Aslam

(3) Third condition. If any guilt is attributed to you from which you are free, you should not hate and rebuke one who back-bited you. Rather you should think of three matters. The first matter is that if you are free from the guilt, there may be another guilt like that in you. What God kept concealed is more.
You should rather express gratefulness to God that He did not disclose all your faults. The second matter is that his back- biting will be expiation of your remaining faults and sins. The virtues of one who back-bites you will come to you. He who praises you cuts your back. Why then do you feel joy as the cutting of your back and become sorry for getting virtues which will take you to the nearness of God? The third matter is that the rebuker falls from the eyes of God as he destroys his religion and destroys himself by his false accusation and calls for self destruction. You should rather say: May God correct him, accept his repentance and show mercy on him.

When the teeth of the Prophet were martyred and his face was wounded by the attack of the enemies and when the enemies killed his uncle Hamza, he prayed: O God, forgive my people. O God, give guidance to my people, as they do not know. Once a man wounded the head of Ibrahim-b-Adham who prayed for forgiveness of his sins. When asked the reason of this prayer, he

Vol-III Love of power and show 223

said: I know that I will get merits on account of that and there would remain nothing for me from him but good. So I don't like that he should get punishment for me. In short, if you can give up the trouble of rebuke, it will be easy for you as his accusation will not be able to exercise any influence in your mind. The root of religion in contentment which cuts the greed of wealth and love of power. Love of power and praise will remain in your mind till there remains in your mind greed and passion. .

Classification of men in matters of praise and condemnation. One who praises and one who accuses have got four conditions. The first condition is that the praised man expresses gratefulness to the praiser for his praise and wishes to take revenge on one who accuses him. Thists the condition of the general people. This class of men is worst. The Second Condition is that the accused man hates the accuser in mind but keeps his tongue and limbs under control from taking revenge, he becomes pleased with the praiser but does not express his satisfaction. There is harm in it but this condition is better than the first one.