Tuesday, September 17, 2019

'Ghibbat': The Vice of Speaking Ill of Others


O believers! Avoid many suspicions, [for] indeed, some suspicions are sinful. And do not spy, 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 much prone to accept repentance, is Most Compassionate. (Al-Hujurat 49: 13)

I have chosen to address you today again – like in the past I made several sermons on this subject as well as on Surah Al-Hujurat – on “Ghibbat”.

This is another explanation that I am putting before you, because this Surah is a very important Surah wherein Allah (swt) is calling the attention of the community of believers against “Ghibbat”. Like you know, “Ghibbat” means backbiting, talking against a person, putting him in a bad light behind his back [i.e. when he is not present]. And Allah has condemned such practice in severe words and if the people understand them well, then they would never dare to backbite anybody. And the way in which Allah explains this subject profoundly, we get an idea why people get attracted to such a detestable practice.

Ghibbat” is such a vice which attracts you towards it and you find yourselves powerless [and get tempted to indulge in it]. When you read the Chapter Al-Hujurat profoundly, you are frightened by its contents [i.e. by what Allah has warned the believers against]. 

When I read and ponder profoundly over this chapter, I recall how the Jamaat Ahmadiyya with its ex-so-called Amir Amine Jowaheer and his Managing Committee at that time manifested such jealousy, doubts, and suspicions which developed into a great hatred towards me and this hatred went on to become bigger and bigger and it was spread to other people [even the small children] and thus their hearts became dark with these vices and this darkness was reflected on their faces. They used foul languages and detestable actions and sanctions against me. And basing himself on the report of the ex-so-called Amir in 2000, the late fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Movement – without listening to my version – took sanctions and on top of that sent curses on us and used other detestable and severe words against us. Indeed, he acted without Taqwa (righteousness/ piety).

And all these happened only because I cited some revelations which Allah had bestowed upon me. He sent such a curse as if he is making a Mubahila (duel of prayer) with me. As for the ex-so-called Amir, he took himself as a great hero and delivered Friday Sermons over Friday Sermons, eating our flesh [i.e. backbiting us] with appetite. There was so much backbiting, beginning the year 2001 and beyond. And such backbiting took place not only on Fridays in the sermons, but also in meetings in all branches, and such programmes as the Promised Messiah (Massih Ma’ud) Day, the Promised Reformer (Musleh Ma’ud) Day and Caliphate (Khilafat) Day. All these “Days” became Munir Azim Day. More talks on Munir Azim in the Ijtema of Khuddam, Ansar and the Jalsa Salana!

In a nutshell, there was no programme which was held in which there was not the mention of Munir Azim and his “so-called revelations”. This was for them indeed a most important topic to dwell on, for example, how Munir Azim was a rebel etc. And the so-called ex-Amir reached such an abased level that he along with his Mullahs stated that the caliphate was in danger. They created so much hatred in the hearts of the Ahmadis (men, women and even children) till they exceeded all limits in the field of religion. They [i.e. the hate-filled people among them] began the slogan “Khilafat is our life”; and, intoxicated with the poison that they were fed, they were ready to declare that they shall fall upon [i.e. kill] those who rebel against the caliph. And that ex-so-called Amir received many felicitations from the members of the Jamaat [i.e. for having ‘succeeded’ in ‘saving’ the caliphate].

So, with all the backbiting and rumours which one made with another, a caliph believed in those palavers without listening to me. So, now see where the Jamaat Ahmadiyya is going… to its lost! The light of Allah (Nur-e-Ilaahi) has disappeared in the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah (as). I must say that 90% of the Ahmadis have had this hatred against us, and this hatred blackened their hearts and their attitude against us became bad and not good to see at all, and indeed this darkness has stuck in their hearts as if they are on a black stone in complete darkness.

So, look at the Jamaat Ahmadiyya at national and international level, they no more uphold the teachings of Islam, not even the teachings of the Promised Messiah (as). They made their caliph become their idol and they have trampled the divine teachings. What remains is only backbiting and hatred.

On the other hand, the people who have Taqwa (fear of Allah) in their hearts, they hold within them a firm belief on the unity of Allah, and they remove themselves from these Khalifa/idol-worshipping, backbiting, jealousy, etc. They prefer to leave this Jamaat of dynasty, family-feeling, a Jamaat where there are the same people at the head all the time, and there is the same [unislamic] instructions such as: put boycott on us, have hatred for us, spread false rumours – backbite and suspect us. So, the Muttaqi [Muttaqun] see that all these are not the teachings of Allah. They leave that circle so that they may not fall into sin.


So when you read the Surah Al-Hujurat, where Allah (swt) says : O the people who have got Imaan (Imaan on whom ?) – Imaan (faith) on Allah, faith on the commandments of Allah, faith on His instructions – Allah tells you, avoid to have suspicion, doubts. And lots of these suspicions and doubts that such things must have gone this and that way is a very bad habit which people indulge in and some of these suspicions are indeed sins.

There are people who have this bad habit of suspecting people which is very dangerous. They put forward all kinds of questions to know the private matters of other people, wanting to know everything, in every detail. This is indeed very grievous all that which they do and as for their own private matters, they take care in letting no one know about it while they want to know everything about others.

Thus, the people who love to spy on others, they spread the information they got from their spying and they aggravate the matter. In this way, they participate actively in fuelling the grapevine, inciting people to hatred, fights, and disputes. This indeed is a very grievous sin as suspicion has a profound link with spying, and these kinds of people, the suspicious people and the spies are very dangerous.

On the other hand, a [good] person who takes a bath and puts on clean clothes, he will do everything in his power to remain far away from all filth, dust and wrong/ evil transactions; in a nutshell, all things which are liable to soil him. He knows the value of being clean and keeps himself clean. So, likewise you should keep your faith clean. You should remain far away from suspicion, spying, and backbiting. The verse [from the Surah Al-Hujurat which has been put before you] goes on to specify [Allah says] not to backbite anyone, do not talk ill for anyone, i.e. you should not talk against someone in his absence. There is also such people who makes it a habit to doubt, suspect, and he/ she reaches quick conclusions that such and such things may have happened, and the one who is used to spying, then that kind of person buries himself deeply in sins, with all his doubts and suspicions. This is indeed very serious/ grievous. That is why Allah has warned us in Surah Al-Hujurat, Chapter 49 against such ills as “Tajassus”.

“Tajassus” means that the person seek faults in others. He takes pleasure in seeking the flaws of his fellow brother. He has a precise aim in his mind when he seeks the flaws of other people. Such people have deep hatred which they conceal for their brother or sister and on top of that, they spy to seek those flaws and it is then that they use the information that they get to backbite against him or her, and this situation degenerates [i.e. become worse and worse] and ends badly. [Generally speaking] You shall never see a mother backbite her children, or you shall never see children backbite their parents [there are exceptions of course], and if there are really such situations where parents backbite their children and vice-versa, then it means that these breaches in relationships are tantamount to madness. To backbite someone, it means that you don’t like that person [whom you are backbiting] or you are jealous of him. It is such dislike and jealousy which make you backbite him. You first spy him and along with suspicion, your spying takes the form of a situation which may not be actually true. It is your doubts and spying which makes you reach such and such conclusions.

Just think about this now: When such people spy and have doubts and reach conclusions, then if ever they actually saw something, but they spread lies, i.e. they begin to describe that which they have not seen. Their/ your doubts and spying, which began primarily on the basis of a bad intention then become worse for whatever conclusion they/ you reach, you are not even sure about it. You only start spreading such lies [wrong information] and you take pleasure in such situations/ sins.

This is a whole new psychological world in which the backbiter indulges himself, and the Quran mentions this step by step, exactly how it appears in human nature. But this is not the only reason that people backbite others. It does not mean that besides this, there is no other form of backbiting. No. Without suspicion/ doubt also there is also “Ghibbat” (backbiting). For example, if you already know someone’s faults, i.e. you did no kind of spying to perceive his weaknesses/ flaws. In such a case, when you look at such a person and his flaws with hatred, instead of helping him to rid himself of these flaws, you propagate this everywhere in such a way that the other people begin to distance themselves from him [the person whom you had backbitten]. Through your words against that person’s flaws you seek to create enmity against him vis-à-vis the others, and you expect that the people applaud you for it and approve what you have done. With these kinds of [bad] intentions also people fall into backbiting on things which are based on truth. So, it is only when the intention is bad, is evil that such talks takes the form of “Ghibbat” (backbiting) – even if it is on information which is true. Otherwise [i.e. if the intention is good] it is not a sin.

Once, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) mentioned something on someone in the presence of one of his pious wives. When he said that, she questioned as to why he said that, and wondered if this was backbiting as the person was not present. But we need to realize that great people having a high status [in the eyes of Allah] when they mention something on someone in the presence of another person, they know how to say it without creating enmity or hatred for that person in the eyes of others. They do it in such a way – based on truth – and which is used as a means to do the education of others, to give good advice and to take this as an example for others, but not as a means to create hatred, doubts, disputes or disorder for that person towards the others.

On the contrary, through such examples and advices, [pious people/ the prophets] enable the situation to end with peace, tranquility and love for the others. I should state that Nabi Kareem Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) never participated in “Ghibbat” (backbiting) or slander. There was no evil intention behind his talks and before the eyes of Allah it is not backbiting.

So, I stop here for today, and Insha-Allah, my Friday Sermon on the subject shall continue [next week]. It is indeed a vast and very important subject for the education of all the members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam as well as for the rest of the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) as a whole.

May Allah protect us all against those evils. Ameen. May Allah keep you safely in the right path, with righteousness, Taqwa. And may Allah help us to remain far away from “Ghibbat” and “Tajassus” as well as all other evils which has been mentioned in this verse, and the Surah Al-Hujurat and the Quran as a whole. Insha-Allah, Ameen.

---Friday Sermon of 13 September 2019 ~13 Muharram 1441 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius.