Page 84 - The Alliance of the Good

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THE ALLIANCE OF THE GOOD

Muhammad (pbuh) also became the target of such
slanderous accusations. God informs us about the kind of
attitude the conscientious people should assume when they
hear such slander against a believer:

You were bandying it about on your tongues, your
mouths uttering something about which you had no
knowledge. You considered it to be a trivial matter, but,
in God's sight, it is immense. Why, when you heard it,
did you not say, 'We have no business speaking about
this. Glory be to You! This is a terrible slander!'? (Surat
an-Nur: 15-16)
It is certain that a non-God-fearing person, or someone
who has no faith in God, will readily tell lies, concoct
slanders, and spread rumours without considering the
possible trouble he will inflict on people. That is why, it is
unreasonable and wrong to trust people who have no fear in
their hearts for God, who have weak religious values, and
who thus assume that they will not have to give an account
of their deeds in the hereafter. For the same reasons, it is
wrong to respond to their accusations without first verifying
their validity. In a verse, God explains what the approach of
believers should be in such a situation:

You who believe! If a deviator brings you a report,
scrutinize it carefully in case you attack people in
ignorance and so come to greatly regret what you have
done. (Surat al-Hujurat: 6)
An evil-doer is someone who rejects God's
commandments. That is the reason why those who are
conscientious and just should first investigate the information
brought by such people before arriving to a decision.