persuade others to refrain from it as well. May Allah Almighty protect us from quarrels, fights, tale-telling and all the sins!

اٰمِيۡن بِجَاهِ النَّبِيِّ الۡاَمِيۡن صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيۡهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب           صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

A tale-teller can never be truthful

Dear Islamic brothers! Remember! Whenever anyone comes to us and says something negative about someone, for example, so and so is a cheater, so and so breaches promises, so and so has spoken ill of you etc., then we shall not blindly believe at all in what he says. Because due to backbiting and tale-telling, he has become a Faasiq, i.e. who commits sin openly, and news relayed by a Faasiq shall not be believed. If we study the Seerah of righteous predecessors, then we will obtain the Madani pearl that whenever anyone would bring such news to them that would be against someone, then instead of believing it without authentication, they would bless him with the Madani pearls of advice while reforming him. Let us go through four instructive parables in this relation.

1. A tale-teller can never be a truthful person

Hujjat-ul-Islam Sayyiduna Imam Muhammad Ghazali رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has narrated: Sayyiduna Imam Muhammad Bin Shihaab Zuhri رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was once sitting with the king, Sulayman Bin Abdul Malik. In the meanwhile, a person came. In an unpleasant manner, the king said to him, ‘I came to know that you have said such and such a thing about me.’ He replied, ‘I never said any such thing.’ The king persistently said, ‘The one who has told me, (how can he lie?) He is a very truthful person.’ Sayyiduna Imam Zuhri رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه addressed the king and said, ‘(The one who gave you this news is a tale-teller and) a tale-teller can never be truthful.’ Listening to this, the king calmed down and said:  ‘Your Highness! You are absolutely right.’ Then the king said to that person: ‘اِذْھَبْ بِسَلَامٍ’ i.e. return with peace. (Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, vol. 3, pp. 193)