28—Chapter: Concealing the shortcomings of Muslims and forbidding their public disclosure without necessity

Allah the Exalted says, “Indeed, those who love that indecency should spread among the believers will have a painful punishment in this world and in the Hereafter.” (Qur’an, 24:19)

Explanation

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) entitles this chapter: Concealing the shortcomings of Muslims and forbidding their dissemination.

Here the term ‘awrah refers to the intangible ‘awrah, for ‘awrah is of two kinds: tangible and intangible.

1. The tangible ‘awrah is whatever it is forbidden to look at—such as the front and back private parts and the like, as is well known in jurisprudence.
2. The intangible ‘awrah consists of a person’s flaws and moral or behavioral faults.

There is no doubt that the human being is as Allah described him: “We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were afraid of it; yet man undertook to bear it. Indeed, he has always been unjust and ignorant.” (Qur’an, 33:72)

Thus mankind is characterized by these two traits—wrongdoing and ignorance. A person may commit an error deliberately, in which case he is unjust, or he may commit it out of ignorance, in which case he is ignorant. Such is the condition of human beings, except for those whom Allah protects and enables to attain knowledge and justice; they walk upon the truth and guide others to it.