Expiation for Gossip

Gossip is a major sin, and
undoubtedly all Muslims know this, and they know the punishment that Allah
will inflict on the one who gossips. The seriousness of this sin is due to
two reasons: 

1-    It has to do with
people’s rights, so it is more serious because it involves wrongdoing
against people. 

2-    It is an easy sin that
most people commit, except those on whom Allah has mercy. People usually
regard easy things as insignificant although they are serious before Allah. 

With regard to expiation for
gossiping, it is essential to note a few important points: 

Firstly: In a number of fatwas
(rulings/answers) on our site we have pointed out that expiation for gossip
includes praying for forgiveness for the one you gossiped about, and making
du’a (supplicating) for him, and praising him in his absence. We hope that
the reader will look at these fatwas and read the words of the scholars. See
the answers to questions no.

6308,

23328,

52807 and

65649. 

Secondly: Stating that praying
for forgiveness is the expiation for gossip does not mean that it is
sufficient. The basic principle is that sins cannot be erased except by
sincere repentance which is accompanied by giving up the sin, regretting it,
resolving not to go back to it and being sincere at heart in one’s dealings
with the Creator, may He be glorified. Then there is the hope if one repents
in this manner, that Allah will forgive him his sins and pardon his errors. 

With regard to people’s rights
and transgressions against people, they can only be expiated if the people
affected pardon him and forgive him. The evidence for this is in the sunnah
(teachings) of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who
said: “Whoever has wronged his brother with regard to his honour or
something, let him ask him for forgiveness before the time when there will
be neither dinar nor dirham, and if he has any good deeds it will be taken
from him in proportion to the wrong he did, and if he does not have any
hasanat (good deeds), some of the other person’s sayyiat (evil deeds) will
be taken and given to him to bear.” [al-Bukhari]

The command is to seek
forgiveness for wrongdoing before scores are settled among people on the Day
of Reckoning, when scores will be settled with hasanat and sayyiat  and true
losses will be borne by those who wronged people with regard to their
wealth, honour and blood. 

Thirdly: What the one who wants
to free himself of the sin of gossip must do is strive hard to seek
forgiveness from the one whom he gossiped about, and ask him to pardon him,
and apologize to him with kind and good words, and he should be as humble as
he can in this, even if he has to buy an extremely valuable gift or offer
financial help. The scholars have stated that all of this is permissible
when it comes to restoring people’s rights. 

Because the scholars among the
righteous salaf (predecessors) and fuqaha (jurists) thought that seeking
people’s forgiveness for gossip might lead – in some cases – to greater
evils such as grudges or breaking of ties, and people might feel resentment
and grudges to an extent that is known only to Allah, most of the scholars
granted concessions allowing one not to seek forgiveness (from the victim),
and they hoped that it would be sufficient to pray for forgiveness for the
victim of gossip and make du’a (supplication) for him and praise him in his
absence. 

Other scholars were of the view
that nothing could expiate for gossip but the forgiveness of the one who was
wronged. But the correct view is that if the one who gossiped repents
sincerely, he does not have to tell the one about whom he gossiped about it,
especially if he fears that this would cause more trouble, as is usually the
case. 

Praying for forgiveness for the
one he gossiped about is an exceptional case and is a case of necessity
dictated by sharee’ah (Islamic law), where warding off harm takes precedence
over bringing benefits. 

From the above it may be
understood that the one who regards the sin of gossip as insignificant on
the basis that praying for forgiveness is sufficient to expiate this sin is
incorrect. His thinking is wrong for three reasons:  

1-    He forgets that the basic
condition for repentance is regret, giving up the sin and sincerely
repenting to Allah. This condition may not be truly met in the case of most
people.

2-    The basic principle in
expiation with regard to people’s rights is striving to seek their pardon.
If he thinks that telling the person about the gossip will lead to a greater
evil, then he may resort to praying for forgiveness for him in this case,
otherwise the basic principle is that he should seek pardon from the one
whom he wronged.

3-    This shows you that if
the person who was gossiped about has heard about what another man has said
about him, then – in this case – it is essential to seek forgiveness from
him directly, so that the harm suffered by the victim will be undone and his
resentment may be dispelled. If he does not pardon or forgive, then there is
no option after that but to pray for forgiveness for him and make du’a
(supplication) for him. 

Fourthly: 

Then after all this, does the
questioner think that praying for forgiveness in general terms – “O Allah,
forgive the believing men and women” – is sufficient to expiate for the sin
of gossiping? 

We say that when we hope that
Allah will accept our du’a and prayers for forgiveness as an expiation for
bad deeds, it is essential to be sincere towards Allah in this du’a, to seek
out means of drawing close to Allah, and to repeat it in times and places
where du’as are answered, and pray for all goodness and blessings in this
world and in the Hereafter. Undoubtedly such a du’a requires us to specify
the person for whom we are praying, either mentioning him by name or
describing him, by saying: O Allah, forgive me and the one whom I have
gossiped about and wronged; O Allah, pardon us and him, and whatever else
you can say in your du’a. 

As for praying in general
terms, it does not seem to be sufficient to achieve what you are hoping for
from Allah. Just as you gossiped about him by mentioning his name or
describing him, and you singled him out for harm, so too you should pray
specifically for him and ask for forgiveness for him, so that the bad deeds
will be replaced by good. 

Fifthly: 

It should be noted that the
purpose behind praying for forgiveness and making du’a is to ward off bad
deeds with good, and to compensate for misdeeds. Hence it is not limited to
prayers for forgiveness in exclusion to other good deeds. Rather you can do
a good deed and dedicate its reward to the one about whom you gossiped, such
as giving charity on his behalf or offering him some help, or supporting him
at times of hardship, and trying to compensate him for the wrong you did as
much as you can. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah
(may Allah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fatawa: 

As for the rights of the one
who was wronged, they are not waived just because one repents. This is a
right and there is no difference between a killer and other wrongdoers. If a
person repents from wrongdoing, the rights of the one whom he wronged are
not waived because of his repentance, rather it is part of his repentance to
compensate him to a level commensurate with his wrongdoing. If he does not
compensate him in this world then he will inevitably compensate him in the
Hereafter. So the wrongdoer who has repented should do a lot of good deeds,
so that when those who have been wronged claim their rights, he will not end
up bankrupt. And if Allah wants to compensate the one who was wronged then
no one can prevent His bounty, such as if He wants to forgive sins less than
shirk for whomever He wills.

Hence in the hadeeth
(narration) about qasas (prescribed punishments), for which Jabir ibn
‘Abd-Allah rode for a month to ‘Abd-Allah ibn Unays to hear it from his lips
– which was narrated by Imam Ahmad and others, and which al-Bukhari quoted
as evidence in his Saheeh (authentic compilation) – it says: “When the Day
of Resurrection comes, Allah will gather all creatures in a single plain so
that the announcer will be able to make them all hear his voice and the
watcher will be able to see all of them, then He will call them in a voice
that will be heard from afar just as it is heard from nearby: ‘I am the
Sovereign, I am the Judge. None of the people of Hell shall enter Hell if
they have any right due from any of the people of Paradise, until the score
is settled, and none of the people of Paradise shall enter Paradise if they
have any right due from any of the people of Hell, until the score is
settled.’” 

And in Saheeh Muslim it is
narrated from Abu Sa’eed: “When the people of Paradise cross al-sirat (a
bridge) and stand on a bridge between Paradise and Hell, they will settle
their scores with one another, and when they are cleansed and purified,
permission will be given to them to enter Paradise.” 

When Allah, may He be glorified
and exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning): “neither backbite one
another” – as gossip is a transgression against people’s honour – He then
said: “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
forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful.”

[49:12]

So He told them to repent from
gossip, because it is a kind of wrongdoing. This applies if the one who was
wronged found out about the gossip. But if he gossiped about him or
slandered him and he did not know about it, it was said that one of the
conditions of repentance is telling him, and it was said that this is not
essential, which is the view of the majority. Both views were narrated from
Ahmad. But he should still do good things for the one who was wronged, such
as making du’a for him, praying for forgiveness for him, and doing good
deeds and giving him the reward for that, so as to make up for gossiping
about him and slandering him. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: The expiation for
gossip is praying for forgiveness for the one about whom you gossiped. End
quote. 

And Allah knows best.