The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his Companions: "Who is the bankrupt?" They answered: "The one who has no money left." The Messenger of Allah corrected them: "The bankrupt of my ummah is the one who comes on the Day of Judgment with prayers, fasting, and zakat — but having insulted, slandered, eaten the wealth of, or shed the blood of others. From their reward this is taken to give to those they wronged…" — Sahih Muslim, Birr, no. 2581. Lying and slander are two great diseases that consume the reward a believer earns. This sermon explores these two nightmares of the tongue, their prohibition in the Quran, and how to be protected.
The Quran on Lying
Lying is a concept that recurs hundreds of times in the Quran, condemned each time. In Surah al-Baqarah Allah gives the believers a firm command:
— Al-Baqarah 2:42Do not mix the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know it.
The verse names two distinct sins: mixing truth with lies (distortion) and deliberately hiding the truth (half-lying). The second is emphasized to be as serious as the first.
The gravest form of lying is to lie about Allah. In Surah az-Zumar Allah warns: "You will see those who lied against Allah on the Day of Judgment with their faces darkened" (Az-Zumar 39:60). This means presenting as part of the religion something that is not; issuing rulings without knowledge; attributing fabricated hadiths to the Prophet.
"The Believer Who Lies"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) expresses the contradiction between lying and faith:
— Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, no. 10930The believer is created upon every nature except three: treachery, lying, and cowardice.
Lying is not in the believer's nature. If a servant is lying, they are in a state contrary to their fitrah.
One of the heaviest hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on this is:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Adab, no. 6094Beware of lying, for lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire. A person continues lying and seeks out lies until he is written before Allah as a liar.
"Written before Allah as a liar" — a single lie is not forever; but persistent lying stamps the heart.
There are exceptional cases: deception in war, sweet speech between spouses, words to reconcile two Muslims — these are made permissible in Islam — Sahih Muslim, Birr, no. 2605. Outside of these, lying is forbidden.
Backbiting — "Eating Your Brother's Flesh"
In Surah al-Hujurat Allah forbids backbiting with a very powerful image:
— Al-Hujurat 49:12O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for some suspicions are sin. Do not spy on one another, and do not backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed Allah is the Acceptor of Repentance, the Merciful.
This horrifying picture in the verse arouses everyone's revulsion. Eating the flesh of a dead brother — no one would even want to imagine it. Yet Allah declares: "backbiting is this disgusting."
What is backbiting? The Prophet (peace be upon him) defines it plainly:
— Sahih Muslim, Birr, no. 2589To mention your brother in a way he would dislike.
Even if what you say is true, it is backbiting. If it is false, then it becomes the heavier sin — slander.
Slander — Saying What Did Not Happen
Slander is heavier than backbiting because in it lying and injustice combine. In Surah an-Nur Allah singles out slander against chastity as "cursed":
— An-Nur 24:23Indeed, those who slander chaste believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter — for them is a great punishment.
The cost of slander is very heavy. Even among the Companions, a great slander once occurred — known as the "Incident of Ifk"; the slander against 'A'isha was refuted by revelation (An-Nur 24:11-20). The episode is a lesson for believers until the Last Day.
The Weight of the Tongue in Modern Life
In today's world the tongue is no longer limited to speech. Every tweet we write, every story we share, every comment we leave — all are extensions of the tongue and all will be weighed on the scale.
In the digital world the following deserve special attention:
- Not sharing unverified information. A hadith says: "It is sufficient lying for a person to repeat everything he hears" — Sahih Muslim, Muqaddimah, no. 5.
- Not making harsh comments under someone's post. When that person sees your comment, what will they feel? This is the new form of backbiting.
- Not speaking about absent group members in chats. This is one of the greatest causes of the decline of modern apartment neighborliness.
- Protecting children from a backbiting atmosphere. The backbiting of family elders is the deepest influence on a child's character.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that guarding the tongue is a path to Paradise: "Whoever guarantees me what is between his two jaws (his tongue) and what is between his two legs (his chastity), I guarantee him Paradise" — Sahih al-Bukhari, Riqaq, no. 6474.
Practical Ways to Guard the Tongue
- Three questions before speaking: Is what you are about to say (1) true? (2) beneficial? (3) necessary? If all three are not yes, do not say it.
- Stop when speaking about someone else: Ask yourself, "Could I say this in front of them?"
- Remember the reward of silence: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say what is good or remain silent" — Sahih al-Bukhari, Adab, no. 6018.
- Daily istighfar: A measure of istighfar before sleep each night for what came from the tongue — even what we don't remember may have slipped out.
Disciplining the Tongue With VAAZ
The VAAZ app's hadith archive presents hundreds of narrations on the "diseases of the tongue." The du'a archive categorizes du'as for protection from backbiting.
To examine the door of tawbah for lying and slander, see A Sermon on Tawbah; to protect family from a backbiting atmosphere, see A Sermon on Family.
Lying and slander are two hidden fires that consume the rewards a believer has earned. Disciplining the tongue may not be counted alongside salah and sawm — but it is the most important act of worship that protects their reward. The servant who pauses before speaking has found the way to gain in the Hereafter.
References
- The Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:42, Diyanet translation.
- The Qur'an, Al-Hujurat 49:12, Diyanet translation.
- The Qur'an, An-Nur 24:23, Diyanet translation.
- Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Birr, Hadith No. 2581.
- Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, Hadith No. 10930.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Adab, Hadith No. 6094.
- Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Birr, Hadith No. 2605.
- Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Birr, Hadith No. 2589.
- Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Muqaddimah, Hadith No. 5.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab ar-Riqaq, Hadith No. 6474.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Adab, Hadith No. 6018.