Chapter VI: Seclusion
(15) Keep the secrets of Muslims secret: The Prophet said : If a man keeps the guilts of a Muslims secret, God will keep his guilts secret both in this world and the next. He also said : If a man keeps the sin of a man secret in this world, God will keep all of his sins secret on the Resurrection Day. The Prophet said : If a believeT keeps the fault of his brother secret, he will enter Paradise. When Ma'az disclosed the condition of his fornication to the Prophet, he said : Had you kept it concealed under your cloth, it would have been better. Hazrat Abu Bakr said: If I see a drunkard, I entertain such a hope in my mind that God will keep this sin secret. Hazrat Omar one night went out in the city in disguise and saw a man and a woman in obscene action . In the morning he told the people : I f certain Ameer sees a man and a woman committing fornication and if he metes out prescribed punishment in the Quran to them, what is your opinion about it ?
They said : You are a ruler. You have got freedom in this action.
Hazrat Ali said : Punishment in this case is unlawful, rather you are to suffer punishment for this for slander. This punishment cannot be meted out without the evidence of four persons. After this, Hazrat Omar kept silent for some days. Again he questioned them and they replied as they had said : He became inclined towards the opinion of Hazrat Ali and decided not to mete out the punishment . This is a good proof that the sins of the Muslims should be kept secret and that four eye witness are necessary for the capital punishment for fornication which is practically is possible in a case of sexual of sexual intercourse. The Prophet said : When God keeps the sin of a persons secret, He is more honourable to disclose it in the next world. Hazrat Abdur Rauf-b-Auf narrated : We came out with Hazrat Omar secretly to travel in the city of Medina in the grim midnight. We saw a light in a house and proceeded towards it. When we came near, we found that in a closed door Rabia-b-Omayya was intoxicated
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