Mu'jam al-Saghir

Hadith Commentary:
The second narration indicates that when one sits in the company of someone, he should keep the confidential matters in his heart as a trust (amanah) and should not disclose them, lest his brother be hurt by it.

Hadith Commentary:
The wording of one narration is as follows:
“This whispering makes the third person sad.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Isti’dhan, Hadith: 6290)
This means that if there are three people, and two of them go aside and speak secretly, the third will become concerned that they are perhaps plotting something against him; thus, he will become unnecessarily worried and saddened. However, if there are more people present, then there is no harm, as will be clarified further on.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
One should avoid every action that may hurt the feelings of a Muslim.

➋
When, out of three people, two separate themselves to converse, the third may feel that he was not considered worthy of being included in the conversation. Furthermore, due to the whisperings of Shaytan, he may also think that perhaps these two are consulting against him.

➌
One should avoid such actions that may give rise to suspicion.

➍
When there are three people, two of them should not converse in a language that the third cannot understand.

➎
If there are more people present in the gathering, then two individuals may separate themselves to converse.

[وأخرجه البخاري 6288، ومسلم 2183، من حديث مالك به]
Understanding (Tafaqquh):
➊ When two people converse secretly with each other, excluding others, it is called "tanaaji" and "najwa."
➋ If there are only three people in a gathering, it is prohibited for two of them to converse in a language that the third does not understand, without his permission.
➌ The requirement of Islam is that there should always be harmony and unity among Muslims, and there should be no kind of misunderstanding or ill suspicion between them.
➍ A Muslim should always be mindful of the self-respect (dignity) of another Muslim.