Backbiting (Gheebah)

• Q1 - I want to try to stop my sister from backbiting behind my younger sister. My younger sister is sweet and she takes care of our mom. What should I do given that she isn’t listening to me? 

  A - Salamun Alaykum
  
  May Allah bless you and your family. Your concern for your sister and wanting to guide her is indeed noble. Amr bil maroof, or inviting people towards good has different stages. You can try to show kindness and with love and care explain to her that backbiting is a sin. You can also slowly in your conversations explain to her that this is a great sin with serious consequences. If your words of guidance do not have an effect you can show your disapproval of her actions by politely excusing yourself when she engages in backbiting and make dua for her.
  
  Also at times the trigger for backbiting can be something deeper such as an unhealthy relationships between the two or jealousy. If you are able to identify that and resolve those you will have a better result.

  
  
  

  MoulanaOnline Aalim Team

• Q2 - 1. If I previously made the intention to stay away from a particular act that I thought was a sin at the time, but I later realize that it is not a sin, am I breaking a promise/covenant with Allah swt if I do the act?2. Also, if I was not raised with the knowledge that backbiting is haram (though within the fitrah it is clear it is not a good thing to do), and I backbit many people when I was younger because it was a kind of norm at school, but now I have repented to Allah and sought His forgiveness, do I have to seek forgiveness from each person I backbit to be forgiven by Allah? 

  A - 1. If you did not do proper oath with intention of qasam then it is okay and you will have no kaffarah.
  
  2. It is good to seek general forgiveness from those around you, for example you can say its thursday night please forgive me if i have done anything wrong to any of you in a group setting.

  
  
  

  MoulanaOnline Aalim Team

• Q3 - Is it permissible to do ghibah of non-Muslims? I know that it is better not to do it from an ethical standpoint, but is it sinful and haram according to Islam? 

  A - Ghibah is destroying the respect of a Muslim and of the person and you should not do it. We need to respect all human beings and also the act of ghiba towards anyone is not good for a person as it has bad spiritual effects on ones soul.

  
  
  

  MoulanaOnline Aalim Team

• Q4 - test, please ignore

  
  
  

  A -

  test, pleze ignore

  MoulanaOnline Aalim Team