Aslam

(3) The third cause is the joy of the echo of the praise of the praiser. Its medicine is this. It is connected with your present power which has got no stability. So it can not be an object of joy.
You should hate it as it throws you in anxieties and thoughts. A certain sage said: The devil makes his abode in the mind of one who feels joy for praise. Another sage said: When you are said:
How good a man you are, you should then say: How bad you are:
By God, you are really a bad man. Once a man praised another man before the Prophet for his good works. The Prophet said: If your .praised man would have been present and he would have remained satisfied with what you uttered or died in that condition/ he would have been a dweller of Hell. Once the Prophet said to a praiser: We to you! You have broken his back.
Had he heard your praise, he would not have got salvation till Resurrection Day. The Prophet said: beware, don't praise one another. When you see th prayers, throw dust on their faces.
Once a Caliph (of Khulafae Rashedin) asked something from a man who said to him: You are better and more learned than me.
He got enraged at this and said: I have not told you to proclaim my purity. At another time, a man said to a companion: So long as God keeps you alive, the people will remain in good works. He got enraged at this praise and said: I think you are an inhabitant of Iraq. Praise of men were objects of hatred to the companions.

MEDICINE OF BACK-BITING

He who back-bites you falls into three conditions: (1) Wh;. .
he says might be true and for that he advises you for your good.
(2) What he says might be true, but his object is to give you trouble

222 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-III

by backbiting you, and show your guilt, (3) First condition: With regard to the first condition, if he rebukes you by way of admonition for your good, you should not rebuke him, nor he enraged on him and to show your guilt. (3) What he says might be untrue. First condition. With regard to the first condition, if he rebukes you by way of admonition for your good, you should not rebuke him, nor be enraged on him. Rather you should be delighted to hear it for removing your guilt. Second condition. If his object is to give you trouble by his back-biting, you should consider it as a benefit as he has shown your defect or guilt. This should be considered as a good fortune. This can be clearly explained by an illustration. You wish to go to the Darber of an emperor, but there is impurity and stool and urine in your dress. If one shows you the uncleanliness in. your dress, you should be thankful to him, because you have been prevented from being put to disgrace by the emperor. Similarly the evil conducts are ruinous in the next world. You can know these from your enemies. It is a gift to you though the object of your enemies is to give you trouble.