30 Stories of the Salaf Preserving Their Tongues

From Al-Jawâb al-Kâfî li-man Sala ‘an al-Dawa ash-Shâfî (al-Dâ’ wa ad-Dawâ’)
by Imâm Ibn al-Qayyim

Translated by Ayman bin Khâled

Optimization of transliteration
and slight edition of translation
by Abû Mûsâ ad-Danimârkî

Shaikh ul-Islâm Ibn Taymiyyah (May Allâh Bestows His mercy upon him) said in his writings
explaining the situations of many people:”It is much surprising to find a person who easily
preserves himself from committing sins i.e. earning money from Harâm sources, being injust,
stealing, drinking alcohol or looking at what is unlawful for him to look at, while he still finds it
difficult to preserve his tongue. It happens to see someone who is known with his righteousness,
all time worshipping and piety but he utters words that cause Allâh’s wrath, while he is not
aware of such consequences. You may see a person who preserves himself from approaching
what leads to injustice or any filthy action yet his tongue is not stopping from backbiting live and
dead people alike without even caring about it”.

~1~ It was stated that if someone asked to see Ibrâhîm An-Nakha’î, while he was at home, but he
disliked to go outside to meet him, he would tell his servant: “tell him to ask for me in the Masjid
and do not say: I am not here, so that it does not count as a lie”.

~2~ It was narrated that a wise man used to say if he ever finds a person who talks much and
rarely is silent: “Allâh subhânahu created for you two ears and one tongue so that what you hear
is double to what you talk”.

~3~ Ar-Rabî’ bin Subaih narrated that a man said to al-Hasan: O Abû Sa’îd I see something I
dislike, Abû Sa’îd replied: what is that? He said:” I see people attending your place looking for
any mistake you make so they can spread it amongst people to ruin your reputation. Al-Hasan
replied: O’ My nephew: Do not let this matter be heavy on your chest and bother you. I will tell
you what is greater and surprising than that. The man replied: what is that, uncle? He said: “I
obeyed myself in every aspect that gets me closer to Allâh, hoping to enter Jannah, be saved from
hell-fire and to be with the prophets. However, I never obeyed myself when it comes to listen to
what people has say i.e. backbiting, slandering or whatever is evil. You need to know that if
anyone has to be preserved from people’s tongues evilness then it has to be the creator who
created them. Thus, knowing that, the created is normally to be never protected from their evil
tongues.
~4~ Jubair bin ‘Abdullâh said: I saw a man approaching Wahb bin Manbah saying to him: “There
is someone who backbites you” so Wahb replied: “Did not the shaitân find anyone else but you to
muck with and make him look like a fool? Then it was just moments after that and the man came
so he welcomed him and treated him kindly.

~5~ Hâtim bin al-’Âsim said: “If a respectable good man sits with you, you would be watching
every word you utter so that you do not say something wrong. Yet, you know that your words
are watched by Allâh but you still do not watch the words you utter!

~6~ Abû Haiyân at-Tamîmî narrated from his father saying: “I saw the daughter of ar-Rabî’ bin
Khathîm asking his permission to go and play so he replied to her: go and utter nothing but
goodness.

~7~ A man backbited someone while he was in the presence of Ma’rûf al-Karkhî so Ma’rûf said,
warning the man about the danger of backbiting: “keep in mind, always, the time when they put
pieces of cotton in your eyes, referring to his death”

~8~ A man told Amr bin al-’Ubaid: al-Aswârî still backbites you and mentions you with no good ,
so Amr replied: “You did not fulfill the trust of the man when he let you sit with him since you
told us what he said furthermore, you did not fulfill my rights upon you when you told me what
I dislike to hear about one of my brothers. However, advise him that death will happen to all of
us, the grave will hold us inside and the judgment day will gather us and then Allâh will be the
judge between us and he is, truly, the most just wise judge.

~9~ Al-Mu’âfî bin Mu’rân once was asked: what do you say of a man who writes poetry? He
replied: it is his life so let him waste it if he wishes the way he likes!

~10~ Ibn ‘Abbâs (radiy Allâhu ‘ahumâ) said: There is no word that son of Âdam utters without
being written, even the pain humming he makes because of his sickness. So when Imâm Ahmad
was sick he was told that Tâwûs disliked pain humming of sickness so Imâm Ahmad stopped
doing so, although the pain was great.

~11~ ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-’Azîz once said: “whoever knows and realize that his words, which he
utters, are part of his deeds, he, surely will speak only with what concerns him”.

~12~ al-Hasan bin Sâlih said: “We searched into where Wara’ (refers to the status where a person
avoid doing what is Halâl fearing that it has a suspicion of Harâm) can be found, and we realized
that Wara’ is rarely can be found and if it is found it will be the least of it in tongues”.

~13~ ‘Abdullâh al-Khaiyâr used to say when he sits with people : “O Allâh save us and protect us
and save the believers from the evilness of our tongues”.

~14~ Some of the Salaf used to say: “every hour which son of Âdam lived will be viewed and
screened to him. And every hour he lived and did not mention or remembered Allâh in that hour,
he will weep on himself for wasting such an hour”.

~15~ Al-Hasan bin Bashshâr once said: “I observed my tongue for thirty years so that I never
uttered a word that require me to apologize for”.

~16~ Bishr bin Mansûr once said: “we were once sitting with Aiyûb al-Sakhtiyânî and we talked
and backbited others. Consequently, stop it for if I wished to tell you all what I have talked about
today I would have done already, but I will not”.

~17~ Ash-Sha’bî used to draw a circle and ask his servant to put her finger in the middle of it, if
someone asked for him and he disliked going out, then he would tell his servant say: ” he is not
in here” ( referring to where she put her finger).

Note: This is used only when it is in need and necessarily otherwise it is not allowed because this
is a form of a lie although the words are not. However, it is disliked to do so in general. Ash-
Sha’bî did it out of necessity so that he did not lie.

~18~ A man once told al-Fudail bin ‘Iyâd: “A man backbited me”. Al-Fudail replied: “He benefited
you rather than harmed you” (referring to the fact that he will take from the good deeds of the
one who backbited him in judgment day as a result of this).

~19~ ‘Abdur-Rahmân bin Mahdî once said: “I dislike people to disobey Allâh otherwise I would
have wished every one in this world to backbite me. There is no equal joy to finding in your scale
in the judgment day a deed you did not know about or even did”.

~20~ A man once said to Bakr bin Muhammad: “I was told that you are talking about me behind
my back”. Bakr replied: “If I did then you are more precious to me than myself”.

~21~ It was narrated that one of known respectable scholars was seen in a dream where he was
asked about what happened to him after death. He replied:” “I am not passing through because
of a word I said before” he was asked: what was it? He replied: “I said: people need rain badly
(because they did not have rain for long time). Because of that word, I was told by Allah: “and
what do you know! I know the interest of my slaves and what is beneficial to them”.

~22~ ‘Abdullah bin Muhammad once said: I was with Imâm Ahmad bin Hanbal when a man told
him: O Abû ‘Abdullâh, I have backbited you, please forgive me for what I did. So Imâm Ahmad
said: You are forgiven if you do not do it again. After he said that I said to him surprisingly: O
Abû ‘Abdullâh you simply forgave him for what he did! He replied to me: “did you not see me
conditioning my forgiveness by not doing it ever again?”

~23~ Some people came to Ibn Sîrîn and said to him: we backbited you, so forgive us for what we
did!! He replied: I will never make lawful what Allâh made unlawful (he indicated that they still
need to repent and ask Allâh forgiveness while he himself had forgiven them).

~24~ Tawq bin Munbih said: I entered upon Muhammad bin Sîrîn once and when he saw me, he
said to me: It seems as if you are in pain and sick, I replied positively saying Yes, I am. He said
after, well go see that doctor and ask him to treat you or go see another doctor as he is more
expert than him. He immediately said after that : ” I ask Allâh’s forgiveness because of what I
have just said for what I said is backbiting in Allâh’s right” (He meant: advising him to see slave
of Allâh is a sin as he should have advise him to seek Allâh’s assistance).
~25~ It was narrated that al-Hasan was once told that a man has backbited you. He immediately
sent that man who backbited him a plate full of dates and sent a message saying: I wanted to
reward you for giving me more reward, yet please forgive me as I cannot thank you enough for
what you did for me”.

~26~ Abû Umâmah al-Bâhilî once said: “In judgment day, the slave of Allâh will be given his book
of deeds, where he finds rewards for things he did not do, so he asks: O My Lord, where did I get
these deeds? So Allâh replies to him saying:” these are because of the people who backbited you
and you did not know about it”.

~27~ Some wise men once asked: What is the wisdom behind that at the time of the Prophet (‫صلى‬
‫ )ال عليه و سلم‬the filthy smell of backbiting was easily distinguished while nowadays we cannot
distinguish this filthy smell anymore! He replied: “It is because the filthy smell of backbiting
filled our noses, nowadays, so that we know no other smell but that one. The example of this: A
man who enters a shop of leather tanner who cannot stay there because of the strong smell while
the people who work there, eat, drink and they never even notice that smell because it fills their
noses and they are used to that smell, which is the same situation of us nowadays.

~28~ ‘Abdullâh bin al-Mubârak once said to Sufiân ath-Thawrî : O Abdullâh, how amazing that
Abu Hanîfah never backbites anyone so that he never even backbited an enemy of his. Sufiân
replied: “He is more reasonable and smart to let his tongue be controlled with what erases his
good deeds”.

~29~ A man entered upon ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-’Azîz once and backbited another man. ‘Umar bin
‘Abdul-’Azîz said to this man: if you wish we will investigate what you say so if we find you a
liar then you are one of those who Allah said about them {O ye who believe! If a wicked person
comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly and afterwards
become full of repentance for what ye have done.} [Verse 6 of Sûrah No. 49] and if you were
honest and what you said is true then you are one of those who Allâh said about them: { A
slanderer, going about with calumnies,} [Verse 11 of Sûrah No. 68] or you can ask forgiveness.
The man replied: I ask forgivenss and will never do it again.

~30~ A man came to ‘Abdullâh bin ‘Umar – at the time he was a ruler – and said to him: I heard
that someone mentioned me with bad behind my back in front of you. ‘Abdullâh bin ‘Umar said:
Yes, it happened. The man said: Let me know what he said so that I defend myself and show you
that what was said are lies. ‘Abdullâh bin ‘Umar said: “I dislike uttering evilness about myself by
cursing my tongue. Yet, it is enough to know that I did not believe what was said and still joining
the relationship between you and me.

Finsihed today: Wednesday: 12 / Jumâdâ al-Âkhirah/ 1428 (June 27, 2007)

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