Evil Characteristics
SURAH Al-HUJURAT Ayah 11-12
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌۭ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَآءٌۭ مِّن نِّسَآءٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا۟ بِٱلْأَلْقَـٰبِ ۖ بِئْسَ ٱلِٱسْمُ ٱلْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ ٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ ۚ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ 11
O believers! Do not let some ˹men˺ ridicule others, they may be better than them, nor let ˹some˺ women ridicule other women, they may be better than them. Do not defame one another, nor call each other by offensive nicknames. How evil it is to act rebelliously after having faith! And whoever does not repent, it is they who are the ˹true˺ wrongdoers.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌۭ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا۟ وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًۭا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ12
O believers! Avoid many suspicions, ˹for˺ indeed, some suspicions are sinful. And do not spy, nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of their dead brother? You would despise that!1 And fear Allah. Surely Allah is ˹the˺ Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.
Bismillah
Starting the discussion of two of the pinnacle verses of the Qur’an related to moral character amongst the believers. These two verses are very powerful and full of commandments, in which Allah prohibits the believers from certain major evils in the society which can spoil people’s relationships. Allah Ta’ala begins ayah 11 by forbidding believers from ridiculing and slandering others. The 2nd prohibition is about defaming others and giving them offensive nicknames which could the reason to hurt them. Similarly, In the next ayah, it is also forbidden for the believers to spy or show suspicions towards others, as most of them are sinful and lead the believers to backbite and interfere in others’ affairs.
Backbiting and Being Nosy
When we look at all these negative traits, we realize how badly they impact relationships and society as a whole. It is these moral crimes that grow gradually and leave the relationships in utter destruction. We all know the evils of bullying and slandering. It makes others inferior and degrades their repute. How obvious is it that we would never like it if someone defames us by exposing our faults in our absence? When we speak ill about someone to another person, the latter may communicate it to the former. And he in turn, instead of being ashamed of his shortcomings, may get enraged and it would result in fights and friction.
Mocking and Labeling
People sometimes make fun of things they don’t understand. Especially, when you are living in a multicultural society, it is very common to see that people can pronounce someone’s name properly or they make fun of their names and how they sound. Likewise, those people who are culturally racist about their complexion, gender roles, religious beliefs, and ethnicity, will see that society has more problems with this personality trait. You would have heard someone calling their neighbor the name Kalu Uncle (pointing his dark complexion), calling mean names by pointing at their facial features, height, etc.
Mocking does not only imply mocking with the tongue but it also includes mimicking somebody, making pointed references to him, laughing at his words, or his works, or his appearance, or his dress, or calling the people’s attention to some defect or blemish in him so that others also may laugh at him. All this comes under the bad habit of mocking. What is actually disliked and strictly prohibited in Islam is that one should not make fun of others, showing own superiority and the other’s abasement and contempt, which are morally unworthy of a gentleman. Moreover, it hurts the feelings of other people, which causes mischief in society. May Allah protect us from it, Ameen!
Life-Lessons
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say the good or remain silent.”
[Bukhari]
-> The general rule is that you can talk about others insofar that the conversation is generic and not indicative of any mockery against them, such as “I saw so and so in the park yesterday,” yet not that which is revealing of a sin. But talking like “so and so was in the pub again last night,” nor mere complaint or mockery of them, “so and so is a moron” would lead to misassumptions and backbiting. Imam Nawawi Rahimullah for instance, writes, “Slander (ghiba) means to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike, whether about his body, religion, everyday life, self, disposition, property, son, father, wife, servant, turban, garment, gait, movements, smiling, dissoluteness, frowning, cheerfulness, or anything else connected with him.”
-> Thus, the way of safety is clear. Otherwise, take things step by step, asking Allah Most High for His Good Pleasure, and then if you feel yourself slipping or your tongue actually slip, seek His Forgiveness, dust yourself down and proceed forth on your journey. If things are unclear, seek some clarification. [Keller, Reliance of the Traveller (r2.0)]
A question arises – suppose we do not like to backbite but we are present in a group where someone else is backbiting, then what should we do? We may try following steps,
- Counter the backbiting.
- Disapprove it by stopping or showing dislike.
- Leave the group where backbiting is being committed
- Even if none of the above three (in descending order) is possible, then pray for the forgiveness of the victim.
-> No matter what negative assumptions you come across about a person, try to be positive. Try to have husn Zan, take the positive out of the negative. Not only it will give peace to your heart but also your relationships will get better.
-> Make this dua your habit:
رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَٰنِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِى قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّۭا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ
Our Lord! Forgive us and our fellow believers who preceded us in faith, and do not allow bitterness into our hearts towards those who believe. Our Lord! Indeed, You are Ever Gracious, Most Merciful.” (Surah Hashr: 10)
-> Also, when you give nicknames out of love and respect, make sure it does not hurt them nor it is something that has a bad meaning. Give good names to others.
Negative characteristics are mentioned in the two ayahs which Allah Ta’ala hates them, Ya Allah we bear witness we hate them too. Please protect us from them and make our relationships better and healthy Ameen.
Juz 1 – Evils of Pride | Juz 2 – He is really near, Call upon Him | Juz 3 – Purity of Intentions
Juz 4 – The Burdens of Sins | Juz 5 – Bounties in the Obedience of Prophet ﷺ | Juz 6 – Be Just |
Juz 7- Beware of Shaitan’s Plan | Juz 8 – Heart Epicenter of Eman | Juz 9 – Dunya over Deen?? |
Juz 10 – Strive in the way of Allah | Juz 11 – Allah is All-Powerful | Juz 12 – Fruits of Patience |
Juz 13 – Peace in Remembrance of Allah | Juz 14 – Don’t be Distressed… | Juz 15 – Being good to your Parents |
Juz 16 – Acceptable Deeds | Juz 17 – Hold on to the Hope | Juz 18 – Do not Waste your Time | Juz 19 – Family is our Comfort Zone | Juz 20 – Do all Duas get Accepted | Juz 21 – Sabr | Juz 22 – Rizq | Juz 23 – Transformation | Juz 24 – Humans are Selfish
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