from among the distresses of the Day of Resurrection.

Relieving people’s distresses can take many forms. If the distress is financial, you remove it by giving him the money that will wipe it out. If it is moral or reputational, you work to restore his standing and vindicate him until the distress is gone. If it is a burden of worry and grief, you make things easier for him, give him room to breathe, remind him that circumstances never stay the same—that permanence is impossible—and point out the immense reward and recompense involved, until the distress becomes light for him.

“Whoever conceals a Muslim, Allah will conceal him in this world and the Hereafter.” To conceal means to cover his fault and not expose it; in return, Allah will cover you in this life and the next. Yet this ruling is not unrestricted, for other texts show that concealment may sometimes be commanded and praiseworthy, and at other times forbidden. If we see a man sinning—an evil person immersed in wrongdoing, whose concealment would only increase his insolence—we do not hide his crime; rather, we report him so that he may be restrained and the intended deterrence achieved. But if no clear signs of habitual evil have appeared and he has merely slipped once, it is recommended to conceal him and not divulge the matter to anyone, whether to the authorities or to anyone else. If you conceal him, Allah will conceal you in this world and the Hereafter.

Concealment also includes covering a physical defect: if someone has disfiguring scars, leukoderma, vitiligo, or the like and prefers that people not see it, you should help him keep it hidden; should you do so, Allah will conceal you in this world and the Hereafter. Likewise, if he is ill-tempered yet presents himself to the people as one of fine manners, you should keep his secret as well.