idle talk, anybody?

“ I had seen her walking with him at the mall, was that her brother or her boyfriend?”

“oh they’ve gotten a new car, I wonder if they can really afford it..last I knew they were having financial trouble…and then they complain...”

“ he’s started that new job, I wonder how much he’s earning…”

“ she’s just gotten married…what were her in-laws saying about her? I bet they're going to give her a tough time…”

‘he’s traveling so much, he leaves his wife behind..do you think he’s having an extra marital affair..?’

'' he's just invested so much in his business, i woulnt be surprised if he goes bust in a few days the way he's managing it...''

Idle curiosity. Spanning from the most inconsequential of things, to some major ones. Talk that has nothing to do with us, answers that will not make a difference in our lives, but the fact that we talk about others to others and in the course of time that talk becomes false rumor and may ending up wreaking havoc in someone’s life. In our mindless quest for satisfying our curiosity we may unknowingly be the reason for creating trouble in someone’s life. Unknowingly and without any reason. Islam prohibits such talk that falls under gheebah, back biting and idle gossip. Even telling some people what others have said about them in order to cause trouble among them is prohibited in islam and is called nameemah. [http://www.islam-qa.com/]

Majority of the scholars agree that it is haraam to talk behind a person’s back for no legitimate purpose. Most of them stated that this is a major sin and that it varies in degree, some kinds being worse than others. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful”
[al-Hujuraat 49:12]

In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from al-‘Alaa’ ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan from his father from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do you know what gheebah is?” They said, “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “That you say something about your brother that he dislikes.” He was asked, “What if what I say about my brother is true?” He said, “If what you say is true then you have gossiped about him, and if it is not true then you have slandered him.”

Abu Dawood narrated in his Sunan via Nawfal ibn Masaahiq from Sa’eed ibn Zayd that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The most prevalent kind of usury (riba) is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim’s honour.”

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Your blood, your wealth and your honour are sacred among you, as sacred as this day of yours in this month of yours in this land of yours. Let those who are present convey it to those who are absent; perhaps he will convey it to one who has more understanding than he does.”
(Agreed upon, from the hadeeth of Abu Bakrah).
One of the worse types of gheebah and one which is most emphatically forbidden it to look down upon a Muslim and do one’s utmost to insult him, show disrespect towards him and cast aspersions upon his honour. This is a blameworthy characteristic and a serious malady; it is one of the major sins and the one who does this is subject to the warning and a severe punishment.
Sometimes we muslims unknowingly backbite about other people.

I remember sitting in college and just talking about the students. Who’s going out with whom? Who said what to who? She said this and he said that….going for dinners..over hear the aunty’s talking about someone or the other – and it isn’t always pleasant talk.

Sometimes we just pay attention to the fact that we don’t commit any major sins, but if we don’t check ourselves in time we may accumulate enough sins just from such idle habits that may have become a daily part of our life and by causing distress to our own brothers and sisters in islam.

May Allah protect us all and guide us on the straight path. Ameen