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cause is that when the people see some fault in the religious men they say that a particular religious man has got all qualities but he has got one fault. If they express that fault, it will be back- biting. The second cause is sympathy for the person backbited by saying: The affair of that unfortunate man has caused my anxiety. If he mentions his name, he will be back-biting him. The third cause is to express anger for God's sake on anybody mentioning his name. If his name is not mentioned, it will not be back- biting him.

MEDICINE TO RESTRAINTONGUE FROM BACK-BITING:

Know, O dear readers, that the medicine of back-biting is knowledge and action or a mixture of knowledge and action. The medicine of a disease is its opposite. There are two kinds of medicines of back-biting, general medicine and special medicine.
The general medicine is that the backbiter should have this knowledge that in case of back-biting, he will fall in the wrath of God and that his virtues will be lost on the Resurrection Day for this cause as his virtue will go to the back-bited. Back-biting has been likened to eating a dead animal. The Prophet said:
Back-biting consumes the virtues of a man sooner than the fire consumes a dry wood. One day a man said to Hazrat Hasan Basari: I heard that you have back- bited me. He said: You have not acquired such rank that I will give all my virtues to you. The Prophet said: He is blessed who cannot see the faults of others because he remains busy with his own faults. A man said to a wise man: O man of ugly face. He said in reply: I would have made it unlawful if it were in my head.

The special medicines of back-biting are as follows: In order to apply these medicines, the root cause of backbiting is to be searched. There are eight causes as described above and those causes shall have to be cut off. Anger is a cause which should be brought under complete control. If you are determined to take revenge upon a person out of anger, know that God will take revenge upon you out of anger for your back-biting as He has prohibited you from that. The Prophet said: Hell has got a door.
He who causes the anger of God by committing sins will enter Hell through that door and nobody else. The prophet said: The tongue of one who fears God comes under control and his anger is also brought under control. He also said: If a man appeases anger though he has got right to express it, God will call him on

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he Resurrection Day before all the creatures and say: Take

hichever Hur you like. God said in one of the earlier scriptures:

'0 son of Adam, remember Me at the time of your wrath, I will

remember you at the time of My wrath. In other words, I will not

destroy you along w»tr» others who will be destroyed.

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