(Extract
from Sharh Buloogh al-Maram of Sheikh Saleh al Fawzaan, pg. 291-292)
Abu ad-Darda’ رضي
اللّه عنـه narrated that the
Messenger of Allaah
صلّى
اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم said:
“Whoever defends
his brother’s honor in his absence, Allaah will protect his face from the Fire
of Hell on the Day of Resurrection.”
[Related by
At-Tirmidhee who graded it to be Hasan. Ahmad has something similar from the
Hadeeth of Asmaa’ bint Yazeed]
Explanation: “Whoever defends his
brother’s honor in his absence…”
Meaning: In the
state of his brother’s absence. If he happens to attend a gathering and his
Muslim brother is being mentioned with sin or being degraded, then he defends him as he would defend
his own honor, because his brother’s honor is like his own.
Therefore he
defends his brother’s honor, by censuring the backbiters and preventing them
from persisting as it relates to the honor of his Muslim brother. He does not resign and
stay quiet, leaving them to backbite. This is the
Muslim’s obligation, and it is not permitted for him to stay quiet and keep the
peace, for he will be sinning due to that and he will be a sharer and partner
to them regarding the sin, (that is) because he saw an evil (taking place) and
he did not change it, whilst having the ability to do so.
How much more then,
if he participated with them in the act, and he began backbiting with them?
This is even worse. As for if he defends his brother’s honor and he prevents them from
backbiting his brother, then Allaah, the Majestic and Exalted, will reward him
by protecting his face from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection. This is a tremendous favor, because on the Day of
Resurrection, the Fire will be brought in to view.
He سُبحانه وتعالى said:
وَبُرِّزَتِ
الْجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَى
“And Hell-fire
shall be made apparent in full view for (every) one who sees.”
(An-Nazia't 79:36)