With so much in the news these past weeks which seems never-ending and leaves a bad taste afterwards, one does think as a good Muslim, what our response ought to be. What is the correct and the Shar’aee response to such personal videos that have been leaked and are now viral. This article and video explains how we need to respond.
It is said in the Qur’an:
لَوْلَآ اِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوْهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنٰتُ بِاَنْفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَّقَالُوْا ھٰذَآ اِفْكٌ مُّبِيْنٌ
Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another and say, “This is an obvious falsehood”?
[An-Nur:12]
Why did it not happen that when the news came to us about “so and so,” and the video about “so and so,” and they have done this or that or someone’s son or daughter has been involved with “so and so,” why did we spread it? Where were we at that time and what were we thinking?
Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says in the Qur’an:
ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنٰتُ بِاَنْفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَّقَالُوْا ھٰذَآ اِفْكٌ مُّبِيْنٌ
Think good of one another and say, “This is an obvious falsehood”?
The simple understanding of this verse is that believing men and women should have applied the situation on to themselves. What if we were involved in this scandal or what if our children were a part of this? Everyone has a private life and one that they do not prefer to share with others at times. We all have videos one that either has been recorded on our cell phone cameras or one that our “kiraman katibeen,” (the angles that rest on our shoulders) write down. These angels note our each and every good and bad deeds. These videos will be presented to our on the Day of Judgement.)
وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ
And when the pages are made public
[At-Takweer: 10]
Our Book of Deeds have come in front of us. We learn in the Qur’an:
وَوُضِعَ الْكِتَابُ فَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَا وَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَٰذَا الْكِتَابِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصَاهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, “Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?” And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.
[Al-Kahf: 49]
This is what was written by those angels resting on our shoulders. We will be fearful when this book is placed in front of us. It will sadden us. It will melt the highest of mountains and the criminals will want to hide. They will see that nothing was left out of from being written and they will cry and say:
يَا وَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصَاهَا
“Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?”
There will be absolutely no sin neither big or small that would have been omitted. All has been preserved as it was done, where it was done and the condition in which it was carried out.
وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا
And they will find what they did present [before them].
No one would be able to deny their deeds at this point. The fact of the matter will be:
وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا
And your Lord does injustice to no one.
This is the time when they are repaid for their deeds. They will have to confess to their actions and they will be then humiliated as a result. The punishment will then become applicable upon them.
ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ
That is for what your hands have put forth and because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants.
[Ali-Imran: 182]
Everything remains in the bounty and justice of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ).
On the Day of Judgement, my video will be show cased just as the videos of others are being circulated today. I also have a private life and even a dark side. I am not an angel. I have my set of sins which I have committed. This is what we should remember when we discuss others. Imagine how it applies to us. As the Prophet ﷺ has advised us standing on the pulpit, he said:
يا معشرَ من أسلمَ بلسانهِ ولم يُفضِ الإيمانُ إلى قلبهِ ، لا تُؤذُوا المسلمينَ ولا تُعيّروهُم ولا تَتّبعوا عوراتهِم ، فإنه من يتبِعْ عورةَ أخيهِ المسلمِ تتبعَ اللهُ عورتَهُ ، ومن يتبعِ اللهُ عورتهُ يفضحْه ولو في جوفِ رحلهِ
O you who accepted Islam with his tongue, while faith has not reached his heart! Do not harm the Muslims, nor revile them, nor spy on them to expose their secrets. For indeed whoever tries to expose his Muslims brother’s secrets, Allah exposes his secrets wide open, even if he were in the depth of his house.’”
(At-Tirmidhi: 2032)
This is what we should remember when share those “leaked videos” or talk about them. When we talk about them, we draw everyone’s attention towards them, enjoy the gossip being spread, discuss their very personal details. The same can happen to us. We can easily become the victim of a Facebook upload by a family member. We need to remember what is happening to others can very well happen to us and we also will be humiliated and put to shame.
Here is what we learn:
- When we heard a news about others, why didn’t we reject it being untrue
ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنٰتُ بِاَنْفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا
Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good
[An-Nur: 12]
2. What we say is not to be taken lightly as it is considered great in eyes of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ).
إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُمْ مَا لَيْسَ لَكُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ
When you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge and thought it was insignificant while it was, in the sight of Allah, tremendous.
[An-Nur: 15]
Everywhere you sit these days, these are the topics. Whether this incident really took place or not, whether it is true or not, everyone wants to present their opinion on the matter. Everything is but talk without insight to the reality of the situation. There is no evidence to what is being stated. This is not a matter to be taken lightly, rather it is a grave matter. To take someone’s personal picture or video and spread it around is a sin and injustice upon the one who is being mentioned. Are we this lowly? This is the immediate response that was required.
وَ لَوْ لَا اِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوْهُ قُلْتُمْ مَّا یَكُوْنُ لَنَا اَنْ نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهٰذَا ﳓ سُبْحٰنَكَ هٰذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِیْمٌ
Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another and say, “This is an obvious falsehood”?
[An-Nur: 15]
This is what we should’ve done, but we chose to do otherwise. This is an allegation and slander. Remember, even if we have witnessed something, we are not to spread it or share it with anyone. If it is to be passed on to a person of authority, it has to be presented with four eye-witnesses. If you have seen something being immorally committed and are able to prevent it, do so. If you choose to share it, you need to support your talk with four witnesses of the same incident. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says in the Qur’an:
لَوْ لَا جَآءُوْ عَلَیْهِ بِاَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَآءَ-فَاِذْ لَمْ یَاْتُوْا بِالشُّهَدَآءِ فَاُولٰٓىٕكَ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ هُمُ الْكٰذِبُوْنَ
Why did they [who slandered] not produce for it four witnesses? And when they do not produce the witnesses, then it is they, in the sight of Allah, who are the liars.
[An-Nur: 13]
There has never been an incident where adultery or any kind of immorality is being committed and four witnesses have seen it and presented evidence in support of it. It has never been mentioned in the history of Islam. If someone admits to their sin, the punishment of adultery was enforced upon them. That is only when a person admits, but if others are speaking of an allegation, it has to be proved which has never been precedented. This has been the case to prevent us from talking unnecessarily about people. These are the etiquettes of Islam – to not discuss anyone’s personal matters.
Many a times, we just want to browse news on social media or listen to a lecture of some kind to gain knowledge. When such videos are displayed in front of us with many likes, comments and shares, so we should look away. We should not indulge nor be interested in it. For us, our red alert are our angels on our shoulders, and that ought to be enough for us to quickly move on. Think of the following hadith and act upon it.
ومن سَتَر على مسلم، سَتَره الله في الدُّنيا والآخرة
And he who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter.
(Muslim: 2699)
We pray that as Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) has hidden our faults from the people in this world, may He conceal our sins on the Day of Judgement. May our sins remain only with us and may Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) forgive us. What if it so happens that we are so busy displaying other’s secrets while our very own dark side is manifested in front of others? We will not be able to face anyone in the world. May Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) protect us from such humiliation. Aameen.
*To read this article in Urdu click here: https://islamfort.com/leaked-videos-pe-hamara-rawiyya/
