Conclusion

On Ghiybah

بِاسْمِهِ وَاِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

Since in the Fifth Point of the First Ray of the First Light of the Twenty-Fifth Word, a single âyah, an example in the category of censure and restraining, raising a feeling of aversion about ghiybah in six miraculous ways shows how a detestable thing ghiybah is in the view of the Qur'an, there is no need for any further explanation. Indeed, after the declaration of the Qur'an, there is neither the possibility nor the need for any further explanation.

Thus the Qur'an censures the disparagement in six degrees in the âyah:اَيُحِبُّ اَحَدُكُمْ اَنْ يَاْكُلَ لَحْمَ اَخِيهِ مَيْتًا 1 . It forbids ghiybah severely with six levels. When the âyah is directed to those who commit ghiybah, its meaning is the following:

As is well-known, the hamza2 at the beginning of the âyah means questioning (âyâ). This meaning of questioning penetrates all the words of the âyah like water. In each word, there is an implied judgement.

Thus the first says through the hamza: "Have you no mind, which is the place of question and answer, so it does not understand such an ugly thing?”

The second says through the wordيُحِبُّ 3 : "Has been your heart, which is the place of love and hate, corrupted that it loves the most loathed thing?"

The third says through the wordاَحَدُكُمْ 4 : "What has happened to your social life and civilization, which receive their life from the community (jamâ’ah), that they accept an action poisoning your life in such a way?"

The fourth says through the wordاَنْ يَاْكُلَ لَحْمَ 5 : "What has happened to your humanity that you are beastly tearing apart your friend with your teeth?"

The fifth says through the wordاَخِيهِ 6 : "Do you have no compassion towards your fellow-human beings, no mercy for Muslims and your parents and kindred (sila ar-rahm), that you are unjustly biting the ma’nawî personality of an innocent who is your brother in so many aspects? And have you no mind that you are insanely biting your own limbs with your own teeth?"

The sixth says through the wordمَيْتًا 7 : “Where is your conscience? Is your fitrah corrupted that, against your honourable brother, you commit the most loathed thing, like eating his flesh?”

It means that through the expression of the âyah and the indication of each word, disparagement and ghiybah are censured by the mind, heart, humanity, conscience, fitrah and nationhood. Now, look! By succinctly censuring the disparagement with six levels, how the âyah miraculously restrains mankind from such crime in six degrees.

Ghiybah is a vile weapon used mostly by the people of enmity, envy and obstinacy. An honourable person would not stoop to use this filthy weapon. A celebrated person said: اُكَبِّرُ نَفْسِى عَنْ جَزَاءٍ بِغِيْبَةٍ ٭ فَكُلُّ اِغْتِيَابٍ جَهْدُ مَنْ لاَ لَهُ جَهْدٌ  

That is "I do not stoop to punish my enemy with ghiybah; it. Because ghiybah is the weapon of the weak, the low and the vile."

Ghiybah is this: If the person, whose ghiybah is committed, were to be there and heard, he would be disliked and vexed. If what is said is true, it is already ghiybah. If a lie is told, it is both ghiybah and slander. It is a doubly ugly sin.

Ghiybah can be permissible (jâiz) in a few special cases:

First: In the form of a complaint, he says to an official so that he can help and remove that offence and that thing Allah disapproved, and he can take his right from him.

Second: A person wants to cooperate with him. He consults with you (mashwarah). If you say purely for the communal benefit and for fulfiling the consultation (mashwarah) and without any grudge: "Do not cooperate with him. Because you will be harmed."

Third: His purpose is not insulting or exposing. Rather, if he says: "That disabled or vagrant man went to such-and-such a place." for describing and making him recognized.

Fourth: The one, whose ghiybah is committed, is a mutajahir bi’l fisq. That is, he is not ashamed of evil but rather takes pride in the sins he commits; he finds pleasure in his dhulm without being embarrassed; he sins in an evident fashion.

Thus, in these particular cases, ghiybah can be permissible (jâiz), if it is done without a grudge and purely for the sake of haqq and communal benefit. Or else ghiybah devours ‘amal as-sâlih just like the fire devours wood.

If a person has committed ghiybah or willingly listened to it, then he should say: اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْلَنَا وَ لِمَنِ اغْتَبْنَاهُ 8 and whenever he meets with the one whose ghiybah was committed, he should say: "Forgive me."

اَلْبَاقِى هُوَ الْبَاقِى

Said Nursî