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 FAULT-
FINDING
All of my translations are done solely for seeking Allah’s Pleasure, then to benefit
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INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 5
THE PROHIBITION OF FAULT-FINDING ................................................................................ 6
Do not spy on one another ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Fault-finding is in fact committing corruption ........................................................................................................................................... 6
The fault-finder will have his faults exposed by Allah ....................................................................................................................... 7
Allah will pour molten lead in the ears of the eavesdropper ....................................................................................................... 7
The fault-finding ruler corrupts the people ................................................................................................................................................... 7
THE VIRTUES OF CONCEALING FAULTS ............................................................................... 8
Concealing is better ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Conceal other’s faults and Allah will conceal your faults ................................................................................................................. 8
Paradise for the concealer .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
THE SIN OF PUBLICIZING FAULTS .......................................................................................... 9
A person’s fault is his secret ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
The fault-finder will be disgraced ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9
The worst person on the Day of Judgment is the person who publicizes secrets ...................................................... 9
False ascriptions and accusations ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9
THE SCENARIOS WHICH PERMIT PUBLICIZING FAULTS .................................................. 10
Against the open sinner .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10
The testifier ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
To protect others from evil ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
When no other alternative exists to solve a problem ........................................................................................................................ 10
Those who spread and publish sins, wicked deeds and innovations .................................................................................... 11
FINAL REQUEST ........................................................................................................................... 12
Fault-finding 5 Introduction

INTRODUCTION
All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides, none can
misguide him. And whoever he misguides, none can guide him. I testify that none has the right to
be worshipped in truth except Allah, who has no partners. And I testify that Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬is His
servant and Messenger.
To proceed:
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, Ever-
Merciful:
Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the
heart, all of them will be called to account.[ 1]
My respected brethren in Islam!
In today’s day and age, one of the bad manners from our bad manners is that we always busy
ourselves looking for other people’s faults and shortcomings. The moment we capture someone’s
faults and shortcomings, we attach wings to it so that it flies in the air like a bird, hoping that it
becomes a laughing stock and a source of mockery in people’s sights. We then find such behavior
bring happiness to our souls. This is a vile and despicable characteristic which is quickly being
embedded in our societies.
Islam views fault-finding and being preoccupied with it as a detestable act because it is harmful for
us on one hand and harmful for others on the other hand, being a reason for their lives and
personalities to be destroyed. Even if we learn about someone’s faults without indulging in their
affairs, it is absolutely prohibited to disclose and publicize this because this is disobedience to Allah
and it brings harm to us and others as well.
The fault-finder will be disgraced and others will have ill-feelings towards him in their hearts, which
may root and grow into a tree of enmity. And he will share their sin as well. As Allah said:
Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the
heart, all of them will be called to account.[ 2]
From a moral and societal perspective, fault-finding and publicizing it is such an evil deed that it
impacts societies and communities. Islam prohibits this as it values defending the honor and dignity
of people in societies. It also promotes constructing stable inter-relationships of love and
brotherhood on firm foundations. It also aims to make society a firm wall formed from tiny bricks
rooted in one another. Finding and disclosing other people’s flaws, faults and shortcomings is to
work against the mission and essence of Islam. This is why fault-finding is strongly condemned in
Islam.
Since this sin is on a peak-level in our societies, where fault-finding is normalized, preserved as
recordings and popularly used as a source for blackmailing, it is extremely important for some points
to be made regarding this subject, so that we can be freed from this sin which spoils and ruins
societies.

[1]
Surah Al-Isra (17:36).
[2]
Surah Al-Isra (17:36).
Fault-finding 6 The Prohibition of Fault-finding

THE PROHIBITION OF FAULT-FINDING

Allah said:
O you who believe, avoid much of suspicion, for some suspicions are sin. Do not spy on one
another, nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?
You would surely hate it. So fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Accepting of Repentance, Most
Merciful.[ 1]
Meaning that to stay in a state of finding other people’s shortcomings so that their reputation is
ruined; this is fault-finding which is prohibited and many hadiths prohibit this as well. In fact, we
have been commanded to conceal any fault or shortcoming we have been made aware of. Not that
we disclose it to others and find faults with passion. Today, publicizing faults is masked under the
banner of ‘liberty’, ‘independence’ and ‘freedom of expression’. Islam also acknowledged ‘liberty’,
‘independence’ and ‘freedom of expression’ by prohibiting others from fault-finding[ 2], save when
sins are openly committed and immorality spreads, or when these sins become a reason for others
being harassed. The West gave a lecture on absolute ‘freedom’ to people and corruption became
normalized there, resulting in their society’s peace and security being destroyed.
 Do not spy on one another:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Beware of suspicion! For suspicion is the most false of speech. Do not spy, hate or eavesdrop.
And be brothers to one another.[ 3]
 Fault-finding is in fact committing corruption:
Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
If you search for other people’s hidden-faults, you will cause them to be corrupted.[ 4]
Our state today is such that if we learn some fault or shortcoming of someone, we immediately
spread it in our social circles. If the person made a mistake, then we are also sinning by spreading
these sins.[ 5] And this is an act which warrants us to be punished in this life and the Hereafter. This
[1]
Surah Al-Hujurat (49:12).
[2]
[T/N] i.e. Islam prevents others from falling into situations where they are unable to openly express
themselves. This does not mean that everything a person says will be tolerated or accepted in the Islamic
legislation, nor does it mean that it will not have any consequences.
[3]
[Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (5143).
[4]
[Authentic] Narrated by Abu Dawud in ‘Al-Sunan’ (4888). Al-Albani said: Sahih (authentic).
[T/N] Abu Dawud’s narration is not authentic, as his chain of transmission contains Sufyan al-Thawri, who is
alone in narrating this report with an ambiguous term. This report however has been narrated in a similar
wording by Bukhari in ‘Al-Adab al-Mufrad’ (248) and his chain of transmission is authentic.
[5]
[T/N] This is common on social media platforms, where people post ‘sins’ to warn against them! They will
post women flaunting their awrah and ‘remind’ others to stay away from their sins, or post private messages
of guys who say inappropriate stuff and share it to ‘remind’ others of the ‘reality’ of such people. This is
prohibited. Concealing sins is obligatory, and the one who publicized the sin receives a share of sin equal or→
→greater to the person who originally sinned.
Fault-finding 7 The Prohibition of Fault-finding

is the reason why our religion has strongly prohibited fault-finding and spying in our societies.
 The fault-finder will have his faults exposed by Allah:
The fault-finder cannot be safe from the very faults he seeks in others. Whoever searches for faults
in others, Allah will start searching for faults in him. Abu Barzah Aslami (may Allah be pleased with
him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
O people who believed by their tongue while belief did not enter their hearts! Do not back-
bite Muslims and do not search for their faults, for if anyone searches for their faults, Allah
will search for his fault, and if Allah searches for anyone’s fault, He disgraces and humiliates
him in his house.[ 1]
 Allah will pour molten lead in the ears of the eavesdropper:
Some people who deliberately try to find faults in others busy themselves in spying and
eavesdropping on others. Such people are destroyed. Allah has prohibited spying and the
eavesdropper will have a harsh and painful punishment on the Day of Judgment. Abu Hurayrah
(may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
If somebody who people dislike eavesdrops on them or makes them run away, then molten
lead will be poured in his ears on the Day of Resurrection.[ 2]
This hadith means that it is not permissible to eavesdrop on someone’s conversation, check their
mobile phones[ 3], use hidden cameras in hotels and rooms, or learn any hidden information[ 4].
 The fault-finding ruler corrupts the people:
Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
When the ruler treats his people with suspicions and false accusations, he will corrupt them.[ 5]

[1]
[Authentic] Narrated by Abu Dawud in ‘Al-Sunan’ (4880). Al-Albani said: Sahih (authentic).
[2]
[Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (7042).
[3]
[T/N] There are three exceptions to this ruling; legal issues, the spouses and the children.
The legal issues for checking the phone are to be handled by the relevant authorities.
The spouses can check each other’s phones, as this is a sign of trust and not showing it when asked will only
lead to doubts and troubles.
The children’s phones are to be monitored by the parents, since they are responsible over their children and
Allah will question them on the Day of Judgment regarding this. And this is not contrary to trust, for trusting is
to do that which is in the best interest of your loved ones. Nor is this suspicion, as a basis for checking and
monitoring it exists.
[4]
[T/N] i.e. as a general rule. The exceptions are not included in this phrase.
[5]
[Authentic] Narrated by Abu Dawud in ‘Al-Sunan’ (4889). Al-Albani said: Sahih li-ghairihi (authentic based
on corroborating evidence).
Fault-finding 8 The Virtues of concealing Faults

THE VIRTUES OF CONCEALING FAULTS

 Concealing is better:
Nu’aym bin Huzzal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Ma'iz (may Allah be pleased with
him) came to the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and admitted (having committed adultery) four times in his presence
so he ordered him to be stoned to death, but said to Huzzal:
Had you concealed his sin and covered up for him, it would have been better for you.[ 1]
 Conceal other’s faults and Allah will conceal your faults:
Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Whoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of
Judgment.[ 2]
In another narration, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger
of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Allah does not conceal any faults of His slave, except that he conceals it in the Hereafter as
well.[ 3]
In a similar report, Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬
said:
I swear by Allah on three things. Allah will not treat a person who has a share in Islam like
the one who has no share of Islam. And Islam has three portions; fasting, praying and charity.
Whoever Allah befriends in this world, he will not be surrendered to someone else on the
Day of Judgment[ 4]. And the one who loves a nation will be raised with them on the Day of
Resurrection. And if I swear by Allah on a fourth thing, I do not fear that I will be sinning. And
whoever’s faults are concealed by Allah in this life, then Allah will conceal his faults in the
Hereafter as well.[ 5]
 Paradise for the concealer:
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Whoever sees a fault in his brother[ 6] and conceals it, Allah will grant him Paradise in return.[ 7]
[1]
[Authentic] Narrated by Abu Dawud in ‘Al-Sunan’ (4377).
[2]
[Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (2442).
[3]
[Authentic] Narrated by Muslim in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (2590).
[4]
[T/N] i.e. Allah will be the One he will solely rely on.
[5]
[Authentic] Narrated by Ahmad in ‘Al-Musnad’ (25121). Al-Arna’oot said: Hasan li-ghairihi (acceptable
based on corroborating evidence).
[6]
[T/N] i.e. fellow Muslim.
[7]
[Authentic] Narrated by Tabarani in ‘Al-Mu’jam al-Awsat’ (1481).
[T/N] This hadith was narrated by Uqba bin Aamir, not Abu Sa’id al-Khudri in ‘Al-Mu’jam al-Awsat’ (1481), and
Al-Haythami weakened this narration. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri’s report is found in ‘Al-Mu’jam al-Saghir’ (1118) and
the chain of transmission contains Khalid bin Ilyas, whose reports are rejected. Hence, the narration is not
authentic from any route.
Fault-finding 9 The Sin of publicizing Faults

THE SIN OF PUBLICIZING FAULTS

 A person’s fault is his secret:
When we become aware of a person’s fault, it becomes a secret between us and them, and
disclosing it to others is a betrayal of trust. Hasan al-Basri said:
Part of betrayal is to disclose the sins of your brother.[ 1]
 The fault-finder will be disgraced:
Let the fault-finder not be fooled that he will save himself from this sin. Allah will certainly humiliate
and disgrace him for his efforts in trying to humiliate and disgrace others. Abdullah bin Abbas (may
Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Whoever conceals the faults of his Muslim brother, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day
of Judgment. And whoever exposes the faults of his Muslim brother, Allah will expose his
faults till they become a source for his disgrace and humiliation within his own home.[ 2]
 The worst person on the Day of Judgment is the person who publicizes secrets:
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
The worst among the people in the eye of Allah on the Day of judgment is the man who
goes[ 3] to his wife in concealment[ 4] and she comes to him in concealment, and then he
divulges[ 5] her secret.[ 6]
 False ascriptions and accusations:
Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Whoever accuses a Muslim of something he is free of, Allah will place him in the corrupt fluid
flowing from the inhabitants of Hell, and he will remain there till he retracts his statement.[ 7]

[1]
[Authentic] Narrated by Ibn Abi Dunya in ‘Al-Samt wa Adab al-Lisan’ (404).
[2]
[Authentic] Narrated by Ibn Majah in ‘Al-Sunan’ (2546). Al-Albani said: Sahih (authentic).
[3]
[T/N] i.e. for intimacy.
[4]
[T/N] i.e. behind closed doors.
[5]
[T/N] i.e. discloses/spreads/exposes what they did.
[6]
[Authentic] Narrated by Muslim in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (1437).
[7]
[Authentic] Narrated by Abu Dawud in ‘Al-Sunan (3597). Al-Albani said: Sahih (authentic).
Fault-finding 10 The scenarios which permit...

THE SCENARIOS WHICH PERMIT PUBLICIZING FAULTS

 Against the open sinner:
The one who sins openly and proudly in front of others is deprived of mercy by Allah. The Prophet
‫ ﷺ‬said:
All the sins of my followers will be forgiven except those openly sin. This includes a person
who commits a sin at night and despite Allah screening it from the public, he says in the
morning: O so-and-so, I did such-and-such (evil) deed yesterday. Night passed and His Rabb
concealed his sin, but morning arrived and he opened this concealment himself.[ 1]
The one who exposes his sins will not have his faults concealed; for example he boastfully drinks
alcohol in front of others, or he commits fornication and lets people know of it; he himself has
exposed his sins.[ 2]
 The testifier:
If a witness is required to testify in someone’s right, he will express what his eyes saw. Concealing
in this situation is not permissible. Allah said:
Do not conceal the testimony, for anyone who conceals it has a sinful heart.[ 3]
 To protect others from evil:
A permissible manner of expressing someone’s fault is to let your Muslim brother know of
someone’s fault so that he is safe from his evil. For example, someone wishes to marry, or take part
in a program, or purchase a shop in his neighborhood; the person’s faults should be mentioned in
a subtle and honest manner so that the person isn’t deceived. Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with
her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said to her when a man arrived:
He is the worst person in his family.[ 4]
 When no other alternative exists to solve a problem:
If a situation arises which cannot be solved except by back-biting, and not back-biting will result in
a greater harm; this includes the principles of criticism and praise among the scholars of hadith,
which the verification of all hadiths are dependent on; mentioning the faults of the narrators in this
situation isn’t just permissible, it is obligatory. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
narrated that he was in the company of Allah's Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬when there came a man and informed
him that he had contracted to marry a woman of the Ansar. Thereupon Allah's Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Did you look at her? He said: No. He ‫ ﷺ‬said: Go and look at her, for there is some blindness
in the eyes of the Ansar.[ 5]30F

 Those who spread and publish sins, wicked deeds and innovations:
[1]
[Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (6069).
[2]
[T/N] i.e. he himself exposed his sin, so what harm is there if people now warn others from his sin?
[3]
Surah al-Baqarah (2:283).
[4]
[Authentic] Narrated by Bukhari in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (6054).
[5]
[Authentic] Narrated by Narrated by Muslim in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (1424).
Fault-finding 11 The scenarios which permit...

It is obligatory to vocalize the faults of these people as loudly as you can, so that you can criticize
the public-sinners, wicked doers and innovators who spread their sins and innovation. They afflict
people with trials and corruption. The foundation for this is Allah’s statement:
Allah does not like offensive words to be said in public except by one who has been wronged.
Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. [ 1]
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Whoever sees an evil should ward it off with his hand, if not then with his tongue, if not then
with his heart, and this is the weakest form of faith.[ 2]

[1]
Surah al-Nisa (4:148).
[2]
[Authentic] Narrated by Muslim in ‘Al-Saheeh’ (49).
Fault-finding 12 Final Request

FINAL REQUEST
Always remember that a human being is an embodiment of faults, and no person is free of faults
and mistakes. Hence, finding faults in others is a shortcoming of a person’s own weakness. Umar
(may Allah be pleased with him) said:
It is sufficient as a fault for a person that he looks for other’s faults while not paying attention
to his own faults, and that he harms his companion with futile conversations.[ 1]
Imam Muhammad Baqir (may Allah have mercy on him) also conveyed this message in a similar
manner when he said:
It is a huge fault for a person that he fails to see a shortcoming in himself but remains in
search of shortcomings in others, or he finds faults in others which he himself is afflicted with
and he cannot free himself from it.[ 2]
Hence, a person should busy himself in paying attention to his faults and rectifying himself instead
of finding faults in others, because no one’s intelligence tells him to overlook his own shortcoming
to find faults in others.
The Mughal Sultan’s final ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
When we were unaware of our state ........................................... We looked at the honor and faults of others
When we took a look at our bad deeds ........................................... Then no one was worse than us on earth
Hence, the cure for fault-finding is only applicable if a person stops mentioning and stops finding
faults in others. Just like how Allah is the ‘Veiler of all faults’, a good testimony to being a good slave
of Allah is to veil the faults of your fellow Muslims.


16/12/2022
21/05/1444

[1]
[Authentic] Narrated by Ibn al-Mubarak in ‘Al-Zuhd wa al-Raqaaiq’ (666).
[T/N] The chain of transmission is not authentic. For details, see Abdul Salam Aal Eesa’s work: “Dirasah al-
Naqdiyyah fi al-Marwiyat al-Waridah fi shakhsiyati Umar bin al-Khattab...” (2/918).
[2]
[Authentic] Narrated by Abu Nu’aym al-Asbahani in ‘Hilyatu al-Awliya’ (3/187).
Fault-finding 13 Final Request

Authored by:
Zubayr bin Khalid Marjalwi
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Translated by:
Ibn Badar al-Salafi
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