Author: Abdullah Jallow

Narrated Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Do you know what Al-Ad’hu is [i.e. calumny]?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best”. He said, “Transmitting speech from some people to another people to destroy their (mutual relationships)”.

Al-Allamah Zayd Bin Haadi Al-Madkhali, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The subject matter of this hadeeth is about the dangerous (consequences) of tale-carrying in this Dunyaa and the Aakhirah. Indeed, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, called it Ad’hu, and the meaning of Ad’hu is to transmit speech from some people to other people to corrupt their relationships. And in the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, it is explained to mean tale-carrying, and that is to transmit the statement of one person to another person, or from a group of people to another group, or from one country to another one, to cause corruption.

This is one of the major sins due to its evil and the punishment (associated with it) in this life and the next. In this worldly life, it may lead to murder, chaos, and other similar affairs – events that are in opposition to rectification. Due to this, the scholars say that the tale carrier- the one who transmits speech from one person to another person, or from a group of people to another group, or from one country to another, to sow the seeds of corruption- causes more harm than a magician. This is because a magician might only harm one person, but as for the tale-carrier, he might harm many individuals and the trial is prolonged.

Therefore, it is forbidden for a Muslim to transmit speech to cause corruption between those upon brotherhood and those who aid one another upon piety. And even if nothing like this [i.e. fighting, chaos, killing, etc] occurs, it is still not permissible to corrupt the relationship between the people by way of lies- sowing the seeds of enmity and hatred between them. The Messenger of Allah went past two graves and then said, “Both of them (i.e. the two people in these graves) are being punished, and they are not being punished due to (committing the greatest of the major sins), but indeed they are great sins. One of them used not to protect himself from being soiled with his urine, and the other one used to go about with tale-carrying”.

Therefore, what the opposite of this hadeeth (necessitates is that) it is obligatory to bring about reconciliation between the people due to the statement of Allah:

لَّا خَيۡرَ فِى ڪَثِيرٍ۬ مِّن نَّجۡوَٮٰهُمۡ إِلَّا مَنۡ أَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَوۡ مَعۡرُوفٍ أَوۡ إِصۡلَـٰحِۭ بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ‌ۚ

There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allah’s Cause), or Ma’ruf (Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind. [An-Nisaa. Ayah 114]

However, there is an exception in this affair when it is carried out to give some sincere advice whose benefit cannot be reached nor can harm be repelled except by way of such speech. For example, you hear a person saying that he is lying in wait against your Muslim brother and wishes to kill him, take his wealth or violate his honour, or the like thereof; you make known (its evil to him), but he refuses to accept your advice, therefore, you go to the person who is unaware and inform him about it, so that he can take precautions. Therefore, speech based on this type of intention and goal is considered to be sincere advice and it is not tantamount to causing corruption, for indeed you are either going to repel harm or bring about a benefit which one cannot do without (except by way of this transmission). And Allah knows best. [1]

Atā ibn al-Sā’ib, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: I travelled from Makkah, so ash-Shaʿbi, may Allah have mercy upon him, met me and said: “O Abu Zayd! Present to us from that which you have heard in Makkah”. I said: “I have heard Abd al-Rahman ibn Sābiṭin saying: ‘Neither one who sheds blood resides in Makkah nor one who consumes Riba, nor one who carries tales” . I was boggled when he mentioned tale-carrying alongside bloodshed and usury. So, ash-Shabi said: “What boggles you regarding this? Is it not the case that bloodshed and heinous crimes are committed except due to tale-carrying”. [2]

Yahyah Ibn Abi kathir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Sulayman Ibn Dawud, peace be upon him and his father, said to his son: ‘O my son! Beware of tale-carrying, for indeed it is more severe (in causing harm) than a sword”. [3]

One of the companions of Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “I entered the presence of Ja’far and Musa was in his presence, while he was advising him. And from that which I committed to memory was his statement: ‘O my son! Accept my advice and memorise my speech: beware of tale-carrying because it sows enmity in the hearts of men, and beware of seeking after the faults of the people, because seeking after the faults of the people is tantamount to making oneself a target'”. [4]

Yahyah Ibn Abi Kathir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Indeed, the tale-carrier corrupts the relationships of the people in a single day more than what a magician cannot do in a month”. [5]

Tahir ibn Al-Husayn, may Allah have mercy upon him, wrote a letter to his son Abdullah after he was appointed by Al-Ma’mun Ibn Harun Al-Rashid as the governor of Raqqa, Egypt, and the lands between them: “Restrain your tongue from lies and false speech, and hate its perpetrators; cut off the tale-carriers, for indeed the first corruption of your affairs, both at the beginning and the end, would be due to closeness to a compulsive liar and boldness in uttering lies. This is because lying is the main source of all sins, and false speech and tale-carrying are its final outcomes, for indeed neither can a tale-carrier find safety nor can the utterer find a genuine friend, nor will the affairs of the one who pursues it remain upright. [6]

Imam Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The greatest (type) of tale-carrying is when a person spreads tales between scholars- the scholars of the Shariah- by transmitting speech from this scholar to that scholar to ruin their relationship. Especially if it is lies, it is a combination of both tale-carrying and lies. He goes to a scholar and says: “So and so among the people of knowledge says this and that about you”. This is one of the major sins, therein is great corruption and sows enmity between the scholars, thus leads to disassociation within the society as a result of disassociation among the scholars. [7]

The Imam, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: You find these two men who are friends, then when this man, the tale-carrier – and Allah’s refuge is sought – comes along, he – whether truthful or lying – says: “This man reviles you, how can you be his companion while he says this and that about you”. After this (previous) affection (between the two men), enmity occurs between them. This causes a split, similar to sorcery- a type of sorcery, a type of magic. In what way does it resemble sorcery? The student said: “Through causing disassociation”. The Shaikh said: “Through splitting (between people).

فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِۦ بَيْنَ ٱلْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِۦ

They learned that by which they cause separation between man and his wife. [2:102]

Tale-carrying resembles sorcery with regards to splitting the people. [8]

Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, stated:

‏Namīmah: it is to transmit speech among the people in way to cause corruption between them. Allah, Glorified be He, free from all imperfections, the Most High, said:

‏وَلا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلافٍ مَّهِينٍ، هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ‏

And obey not everyone who swears much, and is considered worthless, a slanderer, going about with calumnies. [Al-Qalam 10-11]

The most severe regarding all of this is the one who spreads (tales) among the students of knowledge and the callers to the path of Allah in order to corrupt (their relationships), split the Jama’ah of the Muslims, and in order that some harbour enmity towards others. The one who does this is a tale-carrier and indeed Allah has forbidden believing or obeying such a person, even if he makes an oath, as He (Allah) said:

‏وَلا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلاّفٍ مَّهِينٍ، هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ‏

And obey not everyone who swears much, and is considered worthless, a slanderer, going about with calumnies. [Al-Qalam 10-11] [9]

Imam Abdul Azeez Bin Baz, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: This is a threat against the tale carrier. If he is a person upon Tawheed, it is hoped that he will enter paradise, but it is feared that this sin will prevent him from entry into paradise for some time and enter him into the hell fire for some time, just as it is case with all other sinners. The sinners [i.e. those who die whilst committing sins lesser than shirk] are under the will of Allah- if Allah wishes, He will either punish them or forgive them straight away, or He enters them into hell for some time and paradise thereafter, just as Allah says:

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغۡفِرُ أَن يُشۡرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغۡفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٲلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ‌ۚ

Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases]. [An-Nisaa. 48] [10]

NB: Al-Allamah Zaid Bin Hadi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “However, there is an exception in this affair when it is carried out to give some sincere advice whose benefit cannot be reached nor can harm be repelled except by way of such speech. For example, you hear a person saying that he is lying in wait against your Muslim brother and wishes to kill him, take his wealth or violate his honour, or the like thereof; you make known (its evil to him), but he refuses to accept your advice, therefore, you go to the person who is unaware and inform him about it, so that he can take precautions. Therefore, speech based on this type of intention and goal is considered to be sincere advice and it is not tantamount to causing corruption, for indeed you are either going to repel harm or bring about a benefit which one cannot do without (except by way of this transmission). And Allah knows best”. [end of quote]

Some people intentionally plot in secret to harm or tarnish the reputation of others. When their malicious actions are reported to prevent further harm, they say: “You have violated the Amanah of private meetings.” Those who were secretly passing unjust, repugnant, oppressive and false judgments of Tabdee against Shaikh Abu Iyaad, may Allah protect him, deserved be reported because this deed of theirs is tantamount to violating the honour of an innocent Muslim; rather, Tabdee is a serious matter that carries various rulings and ramifications for the person it is issued against when justified by the Qur’an and Sunnah as understood and implementated by the pious predecessors. However, there is no virtue in such judgments when they are carried out through vain desires, an instiable desire for wrongdoing, misrepresenting statements, and quickly spreading false information to gain an advantage in the name of enjoining good and forbidding evil. Wallaahul Musta’an! And Allah knows best.

[1] at-Taleeqaat Al-Maleehah Alaa Silsilatil Ahaadeeth As-Saheehah’ 1/27-28

[2] Az-Zuhd’ (446) by Al-Wakee

[3] Az-Zuhd 467 by Imam Ahmad

[4] Hilyah al-Awliya 3/195

[5] Shu’ab al-Iman 13/448 by Imam Al-Bayhaqi

[6] Tārīkh ar-Rusul wa al-Mulūk 8/585 by Imam at-Tasbari

[7] https://alathar.net/home/esound/index.php?op=codevi&coid=56024 paraphrased

[8] https://alathar.net/home/esound/index.php?op=codevi&coid=126760 paraphrased

[9] An Excerpt from: “Wujūb at-tathabbuti min al-akhbār wa iḥtirām al-‘ulamā’ wa bayān makānatihim fī al-ummah”. page 21-22

[10]: https://www.binbaz.org.sa/noor/2527