or he will single out a governor, a minister, or even a king, lay him out on the carpet, dissect him piece by piece, and speak about him while never once mentioning any of his virtues. Glory be to Allah—where is the justice in that? Allah—“who speaks the truth and guides to the straight path” (Q 33:4)—even when addressing the idolaters, says: “When they commit an indecency they say, ‘We found our fathers doing it, and Allah commanded us to do it’” (Q 7:28). They made two claims: first, “We found our fathers doing it,” and second, “Allah commanded us to do it.” Allah judged between them: “Say, Allah does not command indecency” (Q 7:28). He accepted the factual part—that they had indeed found their fathers upon it—and He rejected the falsehood.

So if you want to speak with justice, then speak with justice. But if you insist on tracking down the faults of Muslims, especially those in authority, know that whoever pursues his brother’s shortcomings, Allah will pursue his, and when Allah pursues someone’s shortcomings He will expose him even in the privacy of his mother’s house.

The main point is that we must avoid ghībah (backbiting), restrain our tongues, and realize that every word of backbiting we utter only diminishes our own good deeds and adds to the balance of the one we have wronged. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do you know who the bankrupt person is?” They replied, “The one who has no dirham and no property.” He said, “No. The bankrupt person in my community is the one who comes on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like mountains, yet he will have wronged this one, insulted that one, and taken the wealth of another. Each of them will take from his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before the claims are settled, their sins will be transferred to him, and he will be cast into the Fire.”

We even heard about one of the early generations who, when he learned that someone was backbiting him, sent that person a gift—the one who had been backbitten sent