He will ask the Lord about such deeds...

He will ask the Lord about such deeds, and the Lord will answer: “Because you were backbitten by so-and-so, I added his good deeds to you[^6].” Reasonable Grounds of Backbiting Backbiting is decided as forbidden so long as it is intended to disgrace others, but if it is not intended for so or if a reasonable ground relies upon it, it is not forbidden.

Muslim jurisprudents have mentioned a number of reasonable grounds for backbiting: • If backbiting represents the complaint of a wronged person so as to prove his right before a judge, it is not forbidden, even if it includes the ascription of injustice and criminality to the other party. • The person whose advice is sought in definite matters, such as marriage or trust, is permitted to backbite the other party by mentioning his defects-.

It is also acceptable to warn a believer against the association with deviants, by referring namely to their defects, provided that such reference is intended to protect the believer. It is also acceptable to defame a testifier when it is necessary. • Backbiting is acceptable when it is intended to disavow the claim of a false lineage. • Backbiting is acceptable when it is intended to refute an untrue saying or an illegal claim.

●Backbiting is acceptable when it takes the form of testimony against wrongdoers. • It is acceptable to mention certain epithets (such as ‘the blind’, ‘the one-eyed’, and the like) of certain people if this is necessary for introducing them. • Backbiting is acceptable when it is intended to forbid evil, by mentioning the defects of a person before somebody who is able to guide him.

●It is acceptable to backbite those who declare publicly their commitment of sins, such as the drunk and gamblers, provided that such backbiting should not exceed the limits. It is said that to backbite a sinful is not offensive. Finally, well intention and sound objective must be proposed. Likewise, it is improper to aim at evil intentions, such as enmity, envy, and the like. Treatment of Backbiting • It is necessary to keep in mind the foresighted disadvantages of backbiting.

●It is necessary to pay the greatest attention to self- discipline by applying the noble traits to oneself. As he was asked about his educator, Muhammad Ibn al-Hanafiyya said: “It is my Lord Who educated me in myself. I have followed and imitated any element that is enjoyed by men of sense when I found good, and I have avoided any element that is practiced by the ignorant when I found ugly.

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