'Ghibbat': Part-III

Continuing the series on the theme of 'Ghibbat'- the vice of speaking ill of others behind their backs-, Imam Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah  Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius, in his Friday Sermon of 27 September 2019 ~ 27 Muharram 1441 AH,  provides fascinating insights into the working of the human psyche in inter-personal and social settings. There are intimate connections between backbiting and hypocrisy:  whereas a hypocrite will indulge in backbiting; the habit of backbiting can lead the person who indulges in it away from the holy path of Faith. Secondly, while those who indulge in backbiting seek to defame or destroy reputations of others; this vice may have ironical consequences: if the backbiters challenge common sense and attack the reputation of a pious soul, the deception will boomerang on the backbiters, and they will lose face before the people. Likewise, severe backbiting by religious leaders and the priestly class often lead the people away from taking religion seriously. Indeed, people may lose interest in, and they may keep aloof from, the spiritual way altogether. Thirdly, 'Ghibbat' is also a manifestation of other vices in human nature: hatred and jealousy. 

During the early days of the Divine Manifestation, the Nizam-e-Jamaat officials in Mauritius brazenly and openly indulged in 'Ghibbat' and other vices against the recipient of Divine revelations among them as they did not comprehend the descent of Divine revelations on someone in their midst. Likewise, people who recognize the sign of God in the person of an Elect of Allah (atba) among them sometimes display great emotions of sincere respect and deep affection and it would be unfair to belittle their sentiments of respect by equating it with Shirk-like practices (God Forbid). Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) warns against talking ill about things one do not fully understand, and persons who speak that way need to be wary of the sin of backbiting and hypocrisy.  

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

Surah Al Hujurat: Ghibbat, Part III 

By the grace of Allah, I am hereby continuing the 3^rd part of my Friday Sermon on the subject of “Ghibbat” (backbiting), seeking the defects of others, spying, suspecting and doubting others, putting false allegations, blames etc. on them. Thus, this sermon continues…

Many times, by keeping hypocritical relations with your innocent brothers or sisters, you become a hypocrite. And when hypocrisy arises somewhere, then, there are also possibilities for hypocrisy to develop elsewhere also, in many places/ situations. When someone makes it a habit to adopt hypocrisy, it is “Ghibbat” which becomes a great factor that helps him to become accustomed to hypocrisy.

A hypocrite refers to someone who is accustomed to talking behind someone’s back, but in front of him, he says the complete opposite, and thus gives that person the impression that he was talking in his favour [when this is not the case at all]. In front of him, the hypocrite says lots of things which is very different from his true point of view and what he was really thinking. This is hypocrisy.

'Ghibbat': On Speaking Ill of Others- II

Surah Al-Hujurat: Ghibbat, Part-II

By His grace, Allah (swt) has given me the Tawfiq to continue on the same subject of my Friday Sermon which I started last week on “Ghibbat” (backbiting). It is indeed a very important subject for all members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and the rest of the Muslim Ummah in general.

When we analyse the different Hadiths on “Ghibbat”, we reach one same conclusion that “Ghibbat” occurs when you are aware of the flaw of someone or you spy to know more about him and his flaws and thereafter you spread the news everywhere with the intention of humiliating him in the eyes of other people. 

There are such kinds of people who seize the opportunity of big gatherings/ crowds to backbite someone, with the sole intention of humiliating him and to abase him further in the eyes of the people. Such people want to make everyone know about the flaws of that person and to make them have disgust for him and to go far away from him or even to be wary of him. When such things happen according to the plan of the backbiter, he derives a great pleasure in it. Such [evil-minded] people do not look at their own selves, their own flaws and they do not ponder over the time when they will have to account for all these misdeeds in front of their Creator. It is the jealousy and hatred which he conceals in his heart which makes him react and act stupidly like a malefactor/ bad guy. 

Now, there is another category of people who talks about the flaws of a person in his absence and he takes great pleasure in it. Whenever the person is absent, he heaps a lot of bad talks on him. When he finds himself surrounded by people who are ready to listen to him, he seizes the occasion to talk foolishly about the person he wants to humiliate just because that person is not present to refute him or to defend his honour.

So this is a great sin and Allah (swt) says in the Quran, giving this example: “Would any of you like to eat the flesh of their dead brother?” When one hears such a thing – about eating the flesh of someone, one gets a disgust against that. A believer (Mumin) develops a distaste for that, but on the other hand, an imbecile who harbours hatred in heart – like an ex-so-called Amir and his Mullahs in the Jamaat Ahmadiyya did at the beginning of the Divine Manifestation, from the year 2001 onwards on the pulpit (minbar) of the Noble Prophet (pbuh) – will not get any revulsion in doing such acts. On the contrary, such people ate our flesh with appetite, like cannibals.

'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.