominant assumption, has the ability to prevent him from that evil.
3. Seeking a fatwa (legal verdict): For instance, an oppressed person goes to a mufti and says, “My father or brother, etc., has wronged me in such and such a way; does he have this right, and what is the ruling of Shari‘ah in my favor?”
4. Advising the Muslims: For example, criticizing the narrators of hadith regarding their reliability, or clarifying the immorality and wickedness of witnesses who testify in a case.
5. When a person openly commits immorality, wickedness, or innovation (bid‘ah): For example, someone who openly drinks alcohol, or unjustly collects taxes, or supports false activities, etc. It is permissible to mention the crimes of such people so that they may be rectified.
6. Calling someone by a well-known nickname: Even if a nickname is not good in terms of meaning or implication, if a person has become well-known by that nickname, it is permissible to call him by it. For example: A‘mash (bleary-eyed), A‘raj (lame). However, there should be no intention of insult or disparagement. (Riyadh al-Salihin: Chapter on what is permissible of backbiting)
In the hadith of this chapter, the example of backbiting that the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam presented— to which case of permissibility does it relate? From the reasoning of Imam Bukhari, it is understood that the reason was lest people be deceived by his outward appearance. It is thus clear that if a person has bad character and there is a fear that people may fall into his deceit, resulting in harm to their religion and worldly affairs, or either of the two, then it is permissible to backbite about such a person. In this respect, this appears to be the fourth case of permissibility.
And it is also possible that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, by mentioning that evil person in this manner, intended to clarify the ugliness and reprehensibility of the evil found in him, so that other Muslims, by observing the Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam manner of backbiting, may realize the gravity of that evil, take heed, and remain safe from that vice. However, after the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, only that righteous person may adopt this manner whose reproach of this kind would serve as a lesson for people and cause them to become concerned.
1. When there is aggression: It is permissible for the oppressed to present a detailed account of the oppression committed against him before the king or judge.
2. To prevent matters contrary to Shari‘ah and to seek help in bringing the wrongdoer to the right path: For example, mentioning the evil of a bad person before someone who, according to predominant assumption, has the ability to prevent him from that evil.
3. Seeking a fatwa (legal verdict): For instance, an oppressed person goes to a mufti and says, “My father or brother, etc., has wronged me in such and such a way; does he have this right, and what is the ruling of Shari‘ah in my favor?”
4. Advising the Muslims: For example, criticizing the narrators of hadith regarding their reliability, or clarifying the immorality and wickedness of witnesses who testify in a case.
5. When a person openly commits immorality, wickedness, or innovation (bid‘ah): For example, someone who openly drinks alcohol, or unjustly collects taxes, or supports false activities, etc. It is permissible to mention the crimes of such people so that they may be rectified.
6. Calling someone by a well-known nickname: Even if a nickname is not good in terms of meaning or implication, if a person has become well-known by that nickname, it is permissible to call him by it. For example: A‘mash (bleary-eyed), A‘raj (lame). However, there should be no intention of insult or disparagement. (Riyadh al-Salihin: Chapter on what is permissible of backbiting)
In the hadith of this chapter, the example of backbiting that the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam presented— to which case of permissibility does it relate? From the reasoning of Imam Bukhari, it is understood that the reason was lest people be deceived by his outward appearance. It is thus clear that if a person has bad character and there is a fear that people may fall into his deceit, resulting in harm to their religion and worldly affairs, or either of the two, then it is permissible to backbite about such a person. In this respect, this appears to be the fourth case of permissibility.
And it is also possible that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, by mentioning that evil person in this manner, intended to clarify the ugliness and reprehensibility of the evil found in him, so that other Muslims, by observing the Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam manner of backbiting, may realize the gravity of that evil, take heed, and remain safe from that vice. However, after the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, only that righteous person may adopt this manner whose reproach of this kind would serve as a lesson for people and cause them to become concerned.
