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Everlast
02/12/02 at 21:51:39
asalaamu alaikum!  i have a question...  is it haraam to backbite someone in your mind?  
Re: question
ABD
02/12/02 at 23:37:54
[slm]

No it isn't. As long as you have not said it to anyone, then it is not counted as backbiting. The ruling is that it has to be heard by someone's ears other than the person itself to be considered backbiting.

[wlm]
Betul
Re: question
momineqbal
02/13/02 at 02:31:03
[slm],

Why would you "backbite" within your mind anyway? If you mean just the temptation occuring to your mind and you resisting it and prevent it from becoming a spoken word then you get one good deed for thinking of doing a bad deed but not doing it ;-).

Wassalam
Re: question
Arsalan
02/13/02 at 03:46:29
[slm]

Hmm.  Are you sure about that Betul?  I vaguely remember hearing something about this in a lecture/khutbah somewhere!  Can't remember now.  But the speaker was trying to make a point about how we should not dwell on a bad-thought about a person, and how we should always have a good opinion of our fellow Muslim in our mind.  He was speaking in the context of backbiting ...

Man, I'm getting old!  Can't remember nuthin' :(
Re: question
ABD
02/13/02 at 10:52:24
[slm]

Muslim Soul, thinking of someone bad in your mind is not called backbiting, in Arabic it is called "dhan".
I also found a hadith that says that backbiting has to be actually said aloud for it to be considered backbiting.

Sahih-Muslim:
Book 032, Number 6265:

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do you know what is backbiting? They (the Companions) said: Allah and His Messenger know best. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Backbiting implies your talking about your brother in a manner which he does not like. It was said to him: What is your opinion about this that if I actually find (that failing) in my brother which I made a mention of? He said: If (that failing) is actually found (in him) what you assert, you in fact backbited him, and if that is not in him it is a slander.


In the hadith, Rasulullah [saw] says that the person has to be 'talking' of the brother in Islam, and also says 'made a mention of', which implies that it was actually said aloud.

Insha'Allah I will try to research more on this.

[wlm]
Betul

Re: question
*sofia*
02/13/02 at 18:08:18
Assalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah -
I don't know the answer to this, so please let us know if you get the chance to ask a shaikh/imam, insha'Allah (I'm curious).  Sorry for the quick response, I can't quote anything now, but what came to mind is:

1) Our actions are judged by our intentions.  If we intend to do a bad deed and do it: 1 bad deed recorded.  If we intend to do a bad deed and don't do it: 1 good deed recorded.  If we intend to do a good deed and don't do it: 1 good deed recorded.  If we intend to do a good deed, and do it: 10-70x reward, insha'Allah (can't recall the hadith word for word, so correct me if I'm wrong).

2) We do not believe (perfectly) until we wish for others what we wish for ourselves.  The "wish" here is in our mind, not necessarily from our tongue or actions, Allahu'alim.

3) We should give our brothers/sisters 70 excuses (per day!).  That doesn't contradict the fact that we should also give naseehah/advice to them if they're out of line (we should correct wrong actions by our hands, if not by our tongue, if not hate it with our heart, etc).  You have full right (and obligation, Allahu'alim) to hate wrong actions.  But hating the person behind it is a point of contention.  Someone more knowledgeable should post on that, insha'Allah.

The tongue speaks for the heart, so guarding the tongue is mad important.  Better yet, guard the heart (easier said than done, but that's mujaahida, we all struggle with it).

Allahu'alim, God knows best.



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