THE TALEBEARER WHO STIRS UP ENMITY BETWEEN PEOPLE

THE TALEBEARER WHO STIRS UP ENMITY BETWEEN PEOPLE

The Messenger of Allah {SAW}said: ‘’He who stirs up enmity among people by quoting their words to each other will not enter paradise.’ Once the prophet {SAW]} passed by two graves and said; “The two are being tormented and not for anything excessive: one of them did not free himself of traces of urine, while the other was a talebearer.’’ You find that the worst people is someone who is two-faced, showing one face to some and another face to the other.’’ Reported by Bukhari & Muslim.

 

TEXT MESSAGES, WHATSAPP AND E-MAILS WHICH SAY: “FORWARD THIS OR ELSE YOU WILL BE SINNING AND SUCH AND SUCH WILL HAPPEN TO YOU”

 

Recently it has become wide spread to receive an e-mail or a text message or Whatsapp that includes a du’a or an advice.

Ongoing now in Nigeria is that the President is sick abroad and many are using social media negatively and others using it positively for his quick recovery. Thus, you see multitude of information flying from Islam to non-Muslim quarters and vice versa.

 

GOOD PART OF SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Using modern means of communication such as mobile phones or Whatsapp and e-mail TO SPREAD ADVICE, EXHORTATIONS, REMINDERS AND GUIDANCE IS A GOOD DEED, BECAUSE IT IS POSSIBLE TO REACH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH ONE CLICK OF THE BUTTON.

It is well known that the one who guides others to do good is like the one who does it, and that the one who calls others to guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow him, as Muslim (2674) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever calls others to guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow it, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest.” 

And Muslim (1893) narrated from Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who tells another about something good is like the one who does it.” 

If a Muslims writes some advice about the ADHKAAR for morning and evening, for example, and sends it to a hundred people, and many of them follow his advice, then he will have a great reward for that. 

Hence we should make use of these means of communication and raise the level of the messages that are transmitted through them, so that they will be most effective and beneficial.  

 

NEGATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION

 

Unfortunately some people mix this good deed with a bad deed, which is a kind of lying and falsehood, such as saying, “If you forward this, you will hear some good news”! This is a kind of fortune-telling. There is no shar’i evidence that the one who receives advice and passes it on to another will hear good news, rather he may hear bad news, or good news, or he may not hear anything at all. 

The same applies to the one who says, “I am entrusting you with this to forward it and spread it, or else you will be sinning if you do not do that,” or “Such and such will happen to the one who does not forward it.”

All of this is false and there is no basis for it. The one to whom it is sent does not have to do anything and there is nothing to oblige him to forward it, and he is not sinning if he does not do that. There is no basis for stating that someone is sinning without any proof from sharee’ah, and there is no basis for speaking of the unseen future which no one knows except Allaah.

Stating that reward or punishment will come as the result of actions done is something that must be referred to Allaah. Whatever He has permitted is what is halaal, and whatever He has forbidden is what is haraam, and reward and punishment are in His hand. Whoever says anything about that without proof is lying. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): ‘(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al‑Fawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge’”[Hoy Quran Chapter al-A’raaf 7:33] 

These people think that they are making people spread good by encouraging and warning them, but they are mistaken and they are overstepping the mark. They should limit themselves to that which is mentioned in sharee’ah, which is sufficient, praise be to Allaah, such as saying: “WHOEVER SPREADS THIS GOOD, THERE IS THE HOPE THAT HE WILL HAVE A REWARD LIKE THAT OF ALL THOSE WHO ACT UPON IT.” THAT SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SPREAD IT. 

 

This explains the importance of knowledge, because most of those who do this only do it because of ignorance, like those who fabricated ahaadeeth and attributed them to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the basis of spreading good and encouraging people to do good, but they ended up telling lies of a type for which the one who tells them is given a stern warning, but he thought that he was earning reward!  

Our aim is to point out the falseness of this method and to warn people against it. Hence we say:  

The one who receives any of these false messages should advise the one who sent it and explain to him that he should stop using these false incentives, and he should not believe what it says in the message, that if he forwards it such and such will happen to him and if he does not forward it such and such will happen to him, because this is a kind of lie. 

 

PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

 

President Buhari is just but a mortal being. Prophets of Allah SWT passed away. Those spreading false rumours of Buhari’s illness and death were unpatriotic and are callous, mischievous, promoting false gossips.

The series of rumours,  they have forgotten that every mortal, illness is inevitable, likewise life and death.  The people making rumours and false reports will also die. Strong warning to Muslims and should be cautioned not to join the bandwagon of rumour mongers in line with the Quran and Sunnah as follows:

Holy Quran Chapter 49:12.

١١يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱجۡتَنِبُواْ كَثِيرً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعۡضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثۡمٌ۬‌ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُواْ وَلَا يَغۡتَب بَّعۡضُكُم بَعۡضًا‌ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُڪُمۡ أَن يَأۡڪُلَ لَحۡمَ أَخِيهِ مَيۡتً۬ا فَكَرِهۡتُمُوهُ‌ۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (١٢)

 ‘’O ye who believe! avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and spy not on each other nor speak ill of each other behind their backs.  Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay ye would abhor it...but fear Allah: for Allah is Oft-Returning Most Merciful.’

 

PEOPLE DEPRIVED OF NOOR (LIGHT) – IN THE HEREAFTER

 

The unfortunate people who do not offer Salah, disobey and distress their parents, prevent their children from following Shariah so that they become modern and trendy, do not prevent their wife and adult daughters from immodesty, do not refrain from films & dramas, songs & musical instruments, unlawful occupations, interest-based businesses, adulteration, deception & betrayal, dirty language, backbiting, tales-telling, fault-finding, immorality & misbehavior, offending or harming Muslims without a lawful reason or do not refrain from the company of indecent & rude people who miss Salah and adopt fashion or the people who look at attractive young boys with lust.

There is a matter of concern for all of such people. If Allah and His beloved become displeased, Imaan is ruined because of sins, surely they will have to face everlasting unbearable punishments and they will not get any Noor on the bridge of Siraat.

May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. 

 

And Allaah knows best.