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The Evils of The Tongue 


Contents 

I) Chapter One: Speaking about Allah without Knowledge 

A) Lying upon Allah and/or His Messenger (peace be 
upon him) 

1. Various ways in which lying upon Allah and 
His Messenger are manifested 

a) Describing Allah without proof from the 
Quran and the authentic Sunnah 
b) Explaining Ayat of the Quran or the 
Hadeeth of the Prophet (peace be upon 
him) with meanings other than their ap-
parent ones. 
c) Making Haraam Halaal 
d) Making Halaal Haraam 
e) Using fabricated and unauthentic 
Hadeeth 


2. Making Legal decisions in Allah’s Deen without 
knowledge 

3. Ruling by other than what Allah has revealed 

4. Bid‘ah (innovations) 

II) Chapter Two 

A) Committing Shirk by the Tongue 


B) Shirk Committed by the Tongue 

1. Supplicating to other than Allah 

2. Kufr Ni’mah 

3. Visiting Fortune tellers, obeah men 

4. Swearing by other besides Allah 

5. Denying a Name or description of Allah or 
changing its apparent meaning 

6. Blaspheming Allah, the Quran, Allah’s Messen-
ger, etc. 

7. Those who deny Qadr 

8. It is prohibited to sit in the company of those 
who give wrong interpretation about the Quran 
or Islam 

III) Chapter Three 

A) Affecting a Muslim with the tongue 

 1. Backbiting 

2. Slander and False accusation 

3. Witnessing Falsehood or Bearing False Witness 

4. Accusing/Slandering pious women 

5. Lying 

6. Tale Carrying (Scandal) 

7. How to treat Tale-carriers 


8. It is prohibited to deceive a Muslim who is 
seeking sincere advise 

9. The prohibition of proposing to a woman who 
is already engaged 

10. Indulging in defaming a Muslim 

11. The two-faced person 

12. Mockery, Sarcasm and debasing Muslims 

13. Disclosing and spreading secrets 

14. It is prohibited to remind others of one’s gen-
erosity 

IV) Chapter Four 

A) Some seemingly harmless uses of the tongue that have 
disastrous consequences 

1. Begging 

2. Praising people 

3. Singing 

4. Jesting and Joking 

5. Disputes and Arguments 

V) Chapter Five 

A) General Evils of the tongue 

1. Speaking about that which there is no need 
with which to concern oneself 

2. Excessive speech 


3. Engaging in vain talk 

4. A shameless, vulgar, indecent tongue 

5. Gossip 

6. It is prohibited for a woman to describe an-
other woman to her husband 

7. The prohibition to use the word ‘if’ in relation 
to Qadr (predestination) 

8. It is prohibited for a person to say such and 
such is for Jannah or Jahanam 

9. The prohibition of defaming one’s kin 

10. The prohibition of boasting 

11. The prohibition to speak while the Khateeb is 
giving Khutbah on the Day of Jumu’ah 

12. Prohibition to employ Respectable titles for 
hypocrites and Innovate 

B) Blaspheme, ridicule, insult and abuse 

1. It is prohibited to blaspheme: 

a) Allah, His Messenger (peace be upon 
him) His Book, His Deen 

b) The Sahabah 

c) Muslims 

d) The dead 

e) What the unbelievers worship 


f) The wind 

g) The rooster 

h) Time 

i) Fever 

VI)Conclusion 

VII)Bibliography


 

Acknowledgments 

 

 

All Praise are due to Allah. First and foremost I thank Allah, the 
Generous, for having finally made this humble effort a reality. We 
praise Him because if it were not for His Graciousness, it would 
never materialize, as He Himself, reminds us in a Qudsi Hadeeth: 

“...Know if the Nation (all mankind) were to gather to-
gether to benefit you with something, it would only 
benefit you with something that Allah had already pre-
scribed for you...” [at-Tirmidhi] 

Also, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Whoever does not show gratitude to mankind is not 
grateful to Allah.” [Abu Dawood, Ahmad & others] 

I, therefore, express my deepest gratitude to all those who con-
tributed directly or indirectly to bringing this publication to this 
final format, because I would never have been able, by myself, to 
achieve this. 

There are some people who deserve special mention because of 
their tremendous sacrifice and help in seeing this job through and 
they are: Brother ‘Imran Ferouz Raghubar for completely review-
ing and verifying the authenticity of its content. 

Brothers: Bilaal Nantambu, Azam Mohamed, Shaheed Ahamad, 
Haseeb Yusuf and Nasir Jabar for proof reading it and making 
many valuable suggestions. 

Brother Fatal Bacchus for always being willing to assist. 


And, most importantly, Brother Haseeb Khan and his staff for 
their selflessness in affording me the total use of their computers, 
and to Brother Haseeb Khan specifically for his invaluable sug-
gestions for layout and other technicalities relative to typesetting, 
and for his design of the cover. 

May Allah, the Most High bless all of us, and may He cause the 
efforts of all involved to be purely for Him, and may He store its 
reward for us with Himself. Ameen. 

 


 

Introduction 

 

 

All praises are for Allah, the Most High, and salutations are for 
His Messenger (peace be upon him) and his household, and all 
those who follow them with goodness until the Last Day. 

Success is the aim of everyone. Invariably, every man and woman 
in his or her own way hopes to achieve success. For most of 
mankind however, success is viewed in terms of worldly 
achievements and thus, from their materialistic pursuits, people 
essentially aspire to attain peace, contentment, happiness, and 
ease in this life. 

However, in the practical realms, most materialists have their 
dreams shattered, since the price for material pursuits include fa-
tigue, down-fall, restlessness, heart ache, sorrow, insecurity, and 
all forms of negative results. 

Despite these negative consequences nonetheless, most people 
continue to remain so caught up in the sway of materialism that 
they pay little or no importance to the purification of their souls. 
This is mainly due to the motto of the materialist’s world: “The 
end justifies the means.” In fact, when one looks at the religious 
people (attempting to purify their souls), they seem so confused 
themselves, that they leave the materialists contented with their 
material pursuits. 

On the contrary, the true believer remains the only one who is 
certain of what he is about. This is due to the fact that his convic-
tion and certainty spring from the Guidance of Allah, the Glori-


ous. Therefore he starts from the soundest base, one in which he 
has no doubt. He therefore, turns to the All-Knowing, Allah, to 
tell him what is success, because he is aware that Allah created 
him, and He, the Almighty, would best know in what his success 
lies. Therefore, he listens carefully to what Allah says, believes in 
it, analyses it, implements it, and is absolutely sure that it would 
give him success, because Allah is above lying and deception, as 
He, the All-Knowing, is perfect. Listen to what Allah (.) tells us 
is success: 

“And by the soul, and Him who perfected (it in propor-
tion). Then He showed it what is wrong for it and what 
is correct. Indeed he is successful who purifies it (the 
soul). And indeed he fails who corrupts it.” [Ash-Shams 
91: 7 - 10] 

In the above aayah1, Allah (.) is telling us in no uncertain terms, 
that success lies only in purifying the soul. This is further empha-
sized in the following aayah, He, the Glorious said: 

“We who purifies himself (his soul) will succeed.” [Al - 
A’laa 87:14] 

Now since our Lord, Who knows everything, is telling us this is 
what success is, it becomes incumbent upon us to understand this 
very clearly, and thereafter, strive our utmost so that we would 
not misdirect our efforts chasing after failure thinking it is suc-
cess, as Allah (.) warns: 

1 Aayah: Literally a proof or sign. Used to denote a verse of the Qur`aan. Pl. 
aayaat. 


“Say, shall we not tell you (who are) the greatest losers in 
respect of (their) deeds? Those whose efforts have been 
wasted in the life of this world while they thought that 
they were acquiring good by their deeds.” [Al-Kahf 
18:103- 104] 

Thus, in the end, if we do not clearly understand what is success 
we will be very disappointed, because, in the Hereafter, we would 
then come to know that our efforts resulted in failure rather than 
in success. In the following aayah, Allah combines a description 
of success and the illusory nature of this world. He, the Most 
High, also informs us that we will be tested in ourselves, our 
wealth, and our Deen2, and warns us that the best thing is to be 
patient and conscious of Himself. He, the Sublime said: 

“Every soul shall taste death. And only on the Day of 
Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And 
whoever is removed from the Hell fire and is admitted to 
Paradise. is indeed successful. And what is the life of this 
world except the enjoyment of deception (i.e. it is only a 
temporary enjoyment). You shall certainly be tried and 
tested in your wealth and personal selves, and you shall 
certainly hear much that will grieve you from those who 
received the scripture before you (the Jews and Chris-
tians) and from those who ascribe partners to Allah 
(non-believers), but if you patiently persevere and be-
come mutaqeen (people who obey what Allah com-
mands and avoid His prohibitions) these (patience and 
taqwah) verily will be the determining factor in all af-

2 Deen: A way of life. Commonly translated as religion. 


fairs, and that Is from the greatest of affairs.” [Aali ‘Im-
raan 3:185 - 186] 

Many salient points can be drawn from these two aayaat but what 
is most important to us is that, Allah, the Most High, describes 
success as being able to enter Jannah (Paradise), and to be saved 
from the Fire of Jahannam (Hell). This can only be achieved if 
one, while living in this world, possesses the qualities of patience 
and taqwah (i.e. complete consciousness in all affairs which pro-
pels one to obey Allah’s commands and avoid His prohibitions). 
This also implies that to be saved from Jahannam and to enter 
Jannah, one has to purify his soul. 

One of the main factors that negate the success after which be-
lievers are seeking, even though they may clearly understand it, 
and seriously intend to pursue it, is the misuse of their tongue. 

The Messenger (.) asked us: 

“Do you know who the bankrupt person is?” We said: “A 
bankrupt person among us is one without money and 
provision.” He (peace be upon him) said: “The bankrupt 
in my Ummah (nation of Muslims) is he who comes on 
the Day of Judgment with Salaah, Fasting and Zakaat, 
but he also comes having blasphemed this (person), 
slandered and vilified this (person), ate the wealth of this 
(one), spilling the blood of this (one), hitting this (one), 
so (on the Day of Judgment) his good deeds will be 
given to this one, and this (other one) will be given from 
his good, and if his good deeds are consumed before 
everyone have taken their rights from him, their evil 
deeds would be taken and put upon him (the bankrupt) 


and then he will be thrown into the fire (of Hell). [Mus-
lim] 

He (.) also said: 

“The servant speaks words, the consequences of which 
he does not realize, and for which he is sent down into 
the depths of the Fire further than the distance between 
the east and the west.” [Bukhari and Muslim] 

He (.) also said: 

“Whoever can guarantee what is between his jaws (his 
tongue) and what is between his thighs (his Private 
part), I will guarantee him Paradise.” [Al-Bukhari] 

And he (.) also said: 

“Whoever believes in Allah and the last Day, let him 
speak good or remain silent.” [Bukhari and Muslim] 

It is narrated on the authority of Mu‘aadh Ibn Jabal (May Allah 
pleased with him), that he asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be 
upon him): 

“O messenger of Allah, tell me an act which will take me 
to Paradise and keep me away from the Hell-Fire.” He 
(peace be upon him) said: “You have asked me about a 
major matter, yet it is easy for whom Allah makes it easy. 
You should worship Allah, associating nothing in wor-
ship with Him, establish Salaah, pay Zakaat, and fast 
Ramadaan, and make pilgrimage to the Ka’bah (Hajj).” 
Then he (peace be upon him) said: “Shall I not show 
you the gates of goodness? Fasting (which) is a shield; 
charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and 


the praying of a man in the depths of the night.” Then 
he (peace be upon him) recited: 

“Their sides forsake their beds to invoke their Lord in 
fear and hope, and they spend (charity in Allah’s 
cause) out of what We have bestowed…” [32:16] 

Then he (peace be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you 
of the head of the matter (Islam), its backbone and the 
peak of its hump?”3 I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” 
He (peace be upon him) said: “The head of the matter is 
Islam (the two testimonies of Faith); its backbone is the 
prayer, and the peak of its hump is Jihaad.” Then He 
(peace be upon him) said: “Shall not tell you of what 
controls all that?” I said: “Yes. O Messenger of Allah.” 
So he took hold of his tongue and said “Restrain this.” I 
said “O Prophet of Allah. will what we say be held 
against us?” He (peace be upon him) said “May your 
mother be bereaved for you. O Mu‘aadh! Is there any-
thing that topples people on their faces - or he said on 
their noses - into the Hell fire, other than the harvests of 
their tongues.” [at-Tirmidhi] 

Looking at the ahaadeeth of the Messenger (peace be upon him) 
we find that one of the main causes to throw people in the Fire 
of Hell is the evil reaping of the tongue, because with this one 
part of the body (i.e. the tongue) a person can indulge in more sin 
than with any other part. With it they can destroy all their other 
good deeds. So if we can restrain the tongue, we will succeed, 

3 Here the Prophet (.) is strikes a similtude between Islam and a camel, in 
order to describe the importance of certain aspects. 


(Inshaa Allah). May Allah, the Almighty, help us to understand 
the importance of restraining our tongue, and thereafter assist us 
to implement it. Ameen. 

It is because of the many dangers of the tongue that we have de-
cided to make a detailed study of the major evils in which it can 
be involved, so that we can assist ourselves, our brothers and sis-
ters, to earn Allah’s Paradise (Al-Jannah) by restraining it. 

I have, in this work, tried my best to only use authentic 
ahaadeeth. 

Any mistakes found herein are from me and Shaitaan. May Allah 
forgive me and may He, the Most High make this effort one that 
is done sincerely for Him and may He accept it. 


 

Chapter One: 

Speaking about Allah without Knowledge 

 

Speaking about Allah (.) without knowledge, is the foremost 
aspect of shirk which incurs the most severe punishment from 
Allah. For this reason, this is not allowed under any circum-
stances. This is clearly communicated by Allah in Surah A’raaf, 
which highlights the severity of this sin by comparing it with 
other major sins. He, the Mighty said: 

“Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are, 
al-Fawaahish (every kind of illegal sexual intercourse) 
whether committed openly or secretly…” 

He, the Most High then moved on to describe a more severe: 

“…sin, unjust oppression” 

Then to that sin which is even more severe: 

“…joining partners (in worship) with Allah (shirk), for 
which He gave no authority” 

And then He, the All-Knowing punctuated it with that sin which 
most severe: 

“…and saying things about Allah of which you have no 
knowledge. “ [Al-A’araaf 7: 331] 

In the Tafseer of this aayah, the scholars of Islam have said that: 

“If speaking about Islam (Allah, the Most High) is not the 
greatest crime, then Allah certainly intended to emphasize 
it that way. Zinaa (fornication and adultery), the first men-


tioned (sin in the Aayah) is an act of one committing a sin 
on his/her own soul. Secondly: (Allah mentions) oppres-
sion, a sin committed against others. This is definitely a 
greater evil. Then He, the Most High mentions shirk (i.e. 
joining partners in worship with Allah), obviously a greater 
evil than the first two, and finally, speaking without knowl-
edge in Islam. Every sin that followed was always greater 
than the previous one. Thus, if it (speaking about Allah 
without knowledge) is not the greatest of sins, as it was 
mentioned last, it was certainly intended (by Allah) to be 
understood that way.” 

It should be seriously noted that this very grave sin is only be-
cause of Satan’s encouragement of the ignorant and sometimes 
arrogant seekers of name and fame. 

Allah, the Most High said: 

“Verily, it is indeed Satan that makes you do evil and say 
things about Allah (or His Deen) of which you have no 
proper knowledge.” [Al-Baqarah 2:169] 

Therefore, based upon the above aayah, we find that this is the 
most serious prohibition with Allah Himself. The following cate-
gories of sins are incorporated in “Speaking of Allah without 
knowledge”: 

a) Lying upon Allah, the Almighty. 

b) Attributing to Allah, the Most High, what is not suitable for 
Him 

c) Bid‘ah (innovation) or modifying and altering Allah’s Deen 

d) Negating what He, the Most High, has affirmed 


e) Affirming what He, the Most High, negated 

f) Hostility to those who champion His Cause 

g) Supporting His enemies 

h) Loving those whom He hates and hating those He loves 

i) Describing Him with what does not befit Him in His Es-
sence, His Attributes, His Statements or His Actions. 

Therefore, because of the amount of sins included in this cate-
gory, there can be no greater prohibition. It is from this sin that 
Shirk (associating partners with Allah) and all forms of Kufr (dis-
belief) originate. All forms of Bid‘ah (innovations) are also 
founded upon “speaking about Allah without knowledge”. 

Some aspects of “speaking about Allah without knowledge” 
are explained in details below: 

1. Lying upon Allah and/or His Messenger (peace be upon 
him). Allah informs us that it is not allowed to follow anything 
without knowledge, He, the Most High, said: 

“And follow not, (O man i.e. do not say, act or witness) 
that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hear-
ing, and the sight and the heart for each of those will you 
be questioned “ [Al-Israa 17: 36] 

And He, the Mighty also warns us not to speak about Him with-
out knowledge: 

“Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)): indeed the 
things that my Lord has forbidden are: (and from them 
is) saying things about Allah of which you have no 
knowledge”. [Al-A’ araaf 7:33] 


In the above aayah, Allah (.) is telling us that He has forbidden 
Muslims to speak about Him without knowledge, and lying upon 
Allah (.) is one way of doing this. The one who lies about Allah 
(.) is not only guilty of speaking about Him without knowledge, 
but also he is amongst the most oppressive of people as Allah 
Himself describes: 

“And who is more oppressive than he who lies against 
Allah, or who denies His signs...” [Al-A’raaf (7):37] 

Besides that, He, the Wise, also describes the punishment on the 
Day of Judgment for anyone who involves themselves in this 
dangerous practice, thus: 

“And you will see on the day of judgment, those who lie 
upon Allah, their faces blackened.” [Az-Zumr: 60] 

Ibn Al-Jawzee, in his Tafseer said: 

“Many scholars of Islam are of the opinion, that lying upon 
Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) is disbelief, 
and that it takes one out of Islam (i.e. it makes him a dis-
believer). Lying upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be 
upon him) is similarly serious, since indirectly it is lying 
upon Allah. 

The Messenger (peace be upon him), emphasizing the severity of 
lying upon himself (peace be upon him), said: 

“Whoever knowingly upon me, then let him occupy his 
seat in the Fire”. [Bukhari, Muslim & others] 

Many Muslims would tell you that stealing, bribery, killing, adul-
tery etc. are all prohibited (Haraam) acts. However, when it 
comes to lying upon Allah (.) and/or His Messenger (peace be 


upon him), they are not even aware that such a sin exist, and so 
they would indulge in it freely without worry. This complacency 
among Muslims regarding this sin comes about because of the 
great ignorance that prevails concerning (i) The rights of Allah 
and His Messenger and (ii) the serious punishment that results 
from indulging in sin. 

This complacent attitude, coupled with ignorance, have been the 
main factors for the majority of the deviances and differences 
found in Islam. 

 

Various ways in which lying upon Allah, the Most High and 
His Messenger (.) are manifested. 

(a) Describing Allah without proof from the Qur’aan or authentic 
Sunnah. 

For example, describing Allah as being everywhere is a serious 
misconception of which many Muslims are guilty. The Qur’aan 
and authentic Sunnah are both replete with proofs which show 
that Allah, the Most High, is above and beyond His creation, and 
not a part of it, as the statement that ‘He, is everywhere’ necessi-
tates. The following Hadeeth clearly indicate this. Ma’aaiyah Ibn 
Al- Hakim said: 

‘I had a servant girl who used to tend to my sheep in the area 
of Mount Uhud, near a place called Al-Jawwaareeyah. One 
day I came to see them only to find that a wolf had made off 
with a sheep from her flock. Since, I, like the rest of Adam’s 
descendants, am prone to do regrettable acts, I gave her a ter-
rible slap in her face. When I came to Allah’ Messenger (peace 
be upon him) with the story, he considered it a grave thing for 


me to have done. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah (peace be 
upon him) couldn’t I free her? He (peace be upon him) re-
plied: “Bring her to me.” So I brought her. He (peace be upon 
him) then asked her, “Where is Allah?” And she replied: 
“Above the sky.” Then He (peace be upon him) asked her: 
“Who am I?” She replied “You are Allah’s Messenger.” So 
he (peace be upon him) said: “Free her; for she is a be-
liever.” [Muslim Vol. 1 Pg. 271-2 #1094] 

It must be noted that one of the duties of the Messenger (peace 
be upon him) was to correct any mistakes anyone committed in 
this religion (Deen). His (peace be upon him) silence after asking 
her, “Where is Allah,” and she replied “Above the sky,” is an 
indication that her answer is correct. His (peace be upon him) 
affirming that she is a believer, at the end of the Hadeeth, is the 
direct proof that her answers were correct, otherwise He (peace 
be upon him) would be lying, and we seek refuge with Allah for 
even thinking that lying is possible from the Messenger (peace be 
upon him). 

What should be noted, is the fact that the first question he (peace 
be upon him) asked her was: Where is Allah? and not if she be-
lieved in Him, the Most High. Since the question was: ‘Where is 
Allah?’ great importance and attention must be given to the fact 
that, since he (peace be upon him) accepted that Allah is above 
the skies as the correct answer, that this is direct proof that this is 
the correct view on the question. 

Additionally, it establishes the importance of the issue in Islam, 
contrary to the belief and attitude of many Muslims, even so-
called Sheiks, who claim that the issue is either trivial or too ad-
vanced. After all, this was the first question the Prophet (peace be 


upon him) asked of a slave girl to determine if she was a Muslim 
or not! 

 

(b) Explaining the Aayaat of the Quran, or the Hadeeth of die 
Prophet (peace be upon him) with meanings other than their ap-
parent ones, is also another way of lying upon Allah. 

Allah, the Most High said: 

“O Iblees (Satan)! What prevent you from prostrating 
yourself to one I have created with My Two Hands...” 
[Saad 38:75] 

In the above Aayah, Allah, the Most High, is saying that He cre-
ated Aadam with His Two Hands. Yet some Muslims try to ex-
plain “Allah’s two Hands” to mean His power Who knows Allah 
better, Himself or these people? As Muslims, we have to believe 
in Allah as He describes Himself or as His Messenger (peace be 
upon him) described Him. Therefore, if He, the Mighty, says he 
has Two Hands, we must believe that. However, we must also 
believe, that they are not hands like our: He, the Sublime said: 

“There is nothing like Him; and He is the Hearer; the Seer 
of all.” [Shooraa 42:11] 

 

(c) Making Haraam things Halaal 

This is another form of lying upon Allah. An example of this is 
telling Muslims to get out of the Masjid. Since some of our 
brothers pray according to the way demonstrated by the Prophet 
(peace be upon him), (i.e. according to the Sunnah), some admin-


istrators order them out of the Masjid just because of that. These 
arrogant leaders should remember, that amongst the greatest of 
oppressors, are those who prevent a Muslim from praying in the 
Masjid of Allah. This is because they are making Haraam the 
most halaal of deeds, purely out of their unlawful dictatorship. 
Allah, the Glorious said: 

“And who is more unjust than those who forbid that Al-
lah’s Name should be remembered in His Mosques, and 
strive after its destruction...” [Al-Baqarah 2: 114] 

 

(d) Making Halaal things Haraam 

This is also another way in which Muslims lie upon Allah, the 
Glorious. An example of this, is that Allah permits a Muslim man 
to marry and have up to four wives, at any given time. However, 
if anyone attaches conditions, and throws doubt on this, he/she 
is in fact making something which is Halaal, Haraam. This is 
done by Muslims saying that a man can only marry once, and if 
the circumstances of necessity presents itself, then the law of po-
lygony (i.e. a man marrying more than one wife) becomes appli-
cable. Allah, the All-Knowing said: 

“...then many (other) women of your choice, two or three 
or four, but if you shall not be able to deal justly (with 
them) then many only one, (or the captives) that your 
right hands possess...” [An-Nisaa 4:3] 

In the above Aayah, Allah, the Wise has legislated that a man 
should marry 2, 3 or 4 wives, but if he was afraid of treating them 
unjustly, that is, he would not be able to upkeep a balanced scale 
of equal treatment, then the alternative is to marry only one. This, 


and only this, is the condition set down by the Shareeah. Anyone 
trying to say that there are other conditions, is inventing his own 
law. Those who propagate that the first wife must be barren or 
sick, or that she has to approve of the second marriage, etc., have 
no evidence at all to support their false claims. 

Even worse are those who have adopted the orientalists’ opinion, 
that polygony is a lustful act. Thus, anyone whose wife is other-
wise perfect, but he still takes a second wife, is, in the orientalists’ 
view doing this only out of evil lust and desires. This category is 
worst, because their statement is blasphemy against the Qur’aan, 
since Allah, the Wise, promotes and encourages therein, that a 
man can be married to more than one woman at any given time. 
It is also blasphemy to the Prophet (peace be upon him), his 
companions, and the scholars of Islam, as they practiced it during 
their lifetime. 

However, even if it was done purely for lust or desire, it would 
still be according to the Sunnah, since the Messenger of Allah 
(peace be upon him) informs us, that when someone satisfies his 
sexual cravings or lust in a Halaal way, he will be blessed for it. 
He (peace be upon him) states: 

“...and even when one of you cohabits (engage in sexual 
intercourse), he is rewarded for it.’’ We (the companions) 
said: “O Messenger of Allah! Would one of us earn bless-
ings and rewards for satisfying his (sexual) lusts and de-
sires? He (peace be upon him) said: “Yes, don’t you see 
that if he was to satisfy it in the Haraam way (by adultery 
and fornication) that he would be sinned? Similarly, 
when he satisfies it in the Halaal way, he is rewarded.” 


(e) Using fabricated and unauthentic aahadeeth of the Messenger 
of Allah (peace be upon him) is another way of lying on Allah 
and His Messenger (peace be upon him). 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

 “Whoever knowingly lie upon me, then let him occupy 
his seat in the Fire (of Hell).”Bukhari, Muslim & others] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also said: 

 “Whoever relates a Hadeeth about me, knowingly it to 
be un-authentic, is himself a liar.” [Ibn Majah] 

 

2. Another Aspect of Speaking about Allah without Knowl-
edge is: Making Legal Decisions (giving fatwas) in Allah’s 
religion without knowledge. 

Allah, the Most High said: 

“Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him): Indeed the 
things that my Lord has forbidden are: (and from them 
is) saying things about Allah of which you have no 
knowledge.” [Al-A’raaf 7:33] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Indeed Allah, the All-Mighty will not take away knowl-
edge by snatching it away from the people but by taking 
the lives of the knowledgeable people, until when not 
one scholar remains. The people will then take ignorant 
people as their leaders, who they will ask to give judg-
ments (in Allah’s religion). This they will do without 


knowledge. This will result in their going astray, and 
leading others astray.” [Bukhari and Muslim] 

How many Muslims are not in this sad state today? Furthermore, 
how many rulings and legal decisions are given without knowl-
edge? May Allah save us from this dangerous situation in which 
we find ourselves. 

It is strange that when it comes to secular knowledge, we are so 
respectful. How many of us would dare speak of medicine in 
front of a doctor, or dentistry in front of a dentist? Yet we speak 
about Allah’s laws, and make rulings in His religion ignorantly. 
Are we not aware that He hears us? - What! Have we no sense? 

What should scare people who involve in this great sin is the fol-
lowing statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): 

“Among the people who will receive the most severe 
punishment on the Day of judgment is a person who 
killed a prophet, or who was killed by a prophet, or a 
person who because of his ignorance, misguides people 
and lead them astray...” [Ahmad and At-Tabaranee] 

What is even more severe and should discourage them even more 
is the fact that they will carry the burden of everyone who is mis-
guided because of them. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon 
him) said: 

 “...whoever introduces a bad way which others follow, 
he will have its burden and the burden of every one who 
acts upon it...” [Sahih At-Targheeb wat Tarheeb, Al 
Mundhiree] 

 


3. Another Aspect of Speaking about Allah without Knowl-
edge is: Ruling by other than what was Revealed by Allah. 

Allah said: 

“And whoever rules by other than by what Allah re-
vealed, those are disbelievers.” [Al-Maaida 5:44] 

Allah, the Sublime, further states in the Qur’aan: 

“…by your Lord (Allah), they can have no faith until 
they make you (Muhammad (peace be upon him) the 
judge in all their dispute amongst themselves, and 
thereafter find no resistance against your decisions, but 
accept with full submission.” [An-Nisaa 4:65] 

Allah, the Most High says: 

“The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are 
called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between 
them, is that they say “We hear and we obey” - and such 
ate the successful.” [An Noor 24:51] 

Ruling by other than what Allah, the Almighty has revealed is in-
deed one of the most severe types of disbelief to which the 
tongue can fall prey. So, we should be very careful about this. Be 
aware that ruling by other than Allah’s law is not only for the 
people who are in governmental positions, although it is easiest 
for them to fall prey to this, but each person is liable, based upon 
his responsibility, as is explained in the following hadeeth: 

“Each one of you is a guardian, and each person is an-
swerable for his flock (those under his charge); so the 
Imaam is guardian and he is answerable for his flock 
(his people), the man is guardian of his family and he is 


answerable for his flock (his family), and the woman is 
guardian in the house of her husband and she is answer-
able for her flock (in his house)..., and each one of you is 
a guardian and ( responsible for his flock).” [Bukhari 
and Muslim] 

Since most decisions and rulings are generally communicated 
through speaking, then making Haraam rulings would constitute 
misuse of the tongue. 

So know, that making Halaal what Allah has made Haraam and 
making Haraam what Allah has made Halaal, or accepting the 
ruling and following someone who is involved in it, is a type of 
kufr (disbelief). This is clearly understood from the following 
Hadeeth: 

“ ‘Adi Ibn Haatim came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be 
upon him) and heard him (peace be upon him) recite the fol-
lowing aayah: ‘They took their rabbis and monks as Lord 
besides Allah.’ So he said: ‘Messenger of Allah! They 
never used to worship them.’ He (peace be upon him) said: 
‘Verily, they have made Haraam (unlawful) what was ha-
laal (lawful), and they made halaal (lawful) what was 
haraam (prohibited) and (the people) followed them - so 
that was their (the people) worship of them (the rabbis 
and monks).’ ” [At-Tirmidhee] 

This Hadeeth is also applicable to the so-called Islamic countries, 
as well as every constitution or rules and regulations set up by 
Organizations and Mastoids, etc., which legislate laws that are not 
in accordance with those that Allah has revealed. 

 


4. Another Aspect of Speaking about Allah without Knowl-
edge is: Bid‘ahs (innovations) 

Bid‘ah is changing any aspect of worship in Allah’s Deen by ei-
ther adding to it, subtracting from it or altering it in way. It is for 
this reason that the noble scholars of this Deen expended so 
much time to warn this Ummah about the great fitnah (trial) of 
innovation. This is because the dangers of Bid‘ah, and its destruc-
tive effects upon this Deen, are much greater than that of the 
other major sins, as is explained from the following Aayaat and 
ahaadeeth of the Messenger of Allah: 

Allah, the Most High said: 

“Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him) to the people) 
if you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and 
He will forgive your sins.”[Aali ‘Imraan 3: 31] 

The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

“Who ever innovates in this matter of ours (Al-Islam) 
that which is not from it, will have it rejected”. [Bukhari 
& Muslim] 

And He (peace be upon him) said: 

“…And hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the 
rightly guided caliphs, and beware of newly invented 
matters (Bid‘ah); for every newly invented matter is mis-
guidance which leads to the fire.” [Ahmad, Abu Da-
wood, Tirmidhi & others] 

So, based upon the above ahaadeeth, Muslims must be aware of 
all matters that are not established from the Sharee‘ah. 


The following saying of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is 
even more frightening. He (peace be upon him) said: 

“Allah does not accept the repentance of anyone in-
volved in Bid‘ah, until he leaves it off completely.” [Au-
thentic from At-Tabaraanee] 

Brothers and sisters, let us not close off the doors of Repentance 
with our own hands, by indulging in and/or propagating Bid‘ah. 
However, we must know that even worse for the practitioner of 
Bid‘ah is what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Allah refuses to accept the deeds of the practitioner of 
Bid‘ah (innovations in the deen) until he leaves his inno-
vation (Bid‘ah).” [Ibn Majah & Ibn Abi ‘Aasim] 

Bid‘ah is one of the most dangerous sins that sends whoever 
practices it into the fire (of Hell). Such action from a Muslim is 
most loved by Shaitaan. This is because the Muslim involved in 
Bid‘ah feels that he is doing something good, but, in effect, it 
causes Allah’s wrath to descend upon him. A few examples of 
Innovation (Bid‘ah) of the tongue are as follows: 

a) Bid‘ah in Belief 

The statement that Allah, the Most High, is everywhere, as was 
discussed before. (Refer to page 12) 

 

b) Bid‘ah in dhikr 

Doing dhikr in congregation behind one person, which is a com-
mon practice of the Sufis. The following narration beautifully 
clarifies the evil of such a practice. 


Amr Ibn Salmah said: We used to sit at the door of ‘Abdullaah 
ibn Mas‘oud before the morning prayer, so that when he 
came out, we would walk with him to the mosque. One day 
Abu Moosaa al-Ash’aree came to us and said: “Has Abu 
‘Abdur Rahmaan (Ibn Mas`oud) come out yet?” We replied: 
“No” So he sat down with us until he came out. When he 
came out we all stood along with him, so Abu Moosaa said 
to him: “O Aba `Abdir Rahmaan! I have just seen some-
thing in the mosque which I deemed to be evil, but all 
Praise is for Allah, I did not see anything except good.” He 
(Ibn Mas‘oud) inquired: “Then what is it?” (Abu Moosaa) 
replied: “If you live you will see it. I saw in the mosque peo-
ple sitting in circles awaiting the prayer. In each circle they 
had pebbles in their hands and a man would say: repeat Al-
lahu Akbar a hundred times. Then they would repeat it a 
hundred. Then he would say: Say Laa illaha illallaah a hun-
dred times. So they would say it a hundred times. Then he 
would say: Say Subhaanallaah a hundred times. So they 
would say it a hundred times. (Ibn Mas‘oud) asked: “What 
did you say to to them?” (Abu Moosaa) said: “I did not say 
anything to them. Instead I waited to hear your view or 
what you declared.” 

(Ibn Mas‘oud) replied: “Would that you had ordered them 
to count up the evil deeds they acquired and assured them 
that their good deeds would not be lost!” Then we went 
along with him (Ibn Mas‘oud) until he came to one of these 
circles and stood and said: “What is this that I see you do-
ing?” They replied: “O Aba ‘Abdur Rahmaan! These are 
pebbles upon which we are counting, takbeer, tahleel and 
tasbeeh.” He (Ibn Mas‘oud) said: “Count up your evil 


deeds! I assure you that none of your good deeds will be 
lost. Woe to you, O Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon 
him)! How quickly you go to destruction! These are the 
companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who are 
widespread. These are his clothes that have not yet decayed 
and his bowl which is unbroken. By Him in Whose Hand is 
my soul! Either you are upon a religion better guided than 
the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him) or you are 
opening the door of misguidance.” They said: “O Aba ‘Abdir 
Rahmman! By Allah, we only intended good.” He (Ibn 
Mas‘oud) said: “How many are there who intend good but 
do not achieve it. Indeed Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon 
him) said to us: “A people will recite the Quran but it will 
not pass beyond their throats.” 

“Then he left them. ‘Umar ibn Salamah (the sub-narrator) 
said: ‘We saw most of these people fighting against us on 
the day of Nahrawaan, along with the Khawaarij.’ ” [Ad-
Darimee Vol. 1#79] 

It should be observed from the above incident involving Ibn 
Mas’oud and the people who were making their congregational 
(Soofie like) Dhikr, that they were: 

(i) In the right place (i.e. the Masjid), 

(ii) Saying the right and prescribed dhikr -Tasbeeh, Takbeer, 
etc 

(iii) Doing it at the right time, that is before, or according to 
some narrations, after the Salaah. 

However, it was only one difference that caused Ibn Mas‘oud to 
reject and rebuke what they were doing -HOW they did it, that is, 


in congregation. This emphasizes the importance of following the 
Sunnah with precision in every possible way. 

The following example further highlight the importance of doing 
any act of worship, especially dhikr or du‘aa exactly and precisely 
as was demonstrated by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah 
(peace be upon him). 

Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated the Hadeeth that the 
Prophet (peace be upon him) taught Al-Baraa ibn ‘Aazib a du‘aa 
to use before sleeping, part of which was: “...Aaman-tu bi kitaabi-
kal lathee an-zalt, wa bi nabiyyikal la-thee ar-salt…” However, 
when Al-Baraa repeated it to the Prophet (peace be upon him) he 
said: “..wa bi rasoolikal la-zhee arsalt...” The Prophet (peace be 
upon him) immediately corrected him saying: “No! bi nabiyyikal 
la-zhee ar-salt.”4

This shows the importance of adhering to the Sunnah, and not 
even changing a single word, which in essence has the same 
meaning as the substituted word (i.e. Nabee means prophet and 
Rasool means Messenger and both are titles given to the Messen-
ger of Allah (peace be upon him) by Allah, the Most High). 

 

c) Bid‘ah of Du‘aa in congregation. 

A widespread practice amongst Muslims is making Du`aa in con-
gregation after the Fard (compulsory) Salaah. This practice, in 
fact, does not have any proof from the Sunnah of the Prophet 

4 He replaced the word “Prophet” with “Messenger”, but the Prophet (.) cor-
rected him, even though a messenger is of a higher status than a Prophet. (e) 


(peace be upon him) or the companions who led Salaah all their 
lives but never once made a congregational du‘aa after the Salaah. 

Of the many innovations of the tongue, these few examples will 
suffice. 

The majority of Muslims are deeply involved in many innova-
tions. However, we must realize that Allah can only be wor-
shipped with what He, the Most High, legislated, and that it must 
be performed as precisely as possible as was explained or shown 
to us by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and as it was under-
stood by the pious predecessors (the companions). Therefore, 
before doing anything in this Deen, a Muslim must esquire about 
the proof for that action from Quraan and authentic Sunnah, or 
whether it was something practiced by our pious predecessors 
from among the companions, the Taabi‘een5 and the Tabi 
Tabi‘een6 If there is no precedent from them, then It is compul-
sory for us to leave it. May Allah guide us an to practice Islam in 
its pristine purity. Ameen. 

5 The students of the companions. (e) 

6 The students of the Taai‘een. (e) 


 

Chapter Two: 

Committing Shirk Through the Tongue 

 

 

Shirk refers to assigning a partner or partners with Allah in 
whatever form it may take, and it is the opposite of wor-
shipping Allah alone. This act of associating partners with Allah 
is (one of) the most dangerous sins in which a Muslin can be in-
volved. In fact, if someone dies in such a state, then he/she will 
not be forgive Allah protect us from all types of shirk. Ameen. 

About shirk Allah, the Most High said: 

“Indeed Allah does not forgive shirk (that you associate 
any partners with Him), but He forgives other than that 
to whom He pleases.” [An Nisaa 4:48] 

He, the Sublime said: 

“Indeed shirk is the greatest oppression.” [Luqman: 13] 

Allah, the Most High also said: 

“...Indeed he who associates partners in worship with 
Allah, then Allah has forbidden Jannah (Paradise) for 
him, and the Fire (of Hell) will be his abode.” [Al-
Maaida 5:72] 

In addition to that, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 
said: 

 “Shall I not inform you about the greatest of sins?” We 
said: “Surely, O Messenger of Allah.” He (peace be upon 


him) said: “Associating partners (shirk) with Allah...” 
[Bukhari and Muslim] 

Proofs indicating the dangers of shirk (associating partners with 
Allah) from the Qur’aan and authentic Sunnah are numerous, but 
the above reference would suffice. Shirk is a very extensive sub-
ject about which most Muslims are ignorant. However, a sin that 
Allah does not forgive definitely needs serious attention, because 
Satan would work assiduously to get us to concern ourselves with 
smaller issues, thinking that we are saved, but causes us to prac-
tice Shirk. Listen to what Allah, Most High, said: 

“Say, Shall we not tell you (who are) the greatest losers 
in respect of (their) deeds. Those whose efforts have 
been wasted in this life while they thought that they were 
acquiring good by their deeds. [Al-Kahf 18: 103-104] 

Allah, the Sublime said: 

“And if you commit shirk (associating partners with Al-
lah) all of your works would be in vain (destroyed) and 
you wilt definitely be among those who are the losers.” 
[Al-Zumar 39:65] 

It is reasonable to conclude that unless we, as Muslims, know 
clearly what is Shirk, then we are likely to become ready victims 
of it. And if we are in shirk (may Allah save us from this plight), 
then, based upon the above statements of Allah, about which 
there is no doubt, all of our works would be destroyed and we 
would be from among the losers, although we may think we are 
not doing anything wrong. Brother and sisters, let us make more 
sincere effort to know our Deen, and not just assume that, be-
cause Allah is All-forgiving, that we would get His forgiveness. 


We must remember also, that He is swift in punishment. For-
giveness has to be earned, and it is not given to someone just be-
cause he carries a Muslim name, or says he is Muslim. It is earned 
by striving. 

 Allah, the Almighty, said: 

 “...and strive all-together for the forgiveness from your 
Lord...” [Aali ‘Imraan 3:133] 

The grave sin, Shirk, like acts of worship, can be done with either 
the heart, the tongue, or the limbs. However, we will only deal 
with those aspects of shirk which are committed by the tongue 
herein. 

 

Shirk Commfited by The Tongue 

 

Supplicating to Other Than Allah. 

He, the Glorious said: 

“Supplicate to Me and I will answer you” [Ghaafir: 60] 

The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

 “Du‘aa (supplication) is worship itself.” [Abu Dawood] 

Since Du‘aa is the essence and main element of worship, as it is 
the seeking of help from a supernatural source, it must be di-
rected to the Creator and Sustainer, Allah Himself. It is precisely 
for this reason that, Allah, the Sublime, warns: 

“And supplicate not to any other than Allah, that which 
can neither profit nor harm you, but if you do so, then 


certainly you will be from among the transgressors.” 
[Yunus 10:106] 

Yet, we would find Muslims going to graves of seemingly pious 
people, supplicating to them to fulfill their needs. It is also com-
monplace for some Muslims to make Du‘aa through the name of 
the Prophet (peace be upon him), as well as other righteous peo-
ple. However, all supplications must be directed towards Allah, 
Alone. To do otherwise constitutes shirk, -pure and simple. 

 

Kufr Ni’mah: Disbelief Manifesting Itself in Ungratefulness 
for Allah’s Blessings or Favors. 

Allah, the Sublime said: 

“They recognize the bounty (blessings) of Allah, yet they 
deny it and most of them are disbelievers”. [An-Nahl 
16:83] 

Instead of praising Allah for the bounties He, the Sublime be-
stows upon us, we deny them and sometimes feel it is by our own 
hands that we have achieved whatever Allah has blessed us with. 
The correct attitude would be to acknowledge, that all that we 
have is only from Allah, the Almighty. This should help us to feel 
less independent, and make us more grateful to Allah, the Sub-
lime. This, in turn, will cause us to receive more of Allah’s bless-
ing (Inshaa Allah), He, the Glorious said: 

“And if you are thankful, I will increase (My blessings) 
to you.” [Ibraheem 14:7] 

 


Visiting Fortunetellers, Obeah Men or Psychics; etc. 

The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

“Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and asks him anything, 
Allah will not accept his Prayers for forty days.” [Mus-
lim] 

This is the punishment for going to him and seeking his help. 
However, if a Muslim believes in what the fortuneteller says, the 
harm is even greater. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

“Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and believes in what he 
says, has disbelieved in what was brought by Muham-
mad (i.e. Islam).” [Ahmad] 

This Hadeeth clearly declares, that to believe anything from the 
fortuneteller/obeah man, is disbelief. 

These experts at deception have deceived many people, and ex-
tracted from them much wealth. Yet, many Muslims frequent 
them. May Allah assist and guide us from such practitioners of 
evil. 

 

Swearing By Other Than Allah 

Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said that the 
Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

“Allah prohibits you from swearing by your fathers, so 
whoever swears, let him swear by Allah or keep quiet.” 
[Bukhari & Muslim] 

It is stated in another Hadeeth of the Prophet (peace be upon 
him) that: 


 “Whoever swears by other than Allah has committed 
shirk.” [Ahmad, Tirmidhee & Al-Haakim] 

Swearing is allowed in Islam, but a person can only swear by Al-
lah. If he swears by anything else, then this is an aspect of Shirk. 
To swear by the moon or the star or any of Allah’s creation, is 
Haraam. Allah can swear by whatever He wants, but we can only 
swear by Him. The common practice among many Muslims to 
swear by the Qur’aan is a Bid‘ah (innovation), and should be dis-
couraged. What is even more heinous, is to swear by Allah while 
knowing full well that one is lying. 

 

Denying a Name or Description of Allah or Changing its 
Apparent Meaning 

This occurs when someone denies any Name or Attribute of Al-
lah that He affirmed for Himself, or that His Messenger (peace 
be upon him) affirmed for Him, the Most High. For example, to 
deny or cast doubt on the fact that Allah has Two Hands, or that 
He hears, or that He is above the heavens are aspects of Shirk 
which fall within this category. To seek to explain the Hands of 
Allah as His Mercy, Strength, Power, etc., falls into the above 
category also. This type of explaining of Allah’s Attributes is also 
prohibited in Islam. 

It must be noted that the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah re-
garding Allah’s Names and Attributes is: 

“That Muslims must believe in all of Allah’s Names and all of His 
Attributes that are found in the Qur’aan and the authentic Sun-
nah. They must accept them exactly and literally as they are.” 


The above demands the following: 

(a) Not seeking to explain any of them by similitude (i.e. by say-
ing for example that Allah’s Hands are like the hands of man-
kind). 

(b) Not seeking to explain “How it is” (i.e. by seeking to explain, 
for example, how Allah is established above His Throne). 

(c) Not declaring it to be figurative language and not literal (i.e. 
by saying, for example, that the meaning of ‘the Hand of Allah is 
with the Jamaa‘ah’ means ‘His Mercy or Blessings’ and not liter-
ally ‘Hand’. Or to say that Allah does not have Hands or a Face 
because these are human or animalistic characteristics, and thus 
the “Hands” and “Face” is figurative and not literal.7

 

To Blaspheme Allah, His Quraan or His Messenger (peace 
be upon him) 

Another aspect of disbelief is to blaspheme Allah, His Messenger 
(peace be upon him), the Qur’aan, the Sunnah of the Messenger, 
the Deen of Islam, Muslims, the angels, etc. 

Ibn Taimiyah said: “If the one who blasphemes is a Muslim, 
he has disbelieved, and therefore, should be killed (by the 
Khaleefah). This is a consensus among the four Imaams.” 

Allah, the Almighty said: 

“Verily, those who harm Allah and his messenger (by, 
abusing or telling lie against Allah and his messenger), 

7 At the same time, we must affirm that Allah and His Names and Attributes 
are nothing like His creation. 


Allah has cursed them in this world, and in the hereafter, 
and has prepared for them a humiliating torment “ [Al-
Ahzaab 33:57] 

 

Deniers of Qadr 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Every Ummah has its Majoos (Magians) and the Majoos of 
my ummah are those who say: “There is no Qadr (Predestina-
tion)’ if they become sick do not visit them and if they die do 
not witness them (i.e. to attend their funerals)”. [Ahmad] 

It Is Prohibited To Sit in the Company of Those Who Give 
Deviant or Wrong Interpretations About the Qur’aan or Is-
lam. 

This evil is so great that Allah, the Wise, even prohibits Muslims 
to allow themselves to overhear the conversations of those who 
involve in the wrong interpretations about the Qur’aan or Islam. 
Allah, the Great, said: 

“And when you see those who engage in false conversa-
tion about Our Verses by mocking at them, stay away 
from them till they turn to another topic. And if Satan 
causes you to forget, then after you have remembered, sit 
not in the company of the evil-doers.” [Al-A’raaf 7:68] 

And He, the Most High said: 

“And stay away from those who take their religion as 
play or amusement and are deceived by the Life of this 
world...” [Al-A’raaf 7:70] 


Allah, the Glorious said: 

“And We have already revealed in this Qur`aan, that 
whenever you hear the verses of Allah denied and 
mocked at, then sit not in such a company until they 
change the subject of discussion. (If you sit in such com-
pany), then, verily you are just like them. Surely Allah 
will gather all the disbelievers and hypocrites in Hell.” 
[An-Nisaa 4: 140] 

In his Tafseer, Imaam Al-Qurtubi has noted that the scholars of 
Islam have declared it totally forbidden for anyone to remain in 
any such company (i.e. the company of sinners), whilst they are 
committing these sins, or the people of Bid‘ah, or of anyone who 
distorts the teachings of Islam. [Al-Qurtubi Vol. 5 Pg. 268] 


 

Chapter Three: 

Afflicting a Muslim with the Tongue 

 

 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“The whole of the Muslim is sacred, his blood, his prop-
erty and his honor.” [Muslim] 

And in his farewell Khutbah, he (peace be upon him) said: 

“...Indeed your blood, your wealth and your honor are all 
Haraam (sacred) to each other, just as this day is sacred 
(the Day of ‘Arafah), in this sacred month (Dhul Hijjaa) 
in this sacred place (the sacred precinct of Makkah).” 
[Al-Baihaqee] 

 

Backbiting 

Allah, the Most High said: 

“Do not backbite one another, would any one of you love 
to eat the flesh of his dead brother, verily you detest 
this....” [Al-Hujuraat 43:12] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Backbiting is mentioning something about your 
brother that he dislikes.” [Maalik & Ibn Mubaraak] 

And in another narration, he (peace be upon him) said: 


“Backbiting is to mention about a person something 
about him in his absence”. [Abu Dawood] 

The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

“Do you know what is gheebah (Backbiting)? They said “Allah 
and His Messenger (peace be upon him) know best.” He 
(peace be upon him) said: “Mentioning about your brother 
what he would hate (in his absence)’. It was said: ‘What about 
if what I say about my brother is true?’ He (peace be upon 
him) said: “If what you said about him is true then you would 
have backbited him, and if it is not true, then he is slandered 
(buhtaan).” [Muslim] 

Based on the above ahaadeeth backbiting can be defined as: 
“Mentioning about a person in his absence something he would 
hate even if it is a characteristic he possesses.” Backbiting is 
haraam and the person who involves in it must repent. 

When is talking about your brother not considered to be 
backbiting? Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyaan, came to the Mes-
senger (peace be upon him) and said: 

“Abu Sufyaan is a miserly man and he does not give me 
enough for me and my child except that I take from him and 
he does not know. “ The Messenger (peace be upon him) 
said: “Take what is commonly known as enough for you 
and your child.” [Bukhari & Muslim] 

It is clear from the above Hadeeth, that in certain specific cases, a 
Muslim is permitted to talk about someone behind his or her 
back. For example: 


a) If a man is oppressed, he can go to the ruler or judge or 
someone who has the ability to stop the oppression, and 
make a petition, as Hind did. 

b) Also, when seeking an Islamic ruling, it is allowed to men-
tion a person’s bad quality, as is established in the hadeeth of 
Hind above, as when Hind asked: “Abu Sufyaan is a miserly 
man and he does not give me enough for me and my child 
except if I take from him and he does not know”. 

c) Seeking help to change a wrong by taking one’s right. If 
someone cannot change it himself, then he can go to some-
one who is in a position to change it. Thus, he will have to 
backbite his oppressor to inform the person who can give 
him authority. The hadeeth of Hind above exemplifies this. 

In the case of “commanding good and forbidding evil”, a person 
is allowed to mention the known innovation or sin of another 
person, in order to warn others about it. However, if one declares 
the actions of people that are done in secret, this is considered to 
be backbiting. 

One is also permitted to inquire about a person who has a spe-
cific nickname, like the deaf man, or blind man. However, if his 
correct name is known, then it would not be allowed to use other 
false names. 

In the same vein, one is allowed to forewarn and caution his 
brother or sister, about someone who is a sinner or innovator, in 
order for them to be free from their influence. Allah, the Most 
High said: 


“Help one another in righteousness and piety; but do 
not assist one another in sin or transgression” [Al-
Maaidah 5:2] 

Some factors that cause backbiting and their cures: 

1. Subsiding anger. This is done by backbiting the person who 
kindles his anger - so every time this person makes him angry, he 
subsides it by backbiting the person. Through this (the backbit-
ing), he feels he is getting even with the other person. The cure 
for this is the advice of the Messenger (peace be upon him): 

“Whoever suppresses his anger while in a position to en-
force it, Allah will call him at the head of the creation un-
til he chooses for him from the hoor ‘een (special women 
of Jannah that are promised to the believer), for him to 
marry from them as he pleases.” [Ahmad and At-
Tabaraanee] 

2. Wanting to keep Mends. In order to maintain friends with 
others, a person indulges in backbiting because he is afraid of los-
ing their friendship. Thus he does not reprimand them when they 
backbite, but indulge in it with them. To cure this he must re-
member the saying of the Messenger (peace be upon him): 

“Whoever solicits the pleasure of men by displeasing Al-
lah, Allah will consign him to mankind.” [At-Tirmidhi] 

3. Wanting to raise one’s status with other people. This is 
done by debasing others, by saying things like such and such a 
person, is ignorant or his understanding is weak, thus indirectly 
implying that he is more knowledgeable than the one he debases. 
In order to cure this sickness, the perpetrator must be reminded 
that Allah is the final judge and this person that he is claiming is 


ignorant, might be better than him with Allah. Furthermore, that 
person may be excused because of his lack of understanding. 

4. Playing around and making fun of others. This could in-
volve mockery and sarcasm. It is enough to remind those indulg-
ing in this practice of what Allah, the Most High said: 

“O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another 
group, it may be that the latter is better than the for-
mer...” [Al-Hujuraat 49:11] 

At other times, it could involve lies, as mention is made of some 
people in a way to make others laugh. It is enough to answer with 
the statement of the Messenger (peace be upon him): 

“Woe to the one who speaks and lies to make people 
laugh, woe to him, woe to him.” [Ahmad, Abu Dawood 
& others] 

5. Envy. Through envy, a person is backbitten because of his 
noble position and high standing, in order to debase and reduce 
his worth in people’s eyes. The envier should reflect upon the 
statement of the Messenger (peace be upon him): 

“Faith and envy cannot exist together in the heart of the 
slave”. [Ahmad 8: 436] 

6. Fear of Blame. Something is attributed to a person who wants 
to free himself from it, by blaming another person totally, al-
though they both had shared in the act. He does this so that he 
can free himself from being blamed. The correct thing to do is to 
acquit himself honestly, and not try to throw the blame upon 
anyone else. 


7. Having too much spare time. This can cause a person to fall 
into backbiting, because it is easy for such an idle mind to be-
come busy with men, their honor and their faults. To correct this 
a person must spend his time in acts of obedience to Allah, wor-
ship, seeking knowledge, and teaching others. The Prophet (peace 
be upon him) said: 

“Two blessings are misused by people, good health and 
spare time to do good.” [Bukhari] 

8. Trying to get close to a person in authority to acquire ma-
terial gains. In order to get close to those in authority and to 
gain their favors, someone may backbite his workmates with his 
boss. To cure this, he must realize the true value of this world 
with Allah, the Glorious, and that He is the Provider, and that He 
would allow him to get only what he deserves. And no boss can 
give him anything if Allah, the Sublime does not will such for 
him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

“...know that if the nation (all mankind) were to gather 
together to benefit you with something, it would only 
benefit you with something that Allah had already pre-
scribed for you...” [At-Tirmidhi] 

Aspects of backbiting that people might not feel is backbiting: 

1. If someone is involved in backbiting, and when he is repri-
manded he responds: “I am prepared to say it in front of him.” 

He can be replied to with the following: You mentioned about 
him something he would not like in his absence. This is backbit-
ing, and being prepared to mention it in front of him, is a differ-
ent issue altogether. There is no proof from the Shar‘eeah to 
show that being prepared to mention it to him allows backbiting. 


2. If a specific person is mentioned, and someone says something 
loudly that implies something negative, like: “We seek refuge with 
Allah from being misguided” then this is also backbiting, because 
it is mentioning something bad about a person in his absence in 
an indirect way. 

3. A statement about a person like: “Such and such a person is 
being tested with such and such” or “we used to do the same 
thing,” implies it is something bad, and mentioned in his absence. 
Is that not what we have defined as backbiting? 

4. Thinking it is allowed to backbite someone because he is a 
younger person. There is no proof for this. 

5. Finding it easy to talk about someone because he is poor, or 
because he is weak, or a sinner, or the like. 

How should the Backbiter be treated? The backbiter should 
be corrected by stopping him from backbiting and he should be 
warned that he is involved in a great sin. 

The one to whom the backbiter comes should defend the brother 
who is being backbitten. 

Also, the person who listens to the backbiter should be aware 
that he is encouraging an evil, and if the person does not stop, 
then he should walk away from him. 

 

Slander & False Accusations 

Slander and the making of false accusations, are considered to be 
major sins in Islam. This involves fabricating or spreading a lie 
about your brother (Muslim) in his absence. 


The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

“Do you know what is gheebah (Backbiting)? They said: 
“Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) know 
best. He (peace be upon him) said, “Mentioning about 
your brother what he would hate (in his absence)’. It was 
said: ‘What about if what I say about my brother is true?’ 
He (peace be upon him) said: “If in him is what you say 
you would have backbited him, and if it is not in him. 
then he is slandered (Buhtaan).” [Muslim] 

Of course, slander is a more heinous sin than backbiting, since it 
involves not only backbiting but also lying with intent to mali-
ciously dishonor a Muslim. 

The Messenger (peace be upon him) also said: 

“...And whoever knowingly argues uselessly, Allah will 
continue to be angry with Him until he refrains from it, 
and whoever says about a believer, that which is not in 
him Allah will house him in a mill of the people of the 
fire of Jahannam until he leaves off what he said...” [Abu 
Dawood, Al-Haakim & others] 

Some of the punishment for backbiting and slandering are: 

1. They are both major sins in Islam, and the one who does not 
cease from it and repent, would be punished severely in the grave. 
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

“...On the night that I was taken (to Jerusalem and up to 
the heavens), I saw a set of people who were (being pun-
ished by) taking their own finger-nails (which were long 
and metallic) and scraping the flesh of their own faces 


(and eating it). When I asked Jibreel about them, he 
said: ‘these are people who used to be engaged in back-
biting’.” [Ibn Abi Duniya - Kitaab Al-Ghiba wan 
Nameemah] 

Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said; the Messenger 
of Allah (peace be upon him) passed by two graves and said: 

“The inhabitants of (these graves) are being punished 
for major sins; one of them used to engage in slandering 
others...” [Al-Bukhari Vol. 2 Pg. 259] 

2. Whoever backbites or slanders, Allah, the Most High vows to 
expose their faults. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

“O you who believe with your tongue and not your 
hearts, do not seek after the faults of Muslims, nor pry 
into their mistakes or downfalls. For whoever amongst 
you will investigate the mistakes of Muslims, then Allah 
will go after his mistakes and expose him, even if that 
mistake was committed (secretly) in the privacy of his 
house.” [Ibn Abi Duniya- Kitaab Al-Ghiba wan 
Nameemah] 

Giving False Testimonies or Bearing False Witness 

Among the other blatant misuse of the tongue is witnessing to 
falsehood or bearing false witness. Allah, the Glorious said: 

“...And shun lying speech (false statement)” [Hajj:30] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Shall I not inform you about the greatest of sins.” We 
said: “Most assuredly” He (peace be upon him) said: 


“Shirk! (associating partners) with Allah, ungratefulness 
to parents’, he was reclining but now sat up and said: 
‘and bearing false witness’, he continued to repeat it so 
much that we said: We wish that he would stop speak-
ing.” [Bukhari & Muslim] 

Imaam Adh-Dhahabee in his work Al-Kabaair (The Major Sins) 
said: 

“The bearer of false witness commits several major sins. 
These are as follow: 

(a) He is spreading lies and falsehood. And Allah, the Most 
High said: 

“... Truly, Allah does not guide anyone who is a Musrif 
(one who commit great sins, oppressor, transgressor), a 
liar...” [Ghaafir 40: 28] 

(b) He was unjust to the person against whom he testified, 
because it is from his witness, that the person was either 
deprived of his property, or his honor, or his life. 

(c) He was unjust to the person in whose favor he testified, 
because he made it possible for him to acquire property that 
does not belong to him, thereby rendering him a sinner. 

(d) He is unjust to himself, by being the one who bore false 
witness.” 

 

Accusing/Slandering Pious Women (of adultery) 

Allah, the Sublime said: 


“Verily, those who accuse chaste women who never ever 
think of anything touching their chastity, and (who) are 
good believers, (their accusers) are cursed in this Life 
and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a great tor-
ment “ [An-Noor 24:23] 

Allah, the Most High, is making it clear in this aayah that anyone 
who slanders pious women are cursed in this world, and in the 
Hereafter, they will have a severe torment. 

The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

“Keep away from seven dangerous and destructive sins 
(and from them is) ... slandering pious women (by ac-
cusing them of adultery)...” [Bukhari & Muslim] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Whoever accuses what his right hand possesses of adul-
tery will have the judgment established (against him for 
it) on the Day of Judgment, unless it is as he claimed.” 
[Bukhari & Muslim] 

Note: The Sharee‘ah stipulates that, for the accusation of Zinaa 
(adultery or fornication), that four mature, male witnesses must 
testify that they all (together) saw the accused in the actual act 
itself (i.e. “as a bucket enters into a well” according to the 
Prophet (peace be upon him). If the testimony is not as stipulated 
above (i.e. they have not seen the actual act in itself), but have 
only seen convincing evidences, or there is three or less witnesses, 
then their testimonies are rejected. And Allah, the Most High 
stipulates: 


“And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not 
four witnesses, hog them with eighty stripes, and reject 
their testimony forever...” [An-Noor 24: 4] 

 

Lying is Another Evil of the Tongue 

Allah, the Sublime, said: 

“Indeed those who fabricate Lies upon Allah, are only 
those who disbelieve in His signs, and it is they who are 
truly liars.” [An-Nahl : 105] 

Allah, the Almighty said: 

“A painful torment is theirs because they used to be li-
ars” [Al-Baqarah 2:10] 

Ibn Mas‘oud, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Mes-
senger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Truth guides to righteousness, and righteousness leads 
to Janaah and indeed a person would involve in truth un-
til he is written with Allah as truthful. And lying guides 
to immorality which guide to Jahannam, and a person 
would lie until he is written with Allah as a liar.” [Buk-
hari & Muslim] 

From among the characteristic of a hypocrite, described to us by 
the Prophet (peace be upon him), is that: 

“ when he speaks he lies’: [Bukhari & Muslim] 

Hypocrites are the worst of people, because of their evil deeds 
which involve deception. Consequently, their punishment would 
be the most severe on the Day of Judgment. So, brothers and 


sisters, avoid lying at all cost, so as to save yourself from being 
even considered to be associated with the worst of mankind. 

‘Aaishah, informing us about the Messenger of Allah (peace be 
upon him) said: 

“If he (peace be upon him) finds anyone from his family 
lying, he would turn away from that person until he/she 
repents.” [Ahmad and Al-Haakim] 

 

Situations in which lying is allowed: 

A person is only allowed to lie if it involves the following: 

- Making peace between two Muslims. 

- Lying to the enemy in battle to protect other Muslims. 

- The lying of a man to his wife and she to her husband (to keep 
their relationship harmonious). However, this should not be un-
derstood to mean cases of clear lies. Rather, it is the extolling of 
the virtues of each other, by using pleasant words, although it 
contains exaggeration. And Allah knows best. 

All of the above are established in the following Hadeeth of the 
Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him): 

“I do no consider it lying: A man who makes peace be-
tween other men, a man who speaks in battle, a man 
speaking to his wife, or a wife speaking to her husband.” 
[Abu Dawood] 

 

Incidents of lying that are not considered by people as lies: 


There are many blatant cases of lying, although people do not 
consider them to be such: 

1. Calling a child for something and there is nothing to give 
him. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Aamir said: 

“The Messenger of Allah came to our house while I was 
a boy, so he ‘Abdullaah said: ‘I left to go and play. My 
mother said ‘Come ‘Abdullaah for me to give you (some-
thing).’ The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘What 
will you give to him?’ She said ‘I will give him a date.’ 
He (Abdullaah) said, that the Messenger of Allah (peace 
be upon him) said: ‘If you did not have anything to give 
to him, a lie would have been written against you.’” [Abu 
Dawood & Ahmad] 

Parents, take heed! Since we want to raise our children upon Is-
lam, and to train them to be truthful, we must beware of lying to 
them, because that will teach them to lie. 

It should be noted that this incident was related by someone who 
was young when it happened to him. So, children take note of 
incidents much more than we realize. Therefore, we must not 
assume that we are playing around and trying to make fun with 
them, by fooling them. 

2. Speaking about everything we hear. The Messenger (peace 
be upon him) said: 

“It is enough (to make) a man a liar if he speak every-
thing he hears.” [Abu Dawood & Al-Haakim] 

A person might transfer something that was not verified saying: 
‘This is what I heard, and I did not add anything to it’. So what 


would be his end, if what he heard was slander or vilifying of a 
pious person? 

3. Lying to make others laugh. The Messenger said: 

“Woe to him who speak and lie so that he can makes 
people laugh - woe to him, woe to him.” [Ahmad, Abu 
Dawood & others] 

 

Tale Carrying (scandal) or Strife-making. 

Allah, the Most High said: 

“And obey not everyone who swear much and is consid-
ered worthless, a slanderer going about scandal-
mongering, hinderer of good, transgressor, sinful...” [Al-
Qalam 68:10-12] 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

 “The tale-carrier (scandal mongerer) would not enter 
Al-Jannah.” [Bukhari & Muslim] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

 “Do you know what is scandaling (carrying tales)? It is transfer-
ring of the speech of someone to another person to cause trouble 
between them.” [Al-Bukhari in Adab Al-Mufrad] 

However, it should be noted that it is not scandaling if a man in-
forms his brother what was said about him, if there would be 
some benefit from this. Ibn Mas”oud said: 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) divided some-
thing, so a man from the Ansaar said: ‘By Allah! He (i.e. the 


Prophet) did not do that seeking the pleasure of Allah 
(implying that it was unfairly done);’ so I came to the 
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and informed him, 
immediately his face reddened and he said: “Allah’s Mercy 
be with Moosaa, he was tested with more than this and 
was patient.”[Al-Bukhari] 

How to Treat the Carrier of Tales 

One must verify the tales or stories brought by the carrier of 
tales, lest he act upon his words, thus harming someone who is 
innocent. Allah, the Most High, said: 

“O you who believe. If a rebellious evil person come to 
you with a news, verify it - lest you harm a people to ig-
norance, sad afterwards you become regretful of what 
you did. “ [Al-Hujuraat 43:6] 

The tale carrier should be advised, admonished, and even pre-
vented from doing such an evil action. One should also express 
his hate for tale carrying, by desisting from listening to such a 
person. In addition to the above, one should not perpetrate the 
evil of the tale carrier, by entertaining bad thoughts about his 
brother, or disclosing what was said by the tale carrier. 

 

It is Prohibited to Deceive a Muslim who is Seek-
ing Sincere Advice. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“...and whoever directs his brother in an affair; but 
knows that the right guidance is other than that, has de-
ceived him.” [Abu Dawood & Haakim] 


Generally, all persons who are directly or indirectly responsible 
for leading and educating the Muslims, individually (i.e. like one’s 
wife, children, relatives, etc.) or collectively (their Jama‘ah i.e. like 
Masjids, communities, organizations, etc.) should pay careful at-
tention to this Hadeeth and its implications. This is because they 
are the ones who are most likely to find themselves involved in 
this serious sin of injustice and misguidance of their brothers and 
sisters. This often occurs when such educators/leaders knowing 
the truth in a given issue or affair, as established from the 
Qur’aan and the authentic Sunnah, deliberately gives a fatwaa, or 
promote directly or indirectly, the wrong opinion or version of 
that particular issue. The motivating factors for such deliberate 
deception of his fellow Muslim/s, who vested their trust in him 
to lead and guide them correctly, is one or more of the following: 

(a) Itibaa’-ul-Hawaa (i.e. Following their personal preju-
dices/preferences/tastes/desires, etc.) 

(b) Seeking to acquire or maintain a position of office (either be-
cause of fame or money) 

(c) Political motives (partisanship i.e. to support the operative 
view of a particular organization because it appeals to its adher-
ents, or because it appeals to the masses). 

This type of deception can also result because of material bene-
fits. For example, someone seeks the advice of his brother in rela-
tion to a particular business venture, but his brother likes the idea 
himself, and then Shaitaan influences him to reserve the business 
for himself, thus he responds to the seeker of the advice against 
getting into the business, explaining that there is little or no bene-


fit in it. It can also be that he deceives him because he is envious 
of his brother, and so he withholds what he knows from him. 

 

The Prohibition of Proposing to a Woman who is 
Already Engaged. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“No one should propose (to marry a woman) if his 
brother already proposed.” [An-Nasaa`i] 

He (peace be upon him) also said: 

“The believer is the brother of a believer, so it is not al-
lowed to undercut his brother in business and he does 
not propose (to the same woman) to whom his brother 
has already proposed, until the proposal of his brother is 
canceled.” [Muslim] 

 

Indulging in Defaming a Muslim. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Ribaa (interest) is divided into seventy two categories, 
the least is (as evil as) the like of a man who comes (for-
nicating) with his mother; and the worst form of ribaa is 
(the like) of a man who deliberates in the honor of his 
brother. “ [At-Tabaraanee]. 

 

The Two Faced Person 


The two-faced person is someone who moves frequently between 
two persons, who are enemies of one another, and speaks to each 
one of them with words of praise for each one of them, and 
speaks against the other’s enemy. 

This is also manifested by a person who praises another person 
on one occasion (like in his presence), and on another, debases 
him. This is one of the signs of hypocrisy. 

It was said to Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of 
them, that when we are amongst our leaders, we speak highly of 
them. However, when we leave them, we would say otherwise 
(i.e. speak badly of them). Ibn ‘Umar said (of that attitude): “We 
(the Sahabahs) used to regard that attitude as hypocrisy 
during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him).” [Ibn 
Abi Duniya Kitaabl Gheeba wan-Nameemah] 

Transferring the speech of each person to the other is also de-
scribed as two-tongued. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon 
him) said: 

“The most evil of people is the two faced person who 
come to these with one face and goes to those with an-
other.” [Abu Dawood] 

He (peace be upon him) also said: 

“Who is two faced in this world will have two tongues of 
fire on the Day of Judgment.” [Abu Dawood] 

However, if someone enters upon both of them, and agrees with 
what is truthful from each side without trying to find favor with 
either one, but his desire is to be just and to try to settle their dif-


ferences, then this is not two-faced nor hypocritical. On the con-
trary, this is a noble act. 

 

Mockery, Sarcasm and Debasing Muslims. 

It is evil enough for a Muslim to misuse his tongue, by indulging 
in mockery, sarcasm, debasing Muslims, scoffing etc. Mockery is 
to highlight someone’s weaknesses and faults, in such a way that 
it is laughed at. This could either be by statement, or action. 
These and other related characteristics, like irony, taunting, scoff-
ing, etc. are all prohibited in Islam. 

Allah, the Glorious said: 

“O you who believe! Let not a group mock at another 
group, it may be that the latter is better than the former, 
nor let some women mock at other women, it maybe that 
the latter are better than the former... “ [Al-Hujuraat 
43:11] 

This is because, in most cases, it is used to debase the person that 
is mocked at. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“...It is only evil that causes a man to debase his Muslim 
brother...” [Muslim] 

 

Disclosing and Spreading of Secrets. 

Secrets are meant to be kept. We are forbidden from disclosing 
and spreading the secrets of people. The Messenger of Allah 
(peace be upon him) said: 


“If someone confided something (to another person), 
then it is a trust.’ [Abu Dawood, Ahmad and others]. 

So, spreading of secrets would thereafter be faithlessness, or be-
trayal of a trust. If there is harm resulting from this, then this is 
Haraam. If there is no harm, then it is blameworthy because Al-
lah, the Most High said: 

“Fulfill your trusts...” [Al-Israa 17:34] 

Breaking a trust is a sign of Hypocrisy. The Messenger of Allah 
(peace be upon him) said: 

“The signs of hypocrisy are four...[from among them is] 
if he is entrusted he breaks it...” [Bukhari and Muslim]. 

 

It is Prohibited to Remind Others of One’s Gener-
osity. 

Allah, the Sublime said: 

“O you who believer do not render vain your charity (sa-
daqah) by reminders of your generosity or by injury...” 
[Al-Baqarah 2:264] 

Allah, the Almighty, also said: 

“Those who spend their wealth in the Cause of Allah, 
and do not follow up their gifts with reminders of their 
generosity or with injury, their reward is with their 
lord...” [Al-Baqarah 2:262] 

Abu Dhar said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 
said: 


“Allah will not speak to three (groups) of people on the 
Day of Judgment, nor look at them, nor purify them, and 
they will have a severe torment.” He (Abu Dhar) said: 
“The Messenger of Allah said this thrice.” Abu Dhar 
said: “They have failed and are losers, who are they, O 
Messenger of Allah?” He (peace be upon him) said: “Al-
Musbil (one who wears his lower garment below his an-
kles), the one who reminds (the person he gave to) of his 
generosity…” [Muslim] 

The proper attitude is described by Allah, the Wise: 

“Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than Sa-
daqah (charity) followed by injury...” [Al-Baqarah 2: 263] 


 

Chapter Four: 

Some Seemingly Harmless Uses of the Tongue That 
Have Disastrous Consequences 

 

 

It is commonplace to find many Muslims involved in misusing 
the tongue, without even recognizing its inherently evil conse-
quences. To this effect, the Messenger (peace be upon him) also 
said: 

“The servant says something that he thinks is harmless, 
and for which he will be plunged into the depths of the 
Fire for seventy autumns (years).” [Al-Tirmidhi] 

Among such seemingly harmless use of the tongue that Muslims 
should be aware of, are begging, praising people, singing, jesting, 
and disputes. 

1.Begging. Although it is quite usual for people to wantonly beg, 
in order to fulfill some worldly need, in Islam it is something rep-
rehensible. In many Aa-Hadeeth the Messenger of Allah (peace 
be upon him) strongly discouraged begging. For example, the 
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“If the beggar knows what is in it for him, he would not 
beg.” [At-Tabaraanee] 

He (peace be upon him) also said: 

“A person will continue to beg until he meets Allah, the 
Almighty, and upon his face will not be even a shred of 
flesh.” [Bukhari, Muslim & An-Nisaai] 


He (peace be upon him) said: 

“I swear upon three (things): Wealth would never de-
crease because of Sadaqah (charity), so give Sadaqah 
(charity), no person forgives (another)for an oppression 
done to him except that Allah will increase through it his 
honor and glory, and no servant opens a door to begging 
except that Allah opens upon him a door to poverty.” 
[Abu Ya`laa, Ahamd & Al-Bazaar] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“The upper hand is better than the lower the upper hand 
refers to giving while the lower is the one that begs.” 
[Bukhari, Muslim & others] 

Begging is only permissible in extreme circumstances. The Mes-
senger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Begging is not beneficial except in three instances: the 
person who is in extreme poverty, or he who has outra-
geous debts or he who is responsible to pay the blood 
money of a close relative or friend and if he does not, 
then that person would be killed...” [Baihaqee and Abu 
Dawood] 

He (peace be upon him) further states: 

“Whoever asks without being poor, is as if he is eating 
burning coals.” [At-Tabaraanee & Ibn Khuzimah] 

Instead of begging, people are encouraged in Islam to work hon-
estly and hard to fulfill their worldly needs. The Messenger of 
Allah (peace be upon him) said: 


“No person consumes better food than that which he 
earns with his own hand...” [Al-Bukhari] 

In another Hadeeth he (peace be upon him) asserts thus: 

“Whoever requests for what he can do without, will have 
something on his face (for it) on the Day of Judgment.” 
[Ahmad, Al-Bazaar, At-Tabaraanee] 

 

2. Praising People: While it is not prohibited to express appre-
ciation for someone or his works, to do so excessively, or flatter-
ingly is disallowed. Seven (7) evils are attached to praising people. 
Four (4) are attached to the person who praises another and three 
(3) are attached to the one who is being praised. As for the per-
son who is praising: 

(a) One could be excessive in praising, and as such, say untrue 
things, thus becoming involved in lying. 

(b) One could be praising a person to win his favor, thus doing it 
for show. Although in so doing, he outwardly manifests his love 
for the person, inwardly he does not believe everything he says. 
His showing off, therefore, amounts to nothing less than hypoc-
risy. 

(c) He says things that he is not certain about and about, which 
he is in no position to truly assess. 

(d) Through praises, he could make the praised one feel encour-
aged, although he might be an oppressor. This is Haraam in Is-
lam. The oppression of the oppressor must be stopped, instead 
of being fostered. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 
said: 


“Help your bother, if he is oppressor or the oppressed.” 
It was said: “How would you help him if he is the op-
pressor?” He (peace be upon him) said: “Restrain him 
from oppression and that would be helping him.” 
[Ahmad, Bukhari & Tirmidhi] 

As for the person who is being praised: 

(a) Praise can cause pride within him. This quality is destructive, 
if it affects a person. 

(b) The praised person could, thereafter, do things in order to 
acquire praises, instead of doing them to please Allah Alone. 

(c) If he is praised, he might become satisfied with his efforts, 
and thereafter, reduce his desire to do good work. 

If the praise is free from these evils, in both cases mentioned, 
then there is no harm in praising if it is truthfully acknowledging 
someone’s good efforts. This is commendable, particularly if it 
encourages someone to continue doing good. And Allah knows 
best. It is necessary that the one who is being praised be very 
careful not to allow pride, self-admiration and complacency to 
overcome him. He must also remember that he knows himself 
more than the person who is praising him, and if his secrets and 
hidden faults are exposed to the one who is praising him, that 
person would desist from praising him. 

When people used to praise ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, 
he used to say: 

“O Allah! Forgive me for what they do not know, and do 
not take me to account for what they say, and make me 
better than they think of me.” 


The following Hadeeth warns us about the danger of excessive 
praise. Abu Bakrah said: 

“A man was mentioned before the Prophet (peace be 
upon him) and another man praised him greatly. The 
Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘May Allah ‘s Mercy 
be upon you! You have cut the neck of your friend.’ The 
Prophet (peace be upon him) repeated this many times 
and said: ‘If it is necessary for any of you to praise some-
one, then he should say: ‘I think! That he is so and-so’, if 
he really thinks that he is such. Allah is the One Who 
will take his account (as He knows his reality), and none 
can sanctify anyone before Allah.’ ” [Bukhari Vol. 8 #87] 

 

3. Singing. Among the greatest of trials pertaining to the misuse 
of the tongue, which has afflicted the present-day Muslims, is that 
of singing. This is because it decorates ugly and obscene speech 
and make them acceptable to the ears and hearts of men. Fur-
thermore, the way in which the evil is presented through songs 
raises it to a point where it not only becomes acceptable, but also 
loved. These same words, if spoken in regular conversation, 
would be totally rejected and hated. This is highlighted when 
adults and miners would, together, hum songs that contain lewd 
words, vulgarity, and obscene descriptions of both men and 
women. 

Even worse, is the fact that words connoting Shirk are sometimes 
used in songs. The songs beautify them in such a way that they 
not only appear acceptable, but also become loved. 


Another aspect of singing that is looked upon innocently, is that 
while many parents are very careful to monitor the company their 
children keep, yet they are not sufficiently keen to recognize the 
harmful effects of songs that their children listen to, which, in 
some cases, are more dangerous than the bad company from 
which they prohibit them. Destructive ideas, evil beliefs, rotten 
thought patterns have become norms, because songs were the 
medium through which they were spread. In addition to this, the 
chastity of women has now become something of the past, be-
cause vivid descriptions of women are sung, making it acceptable. 
Thus, what was taboo to talk about or looked on as evil by the 
society has now become so commonplace that not to be involved 
in it is looked upon as antiquated and thus looked down upon. 

Songs are undoubtedly one of the most successful instruments 
that Satan has used to harness adults, adolescence, and even chil-
dren to become involved in evil, immorality, recklessness, and 
disrespect for Allah’s laws, as well as man’s innovative laws. Al-
lah, the Most High, said: 

“And of mankind is he who purchases idle speech (sing-
ing) to mislead (men) from Allah’s path without knowl-
edge...” [Luqman 31: 6] 

Ibn Katheer, in his Tafseer (exegesis) of the Qur’aan, explains 
that idle speech refers to singing. This is based upon an explana-
tion of this verse by the companion of the Prophet (peace be 
upon him) -Ibn Mas‘oud. 

In present day, musical instruments accompany singing. In fact, a 
song is not considered a song unless accompanied with musical 
instruments. In Islam, musical instruments are prohibited. There-


fore, songs that are accompanied by musical instruments would 
be even more Haraam. And Allah knows best. 

 

4. Jesting and Joking. What is hated about jesting is continuous 
indulgence and excessiveness, as well as making up stories, lying 
and propagating half-truths (distorting something or making 
‘mountains of molehills’), in order to make others laugh. The 
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Woe to the person who speak! lies to make people 
laugh, woe to him, woe to him.” [Ahmad, Abu Dawood 
& others] 

However, if one controls himself by jesting only with truth, caus-
ing no hurt to anyone, and neither is he excessive with it, then 
there is no sin in jesting, nor would there be any harm. And Allah 
knows best. Life is a trust from Allah and should therefore be 
treated seriously. This, however, does not negate truthful jesting. 
The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself engaged in jesting. 
However, he established the limits. Thus, he (peace be upon him) 
said: 

“Indeed I jest but I only speak what is true.” [At-
Tabaraanee]. 

Muslims should not indulge in things that would cause them to 
destroy themselves, Therefore, they should refrain from over in-
dulgence in jesting. The following Hadeeth of the Messenger 
(peace be upon him) should assist us with this. He (peace be 
upon him) said: 


“If you know what I know, you will laugh less and weep 
much.” [Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Baihiqee & others] 

Continuous indulgence in joking can be regarded as play and 
amusement. As for being excessive in jesting, this brings about 
excessive laughter, which can kill the heart. The Messenger of 
Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“...And do not laugh excessively, because excessive 
laughter hills the heart.” [Ahmad, Tirmidhi & others] 

It should be noted that this admonishment of the Prophet (peace 
be upon him) is contrary to the popular belief that “laughter is 
good for the heart.” 

 

5. Disputes and Arguments. To engage in disputes and useless 
arguments are prohibited based upon the statement of the Mes-
senger of Allah (peace be upon him) 

“No people went astray after being upon guidance ex-
cept after they engaged in arguments.” [Ahmad, Tir-
midhi & Ibn Majah] 

Bilaal ibn Sa’eed said: “If you see a man who is insistent, ar-
gumentative, and egotistic, then such a person’s loss is 
complete.” 

Ibn Abi Lailaa said: 

“I would not argue with anyone, because I would either 
cause him to lie, or I would anger him, because arguing is 
one form of objection to another person’s speech with in-
tent to show defect in it, either in the word he uses or the 


meaning he implies or with the intention he intends. So, to 
stop an argument, stop the objections, so that every word 
you hear, if it is true, then acknowledge it and if it is vain 
or lying speech, or there is no connection with the Deen, 
then leave it alone by keeping silent.” 

The above statement of Ibn Abi Lailaa does not contradict the 
command to “enjoin good and forbid evil” since it is difficult to 
command good and forbid evil while being involved in an argu-
ment. 

Allah, the Sublime said: 

“...And if the foolish address them (with bad words) they 
reply with mild words of gentleness...” [Al-Furqoon 25: 
63] 

 

 

 

Chapter Five: 

General Evils of the Tongue 

 

 

Speaking about Things that there is no Need with Which to 
Concern Oneself. Know that the most precious wealth of an 
‘abd (servant of Allah) is his time. Thus, whenever he expends it 
on that which does not concern him, then he is wasting his most 
valuable asset. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Part of someone’s being a good Muslim is leaving alone 
that which does not concern him.” [At-Tirmidhi] 


One of the reasons that pushes someone to get involved in 
speaking about things which does not concern him, is his desire 
to know that which there is no need to know or being satisfied 
with talking about things that have no benefit. 

The cure for this is to be aware that every second of one’s life is 
part of his most precious wealth, and that his tongue is a net with 
which he should hunt for good deeds. Being neglectful of this 
important fact will only lead to great losses in the Hereafter. 

 

Excessive Speech 

Another way in which the tongue is misused is by excessive 
speech. This involves engaging in speech that there is no need to 
concern oneself with, as well as being excessive in expressing 
oneself by speaking more than is necessary. 

Therefore, in cases where there is need for someone to express 
oneself, he should stick to the minimum words necessary to ex-
press his ideas. To exceed that can be regarded as being excessive. 
This is a negative attitude although the one who is involved in it 
would accrue no sins. However, the time spent in repeating what 
he said could have been spent in saying something good, which 
would give him a reward in the Hereafter. 

‘Ataa said: “Those that were before you (the Salaf), used to 
detest excessive speech. And they considered anything as 
excessive speech except speaking about the Book of Allah, 
the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), 
commanding good and forbidding evil, and speaking about 
what a man needs to speak because of a need he has to ful-
fill in his daily life.” 


 

Engaging in Vain Talk 

Even worst than the above categories, is indulgence in vain talk, 
since it involves sin. Acts of disobedience, such as men discussing 
the affairs of women, sitting around with men who are drinking 
alcohol and mixing with bad company, are common examples of 
vain talk or deeds. Ibn Mas’oud said: 

“The man with the most mistakes on the Day of Judgment 
is the one who engages most in vain speech.” 

Allah, the Most High said: 

“Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer 
their prayers with solemnty and full submissiveness. And 
those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil 
vain talk, falsehood)...” [Al-Muminoon 23:1-3] 

He, the Sublime also said: 

“And it has already been revealed to you in the Book 
(the Qur’aan) that when you hear the verses of Allah be-
ing denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until 
they engage in a talk other than that...” [An-Nisaa 4:140] 

And in another aayah it also states: 

“(The pious) in Paradise (Jannah) will ask one another 
about the Mujrimeen (the guilty ones): “What caused 
you to enter Hell?” They will say: “We were not of those 
who used to offer prayers, nor did we feed the poor, and 
we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) 


with vain talkers, and we used to belie the Day of Judg-
ment.” [Al-Muddathir: 40-46] 

 

A Shameless, Vulgar and Indecent Tongue 

This is not only offensive, but also prohibited. It originates from 
being malicious, vile, wicked, and reproachful. The Prophet 
(peace be upon him) said: 

“A believer is not a shameless person, nor one who 
curses, nor an obscene person nor is he indecent.” [At-
Tirmidhi and Al-Baihaqie]. 

 

Gossip 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“I command you with three things and I prohibit you 
from three (things)- I command you to worship Allah 
and not to associate anything in worship with Him, to 
hold fast to the rope of Allah all together and not to di-
vide, and to obey whoever Allah causes to be in charge of 
your affairs.8 And I prohibit you from gossiping and idle-

8 It should be noted that who “Allah causes to be in charge of your, af-
fairs” are the scholars, as Allah, the Most High, describes in the following 
Aayah: 

“When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or 
fear, they make it known (among the people). If only they had re-
ferred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among 
them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them 
(directly)... “ [An-Nisaa 4: 83] 


talk, excessive questioning and from wasting money.” 
[Authentic from the Hiliyah of Abi Na’eem]. 

 

It is Prohibited for a Woman to Describe another Woman to 
her Husband. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“...and she describes her to her husband as if he were 
looking at her.” [Bukhari] 

This type of description has many dangers; among them is that 
love for the other woman might enter the husband’s heart, and so 
he starts wishing that he was with the other woman that is de-
scribed to him, instead. 

 

The Prohibition to use the Word ‘if’ Relative to Qadr (Al-
lah’s Decree). 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“The strong believer is better and more loved by Allah 
than a weak believer, but in each of them is good; aspire 
after what is going to benefit you and seek Allah’s help 
and do not despair, and if anything afflicts you, then do 
not say: ‘If I had done so and so, but say Allah’s decree 
and what He wills, He will do, because ‘if’ opens the 
works of Shaitaan.” [Bukhari] 

This is after the incident has occurred. However, in discussing an 
issue about the future, there is no harm in the use of the word ‘if’ 
in discussing various approaches. And Allah knows best. 


 

It is Prohibited for a Person to say “such and such” is in 
Jannah or in Jahannam or that he is a Kaafir. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“There were two men who were living as brothers; one of 
them was sinful, while the other strove very much to per-
form his devotion to Allah. The striver (of good) would 
continuously see the other in sin, and so he would con-
tinuously advise him to leave it. The sinner retorted: 
‘Leave me, by my Lord – are you sent as a watcher over 
me?’ worshipper said: ‘By Allah, Allah will not forgive 
you, or (he said) Allah will not make you enter Jannah. 
After their souls were taken, they were brought together 
before Allah, so He said to the striver: ‘Did you have 
knowledge of Me, or are you able to do what is in My 
Hand?’ Allah said to the sinner ‘Go to Jannah by my 
Mercy’ and said to the other ‘Take him to the fire (of Ja-
hannam).’ ” [Abu Dawood and Ahmad] 

If a person calls a Muslim ‘O Kaafir (unbeliever)’, then kufr will 
befall one of them. If what he said was true, then it is as he re-
lated. However, if it is not true, then the kufr would be his lot. 
[Hadeeth -Bukhari and Muslim] 

 

The Prohibition of Defaming one’s Kin. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Two types of people from among men have disbelief 
(kufr) in them, the defamer of his kin (close family rela-


tives), and the woman who wails and lament over the 
dead.” [Muslim] 

It is clear from the above hadeeth, that it is also prohibited for 
women to wail over the dead. 

 

It is Prohibited to Boast. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Allah has revealed to me that you all should be humble, 
so that no person would oppress another, and neither 
should there be anyone displaying pride, or boast to an-
other person.” [Muslim] 

 

The Prohibition to Speak while the Imaam is giving the 
Khutbah on Friday (Jumu‘ah). 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Whoever says ‘shut up’ to his brother while the Imaam 
is addressing the people (in the Khutbah) on the Day of 
Juma’ah has done an evil act. “ [Al-Bukhari] 

In this Hadeeth the person who is telling the other to be quiet is 
actually involved in “commanding good and forbidding evil”. 
However, the gravity of speaking during the Khutbah, while the 
Imaam is speaking, is so great, that even this noble act cannot be 
done. 

Abu Ad-Dardaa said: 


“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was on 
the Minbar, addressing the people, and he (peace be 
upon him) recited a particular aayah. Ubay Ibn Ka’b was 
sitting next to me, so I asked him: ‘When was that aayah 
revealed?’ He refused to speak to me, until the Messen-
ger of Allah (peace be upon him) came down from the 
minbar, and then he said to me: ‘You have nothing from 
the Friday Prayer but your vain speech.’ When the 
Prophet (peace be upon him) had finished, I went to him 
and informed him of what has happened, and he (peace 
be upon him) said: ‘Ubay has spoken the truth, if you 
hear the Imaam speaking, be quiet until he is finished.’ ” 
[Ahmad & At-Tabaraanie] 

 

Prohibition to give Respectable Titles to Hypocrites and 
Innovators. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Do not address a hypocrite by using respectable titles 
(like sir, master etc.), for even if he is in such a position, 
you would have aroused the anger of your Lord, Master 
of Honor and Glory.” [Abu Dawood] 

 

Blasphemy, Insult, Ridicule and Abuse. 

a) It is prohibited to insult, abuse or blaspheme Allah, His Mes-
senger, His Deen, and/or His Book. These are all aspects of kufr 
(disbelief). 

Allah, the Most High said: 


“If you ask them (about this) they declare: ‘We were only 
talking idly and joking.’ Say ‘Was it at Allah, and His 
Aayaat (signs, revelation, etc.,) and His Messenger that 
you were mocking? Make no excuse; you have disbe-
lieved after you had believed...” [At-Taubah 9: 65-66] 

In the Tafseer of Ibn Katheer the following narration is related as 
the reason for revelation of this aayah. Ibn ‘Umar, Muhammad 
Ibn K’ab, Zayd Ibn Aslam and Qatadaah have all contributed to 
the establishment of the following Hadeeth. In the course of the 
campaign of Tabuk, a man came up and declared: 

“We have seen no people with greater appetites, more lying 
or more cowardly in battle, than the Prophet of Allah, and 
his companions.” 

Aws ibn Maalik rose and said: “It is rather you who are the liar, 
you are a Munafiq pretending to be a Muslim. I shall tell the 
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about you.” 

Aws went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to inform him 
but he found that revelation had already preceded him. 
(When the news reached) the man, he mounted his camel, 
sought the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: 
“...But we were only joking trying to pass the time while 
traveling.” Ibn ‘Umar said: “He was clinging to the saddle 
belt of the Prophet’s camel as it ran, his feet and legs being 
battered by the rough ground, and repeating: ‘but we were 
only joking...’ and the Prophet insisting, without turning his 
face to him said: ‘Joking! Joking with Allah? With His Reve-
lation and With His Prophet?’ ” 


b) It is prohibited to abuse or blaspheme the Sahabahs (the com-
panions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

“May Allah curse the one who abuse or blaspheme my 
companions.”[At-Tabaranee, Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdadee] 

He (peace be upon him) also said: 

“Do not insult/blaspheme my companions, for by the 
One in Whose Hand is my soul, if one of you spend the 
like of the mountain of Uhud in gold (in Allah’s way) 
you would not equal their support, or not even half of 
their support.” [Bkhari & Muslim] 

It is painful to hear people, who claim that they are Muslims, 
abuse the noblest of men of this ummah, like Abu Bakr, and 
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), or even other Sahabahs, 
like Mu‘aawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). 

c) It is prohibited for a Muslim to abuse or blaspheme another 
Muslim, The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: 

“Abusing/blaspheming of the Muslim is evil and im-
moral whilst fighting him is kufr (disbelief).” [Bukhari & 
Muslim] 

He (peace be upon him) further states: “The Muslim is 
he from whom other Muslims are safe from his hand and 
his tongue.” [Muslim] 

d) It is prohibited to abuse/blaspheme the dead. The Messenger 
(peace be upon him) said: 

“Do not abuse/blaspheme the dead.” [Bukhari] 


e) It is prohibited to insult/blaspheme what the unbelievers wor-
ship other than Allah. Allah, the Most High said: 

“And insult not those whom they (the disbelievers) wor-
ship besides Allah lest they insult Allah wrongfully with-
out knowledge.” [Al-An’aan: 108] 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Do not cause harm to the Muslim because of insult or 
abuse to a kafir (disbeliver).” [Al-Haakim & Al-
Baihaqee] 

f) The Prohibition to abuse the wind. 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Do not abuse/blaspheme the wind because it circulates 
from Allah, it brings mercy and punishment. However, 
ask Allah for its good, and seek refuge with Allah from 
its evil.” [Al-Haakim & Ibn Majah] 

g) The prohibition to blaspheme the rooster (cock fowl). 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 

“Do not abuse/blaspheme the rooster, because it awak-
ens (people) for prayer.’’ [Abu Dawood] 

h) The prohibition to blaspheme time (As-Dahr) 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

“Do not abuse/blaspheme time...” [Muslim] 

i) Do not blaspheme fever. 


The Messenger (peace be upon him) entered upon Umm As-
Saaib and said to her: 

“What is the matter with you, O Umm Saaib that you are 
trembling’“ She said “Fever, (there is) no blessing of Allah 
in it”. He (peace be upon him) said “Do not blaspheme fe-
ver, because it wipes out the sins of the children of Adam, as 
the bellows extract the dirt from iron.” [Muslim] 


 

Conclusion 

 

May Allah, the Most High assist us to purify our tongues, and 
avoid its evil consequences. According to Ibn ‘Umar, the thing 
that needs the most purification by any person, is his tongue. Let 
us guard our tongues from these evils, lest our works be de-
stroyed. Remember the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon 
him) to Mu‘aadh, may Allah be pleased with him: 

“...then he (peace be upon him) said “Shall I not tell you 
of what control all that?” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of 
Allah,” and he took hold of his tongue and said: “Re-
strain this.” I said “O Prophet of Allah, will what we say 
be held against us?” He (peace be upon him) said: “May 
your mother be bereaved for you, O Mu‘adh! Is there 
anything that topples people on their faces - or he said 
on their noses - into the Hell fire, other than the harvest 
of their tongues.” [At-Tirmidhi] 


 

Bibliography 

 

 

Al-Quran Al-Kareem (Eng.), Dr. Muhsin Khan 

Sahih Al-Bukhari (Eng.), Dr. Muhsin Khan 

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Rabah Lahmani 

The Major Sins (Eng.), Imaam Az-Zahabee 

Riyaadh As-Saliheen (Eng.), Imaam An-Nawawee 

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