Deterring people from backbiting (Gheebah)

Definition of Gheebah:
When the Prophet wasasked about backbiting, he answered: "To mention
your brother in a manner which he dislikes". Then he was asked, "What
if my brother actually has (this failing) that I made mention of?" The
Prophet said: "If (that failing) is actually found in your brother,
you in fact backbit him, and if that is not in him it is a slander."
[Muslim]
Backbiting refers to a Muslim mentioning his Muslim brother in a
manner that the latter dislikes, whether by referring to a defect in
his body, or in his lineage, or in his morality. The meaning of
insulting is included in backbiting, whether it is in the form of
words, gestures, or writing.
Ruling of Gheebah:
Backbiting is forbidden in the Noble Quran and the Sunnah. The person
who commits it is given the similitude of a personwho eats the flesh
of his dead brother. Allaah Says(what means): "… And do notspy or
backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his
brother when dead? You would detest it…" [Quran 49: 12]
To highlight the sanctity of the Muslim, the Messenger of Allaah said
in his sermon duringthe Farewell Pilgrimage: "…Your blood, your wealth
and your honor are sacred, as this dayof yours, in this month of
yours, in this land of yours, are sacred…?" [Ahmad and Muslim] This
firmly proves haw far beyond limits one transgresses when he backbites
his fellow Muslim
Let us think deeply aboutthis, and regard the orders of Allaah and His
Prophet with the awe that they deserve. In the sight of Allaah,
violating the rights of your brotherby backbiting is equivalent to
violating the sanctity of the Day of Sacrifice, in the month of
Thul-Hijjah, in Minaa. Do we really realize the enormity of this
violationof a Muslim's honor?
Islamic perception of Gheebah:
Al-Baraa' Ibn 'Aazib narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said: "
There are seventy-two degrees of Ribaa (usury), the least of which is
equivalent to committing adultery with one's own mother. The worst of
them (the seventy two degrees) is a man's insulting his brother's
honor (i.e. by backbiting)." [Ibn Jaaroot]
`Aa'ishah said: "I said to the Prophet : 'It's bad enough that
Safiyyah is such and such.(Some of narrators said: she is short).' He
said: "You have said a word which, if itcould be mixed with the water
ofthe sea, it would have been… (i.e., the enormity of it is such that,
if it were mixed with the vast water of the sea, it wouldspoil it.)"
[Abu Daawood]
A word which, if it could be mixed with the water of the sea, it would
have been…! One word alone could do this, and have such a far-reaching
impact! So what do you think of the backbiting people of today, whose
tongues never cease to wag? What vast oceans could be tainted and
corrupted by their words? How many quiet lives are disrupted by them?
'Amr Ibn Shu`ayb narrated from his father from his grandfather : (the
people) mentioned aman to the Messenger of Allaah saying: "He doesn't
eat until he is fedand he doesn't visit anybody until they have
visited him first." The Prophet said: "You have backbit him." They
said: "O Messenger of Allaah! We have mentioned about him something
which is true." He said: " It is bad enough that you have
mentionedsomething about your brother which is true." [Al-Asbahaani]
We should all ask ourselves: who among usis infallible? Who among us
is free from errors, faults and sins? Who among us would be content to
have everything about him, good and bad, spoken of by others? Any one
of us becomes furious if he hears someone hinting something about him;
so what would you do if it was said clearly and in detail, let alone
behind your back?
'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood said: "We were with the Prophet when a man got
up and left, whereupon another manimmediately started backbiting him.
The Prophet said: "Clean the bits of meat from between your teeth!"
The man asked:"What should I clean from between my teeth? I haven't
eaten any meat!" He said: "You haveeaten the flesh of your brother!"
[At-Tabaraani]
This is the state of our community nowadays: any one of us may commit
the sin of backbiting, but then will say: I didn't backbite, I didn't
eat flesh, I haven't done anything! Why?
Because we have allowedour tongues to become accustomed to speaking
this way, without knowing what backbiting is. Let us learnabout our
religion. Let uslearn about what is lawful and unlawful - as much as
we can - and distinguish between the speech which is lawful and the
speech which is not.
The evil consequence of Gheebah:
Due to its negative impact on individuals and communities alike, the
Prophet frequentlymade mention of backbiting, and greatly warned
against it.
The Prophet said: "O youwho have believed (only) with their tongues
while (true) belief has not visited their hearts! Do not backbite
Muslims nor pursue their defects (and faults), otherwise Allaah will
pursue yourfaults, and whomever Allaah pursues his defects (and
faults) He disgraces him even though inside his house." [Ibn Abu
Ad-Dunyaa]
The Prophet showed us the safe way of freeing ourselves from the evil
consequence of backbiting others when he said: "Whoever has wronged
his brother with regard to wealth or honor, should ask for his pardon
(before his death), before he will pay for it (in the Hereafter) when
he will have neither a Dinaar nor a Dirham (gold and silver
currencies). (He should secure pardon in this life) before some of his
good deeds are taken and paid to this (his brother), or (if he has no
good deeds) some of the bad deeds of this (his brother) will be taken
(from the person he wronged) and will be loaded on him." ] Al-Bukhaari
and Muslim] - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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The crucial role of the heart

Prophet Muhammad informed us in a very famous narration, commonly
quoted with reference to lawful and unlawful, about the important role
of the heart. He said: "Both lawful and unlawful matters are evident
but in between them there are doubtful(suspicious) things and many
people have no knowledge aboutthem. So whoever saves himself from
these suspicious matters (by staying away from them) saves his
religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious
matters (will eventually) indulge in what is forbidden. This is like
(the example of) a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima
(private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to
get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of
Allaah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) matters. Beware! There
is a piece of flesh in the body, if it is reformed, the whole body
becomes good, but if it getsspoilt the whole body gets spoilt;indeed
it is the heart." [Al-Bukhaari]
He said that after explaining that the lawful matters are clear and
that the forbidden ones are clear and that between them are obscure
areas, not known to many people. However, what protects a person from
the forbidden matters and ensures that he remains in the lawful ones
is knowledge; but beyond knowledge, it is the state of the heart. If
the heart is good, then itmakes use of the knowledge and it avoids
what is prohibited. If the heart is corrupted, then the knowledge is
of no benefit to it and it will indulge in what is prohibited.
The Prophet during the last (and only) pilgrimage, informed his
Companions and it was aninstruction to the entire Muslim nation to
come, that people are not favored based on their race or color, but
rather based on piety and on how much they are Allaah fearful. After
that, he clarified that the place of piety is in one's heart."
In these statements and other similar statements, we find stress being
placed on the heart -that the heart is the part of the body, which
Allaah has favored over all other parts. It is the placeof faith, and
had there been in the body another part that was nearer to Allaah,
piety would have been placed there, because faith is the most valuable
thing that a human possesses. It (faith)is the determination
ultimately ofthose who have belief in Allaah - those who have accepted
the message and who have chosen Paradise over Hell. It is the
distinction of those who have belief and those who have disbelief.
The value of faith is greater than the value of all the things of this
world. This is why Prophet Muhammad said that for Allaah to guide by
your hands a single person to Islam is worth more than anything in
this world.For you to help someone to find faith is worth more than
any of the things in this world. [Al-Bukhaari]
The heart is the place in which the correctness of deeds is judged.
The Prophet said: "Deeds are judged according to the intention." The
place of the intention is not on the lips. It is in the heart.
'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said: "The
reward of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get
the reward according to what he has intended…" [Al-Bukhaari]
Our deeds - what we do externally - are judged ultimately by the
states of our hearts. Good deeds are in reference to those that we
perceive to be a part and parcel of righteousness. Allaah will inspect
the hearts to determine whether they are trulyacts of righteousness.
The Prophet informed us thatthe first three people who would be cast
into the Hell Fire are those who were involved in whateverybody
considers great acts ofrighteousness. They are the scholar who taught
knowledge; the wealthy person who gave from his wealth in charity and
the martyr who gave his life fighting in the path of Allaah.
The Prophet in an authentic narration, said that some people from
among these types of people would be among the first groups of people
thrown into Hell because the scholar, when hetaught the knowledge that
Allaahgave him, did not do so for the sake of Allaah. He taught so
that people would praise him, saying what a great scholar he was and
how knowledgeable he was. Allaah will Say to him: "You received your
praise, what you sought in that world. But there will be nothing for
you in the Next." So he will be drawn off on his face and thrown into
Hell.
Similarly, the benefactor, who was generous with his wealth. Hegave
and people praised his generosity, but Allaah will Say: "You did it
for the praise and you were praised. You did it for people to
appreciate you." So that individual will be drawn off on his face and
thrown into Hell. [Muslim]
The martyr - the one whom we all assumed had died in the Path of
Allaah. We would think that his place in Paradise is guaranteed. But
Allaah will Say: "You fought so people would say,'How brave this one
is! How strong and courageous he was!'" People said it; they praised
you, so he will be drawn off on his face and thrown into Hell.'
All is telling us that ultimately, even the highest of deeds can be of
no avail if the hearts are sick; ifthe hearts are corrupt. So the
place of the heart should, in our minds, occupy great attention. We
have to spend much of our time observing, being aware of the state of
our heart.
So there is no other faculty in the human body and existence that
abeliever should be more concerned about. We have to make sure that
this faculty is functioning as Allaah wishes it to function. We should
be greatly concerned about it. The Prophet often used to supplicate,
beginning with: "I seek refuge in You, O Allaah, from knowledge that
does not benefit, and from aheart which does not fear." [At-Tirmithi,
Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa'i and Ibn Maajah]

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Dought & Clear, - If someone loses his wudoo’ whilst praying and goes and does wudoo’, can he resume his prayer from where he left off or should he start all over again?.

If I lose my wudoo' during the prayer, should I complete the prayer?
Should I complete it from where Ileft off or start the prayer from the
beginning all over again? When should onesay the tasleem - is it after
the imam's first tasleem or his second?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The one who loses his wudoo' during the prayer, by passing wind or
otherwise, should go and do wudoo', then come back and start the
prayer from the beginning all over again, according to the more
correct of the two scholarly opinions. This is the view of the
Maalikis, Shaafa'is and Hanbalis, unlike the Hanafis and the older
view of the Shaafa'is.
This applies to the one who cannot help breaking his wudoo'. As for
the one who breaks his wudoo' deliberately, his prayer becomes invalid
according to scholarly consensus.
The evidence quoted by the majority concerning this issue is analogy
(qiyaas). They say, Because breaking wind and the like makes wudoo'
invalid, so it alsomakes the prayer invalid, as is also the case when
one breaks wudoo' deliberately.
The Hanafis quoted as evidence the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be
pleased with her) who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever regurgitates, has a
nosebleed, vomits, or emits madhiy (prostatic fluid) should stop
praying, do wudoo', then resume his prayer, and whilst he is in that
situation he should not speak", but this is a da 'eef hadeeth. It was
narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1221. al-Busayri said in az-Zawaa'id: Its
isnaad includes Ismaa'eel ibn 'Ayyaash, who narrated from the Hijazis,
but his narration from them is da'eef (weak).
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in at-Talkhees al-Habeer,1/495: More than one
of the scholars criticized the report of Ismaa'eel ibn 'Ayyaash from
Ibn Jurayj and the report of Ismaa'eel from the Hijazis as da'eef. The
scholars of hadeeth among the companions of Ibn Jurayj differed with
Ibn Hajar and they narrated it from Ibn Jurayj, from his father, from
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in a mursal
report.
End quote. See: at-Tahqeeq fi Ahaadeethal-Khilaaf by Ibn al-Jawzi,
1/83; Tanqeeh at-Tahqeeq by Ibn 'Abd al-Haadi, 1/284
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:We have stated that our
view is the correct, new one, that it is not permissible to resume
(from where one left off); rather one has to start all over again.
This is the view of the Sahaabi al-Miswar ibn Makhramah (may Allah be
pleased with him). It was also the view of Maalik and others. This
isthe correct view from the madhhab of Ahmad.
Abu Haneefah, Ibn Abi Layla and al-Awzaa'i said: He may continue his
prayer from where he left off. This was narrated by Ibn az-Zabbaagh
and others from 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab, 'Ali and Ibn 'Umar (may Allah
be pleased with them). It was also narrated by al-Bayhaqi from 'Ali,
Salmaan al-Faarisi, Ibn 'Abbaas, Ibn 'Umar, Ibn al-Musayyab, Abu
Salamah ibn 'Abd ar-Rahmaan, 'Ata', Tawoos, Abu Idrees al-Khawlaani,
Sulaymaanibn Yazaar and others (may Allah be pleased with them). The
author mentioned in brief the evidence for both views,but the hadeeth
is da'eef. The Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) differed
concerning this issue, so the matter may be resolved on the basis of
analogy. And Allah knows best.
End quote from al-Majmoo', 4/6
See also al-Mughni, 1/421
Ash-Shaafa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) interpreted the reports
about some of the Sahaabah exiting the prayer because of nosebleed,
then going to do wudoo', then resuming the prayer from where they left
off as referring to washing away the blood, not wudoo' in the sense of
ablution for prayer.
And he (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Rather what is meant by
wudoo' here, in our opinion, is washing off blood and whatever elsehad
gotten onto the body, not wudoo' for prayer. It was narrated from Ibn
Mas'ood that he washed his hands after eating, then he wiped his face
with his wet hands and said: This is the wudoo' of one who has not
broken his wudoo'. This (usage of the word wudoo') is wellknown among
the Arabs,who use the word to refer to washing some part of the body,
not all the parts that should be washed in the case of wudoo' for
prayer.
End quote from as-Sunan al-Kubra, 1/143
Further evidence in support of the majority view is the report
narrated by Abu Dawood(205) from 'Ali ibn Talq (may Allah be pleased
with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "If one of you breaks wind whilst praying,
let him leave and do wudoo', then repeat the prayer."
There is a difference of opinion as to the soundness of this hadeeth.
It was classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan and as hasan byothers.
In Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah there is a question about the
hadeeth, "Whoever breaks wind during the prayer, let him exit the
prayer. If that is during acongregational prayer, let him hold his
nose andleave, and do wudoo', then let him resume his prayer from
where he left off, so long as he does not speak."
They replied: This hadeeth was classed as da'eef by some of the
leading scholars of hadeeth. Hence what it indicates about the one who
breaks his wudoo' during the prayer exiting the prayer, then doing
wudoo' and coming back to complete what is left of his prayer, is not
correct.Rather breaking wudoo' during the prayer renders it invalid,
and after doing wudoo' the individual has to start the prayer all over
againfrom the beginning, as isindicated by the hadeeth of 'Ali ibn
Talq (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "If one of you breaks
wind whilst praying, let him leave and do wudoo', then repeat the
prayer." Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasaa'i and
Ibn Maajah; classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah, 5/438, vol. 2
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a person loses
his wudoo' whilst praying, by breaking wind or having a severe
nosebleed and so on, then his prayer is rendered invalid, according to
the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, because the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "If one of you breaks
wind whilst praying, let him leave and do wudoo', then repeat the
prayer." Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the authors of as-Sunan. Thiswas
also mentioned by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in al-Buloogh.
With regard to the hadeeth which mentionsresuming the prayer from
where one left off, this is a da'eef hadeeth, as was also explained by
al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in al-Buloogh.
End quote from Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 10/159
Secondly:
It is preferable for the one who is praying behind an imam not to say
the tasleem after the prayer until the imam has finished the second
tasleem. See the answer to question no. 75977 .
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Dought & Clear, - Is there a specific age at which animals may beslaughtered?.

Is there a specific age at which animals may be slaughtered? Because
there is a debate here in India about the age at which it is
permissible toslaughter animals. What I mean here is slaughter for
food and daily consumption, not udhiyah (sacrifice). They say that the
appropriate age for that is two years,and it is not permissible below
that age. Is this correct?
Praise be to Allah.
There is no stipulated age for slaughter of any of the an'aam animals
(camels, cattle, sheep and goats), if the purpose is only for food. If
someone were to slaughter a lamb that was only one day old or less, it
would be permissible for him to eat that meat, because there is no
evidence in Islam to indicate that this is not allowed, and because
the basic principle concerning what Allah has created for us is that
it is permissible. Anyone whosays that something is haraam has to
provide evidence. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning): "He it is Who created for you all that ison earth"
[al-Baqarah 2:29].
There are saheeh hadeeths which indicatethat the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) ate lamb.
Al-Bukhaari (4101) and Muslim (2039) narrated that Jaabir (may Allah
bepleased with him) said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, come with me
to my house. Then I said to my wife: I have seen something (i.e.
hunger) in face of the Prophet (sa) that caused me concern; do you
have anything? She said: I have some barley and a kid (young goat). So
she slaughtered the kid and made dough with the barley, and we put the
meat in the pot. Then I went to the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) … And he narrated the hadeeth, in which the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his Companions ate from
that kid (young goat).
According to the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, when the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) visited Abu'l-Haytham, along with Abu
Bakr, and 'Umar, Abu'l-Haytham went to make some food for them. The
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Do not
slaughter any animal that is producing milk. He said: So he
slaughtered a kid (young goat) or lamb forthem and brought it to them,
and they ate.
Narrated by Muslim (2038); at-Tirmidhi (2369).
The word translated as kid here refers to a female baby goat that has
not reached the age of one year.
End quote from an-Nihaayah, Baab al-'Ayn ma'a an-Noon.
The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, have stated that if the
foetus of an an'aam animal comes out of its mother's womb alive and is
slaughtered in theprescribed manner, it is permissible to eat it.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (9/321): If it comes out alive and in a
stable condition, and it is possible to slaughter it, but it is not
slaughtered before it dies, then it has not been slaughtered properly.
Ahmad said: If it comes out alive, then it must be slaughtered
properly, because it is another soul.
Ibn Nujaym said in al-Bahr ar-Raa'iq (8/198): If it is known that the
sheep was alive at the time of slaughter, it becomes permissible
(halaal) by slaughtering, whether it moved or not.
End quote. See also al-Bahr ar-Raa'iq (8/195).
If it is proven that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has made
it permissible to His slaves to eat that without restricting it to a
specificage, then any condition or restriction that is added to that
is an innovation in religion and is a transgression against what Allah
has prescribed for His slaves.
Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning): "And
say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: 'This is
lawful and this is forbidden,' so as to invent lies against Allah.
Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper"
[an-Nahl 16:116].
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "What
is the matter withmen who stipulate conditions that are not in the
Book of Allah? Anycondition that is not in the Book of Allah is
invalid, even if there are a hundred conditions. What is ordained by
Allah and the conditions stipulated by Him are more deserving of
beingadhered to."
This hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (2168) and Muslim (1504).
But if the animal is intended for udhiyah (sacrifice) and the like,
then it is essential that it reach a certain age. This has been
discussed in detail in the answer to question no. 41899 .

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