Chapter IV: Dangers of the Tongue
0f the worst of you ? The companions asked : O Prophet of God, tell us that. The Prophet said : They are those who walk with slander, create disturbance among friends and mix falsehood with the fulls of the pious men. The Prophet said : If a man gives hint to disgrace a Muslim unjustly, God will disgrace him in Hell on the Resurrection Day. The Prophet said : If a man uses a word in order to disgrace an innocent man in the world, it becomes the duty of God to burn him in Hell fire on the Resurrection Day. The Prophet said : He who bears witness against a Muslim which is not true in his case, should enquire into his place in Hell. The pious men said : For this slander one third of the punishment will be meted out in the grave. The Prophet sajd : When God created Paradise, He said to it : Talk with me. Paradise said : He who will enter me is fortunate. The Almighty God said : By My Glory and Honour, eight classes of men will not find place in you — (1) a habitual drunkard, (2) a lift-long fornicator, (3) a slanderer, (4)
one who encourages his own wife and daughter to fornication,s (5) an oppressor, (6) one who swears blood-tie, (7) one who swears in the name of God 'I will do this work', but he does not do it.
Once there was a severe famine among the children of Israil.
Moses then prayed many times for shower of rain, but there was no rain. God then revealed to him : There is a slanderer among you. He always tells the faults of one to another. For that I will not accept your invocation. Moses said : O Lord, show me that person, I will now eject him from our party. He said : O Moses, I prohibited you to make slander on a person. They then all repented and there was shower of rain.
It' has been reported that a man crossed the path of fourteen hundred miles in search' of a wise pious man and asked him seven questions — (1) what is heavier than sky, (2) what thing is more spacious than the earth? (3) what thing is harden than stone?
(4) what thing is hotter than fire ? (5) what thing is colder than ice ? (6) what is richer than sea ? (7) who is more humiliated that an orphan ? The wise man reported to him serially — (1) slander of an innocent man is heavier than sky, (2) truth is wider than the earth, (3) the heart of an unbeliever is harder than that of a stone, (4) greed and hatred are hotter than fire, (5) the heart of man who does not remove the wants of relatives is colder than ice, (6) a contended heart is richer than sea and (7) the slanderer becomes more humiliated than an orphan when his action is disclosed.
120 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-III