The Evil of Tale Carrying and The Scandal Monger

[Maher.ibn.Ahmad.Attiyeh]

Bismillaah Al-Hamdulillaah wa salatu wa salaamu 'ala rasulullaah
Amma-ba'd

An-Nameema Wa Namaam (Tale Carrying and The Scandal Monger), by Abu 'Abdillaah Hassan As-Somali (hafidhahullaah) [The following are notes, not verbatim]


Allaah Tabark wa Ta'aala said (what means): And obey not everyone who swears much, and is considered worthless. A slanderer, going about with tale carrying. (Al-Qalam: 10-11)

Al-Halfidh Ibn Katheer (rahimahullaah) said explaining these verses: This is the individual who goes back and forth between the people, trying to cause dissension, carrying speech in order to cause mischief and corruption between the people.

Ibnu Mandhoor (rahimahullaah) said linguistically an-Nam is: to spread dissension and to instigate, and to spread the speech of people to publicize it and cause corruption and mischief.

In the Sharee'ah, the scholars have defined Nameema as: carrying tales from one group of people to another with the objective of causing mischief, trouble.


- The Ruling of an-Nameema (which is a repugnant, foul, filthy disease, and a dangerous sickness):

Imam Adh-Dhahabie (rahimahullaah Ta'aala) said it is a major sin from the major sins, and it is haram by consensus of the Muslims. There are numerous evidences from the Qur`an and Sunnah establishing its prohibition.


- Who is the Namaam? (May Allaah not increase them in our ranks)

The People of knowledge have stated the Namaam is the individual who speaks to a people and carries news from them that they dislike to be publicized and disclosed (disliked by either of the three: the one narrated from, or the one narrated to, or the namaam himself), either by statement or indication.


- How do we deal with the Namaam?

'Abdullaah Ibn 'Abbaas (radiallaahu Ta'aala 'anhumma) said: The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) passed by two graves, and said: Indeed, these two individuals are being punished in their graves. As for one of them, he used to walk around tale-carrying, and as for the other he never used to protect himself from his urine. [Bukharee, Muslim]

When told a tale carrier was going around tale carrying, Hudhaifa ibn al-Yamaan, radiallaahu Ta'aala 'anhu (among the companions most knowledgeale concerning fitan, trials, tribulation), said: The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: La Yadkhul al-Jannata Namaam (The Namaam will not enter Paradise).

(Hudhaifa didn't say, "let me see what he is saying.")


- The Mawqif of the Salaf Concerning an-Namaam

A man came to Wahb Ibn Munabbih (rahimahullaah) and said to him, "I passed by a man who was talking bad about you, insulting you." So Wahb Ibn Munabbih (one of the scholars of the tabi'oon) said to him, "Did Shaytan not find anyone else to carry this message except for you?" [Al-Hilya`]

That's the mawqif of the Salaf as it relates to Nameema. (Wahb Ibn Munabbih didn't say, "what did he say?")


- How to Deal with an-Namaam (The Tale Carrier)

Imam Adh-Dhahabee (rahimahullaah) said: Six things are obligatory upon the one Nameema reaches, the one Nameema is brought to:

1- Don't believe the Namaam (the tale carrier, scandal monger), because he is a Faasiq, a scandal monger. And the narration of a Faasiq is not to be accepted - it is rejected!

2- To forbid him from this, and not to listen and absorb what he is saying. Advise him the evil of his actions, and that it's a Major sin. And that the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: The Namaam will not enter Paradise.

3- He hates the Namaam for Allaah's sake, because he (the Namaam) is hated by Allaah 'Azza wa Jall. It is obligatory to hate for the sake of Allaah - not for hizbeeyah or personality, or personal issues.

4- You don't have any bad thoughts about the one spoken against. Allaah said: ...Avoid much suspicion, for inded some suspicion is sin... (Al-Hujurat, ayah 12)

5- He should not spy, nor try to investigate. Allaah said: ...Do not spy on one another... (Al-Hujurat, ayah 12)

6- He himself (the one Nameema reaches) should not convey this. Hasan al-Basree (rahimahullaah) said: "The one who brings malicious infomation will take from you malicious information."

When the brothers from America, the UK, Maldeves and Singapore recently made 'Umrah and visited Shaikh Rabee' bin Haadee al-Madkhalee (hafidhahullaah), they sat with him three times. Every time, the shaikh gave a precious advice in private and public. Among his advises was to avoid splitting and the causes for splitting [and Nameema causes splitting].

And the shaikh (hafidhahullaah) gave an example and said: The torch of the light is to be shined upon the trouble makers who want to cause dissension. They are not true in their claim to Salafiyyah.


Source: Audio: Tale Carrying and The Scandal Monger