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SLANDER Allegation is “a statement, especially one made without proof.” If allegation damages a person’s reputation it is called “slander”, “defamation”. If this slander is said about a person in his absence it is called ghaybah (backbiting). Allah prohibits it, when He said, ِ ِ ِ يا أَيُّها الَّ ِذين آَمنُوا ِ ُا ً ُ ُُ ْْ بَ ْع ُ ب بَ ْع ْ َ َ َ اجتَنبُوا َكث ًريا م َن الظَّ ِّن إِ َّن بَ ْع َ َ ْ َض الظَّ ِّن إ ْْثٌ َوََل ََتَ َّس ُسوا َوََل يَ ْغت ِ َخ ِيه ميتًا فَ َُ ِرهتُموه واتَّ ُقوا اللَّه إِ َّن اللَّه تَ َّو ِ ُِ أ )21:يْ (اَلجرات ُّ َُي ٌ َ ْ َ َح ُد ُك ْْ أَ ْن يَأْ ُك َل ََلْ َْ أ َ َبأ ٌ اب َرح َُ ُ ْ O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting!). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful. (Q. 49:12) Islam teaches us to have positive thinking, to be optimistic in life, and to have no negative thinking with people. A person is good as long as there is no evidence that he is bad. Wearing a pair of pink glasses makes everything looked pink, or at least there is pinkness in everything we see. Allah also says
)2:َويْ ٌل لِ ُُ ِّل ُُهََزةٍ لُ َمَزٍة (اهلمزة
Woe to every slanderer and backbiter (Q. 104:1) There are several interpretations of humazah and lumazah. Some commentators (Abū ’l-Ᾱliyah, al-Ḥasan, Mujāhid, and Ᾱṭā’) say that the former means “saying bad things about someone who is present”, and the latter means “saying bad things about someone who is absent”; Muqātil has the opposite interpretation. Allah also says, ٍ َُهَّا ٍز مش.ني ٍ وََل تُ ِطع ُك َّل ح ََّّل ٍ ف َم ِه )22-21: َّْاء بِنَ ِمي ٍْ (القل ْ َ َ َ And obey not (O Muhammad) everyone who swears much and is a liar, a slanderer, going