Chapter IV: Dangers of the Tongue
falsehood and pardon you if you want it. The man said : O Commander of the faithful, pardon me. Muhammad-b-Ka'ab w&s once asked : Which conduct of a believer is harmful to him?
pfe said : Excessive talk, disclose of secrets and belief in' everybody's words. Mussb- b-Jubair said : To believe in defamation is worse than defamation, as defamation shows the my but belief in defamation gives permission. He who shows the path to a thing is not equal to one who admits it and gives permission. So beware of slanderers and defamers.
Once a man sought permission of Calip's Solaiman to speak.
Permission was granted and the man said : O Commander of the faithful, some men defamed you. They purchased your world in exchange of their religion and gained your pleasure in earning the displeasure of God. They fear you in matters of God and does not fear God in your matters. So don't trust them for the trust which God has given you and don't band over to them the thing which God has given you to protect, as they will spread harm a among the people and will destroy you by the help of their relatives. Their aims are rebellion and slander, their means are backbiting and defamation. You are responsible for their guilts and they are not responsible for your guilts. Their world will not be good if they destroy your next world because the worst deception is that of a man who sells his next world in exchange of the world of another.
The wise Luqman advised his son : O dear son, I am giving you such admonitions which, if you stick to, you will not be deprived of influence : Treat well with the near and the distant ones, don't express your ignorance to the persons of honour and dishonou^save your friends, keep the tie of relationship with you relatives, save them from the deception of a slanderer and save yourself from one who wishes harm to you and to play deceit.
When you part away from your friends and they part from you, don't tell their evil and they also shall not tell your evil. A pious man said : The root of slander is falsehood, envy and hypocrisy.
These three things are the root of disgrace.
The sage Hammad-b-Salmah said : A man purchased a slave. The seller said to the buyer : He has got no fault in him except one which is double-dealing. The buyer said : I am satisfied. Then he purchased him. After some days' stay with his master, the slave said to his wife : Your husband does not love
if
122 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-III