General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

كتاب الأدب

Chapter 39: Regarding the one who is two-faced

Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet (May peace be upon him) as saying

The worst of the people is a man who is double-faced; he presents one face to some and another to others.

Narrated Ammar

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who is two-faced in this world will have two tongues of fire on the Day of Resurrection.

Chapter 40: Regarding backbiting (al-ghibah)

Abu Hurairah said

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked: Messenger of Allah! What is back-biting? He replied: It is saying something about your brother which he would dislike. He was asked again: Tell me how the matter stands if what I say about my brother is true? He replied: If what you say of him is true, you have slandered him, and if what you say of him is not true, you have reviled him.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

I said to the Prophet (ﷺ): It is enough for you in Safiyyah that she is such and such (the other version than Musaddad's has:) meaning that she was short-statured. He replied; You have said a word which would change the sea if it were mixed in it. She said: I imitated a man before him (out of disgrace). He said: I do not like that I imitate anyone even if I should get such and such.

Narrated Sa'id ibn Zayd

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The most prevalent kind of usury is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim's honour.

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The gravest sin is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim's honour, and it is a major sin to abuse twice for abusing once.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When I was taken up to heaven I passed by people who had nails of copper and were scratching their faces and their breasts. I said: Who are these people, Gabriel? He replied: They are those who were given to back biting and who aspersed people's honour.

Abu Dawud said: Yahya b. 'Uthman has also transmitted it from Baqiyyah, there is no mention of Anas in it.

This tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Isa b. Abi ‘Isa al-sailahini from Abu al-Mughirah, as Ibn al-musaffa said.

Narrated AbuBarzah al-Aslami

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: O community of people, who believed by their tongue, and belief did not enter their hearts, do not back-bite Muslims, and do not search for their faults, for if anyone searches for their faults, Allah will search for his fault, and if Allah searches for the fault of anyone, He disgraces him in his house.

Narrated Al-Mustawrid

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone eats once at the cost of a Muslim's honour, Allah will give him a like amount of Jahannam to eat; if anyone clothes himself with a garment at the cost of a Muslim's honour, Allah will clothe him with like amount of Jahannam; and if anyone puts himself in a position of reputation and show Allah will disgrace him with a place of reputation and show on the Day of Resurrection.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

Everything of a Muslim is sacred to a Muslim : his property, honour and blood. It is enough evil for any man to despise his brother Muslim.

Chapter 41: Guarding the honor of one's brother

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Anas

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone guards a believer from a hypocrite, Allah will send an angel who will guard his flesh on the Day of Resurrection from the fire of Jahannam; but if anyone attacks a Muslim saying something by which he wishes to disgrace him, he will be restrained by Allah on the bridge over Jahannam till he is acquitted of what he said.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah ; AbuTalhah ibn Sahl al-Ansari

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: No (Muslim) man will desert a man who is a Muslim in a place where his respect may be violated and his honour aspersed without Allah deserting him in a place here he wishes his help; and no (Muslim) man who will help a Muslim in a place where his honour may be aspersed and his respect violated without Allah helping him in a place where he wishes his help.

Yahya said: 'Ubaid Allah b. 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar and 'Uqbah b. Shaddad transmitted it to me.

Abu Dawud said: This yahya b. Sulaim is the son of Zaid, the freed slave of the Prophet (ﷺ), and Isma'il b. Bashir is the freed slave of Banu Maghalah. Sometimes the name of 'Utbah b. Shaddad is mentioned instead of 'Uqbah.

Chapter 42: Cases where it is not backbiting

Narrated Jundub

A desert Arab came and making his camel kneel and tethering it, entered the mosque and prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had given the salutation, he went to his riding beast and, after untethering and riding it, he called out: O Allah, show mercy to me and to Muhammad and associate no one else in Thy mercy to us. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: Do you think that he or his camel is farther astray? Did you not listen to what he said? They replied: Certainly.

Chapter 43: Forgiving others for backbiting

Narrated Qatadah

Is one of you helpless to be like AbuDaygham or Damdam (Ibn Ubayd is doubtful) who would say when morning came: O Allah, I gave my honour as alms to Thy servants?

‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Ajlan reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Hashim bin al-Qasim from Muhammad b. 'Adb Allah al-'Ammi from Thabit on the authority of Anas from Prophet (ﷺ) to the same effect.

Abu Dawud said: The tradition of Hammad (i.e. 'Abd al-Rahman's version) is sounder.

Chapter 44: Regarding spying

Narrated Mu'awiyah

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: If you search for the faults of the people, you will corrupt them, or will nearly corrupt them. AbudDarda' said: These are the words which Mu'awiyah himself from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and Allah benefited him by them.

Narrated Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib ; AbuUmamah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When a ruler seeks to make imputations against the people, he corrupts them.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Zayd ibn Wahb said: A man was brought to Ibn Mas'ud. He was told: This is so and so, and wine was dropping from his beard. Abdullah thereupon said: We have been prohibited to seek out (faults). If anything becomes manifest to us, we shall seize it.

Chapter 45: Concealing (the fault of) a Muslim

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who sees something which should be kept hidden and conceals it will be like one who has brought to life a girl buried alive.