2. Who Is Bankrupt?
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Do
you know who is bankrupt?” They said, “The one without money or
goods is bankrupt.” The Prophet said, “Verily, the bankrupt of my nation
are those who come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting,
and charity, but also with insults, slander, consuming wealth, shedding
blood, and beating others. The oppressed will each be given from his
good deeds. If his good deeds run out before justice is fulfilled, then
their sins will be cast upon him and he will be thrown into the Hellfire.”
[Shahih Muslim 2581]
The Prophet(saw) said: “I certainly know people of my ummah who will
come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of
Tihaamah, but Allaah will make them like scattered dust.” Thawbaan
said: O Messenger of Allaah, describe them to us and tell us more, so
that we will not become of them unknowingly. He said: “They are your
brothers and from your race, worshipping at night as you do, but they
will be people who, when they are alone, transgress the sacred limits of
Allaah.”
3. Insulting
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Whoever has wronged his brother with regard to his honor
or anything else, let him seek his forgiveness today, before there will be no dinar and no dirham,
and if he has any good deeds to his credit they will be taken from him in a manner
commensurate with the wrong he did, and if he has no good deeds, then some of his
counterpart’s bad deeds will be taken and added to his burden.” [al-Bukhaari]
The Messenger of Allah(saw) said, “A Muslim has five rights over another Muslim: to return the
greeting of peace, to visit him when he is sick, to follow his funeral procession, to answer his
invitation, and to respond to his sneeze.”
O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they
may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may
be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by
[offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And
whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers. (AI-Hujurat: 11)
4. Backbiting
O you, who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some
assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like
to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allāh;
indeed, Allāh is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (al-Ḥujurāt: 12)
5. Backbiting
Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Do you know what gheebah (backbiting) is?” They
said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Saying something about your
brother that he dislikes.” It was said, “What if what I say about my brother is true?”
He said, “If what you say is true then you have backbitten about him, and if it is not
true, then you have slandered him.” [Muslim]
The Prophet(saw) informed us: ‘When my Lord took me up to heaven (for Mi’raaj), I
passed by people who had brass nails with which they were slashing their faces and
chests. I said ‘Who are these, O Jebril?’ He replied,‘These are the ones who eat the
flesh of people (backbite them) and assail their honor.’’[Abū Dawud]
6. Backbiting
Four causes of Ghībah:
• Anger
• Compliance : The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Let not one of you belittle
himself.” The ṣaḥābah said, “How can it be that one of us belittles himself?” He (ṣallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Someone sees the boundaries of Allāh being crossed and doesn’t
say anything about it. Allāh raises him on the Day of Judgment and asks him why he doesn’t
say anything, and he will say, ‘I was afraid of the people.’ Allāh will say, ‘Allāh is more
deserving of you fearing Him.’” (Ibn Mājah) “Whosever of you sees an evil, let him change
it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and
if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.”[Sahīh
Muslim]
• Arrogance:‘…A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor betrays
him nor looks down upon him…’[Sahīh Muslim]
• Joking
When “backbiting is permissible” :
• Complaining about oppression or injustice to someone who can help
• Seeking the help of someone to correct something wrong
• Asking for a fatwa
• Warning a person at risk of harm
• Speaking about a proud sinner
• When someone has a title that has a bad meaning but the person is known by it.
7. Slandering
“You took it up with your tongues and uttered with your mouths something of
which you have no knowledge, thinking it a light matter whereas in God’s sight it is
grave indeed.” (An-Nur: 15)
O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the
footsteps of Satan - indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favor of
Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allah purifies
whom He wills, and Allah is Hearing and Knowing .” (An-Nur: 21).
8. Slandering
O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information,
investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you
have done, regretful. (al-Ḥujurat: 6)
The Prophet (saw) said, “A person who carries tales will not enter Jannah.” [Sahīh
Muslim]
Messenger of Allah (saw) passed by two graves and said, “They are being punished,
but they are not being punished for anything that was difficult to avoid. One of them
used to walk about spreading malicious gossip (nameemah), and the other used not
to take precautions to avoid getting urine on himself when he urinated.” Then he
called for a green branch, which he split in two and planted a piece on each grave,
and said, “May their torment be reduced so long as these do not dry out.” [al-
Bukhaari, Muslim]
9. Shedding Blood
But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide
eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared
for him a great punishment.(An-Nisa:93)
Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a
soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever
saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to
them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land,
were transgressors. (AI- Ma'ida:32)
The Prophet (pbuh) said,"Avoid the seven heinous sins." And he mentioned taking one's life
which Allah has made sacred except in the course of justice.
Messenger of Allah(saw) said, "When two Muslims meet with drawn sword, both the slayer
and the slain are in the Hell." It was said, "0 Messenger of Allah, that is for the slayer. But why
the slain?" He replied, "Because his intention was to kill the other.”
10. Consuming Wealth
And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays
them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror]. Racing ahead, their heads raised up,
their glance does not come back to them, and their hearts are void. (Ibrahim:42-43)
And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to
the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the
wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]. (Al-Baqarah:
188)
11. Consuming Wealth
And, [O Muhammad], warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to
them and those who did wrong will say, "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will
answer Your call and follow the messengers." [But it will be said], "Had you not sworn,
before, that for you there would be no cessation? (Ibrahim:44)
12. Beating others
And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other
than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and
manifest sin (AI-Ahzab: 58)
The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear
Allah that you may receive mercy. (Surah Hujrat 10)
13. Transgress the sacred limits of
Allah
The cause is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannize upon the
earth without right. Those will have a painful punishment (Ash-Shura: 42)
Prophet(saw) said: If a mountain transgresses against the other, Allah will make the
one that transgressed it into dust.”
Prophet(saw) said: There is no sin whose owner is more deserving to be tortured
by Allah in this world along with punishment in the Hereafter than the one who
transgresses against others and severs the relation with one's kin.”
14. Ultimate Loser
Allah's Messenger ()ﷺ said, "When the believers cross(As-Sirat) the Hellfire,
they will be stopped at a small bridge (Qantarah) before entering the
Jannah and will be given retribution for injustices between them until they
become purified. (Then) they will be permitted to enter Jannah. So, by the
One in whose Hand is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in
Jannah, better than they knew their ways to their homes in Dunya.” [Al-
Bukharee]
Editor's Notes
He but giveth them respite against a day when the eyes will fixedly stare in horror, they running forward with necks out stretched, their heads uplifted, their gaze returning not towards them, and their hearts a (gaping) void!
The Prophet(saw) mentioned Allah say,"I will be an opponent to three types of people on the Day of Resurrection: a) One who makes a covenant in my name, but proves treacherous, b) One who sells a free person and eats his price, c) And one who employs a laborer and takes full work from him but does not pay him for his labor"