It is reported from Al-Hasan Al-Basri that a man said to him, “You have gossiped about me.” He (Al-Hasan) said, “You have not reached such a position that you can control my hasanaat!” 1- Someone was told, “So-and-so has gossiped about you.” So he sent him a dish of dates with the message: “I heard that you had given me your hasanaat as a gift, and I want to return the favour; please excuse me for not being able to pay back in full.”
- It is reported from Ibn al-Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said, “If I were to indulge in backbiting about anyone, I would gossip about my parents, for they have more right to my hasanaat.”
- Backbiting is the hospitality of the wrongdoer
- ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (radiAllahu ‘anhu) narrated that he passed by a dead mule and said to some of his companions, “It would be better for a man to eat his fill from the meat of this than from the flesh of his fellow Muslims.” 2
- If you are unable to do three things, then you must do three (other) things: if you cannot do good, then stop doing evil; if you cannot benefit people, then do not harm them; if you cannot fast, then do not eat the flesh of other people
- A poet said:
If a man is wise and fears Allah,
This will keep him too busy to concern himself
with the faults of others,
Just as the weak and sick person is too concerned
with his own pain,
To think of the pain of others
Footnotes:
1. Hasanaat: Rewards for good deeds. The Islamic teaching is that the hasanaat of the one who engages in backbiting will be awarded to his/her victim (Translator)
2. This is reported from ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, Saheeh at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb
- Transcribed from: Backbiting and Its Adverse Effects | Husayn al-Awayishah
Tawheed First 
Asalam Alaikum, I just found this blog and Alhamdulilah I find it very beneficial. This post in particular concerning backbiting is so relevant to our current society where idle talk runs rampant. Although it can be difficult to change the habit of gossiping about others, it can be done and the reminders in your post help a lot. Please keep up the good work!
Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatu Muna,
Yes, the evils of the tongue are widespread and there are so many manifestations of it. Sometimes it is blatant and apparent and sometimes it is subtle and disguised. May Allaah protect our tongues from uttering that which displeases Him.
Alhamdulillaah, I’m glad you were able to find some benefit. There are previous posts on this topic and inshaAllaah I hope to post more on it, for it is a topic that should be addressed often and discussed much, as we wish to protect ourselves and others from its harms.
Wa Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatu
Do you by chance the Arabic to the poem?
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatu,
Unfortunately, the Arabic was not provided in the book I transcribed this from. In any event, I’ve emailed the publishers requesting to get in contact with the translator and why I wish to do so. If this proves fruitful, inshaAllaah I’ll update the post with the original version of the poem.
Wa Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatu
As Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatuhu! Jazakallahu Khairan very beneficial indeed…
Reblogged this on NiimalAbd.