Concealing the faults of others

[Ismail Dalbani]

Concealing the Faults of Others

In his Book, Al-Mustadrak, Al-Hakim narrated through a Sahih chain of narrators, that the Prophet, peace be upon him said: <<The one who conceals the faults of others shall receive a reward similar to that of the one who saves a new born baby girl from being buried alive>> In this honorable Hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, drew an analogy between the reward of the one who observes a defect from a Muslim and conceals it and the one who saves a new born baby girl from being buried alive. This means the one who witnesses a fault of another Muslim and instead of exposing it to others, one conceals it, he shall receive a reward similar to the reward one receives for saving a new born baby girl from being buried alive.

Some of the Arabs during the Era of Ignorance used to practice this ugly habit of burying their new born baby girls alive, because they feared that they may commit a scandalous act when they grew older.

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, be very wary of disclosing the defects of another Muslim by exposing a wrong doing that came to your attention. Be careful not to be like those who have the habit of indulging in tarnishing the reputation of their Muslim brother/ sister without a valid religious reason.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said what means: <<To unrightfully indulge in defaming your Muslim brother is as sinful as committing the worst type of Riba.>> In many cases, such acts lead to the severing of ties between Muslim brothers/sisters. The one who has been wronged or oppressed should not speak beyond his religious rights, and should not react in a manner that is not accepted by Allah. Rather, one should always be mindful of the religious limits that Allah has ordained upon us and not cross them. The Muslim should adhere to the Book of Allah, conceal the faults of his Muslim brother, and display kindness to those who have wronged him.

On the other hand it is an Islamic obligation to warn people of a person who is cheating others in any transaction that includes (while) doing business, teaching in the name of Islam, providing medical services, in manufacturing, or the like. Disclosing the acts of a person who is deceiving others is a must and falls under the obligation of giving necessary warning/advice.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Prophet, peace be upon him, has urged us to cover the faults of our Muslim brother through numerous Hadiths. He, peace be upon him, said: <<The Muslim who conceals the faults of another Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Judgement.>>

And Allah Knows best.