Summary of Letter:
Respected Mufti Saheb
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh
. . . I have acquired an extremely evil habit of backbiting. I also quickly start thinking ill of others. Kindly help me to overcome this malady.
Summary of Reply:
Respected Brother / Sister
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh
A person generally indulges in backbiting others and thinks ill of them because he regards them as an opposition. However, in the process he transfers all his good deeds to the one who he thought ill of or who he had made gheebat of. Consider what utter foolishness this is? The one whom one is angry with, one transfers one’s good deeds to the very person by backbiting him. Does one give such a person (whom one is annoyed with) one’s wealth and material belongings? Never. Then how is one suddenly prepared to give away one’s good deeds to him on the day of Qiyamah and become destitute? Ponder over this deeply and repeatedly until it firmly settles into the recesses of the heart. May Allah Ta’ala grant you and I the ability to practice. (Maktoobaat – vol.1, pg.137)