Is it halal to backbite on a non muslim.

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

is it halal to backbite on a non muslim. i know its wrong to slander. but can you back bite?


at my university so many people photocopy textbooks. this is basically plagiarising. is that haraam? minor or major sin?


is masturbating a minor or major sin?


is listening to music a minor or major sin?


how can you get somone who is really really addicted to masturbating to stop. that person prays alot, reads quran alot and soo many other good things but he cant stop masturbating. okay he could fast but then after maghrib he will go masturbate. then what?


do sins multiply in ramadan? if somone commits a sin in ramadan is it wayyy worse than commiting it outside of ramadan?


im sorry i asked soo many questions but im just really anxious to know. jaazaaakalllaaaah khair 

 

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Answer:

 

Major and minor sins

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Beloved brother, any sin whereby Allah and His Messenger (saws) have either listed it amongst the ‘major sins’ or Shariah has prescribed a punishment for it would be regarded as a ‘major’ sin (eg. Shirk, disbelief, hypocrisy, apostasy, murder, zina, burglary, theft, etc.).  All the other sins would be considered ‘minor sins’ in the context of Shariah or Islamic Jurisprudence.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 120:

120    Eschew all sins, open or secret!  Those who earn sin will get due recompense for their "earnings."

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 99 Surah Zalzalah verse 8:

8        And (on the Day of Judgment) anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.

 

Beloved brother in Islam, there is a general false misconception amongst the Muslim Ummah that it is ‘okay’ to commit minor sins; but Allah is our witness, every person will bear the burden of his evil in the Majestic Presence of The All-Mighty Lord on the Day of Judgment, regardless of whether the sin committed was classified as ‘major’ or ‘minor’!  Allah Subhanah has commanded the believers who sincerely believe in Him and the Last Day to eschew and stay far away from any and all sins, whether they are open and manifest, or secret and hidden.  A sin is a sin, and unless one sincerely seeks repentance from their Lord Most Merciful, that sin will be brought forth to account on that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Resurrection.

 

Your Question: is it halal to backbite on a non muslim. i know its wrong to slander. but can you back bite?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 49 Surah Hujuraat verse 12:

12     O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion, for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and spy not on each other nor speak ill of each other behind their backs.  Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay ye would abhor it...but fear Allah: for Allah is Oft-Returning Most Merciful.

 

Speaking ill behind another’s back or back-biting is an evil deed and a sin in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, regardless of whether one back-bites a believer or a disbeliever!   Allah Subhanah commands the believers to hate, abhor, and despise the evil sin of  back-biting another behind his back as one would hate to eat the flesh of his own dead brother!!! Such is the gravity and enormity of this ‘minor’ sin of back-biting in the Sight of The Majestic and Supreme Lord.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.81 Narrated by Ibn Abbas

Once the Prophet (saws) went through the graveyards of Medina and heard the voices of two beings who were being tortured in their graves. The Prophet (saws) said, "They are being punished, but they are not being punished because of a major sin, yet their sins are great. One of them used not to save himself from (being soiled with) the urine, and the other used to go about with calumnies (back-biting)."

 

Back-biting is absolutely impermissible and a sin in the Sight of the Lord, whether done against a believer or a disbeliever.  And just to clarify, back-biting is the speaking of a truth behind another’s back which if said in front of the person he would not like it; if one lies behind another’s back, then it would constitute a punishable crime in a Shariah Court of Law, ie. ‘slander’!

 

Your Question: at my university so many people photocopy textbooks. this is basically plagiarising. is that haraam? minor or major sin?
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.1  Narrated byUmar bin Al Khattab

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.”

 

If the person photocopies text-books and sells them without the knowledge and permission of the publisher, then indeed it would be impermissible and illegal; but if one photocopies a few pages for some genuine reason and no malicious intent, there is no harm. 

 

Plagiarizing or nor giving the credit to the person or text which originated the idea or subject would indeed be considered a (minor) sin.

 

Your Question: is masturbating a minor or major sin?
The act of masturbation is definitely a sin in the Sight of Allah; but because it is not listed amongst the ‘major’ sins by Allah and His Messenger (saws), it would constitute for definition purposes a ‘minor’ sin.

 

Your Question: is listening to music a minor or major sin?
Making or listening to ‘legal’ music would not be a sin; but if one makes or listens to ‘illegal’ music, indeed it would constitute as a sin in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.  Because listening to illegal music is not listed amongst the ‘major’ sins by Allah and His Messenger (saws), it would constitute for definition purposes a ‘minor’ sin.

 

Your Question: how can you get somone who is really really addicted to masturbating to stop. that person prays alot, reads quran alot and soo many other good things but he cant stop masturbating. okay he could fast but then after maghrib he will go masturbate. then what?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 79 Surah Naziat verses 35-41:

35      The Day when Man shall remember (all) that he strove for

36      And Hell-Fire shall be placed in full view for (all) to see

37      Then for such as had transgressed all bounds

38      And had preferred the life of this world

39      The Abode will be Hell-Fire;

40      And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from lower Desires

41      Their abode will be the Garden.

 

Beloved Brother, the only thing that would stop a person from transgressing the bounds of Allah Subhanah and committing sin is the constant thought and fear that One Inevitable Day everyone will be brought forth in the Presence of their All-Mighty Lord to give a full accounting of their deeds.  If one truly realizes the terror and horror of the reality of that Tumultuous Day, one would be able to control his ‘nafs’ from inciting them to commit any evil; for Allah is our witness, there is nothing other than the constant fear of the standing in that Supreme Tribunal that can prevent a person from committing sin.

 

Along with striving to develop ‘taqwa’ (constant fear of Allah), there are several other things one can do which would help them from transgressing the bounds of their Lord Most Majestic.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verses 200-201:

200    If a suggestion from Shaitaan assail thy (mind), seek refuge with Allah; for He Heareth and Knoweth (all things).

201    Those who fear Allah, when a thought of evil from Shaitaan assaults them, bring Allah to remembrance; when lo! they see (aright)!

 

As soon as one feels the desire, or the avowed enemy of man, the Shaitaan suggests the person to transgress any of the boundaries of Allah Subhanah;  the believers should immediately seek the refuge and protection of the All-Mighty Lord from the accursed Shaitaan by saying: “Aoodobillahe minas Shaitaan ar rajeem”.   If the person is sincere in seeking refuge and protection from committing sin, their Lord Most Merciful will protect him from the assaults of Shaitaan.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankabut verse 45:

45      Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee and establish Regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.

 

Among the other things the believers must and can do as such a stage is do the ‘wudu’, offer prayers, recite the Glorious Quran, and especially recite the 113th and 114th Surahs of the Quran (Surah Falaq and Surah Naas) and seek protection from the accursed Shaitaan.

 

The long-term remedy for keeping the Shaitaan at bay, is to constantly remember Allah Subhanah, seek and stay in the company of the righteous, recite the Quran, read good Islamic Books, listen to good Islamic cassettes and lectures, and most importantly, strive to stay away from being in solitude. 

 

If one is constantly in the face of non-mehram women, or if one regularly watches commercial television and movies,  or regularly reads commercial magazines, etc. where ill-clad women are constantly portrayed;  there is a greater chance the person will be swayed by the suggestions of Shaitaan towards ‘fahisah’ and indecency.  If one strives to abstain from these devices of Shaitaan, and strives and makes sincere efforts to remain close to the Remembrance and Guidance of Allah Subhanah, he will be successful in muting the ploys of the Shaitaan, Insha Allah.

 

Your Question: do sins multiply in ramadan? if somone commits a sin in ramadan is it wayyy worse than commiting it outside of ramadan?
Arfajah reports that: "We were with 'Utbah ibn Farqad while he was discussing Ramadan.  A companion of the Prophet (saws) entered upon the scene. When 'Utbah saw him, he became shy and stopped talking. The man [the companion] spoke about Ramadan, saying: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say during Ramadan: "The gates of Hell are closed, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the devils are in chains. An angel calls out: 'O you who intend to do good deeds, have glad tidings. O you who intend to do evil, refrain, until Ramadan is completed.'"

 

In this blessed month of Allah Subhanah when the Lord’s Mercy is overwhelming and overflowing, so much so that if a believer were to perform the ‘nafl’ or voluntary prayers he has been promised the reward of a ‘fard’ prayer of other months, where the performance of a minor Umrah pilgrimage earns the person the reward of making the major pilgrimage of Hajj, and where the rewards of doing any good deed earn multiple rewards, etc.; it is obvious that if a person disrespects and dishonors this blessed month of Allah Subhanah by transgressing His bounds and committing sin, the Wrath and Anger of Allah Subhanah on the person committing sin will be more than it would be in other months.

 

Your Statement: im sorry i asked soo many questions but im just really anxious to know 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218         Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 256         Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas

Acquiring knowledge in company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in prayer.

 

Beloved brother in Islam, the deen or ‘way of life’ called Al-Islam is based on the Wisdom and Knowledge of the All Knowing Lord, and every single command of the All Wise Lord is abundant in common-sense and logic.  Asking any type of questions in Islam to gain more knowledge, or to confirm the Truth so that one’s heart is more content, or to understand and thus follow with more conviction the dictates of the deen is not only permissible, but absolutely encouraged in Islam.  It is the right of the brother or sister to ask anything they wish to clarify in the deen; and it is the responsibility and duty of the good scholars to address the question asked to the best of their knowledge and ability, and in the most polite and humble manner.

 

What is discouraged in Islam is if one asks questions for the sake of asking, or arguing to ridicule the Truth with absolutely no intention of obeying or following when the Truth is made clear to them, etc.   But if one asks questions to clarify and seek knowledge so that one may better follow the deen; such seeking of the Knowledge of Truth is absolutely encouraged in Islam

 

Therefore my beloved brother, never ever apologize or hesitate when exercising your right to ask, seek and study this Knowledge of Truth, for Allah is our witness, the seeking of this Knowledge is absolutely obligatory on every muslim, and this striving of studying the aspects of the deen is better and superior in the Sight of Allah than even spending the whole night in prayer!  It is we who should be thankful and grateful to you for giving us the opportunity to serve in this Noble Cause of our Lord Most Gracious. 

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

Burhan

 

 
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