Hey, you big, fat backbiter!

How many times have you sat around in the masjid or just at home on the cellphone bored? You start a conversation with your friend, and you talk about what you did over the weekend. The conversation slowly starts to die until your friend says;

"Hey, remember that really tall girl at the masjid?"

There are two types of back biting, the haraam and the halaal. I am going to address the haraam. Many Muslim girls and women do not actually realize they are backbiting until it is pointed out. Talking about how messy your sisters hijab looked, how bad her kids are, or how big that pimple was on sister Fatimah's face was are all forms are haraam backbiting. The excuse that, "No, it's not backbiting...I would say it to her face!" So why didn't you say it to her face when you were talking and laughing with her at the masjid on Sunday? Why wait until Tuesday afternoon to say something about it to someone else? The worst form of backbiting is making fun of someone behind their back to make someone else laugh!

"Jameelah smells like onions cause her Mama cooks Spanish Rice! Hahahaha!"

Do you not know what Allah says of backbiting, gossiping, and slander?

O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, in deeds some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear God, verily, God is the one who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. (Surah al-Hujurat ayah 12)

Backbiting is like eating the (human!) flesh of your brother or sister who is dead! How disgusting and repulsive is that? If backbiting is so hateful, why did you tell Amina that Sarah's fingers were bony and skinny? Even though sometimes you may not mean to backbite, you do. We all do. No one is perfect, yet we should try our hardest to avoid it. If you are bored, and you have nothing to talk about...you shouldn't invite people over to your house. That's where backbiting and gossiping usually stems from. Boredom. Keep yourself usefully active in the Muslim community, or talk about the future...anything except for someone else when they aren't present to defend themselves. This doesn't exclude non-muslims! Just because someone you are talking about is not Muslim, doesn't give you the right to talk about them!

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Who protects his tongue from unlawful utterances and his private parts from illegal sexual intercourse, I shall guarantee him entrance into Paradise." (Bukhari and Muslim)

This is An-Nisa reminding you just in case you forgot! (Hehe Baba Ali!) May Allah bless and guide us all! ~ Nisa