Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām - Abd Allah al-Bassam - (7/471)

put his trust in himself. Consequently Allah the Exalted abandoned him, his own soul betrayed him, and he ended up committing the very sin for which he had reproached his brother.

This proves that gloating over people is forbidden and that one must ignore their faults by occupying himself with his own. Glad tidings, therefore, to the person whose own shortcomings keep him from the shortcomings of others.
Numerous texts forbid this base disposition. Allah the Most High says: “Indeed, those who love that indecency should spread among the believers will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter” ⦗al-Nūr 24:19⦘. Sunan al-Tirmidhī (2506) likewise records, on the authority of Wāthilah ibn al-Asqaʿ, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not display gloating over your brother; Allah may show him mercy and put you to trial.” Manifesting such Schadenfreude is alien to the character of a Muslim who loves for his brother what he loves for himself, for the hallmark of Muslims is that they suffer at one another’s pain and rejoice at one another’s joy.

Allah is the One whose help is sought.
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اعتمد على نفسه، فخذله الله تعالى، وخانته نفسه، فعمل ما عيَّر به أخاه. ٣ - فهذا دليل على تحريم الشماتة بالناس، ووجوب الغفلة عن عيوبهم اشتغالاً بعيب نفسه؛ فطوبى لمن شغله عيبه عن عيوب الناس. ٤ - وقد جاءت النصوص التي تنهى عن هذا الخلق الرذيل؛ قال تعالى: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ﴾ [النور: ١٩] , وقد جاء في سنن الترمذي (٢٥٠٦) من حديث واثلة بن الأسقع قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "لا تُظهر الشماتة بأخيك، فيرحمه الله ويبتليك"؛ فإنَّ إظهار الشماتة ليس من خلق المسلم الذي يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه؛ فإنَّ خلق المسلمين أن يتألم بعضهم لبعض، ويفرح بعضهم لفرح بعضهم الآخر. والله المستعان. ***