VERSE 11:

"You should neither discredit each other nor

abuse each other with nicknames. The worst of
titles is that of 'immorality' after that of 'Belief'
and whoever does not repent is truly an
oppressor." [Soorah al-Hujurat (49): 11]

Nicknaming: Parting from Nicknaming is the

second step towards establishing a successful

society. Islamic brotherhood can never exist in an
environment, where people's faults are harshly
exposed, as it corrupts the basis of unity. A
Muslim is strictly prohibited from uttering words
of curse or names, which involve insult or
defamation of another person. Islam forbids
revealing faults except in cases of necessity, like
court or marriage cases.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)

said: "Cursing a Muslim is wickedness and fighting

against him is disbelief." [Saheeh al-Bukharee no:
6044, 7076 and Saheeh Muslim, no: 64] and "The
believer is not a person who hurts others with words, or
curses or swears or is foul-mouthed." [Adab al-Mufrad
of Imaam Bukharee] He also said: "The Believers whose
faith is most perfect are those who have the best
character." [Sunan Abu Dawood (v: 3, no: 4665)]
Nicknaming shows ignorance and low moral character
therefore: "Allah does not love anyone who is foulmouthed and obscene." [Musnad Ahmad (thiqat)] and:
"Verily, Allah will be angry with the disgusting, foulmouthed person." [At-Tabarane (thiqat)] It is not
befitting a believer, who believes in the Day of
Judgment and accountability of actions to commit such

ugly and immoral acts, which decrease one's Eemaan.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)

said: "Do not hurt the feelings of Allah's servants, do not
embarrass them; do not seek to expose their faults.
Whoever seeks to expose the faults of his Muslim
brother, Allah will expose his faults and expose him,
even if he hides in the innermost part of his home."
[Musnad Ahmad - (Rijaal -as-Saheeh)]
Allah pointed out to the seriousness of verbal abuse
saying: "The worst titles is that of 'immorality' after that
of 'Belief'." And His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "It is sufficient evil for a man to despise his
Muslim brother." [Saheeh Muslim] Once, he (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) asked his companions, "Do you know
who is the one who is ruined?" They said: "It is the one
who has no money or possession." He (sallallahu alaihi

wa-sallam) said: "The one who is ruined among my

Ummah is the one who comes on the Day of

Resurrection with prayer, fasting and Zakaat to his
credit, but he had insulted this one, slandered that one,
devoured one's wealth, shed that one's blood, and beat
that one. So some of his good deeds will be given to this
one and some to that one... And if his good deeds run
out before all his victims have been compensated, then
some of their sins will be taken and added to his, then
he will be thrown into the Hell." [Saheeh Muslim]
Therefore, "He who has a right he has to pay back,
whether with regards to honor, or anything else, let him
pay it back today before there will be neither Deenar
nor Dirham (i.e. The Day of Judgment); if he has good
work, it will be taken from him, what is equal to injustice
(done to the people). If he has no good deeds, then

some of his foe's sins will be taken from him, and he

(the unjust person) will be burdened with them."

[Saheeh Muslim 4/6251)]
Unfortunately, today this ugly practice of Nicknaming
has become a way of life. Social gathering, elections,
debates are filled with personal jokes and character
assassination of the opposition. Whereas, Islam
strictly prohibits such evil practices and encourages
covering the faults of others and seeking to eliminate
them because Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Each of you is the mirror of his brother,
so if he sees any faults in him, he should wipe it away
from him." [Sunan Abu Dawood 3/4900] and:
"Whoever covers the faults of a Muslim, Allah will
cover his faults on the Day of Resurrection."
[(Saheeh) Sunan at-Tirmidhee 2/1152]

Verse 12: "O you who believe! Avoid much
suspicion indeed some suspicions are sins. And
spy not, neither backbite one another." [Soorah
]al-Hujurat (49): 12

Suspicion: The focal point of the above verse is to

shed light on the hidden and secretive sins that are

prevalent amongst the Muslims. The fact that these
sins are born, sustained and conducted from within
one's self gives it a more lethal effect in destroying
Islamic brotherhood. Islam seeks to uproot and
destroy these evils from the very beginning.

Suspicion is the stepping-stone that the Shaytaan

uses to exploit the Muslims to the other evils
mentioned in the verse, namely; backbiting, gossip
and spying. Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) stressed to the believers the dangers of
suspicion saying: "Beware of suspicion, for suspicion
is the worst of false tales" [Saheeh al-Bukharee
8/90]

Also, private conversation must be avoided since such a

practice is likely to make the third person suspicious or at
least, feel bad for being excluded from the conversation.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said:
"When you are three persons sitting together, then no
two of you should hold secret counsel excluding the third
person until you are with some other people too, for that
would grieve him." [Saheeh al-Bukharee, 8 /305]Another
evil branch of suspicion is uncontrolled curiosity, which
simultaneously leads to the despised practice of Spying
into the private affairs of others. Islam vehemently
opposes invasion of one's privacy and sternly warns
against it. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Part of a man's good observance of Islam is
that he leaves alone what does not concern him."
[(Saheeh) Shaikh al-Albanee in Saheeh Sunan atTirmidhee, vol. 2, no: 1886 (at-Tirmidhee 4839)]

Safiyah (a wife of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) narrates that once she came to visit
Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)
while he was in Itikaaf (i.e. seclusion in the
mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan).
When she got up to return, Allah's Messenger
(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) got up with her and
accompanied her. When he reached near the
gate of the mosque, close to the door (of the
house) of Umm Salamah (another wife of the
Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam), two Ansari
men passed by them, greeted him and then went
away. Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) addressed them saying, "Don't hurry!
(She is my wife)."

They said, "Glorified be Allah! O Messenger of Allah

(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) (You are far away
from any suspicion)," and his saying was hard on
them. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam): "Shaytaan circulates in the mind of a
person, as blood does (in his body). I was afraid
that Shaytaan might put some (evil) thoughts in
your minds." [Saheeh al-Bukharee, vol: 4 no:
333]

Abu Hurayrah (radhi allahu anhu) reported the

Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)
strictly warning against spying, he (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said: "If a man sees you in a
state of undress without your permission and you
blinded him by throwing a stone in his eye, there
would be no blame on you." [Saheeh Muslim vol:
3 no: 5371] It is mentioned in Adaab al-Mufrad
with authentic chain of narrators that a man
peeped through a hole into the dwelling place of
Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)
while he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) was offering
Salaat

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) took an

arrow from his quiver and pointed towards the

man's eye (to pierce it with the arrow). The man
withdrew his head and the Messenger of Allah
(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam): "If you had
remained I would have pierced your eye with my
arrow." [(Saheeh) Adaab al-Mufrad]

Ibn Abbas (radhi allahu anhu) reported from the

Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam):

"One who eavesdrops on the conversation of
others and hears what they would not like him to
hear will have molten brass poured in his ears on
the day of Judgment." [(Saheeh) by Shaikh alAlbanee in Saheeh al-Jamee as-Sagheer, vol. 2
no: 6028] and Hudhayfah (radhi allahu anhu)
narrated: "The habitual eavesdropper will not
enter Paradise." [Saheeh al-Bukharee vol: 8 no:
82]

Gheebah (Backbiting): When the Messenger of

Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) was asked

about Gheebah, he defined it saying:
"Backbiting implies your talking about your
brother in a manner, which he does not like." It
was said to him: "What is your opinion about this
that if I actually find in my brother which I made
a mention of? He said: "If (that failing) is actually
found (in him) what you assert, you have in fact
backbitten him, and if that is not in him it is a
slander." [Saheeh Muslim, no: 6265]

Gheebah is not only restricted to the tongue, it

may be so that we imitate or mimic someone's

defect or description. Aa'ishah (radhi allahu
anha) said: "A woman came in our house. When
she left, I moved my hands indicating that she
was short. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "You have backbitten her." [Abu
Dawood]

One, who listens to Gheebah is also a sinner

unless he opposes it with his tongue or heart

because "Whoever witnesses the humiliation of a
believer and doesn't support him while being
capable of supporting him, Allah will humiliate
him before all the creatures (on the day of
judgment)." [Musnad Ahmad]

VERSE 13: "O mankind! We have created you

from a male and a female, and made you into
nations and tribes, that you may know one
another. Verily, the most honorable of you with
Allah is that (believer) who has Taqwa (Godconsciousness, fearing Allah). Verily, Allah is All]Knowing, All-Aware." [Soorah al-Hujurat (49): 13
!

Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)

strictly abhorred racial discrimination. Abu Dharr

(radhi allahu anhu) said: "There was an argument
between me and one of my brothers whose
mother was non-Arab. I insulted him about his
mother, and he complained about me to the
Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam). I met the
Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) and he said,
"O Abu Dharr, you are a man who still has
Jahiliyyah (ignorance) in him." [Saheeh alBukharee and Saheeh Muslim (3139)]

It is mentioned in Musnad Ahmad that Allah's'

Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) was

never pleased by any person or any thing, except
a man with Taqwa. He (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "There is no superiority of an Arab
over a non-Arab except due to Taqwa." [alSilsilat al-Saheeh, (2700) Musnad Ahmad, Ibn
Asaakir and Ibn Sa'd]

It is related in a long Hadeeth of Saheeh Muslim

that Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Allah does not look at your faces
and wealth, rather He consider your hearts and
deeds." And he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said
to Abu Dharr: "Remember! You have no virtue
over any brown or black (man) But yes! If you
increase in Taqwa then you are a virtuous man."
[Musnad Ahmad] Thus, Islam gives equal rights
to all, rich and poor, noble and ignoble and there
is no superiority of anyone over anybody else in
Islam, except in terms of Taqwa. And this is the
basis of Islamic society.

VERSE 14:
"The Bedouins say: "We have believed." Say to
them: "You have not yet believe', say instead,
'We have accepted Islam' for true belief has not
yet entered into your hearts. But if you obey
Allah and His Messenger you will not lose any of
your (good) deeds for verily, Allah is Most
"Forgiving, and Most Merciful.
][Soorah al-Hujurat (49): 14

(
)

VERSE 14: "But if you obey Allah and His

)Messenger, you will not lose any of your (good
deeds for verily Allah is Most Forgiving, and Most
]Merciful." [Soorah al-Hujurat (49): 15

VERSE16- 17: "Say: Are you announcing to Allah about
your (belief in the) religion when Allah already knows the
contents of the Heavens and the Earth? And Allah knows
well all things. They consider their acceptance of Islam as
a favor to you. Say: 'Do not make your Islam a favor to
me. Instead it is Allah, who has done you a favor by
."guiding you to Eemaan, if you are earnest

)(