Page 40 - Commonly Disregarded Qur'anic Rulings

38 COMMONLY DISREGARDED QURANIC RULINGS

cause, although some people often deem them insignificant.
And in another verse, Allah gives a serious warning against
those who criticize others behind their backs. The verse con-
tains this command:

Woe to every faultfinding backbiter. (Surat Al-
Humaza; 1)
No indeed! He will be flung into the Shatterer. And
what will convey to you what the Shatterer is? The
kindled Fire of Allah. (Surat Al-Humaza; 4-6)
From the continuation of the verse, we can see that there
is a certain warning of Hell for those who adopt this kind of
behavior. It is obvious that this corrupt morality has no place
in the Qur’an and believers must beware of it.
Satan may promote suspicion and backbiting (resulting
from rage, jealousy and uncompassionate attitudes) through
the rationale that bringing out one’s feelings is in the interest
of his religion. However, Allah has forbidden such conduct.
The same is true of suspicion, another attitude that believ-
ers need to avoid. Backbiting and spying are more observable

in comparison to suspicion or negative assumptions, so
believers who witness those acts have more opportunity to
warn the offender. But suspicion is felt in the heart and can be
detected only by the person concerned. If one fails to be alert
against it, he may find himself harboring evil thoughts. A
believer is responsible not only for his deeds, but also for atti-
tudes, feelings and thoughts if left uncontrolled.
Throughout this book, we shall see that believers are also
responsible for other feelings such as resentment, envy, fear,