Riyad as-Salihin · Chapter 257

Prohibition of Calumny

باب تحريم النميمة وهي نقل الكلام بين الناس على جهة الإفساد

This chapter takes up namimah, the carrying of words between people in order to stir up trouble. As the Arabic title puts it, it is moving speech from one person to another with the aim of corrupting the relationship between them. Someone hears a remark, then runs to repeat it precisely where it will wound and divide.

Notice how heavily the Prophet (peace be upon him) weighs this small-seeming act. It bars a person from Jannah, it draws punishment in the grave, and it is named outright as a kind of slander. The thread to watch across these three hadith is that the harm of the tongue here is not careless but deliberate, the deliberate breaking of bonds between hearts.

Hadith 1536

Hudhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

وعن حذيفة رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏ "‏لا يدخل الجنة نمام‏" ‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The person who goes about with calumnies will never enter Jannah." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In plain words

The one who carries tales between people to stir up trouble will not enter Paradise. Spreading words to divide hearts is a serious wrong.

Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1536 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 26

Hadith 1537

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said:

وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مر بقبرين فقال‏:‏ “إنهما يعذابان ، وما يعذبان في كبير‏!‏ بلى إنه كبير‏:‏ أما أحدهما ، فكان يمشي بالنميمة، وأما الآخر فكان لا يستتر من بوله ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه وهذا لفظ إحدى روايات البخاري‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ قال العلماء‏:‏ معنى ‏ "‏وما يعذبان في كبير‏" ‏ أي كبير في زعمهما وقيل‏:‏ كبير تركه عليهما‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by two graves and said, "Both of them (the persons in these graves) are being tortured, and they are not being tortured for a cardinal sin. But indeed they are great sins. One of them used not to save himself from being soiled with his urine, and the other one used to go about with calumnies (among the people to rouse hostilities, e.g., one goes to a person and tells him that so-and-so says about him such and such evil things)." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In plain words

He passed two graves whose occupants were being punished, one for tale-carrying that sowed hostility among people. The harm of malicious gossip reaches even into the grave.

Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1537 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 27

Hadith 1538

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ “ ألا أنبئكم ما العِضَه‏؟‏ هي النميمة، القالة بين الناس‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ العضه: بفتح العين المهملة، وإسكان الضاد المعجمة، وبالهاء على وزن الوجه، وروي: العضة بكسر العين وفتح الضاد المعجمة على وزن العدة، وهي: الكذب والبهتان، وعلى الرواية الأولى: العضه مصدر، يقال: عضهه عضها، أي: رماه بالعضه .

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Shall I tell you what 'Al-'Adhu' (falsehood and slandering) is? It is calumny which is committed among the people." [Muslim].

In plain words

He explained that 'al-'adh,' a form of slander, is the calumny spread among people. Carrying damaging talk around is named as a real evil.

Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1538 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 28