Avoid Suspicions and Backbiting

“O believers! Avoid many suspicions; (for) indeed, some suspicions are sinful. And do not spy on nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of their dead brother? You would despise that! And fear Allah. Surely Allah is (the) Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.” (Al-Hujurat, 12)

The following is narrated as the reason for the revelation of the verse cited above: When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) went on a journey or to a battle, he would match a poor person with two rich people who would cover that poor person’s expenses, and in return, the poor person would serve them on their journey and make preparations for their meals and stays. 

On one of those journeys, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) assigned Salman al-Farisi (radiyallahu anh) to accompany two wealthy people. When Salman reached the overnight campsite, he was overcome with sleepiness and ended up asleep before he could prepare anything for his companions to eat. When his companions found him, they asked what he had prepared for them. He told them he was unable to prepare anything as he was overcome with sleepiness. They instructed him to go to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to ask for some food.

Salman (radiyallahu anh) went to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) told him to go to Osama bin Zaid and ask if he had any extra food. Osama (radiyallahu anh) was in charge of the Messenger of Allah’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) meals and transportation. When Salman (radiyallahu anh) asked him, he answered that he had no food. Salman (radiyallahu anh) returned to his two companions and explained the situation. The two companions were suspicious. They believed Osama (radiyallahu anh) had food but did not wish to share it. Then they sent Salman (radiyallahu anh) to implore the other Companions of the Prophet. When he returned empty-handed again, they said: “If we sent him to the well of Sumayha, the well would dry up.” (The Sumayha well is a well near Medina known for its abundant water.)

Then they set forth themselves to see Osama (radiyallahu anh) and verify their claims. When passing near the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), he asked them: “Why am I seeing a green piece of meat in your mouths?” By a green piece of meat, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was referring to the darkened flesh of a dead body. Thus, backbiting was given such a loathsome description in Islam.

They replied: “O Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)! We have not eaten any meat today.” He countered: “You have been eating the flesh of Salman and Osama all day.” That is, you have been talking behind their backs. Upon this event, Allah Almighty revealed this verse. (Bagawi, Maalimu’t-Tanzil)

Three Bad Habits

In this ayah, three bad habits are definitively banned. They are:

Suspicion: Judging someone based on presumption without solid evidence or knowledge

Spying: Trying to find out the private matters of others

Backbiting: Talking behind others’ backs

This ayah teaches beautiful character, that is, the character of Islam. It calls on people to observe good social behavior and informs them of what to do and what not to do. It bans believers from having negative assumptions, disclosing each other’s shortcomings, and talking behind each others’ backs while indicating that true believers will be greatly rewarded by Allah Almighty, Who is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. Undoubtedly, great wisdom and benefit can be found within the divine commandments and prohibitions. 

The nafs never tells the truth, and the heart never lies. However, it is challenging to distinguish the nafs from the heart. A person who still has the smallest remnants of the desires of the nafs cannot claim the truth of the thoughts in his heart. As long as one has any remnants of the self in himself, he is influenced by it and should blame himself when he sees a flaw in someone else.

Suspicion (zan) refers to a judgment that emerges without any evidence. It may be highly likely but is nevertheless uncertain. If this information strengthens, it becomes knowledge, and if it weakens, it becomes delusion. (Imam al-Qushayri, Lataif al-Isharat)

Without an apparent reason or solid evidence, harboring suspicion is forbidden. We do not need to give an unknown person the benefit of the doubt, but we are not supposed to assume the worst. It is not a sin to harbor suspicion for those known for their public transgressions.

The phrase “Avoid many suspicions” tells us to be cautious, consider each suspicion carefully and check its validity. And the sentence, “some suspicions are sinful,” explains why this prohibition exists.

Nobody has the right to assume the worst of another unless they have undisputable evidence of that person’s guilt. When someone does not see a situation with their own eyes or hear it with their own ears, shaytan can give them unfounded suspicions. Shaytan is the most sinful of all creatures. Therefore, he must be rejected, not affirmed. Allah Almighty says in the Qur'an: “O believers, if a sinner brings you any news, verify it, so you do not harm people unknowingly, becoming regretful for what you have done.” (Al-Hujurat, 6)

Affirming the shaytan can never be allowed. If there is reason to think badly of someone, you should not do so as long as there is some way to interpret their actions or demeanor differently. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt to the fullest extent is a beautiful behavior of a believer. In a hadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Giving someone the benefit of the doubt is a sign of faith.” (al-Munawi, II, 446)

Escaping Bad Suspicions

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The remedy of thinking badly of others is to stop dwelling on suspicions” (Majmau’z-Zawaid, 8/78). That is, one must not focus on suspicions in deed and in heart and investigate further. If a Muslim has suspicions about another Muslim, they should not take them seriously and instead pray for their Muslim brother. Such behavior angers shaytan and distances him from them.

An arif cannot find time to focus his gaze or thoughts on the servants of Allah because he is deeply absorbed in the majesty of Allah Almighty. Thus, how can he find the time to spy on others and discover their shortcomings?

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) advised, “Do not look for flaws in others. Whoever discloses a Muslim’s mistakes, Allah Almighty discloses their mistakes. Whoever Allah Almighty discloses their mistakes, he will be disgraced in his own home.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 40)

One must not speak of the flaws and bad situations of others or look into their mistakes. One must assume the best of other Muslims. Seeking their failings can lead to talking behind their back. For this reason, Allah Almighty has banned spying on others before banning backbiting. Allah Almighty has warned: “Do not backbite each other.” (Fakhruddin Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir; Lataifu’l-İsharat; Bahru’l-Madid; Hak Dîni Kur’an Dili)

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stated, “On the night of ascension (Miraj), I have seen some people clawing their faces and their flesh with copper nails. I asked: ‘O Jibril! Who are these?’ Jibril said, ‘They are those who ate others’ flesh by backbiting and insulting the dignity of others.’” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 40)

Backbiting (ghiybah) is talking behind someone’s back in a way that would not please them. Backbiting can be verbal or nonverbal. All backbiting, whether through words, signs or gestures, is forbidden.

Backbiting can lead to the end of friendships and increase animosity. It is a major sin. In a hadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Backbiting is worse than adultery” (ad-Daylami, 4320). One can commit adultery but then repent. Allah Almighty can accept their repentance. But Allah Almighty does not forgive backbiting unless the victim forgives the offender.

If a person listens to someone talking badly about someone he does not know, this will not count as backbiting for him. But if he knows the person being talked about, then the listener and the speaker are both backbiting. When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) wanted to criticize someone, he would say: “Why would someone do something like this?” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 5) Explaining a mistake and calling for its rectification is politer than directly telling someone their error.

In his book entitled Gulistan, Sheikh Said recalls an event, “I still remember. I was excited about waking up at night and worshipping. One night, I was in the service of my father. I had not slept all night and had read the Qur'an. My family was asleep. I told my father, “Why would they not get up and pray? They are so deep in sleep that they are almost dead.” My father replied, “My dear son, I wish you had slept like them and did not backbite.”

The Cure for Backbiting

All destructive behaviors can be cured through knowledge and worship. The cure for everything is its opposite. The way to protect the tongue from backbiting is to know the hadith about backbiting and that backbiting draws the wrath of Allah Almighty. It is to know that backbiting destroys one’s good deeds; one’s good deeds will be given to the victim of backbiting or, in the case that the offender does not have any good deeds, the victim’s sins will be put on the shoulders of the backbiting offender.

Another cure for backbiting is to consider one’s own state. A person who recognizes their faults (there is no one without a fault) will be busy fixing them. Such a person will receive the good news proclaimed by the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) “Glad tidings to the person who is too busy with fixing their own faults to look at others’ faults.” (al-Munawi, 281)

The appropriate behavior is to stop criticizing others and focus on fixing one’s faults. When one realizes the difficulty of doing this, one will empathize with others and be more understanding. The faults we are discussing are faults of one’s own volition. If they come from birth, criticizing them is criticizing the Creator. May Allah protect us from doing so. (Imam al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulum ad-Din)

A believer should use common sense, recognize their faults, and be humble. Just as one would not like others talking behind their back, one should not talk behind others’ backs. A person should not accept for others what they would not accept for themselves. One should keep in mind that if someone is talking to you behind someone’s back, they are likely talking to others behind your back.

A person who has committed backbiting should feel remorse for their moral lapse and repent from backbiting to avoid divine wrath. Furthermore, one should express their regret and ask the backbiting victim for forgiveness; only in this way can the matter be reconciled.

When asked about how to repent from backbiting, Ata bin Abi Rebah (rahmatullahi alayh) said:

“You go to the person behind whose back you have talked. You tell them that you have talked behind their back, you have done them wrong, and you have even lied. You tell them that you are now sorry, you ask for their forgiveness, and forgiveness is completely their choice. This is how you ask for forgiveness.” (al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulum ad-Din)

Permissible Situations

When the grace of Allah Almighty expands a person’s chest, their chest and heart will be clear of shaytan’s whispers. It should be noted that the tightness of chests of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Musa (alayhissalam) reported in the ayahs is not due to the whispers of shaytan or the nafs because Allah Almighty protects His messengers against the devil and the nafs. Their tightness of chest came from the rejections of the nonbelievers when they were invited to believe in the oneness of Allah.

Everyone’s chest is narrowed in proportion to their ignorance and anger. If a chest is constricted in response to the truth, it expands in response to falsehood. If a chest contracts in response to falsehood, it expands in response to the truth.

In the Qur'an, Allah Almighty addresses His Messenger and asks, “Have We not expanded your chest?” Allah Almighty has bestowed upon His Messenger anexpansion of the chest with the lights of truth. When the chest of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was filled with the truth, it left no place for falsehood.

The nonbeliever’s and the hypocrite’s chests are filled with the darkness of disbelief and doubt that expands to encompass them. There is no place left for the light of Islam in it. Such a chest is too tight to accept in it the light of the truth. A believer’s chest expands with the light of iman, becoming too full to accept within it kufr.

Allah Almighty has taught us audhu-basmala to use against the whispers of shaytan. When shaytan runs from audhu-basmala, a person can easily perform their worship duties. Therefore, we should frequently use the weapon of audhu-basmala.

To summarize what has been said so far, “chest” here may refer to the “heart” because the heart resides in one’s chest. The chest is the container, while the heart is its content. What makes the container valuable is its content. The hadith about the Archangel Jibril slicing open the chest of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and washing His heart supports this interpretation. This verse implies that the heavy burden of the Messenger’s duty of proclaiming the message of Allah has been lightened. When the Messenger is on this duty, he is with his Most High Lord.

The succeeding verse, “Have we not relieved you of the burden” (Al-Inshirah, 2), aligns with this interpretation. (Tafsir Ibn Ajiba)

Clear and Certain Commandments

This verse can be summarized as follows: O believers! Abstain from much suspicion. You are not to assume the worst of each other unless you have sound proof. Many conjectures are sinful.

It is a major sin for a believer to assume the worst about his brother in faith. It is against the essence of brotherhood in faith. But some suspicions can be allowed and are not sinful, for example, for those who behave against the norms of the divine law, commit sins in public, etc.

O believers! Do not spy on each other to uncover each other’s faults, and do not disclose such knowledge. Do not make public faults of others. If you do so, you will have violated each other’s rights.

If a person says something untrue about another, they are making a false accusation. This is a dreadful behavior that is deplored by those of pure nature. Would you enjoy eating the flesh of your dead brother? Of course not. You would abhor it. Talking behind a person’s back and criticizing someone incapable of defending themselves is like ripping off that person’s limb and eating their flesh. Those of clean character refrain from doing so. Such behavior warrants a grave punishment.

O people! Fear Allah! Do not backbite. Recognize it as evil. Obey the divine prohibitions against it. Verily, Allah Almighty accepts people’s repentance and is Most Forgiving. A person at fault may have repented from their untoward behavior and received divine forgiveness. How would continued criticism of such a person be permissible? If one has talked behind others’ backs, one must feel remorse, repent, and seek refuge in divine forgiveness. The divine forgiveness and grace of Allah manifests for those who repent so. 

Allah Almighty knows best.

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