The Believer’s Distinctions
What Allah (azwj) has Forbidden a Believer to do Against a Fellow Believer
191 - وعنه عليه السلام أنه قال: من قال في مؤمن ما ليس فيه بعثه الله عز وجل في طينة خبال حتى يخرج مما قال فيه. وقال: إنما الغيبة: أن تقول في أخيك ما هو فيه مما قد ستره الله عز وجل عليه، فإذا قلت فيه ما ليس فيه، فذلك قول الله عز وجل في كتابه: " فقد احتمل بهتانا واثما مبينا ".
191. And from him (al-Sadiq) (a.s) it is reported that he said: One who accuses a believing man or believing woman falsely will be raised on the Day of Judgment by Allah in a messy substance unless he unsays it. He also said: Backbiting (ghibah) is to say about your brother what is true but Allah has hidden; for when you say about him what is untrue, then that refers to what Allah has said, '…he indeed takes upon himself the burden of a calumny and a manifest sin. [Holy Quran 4/112]'.
192 - وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر، فلا يجلس في مجلس يسب فيه امام، أو يغتاب فيه مسلم، ان الله عز وجل يقول: " وإذ رأيت الذين يخوضون في آياتنا فأعرض عنهم حتى يخوضوا في حديث غيره واما ينسينك الشيطان فلا تقعد بعد الذكرى مع القوم الظالمين ".
192. It has been reported that Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said: the Prophet (a.s) said: Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must not sit in a gathering in which an Imam is reviled or a Muslim is backbitten. Allah [M.G] says, 'And when you see those who enter into false discourses about Our communications, withdraw from them until they enter into some other discourse, and if Satan causes you to forget, then do not sit after recollection with the unjust people. [Holy Quran 6/68]'.
193 - وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه قال: من روى على مؤمن رواية يريد بها عيبه، وهدم مروته، أقامه الله عز وجل مقام الذل يوم القيامة حتى يخرج مما قال.
193. It has been reported that Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said: One who narrates something concerning a believer with the intention of disgracing and defaming him, Allah will humiliate him on the Day of Resurrection unless he unsays.
194 - وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: يا معشر من آمن بلسانه، ولم يؤمن بقلبه، لا تطلبوا عورات المؤمنين، ولا تتبعوا عثراتهم، فإن من اتبع عثرة أخيه اتبع الله عثرته، ومن اتبع الله عثرته فضحه ولو في جوف بيته.
194. It has been reported that Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said: the Messenger of Allah (a.s) said: O community of those who have believed with their tongues but not with their hearts! Do not seek the shortcomings of believers and do not try to uncover their faults. Most surely, one who seeks to uncover the faults of his brother, Allah will disclose his faults; and for whomsoever Allah discloses his faults, He will disgrace him even if it be within his own home.
195 - عن محمد بن مسلم عن أحدهما عليهما السلام قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: ليس بمؤمن من لم يأمن جاره بوائقه. قيل: يا رسول الله، وما بوائقه؟ قال: غشمه وأضله و أضله وغشمه.
195. It has been reported that Muhammad ibn Muslim said that one of the two (al-Baqir or al-Sadiq (a.s)) said: the Messenger of Allah (a.s) said: He is not a believer from whose actions his neighbor is not safe. 'O Allah's Messenger,' they asked, 'What are these?' 'These are the acts of wronging and oppression,' the Messenger of Allah replied.
196 - وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام: عورة المؤمن على المؤمن حرام، قال: ليس هو أن يكشف فيرى منه شيئا، إنما هو أن يزري عليه أو يعيبه.
196. It has been narrated that Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said: It is forbidden on believers to expose the secrets of each other. I do not mean that they see each other naked; rather they find faults in or disgrace each other.
197 - وعن أبي جعفر عليه السلام أنه قال: من اغتيب عنده أخوه المؤمن فلم ينصره، ولم يدفع عنه، وهو يقدر على نصرته وعونه فضحه الله عز وجل في الدنيا والآخرة.
197. It has been narrated that Abu Ja'far (a.s) said: If one's brother-in-faith is backbitten in his presence while he does neither aid nor defend him when he is able to do so, Allah will disgrace him in the world and the hereafter.
198 - وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه قال: إذا قال المؤمن لأخيه أف، خرج من ولايته، وإذا قال: أنت لي عدو كفر أحدهما، لأنه لا يقبل الله عز وجل عملا من أحد يعجل في تثريب على مؤمن بفضيحته، ولا يقبل من مؤمن عملا، وهو يضمر في قلبه على المؤمن سوء، ولو كشف الغطاء عن الناس لنظروا إلى ما وصل بين الله عز وجل وبين المؤمن، وخضعت للمؤمنين رقابهم، وتسهلت لهم أمورهم ولانت لهم طاعتهم ولو نظروا إلى مردود الاعمال من السماء لقالوا: ما يقبل الله من أحد عملا.
198. It has been reported that Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said: When a believer says a word of contempt loses his friendship; and when he says to him, 'you are an enemy to me,' one of the two has become a disbeliever because Allah does not accept the actions of one who hastens to blame a believer for his faults; and He does not accept actions from a believer whilst he harbors evil in his heart against another believer. If the veils were to be lifted from people, they would have seen what bond there is between Allah [M.G] and a believer and their necks would bow for the believers. They would make the believers' affairs easy and yield to their obedience. If they were to see the amount of actions being rejected from the heavens, they would have said, 'Allah will not accept any action from anyone!'
199 - وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: المؤمن حرام كله، عرضه وماله ودمه.
199. It has been reported that Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said: the Prophet (a.s) said: A believer is sacred - all of him - his dignity, his property and his life.
200 - وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه قال: لا تبدأ الشماتة بأخيك 8 المؤمن، فيرحمه الله عز وجل، ويغير ما بك، قال: ومن شمت بمصيبة نزلت بأخيه، لم يخرج من الدنيا، حتى يغير ما به.
200. It has been reported that Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said: Do not rejoice at the misfortune of your brother-in-faith lest Allah [M.G] should have mercy on him and change your condition. The Imam also said: One who rejoices at a misfortune that has befallen his brother will not leave this world before his condition changes to the worse.
