HADITH 35

for ages 9-10

Backbiting

Lessons learnt from this Hadith:

1. Backbiting means to say such things about someone in his absence which if he happens to hear he will dislike.2. If what is said about him is found in him then this is gheebah and if not, then it is slander, which is worse than backbiting.3. Backbiting creates disunity, fighting, hatred, jealousy, etc.4. Backbiting is like eating someone's dead flesh.5. We are giving all our good deeds away to that person whom we speak ill of.

Rasulullah once commanded the people to fast and said to them that none of them should break their fast until he gives them permission. When the night set in, a person came to Rasulullah j and said, "O Rasulullah , please permit me to break my fast." Rasulullah permitted him.Another person came with the same request and was also granted permission to break his fast. A third person came and said, "O Rasulullah, there are two women who are finding the fast very difficult. They are feeling shy to ask you for permission to break their fast. Please give thempermission."

Rasulullah turned away from him. Hepresented his request a second time but again Rasulullah turned away from him. When he requested for the third time, Rasulullah turned away from him and said, "They did not fast. They were eating the flesh of people during the day (they were indulging in gheebah). Go and tell them to vomit." This man went and told those two women to vomit.

When they vomited, blood and pieces of flesh came out. He returned and informed Rasulullah of whathappened. Rasulullah said, "If that blood and flesh remained in their stomachs, they would have entered thefire of Jahannum."

Happy Land for Islamic TeachingsMaterial taken from the book “Tasheelul Ahaadeeth wal Akhlaaq