Ramadan Day 26: Verses from the Quran
Sun Oct 30, 2005 at 08:38:26 PM PDT
Each day during
Ramadan, I am presenting a verse from the Quran with a few thoughts or comments. An introduction to this series is
here. Inshallah (God willing), I hope that this may be of benefit to any who are interested in learning a bit more about Islam and Muslim belief.
Quran 49:11-49:12:
O you, those who have faith, do not some of you laugh at others: it may be that those (people) are better. And let not women (laugh) at other women: it may be that those women are better. And do not defame yourselves nor insult with nicknames - evil is the name of corruption after faith. And who does not repent are wrongdoers. O you, those who have faith, avoid most suspicion. Surely some suspicion is a sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Do you love that one of you should eat the flesh of his dead brother? No, you detest it. So be in awe of Allah (God). Surely Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful
This verse provides a listing of types of behaviors that one ought to avoid. These include:
- laughing at others
- defaming others
- insulting others with nicknames
- indulging in suspicion of others
- spying on others
- backbiting others
This list seems self-evident in a way, we all know that these are wrong. But, at least in my own experience, actually avoiding them is a lot easier said than done.
How often do we put others down, talk about them behind their backs, or darkly suspect their motives or what they are really up to? A lot more often than we realize, in many cases.
This type of behavior is compared here to cannibalism (eating the flesh of one's dead brother). Just as we are repulsed by the idea of cannibalism, we should be repulsed by mistreating our brothers and sisters in these ways.
Thinking about it in this way may motivate us to take it more seriously and work harder to avoid it.
A good article summarizing Islamic teachings on this is Backbiting and Slander, an Islamic Perspective, which cites some related verses from the Quran as well as sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
