Gossip!

Have you ever noticed how we all thrive on gossip? From gossip blogs, to gossiping about celebrities to TV shows like 'gossip girl'. Oh, the guilty pleasure of relaying tales, and the sinister satisfaction of putting each other down. Like it or not, gossip is something that we are all guilty of! And while we all may check ourselves when it comes to sinning, we somehow always seem to forget that gossip is a very big sin!

Think about it for a moment. Think about how many lives gossip has ruined. Think about how many relationships gossip has strained. Gossip is like a sharp blade that cuts into the vey core of unity and sisterhood. And even though, deep down, we know that gossiping is wrong- we still continue doing it!

Im sure that each of us has been at the receiving end of gossip. Im sure that we have all felt the pain and humiliation of it. So why, when we know and remember how we felt, should we do it to others? Gossiping is described as eating the flesh of another. Why would we want to eat each others flesh? It is so bad that the Prophet (S.A.W) has warned us in detail about it.

The Prophet (S.A.W) said to his companions: "Do you know what backbiting is?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He then said, "It is to say something about your brother that he would dislike." Someone asked him, "But what if what I say is true?" The Messenger of Allah said, "If what you say about him is true, you are backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him." [Muslim]

Imagine a world where we didn't gossip about each other. A world where secrets were safe and we all didnt strive to find fault in each other. This world is not just possible, it is within our reach. So lets reach out and try to attain it. Let us guard our tounges and watch our words. Let us honour our friendships and strive to see good in others. And when our fellow sisters are down- lets not kick them further; lets rather extend our arm and help lift them up. Im going to try, will you...?

"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah, verily, Allah is The One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful" [Noble Quran 49:12]

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