During a conversation, a scholar in Baghdad implemented a "triple filter test" before accepting information about his friend from another person. The three filters were: truth - is the information certainly true?; goodness - is the information good to know?; and usefulness - would the information be useful to the scholar? When the person failed all three filters, the scholar advised against sharing unverified, negative information that served no purpose.

2. During the golden Abbasid
period, one of the scholars in
Baghdad, the capital of Muslim
caliphate at that time, was
reputed to hold knowledge in high
.esteem

3. One day an acquaintance met
,the great scholar and said
"Do you know what I
just heard about your
friend?

4. Scholar
Hold on a minute, before
telling me anything I'd like
you to pass a little test. It's
called theTriple Filter
.Test

5. The Man
?Triple Filter Test

6. Scholar
That's right, before you talk
to me about my friend it
might be a good idea to take
a moment and filter what
.you're going to say

7. Scholar continued
That's why I call it the triple
filter test. The first filter is
Truth. Have you made
absolutely sure that what you
?are about to tell me is true

8. The Man
No, actually I just heard
... about it and

9. Scholar
All right, so you don't really
know if it's true or not. Now
let's try the second filter, the
filter ofGoodness. Is what
ofGoodness
you are about to tell me about
?my friend something good

10. The Man
...No, on the contrary

11. Scholar
So, you want to tell me
something bad about him,
but you're not certain it's
true. You may still pass the
test though, because there's
:one filter left

12. Scholar continued
.T he filter ofUsefulness
ofUsefulness
Is what you want to tell me
about my friend going to be
?useful to me

13. The Man
.No, not really

14. Scholar
Well, if what you want to
tell me is neither true nor
good nor even useful, why
?tell it to me at all

15. ‫َا َ ّ َا اّ ِي َ آ َ ُوا اجْ َ ِ ُوا َ ِيرً ّ َ ال ّ ّ‬
‫تنب كث ا من ظن‬ ‫ي أيه لذ ن من‬
‫ِ ّ َعْ َ ال ّ ّ ِثْ ٌ َل ت َ ّ ُوا َل‬
‫إن ب ض ظن إ م و َجسس و‬
‫َغْ َب ّعْ ُ ُم َعْ ًا َ ُ ِ ّ َ َ ُ ُمْ َن‬
‫ي ت ب ضك ب ض أيحب أحدك أ‬
‫ي كل ل م أخ ه م ت فكر تم ه و تق ل‬
‫ّ‬
‫َأْ ُ َ َحْ َ َ ِي ِ َيْ ًا َ َ ِهْ ُ ُو ُ َا ّ ُوا ا َ‬
‫إن ّ تو ب رح م‬
‫ِ ّ ا َ َ ّا ٌ ّ ِي ٌ‬
‫ل‬
‫21 ‪Surah 49 Al-Hujurat Ayah‬‬

16. Translation of the meaning:
O you who believe! Avoid much
suspicions, 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
Surah 49 Al-Hujurat Ayah 12

17. WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT!?
THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS
LET OTHERS KNOW
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