The third basic human right that has been protected in Islam is protection of reputation. This has been protected so strictly in Islam that it is not allowed to say anything bad about a person even in their absence. It is termed Gheebat (saying something bad about a person in his absence that would hurt him if he heard that it was said about him) and it is such a great sin that Rasool Allah ﷺ has likened it to eating one's dead brother's flesh. Who amongst us would even want to imagine about eating one's deceased brother's flesh?
Some Sahaba (companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW) asked Rasool Allah SAW, "O Rasool Allah SAW! What if what we have said is true?" Rasool allah SAW said, "It is only Gheebat if it is true. Otherwise it would be Buhtaan (بہتان)." Buhtaan is an even greater sin because it is a combination of two sins, telling a lie, and saying something bad about a person. This is the difference between the English concept of Slander and Gheebat. The dictionary meaning of Slander is to say something false and damaging about a person. Gheebat means anything bad about a person in his absence, even if it is true.
Sometimes people say that what I am saying is not Gheebat as I can say it in front of that person, somehow assuming that it is only Gheebat if it can't be said in front of the person. Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB said that everything bad that is said about a person behind his back which would upset him if he heard it is Gheebat, it has nothing to do with being able to repeat the same in front of him, or not.
These days it has become almost fashionable to repeat without any investigation whatever is being said about a public figure, as if we have personally witnessed it. In Islam there is no distinction between a public or a private figure in that regard, everyone's reputation is equally protected. Rasool Allah SAW has said that it is enough for s person to be deemed a liar if he passes on everything he hears without doing any investigation. There are only specific circumstances in which it is permissible to do someone's Gheebat which have been described in a recent post.
Similarly people think think that it is permissible to do Gheebat of people who are known to be sinners. This is again wrong as Allah Ta'alah protects rights of every human being, regardless of how many sins they may have committed. In a gathering people were doing Gheebat of Hajjaj Bin Yousuf. A buzurg said that just like Allah Ta'alah will hold Hajjaj accountable for the lives of all the innocent Muslims whose blood he shed, similarly Allah will also hold all those people accountable who have done Hajjaj's Gheebat without just cause.
In nutshell Shariah has laid down very strict rules about protecting reputation of all human beings, and we should be very careful when saying something bad about someone being mindful that one day Allah Ta'alah will make us account for that.
Adapted from the talk "Human Rights in Islam" by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB
Some Sahaba (companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW) asked Rasool Allah SAW, "O Rasool Allah SAW! What if what we have said is true?" Rasool allah SAW said, "It is only Gheebat if it is true. Otherwise it would be Buhtaan (بہتان)." Buhtaan is an even greater sin because it is a combination of two sins, telling a lie, and saying something bad about a person. This is the difference between the English concept of Slander and Gheebat. The dictionary meaning of Slander is to say something false and damaging about a person. Gheebat means anything bad about a person in his absence, even if it is true.
Sometimes people say that what I am saying is not Gheebat as I can say it in front of that person, somehow assuming that it is only Gheebat if it can't be said in front of the person. Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB said that everything bad that is said about a person behind his back which would upset him if he heard it is Gheebat, it has nothing to do with being able to repeat the same in front of him, or not.
These days it has become almost fashionable to repeat without any investigation whatever is being said about a public figure, as if we have personally witnessed it. In Islam there is no distinction between a public or a private figure in that regard, everyone's reputation is equally protected. Rasool Allah SAW has said that it is enough for s person to be deemed a liar if he passes on everything he hears without doing any investigation. There are only specific circumstances in which it is permissible to do someone's Gheebat which have been described in a recent post.
Similarly people think think that it is permissible to do Gheebat of people who are known to be sinners. This is again wrong as Allah Ta'alah protects rights of every human being, regardless of how many sins they may have committed. In a gathering people were doing Gheebat of Hajjaj Bin Yousuf. A buzurg said that just like Allah Ta'alah will hold Hajjaj accountable for the lives of all the innocent Muslims whose blood he shed, similarly Allah will also hold all those people accountable who have done Hajjaj's Gheebat without just cause.
In nutshell Shariah has laid down very strict rules about protecting reputation of all human beings, and we should be very careful when saying something bad about someone being mindful that one day Allah Ta'alah will make us account for that.
Adapted from the talk "Human Rights in Islam" by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB
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