Mudslinger (Golden Words of Allah – Episode 61)

“And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it.” (Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:12)

By Abdullahi Yusuf

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All perfect praise is due to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, the Lord of the Worlds. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad (pbuh), is His slave and final Messenger.

Introduction
There are few things more poisonous to the soul and to society than the sharp tongue of a mudslinger, one who spreads malicious words, exaggerates faults, and enjoys painting others black in the eyes of the world. The Qur’an calls them humazah lumazah, backbiters, slanderers, mudslingers.

These are not harmless words. In Islam, dishonouring another human being, especially without proof, is among the gravest sins, for it eats away at one’s good deeds like fire consumes dry wood.

Allah says: “Woe to every scorner and mocker.”(Surah Al-Humazah, 104:1)

The word humazah refers to those who slander others behind their backs, and lumazah to those who mock and insult them in front of others. They belittle, defame, and paint others in the darkest colours while thinking themselves superior. Such people not only harm others, they destroy their own akhirah.

“And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it.”(Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:12)

The mudslinger often acts from a heart diseased with jealousy, pride, or hatred for his brother. They gather people’s faults, amplify them, and share them for entertainment, revenge, or attention.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do you know who the bankrupt one is?” They said, ‘The one who has neither money nor goods.’ He said: “Rather, it is the one who comes on the Day of Judgment with prayer, fasting and zakah, but he has also abused this one, slandered that one, unlawfully consumed the wealth of another, shed blood, and beat others. So their good deeds will be given to those he wronged, and if his good deeds are exhausted, their sins will be cast upon him, and he will be thrown into the Hellfire.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2581)

Mudslinging isn’t just about lying, even truth spoken without need to defame someone becomes ghibah (backbiting). And if it’s false, it becomes buhtaan (slander) even worse.

Allah continues in Surah Al-Humazah: “No! He will surely be thrown into the Crusher.”(Surah Al-Humazah, 104:4)

This Hutamah, the Crusher, is a description of Hellfire that breaks bones, crushes pride, and consumes hearts. It is prepared for those who harm others with their words, thinking little of the damage they cause.

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “A man may utter a word, not thinking it significant, but because of it he falls into the Fire seventy years deep.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2319; Sahih)

The Prophet was once asked what causes people to enter Hell the most. He said: “The tongue and the private parts.”(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2004 – Hasan Sahih)

A slip of the tongue may feel small, but its consequences can be eternal. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “A man may speak a word that pleases Allah and be raised by it to degrees, and a man may speak a word that angers Allah and fall into Hell because of it.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6478)

To throw mud is to dirty your own soul. The believer guards their tongue, fearing the weight of words on the Day of Judgment. We must choose to cleanse our speech, purify our hearts, and uplift rather than disgrace.

“Not a word does he utter but that there is an observer ready to record it.” (Surah Qaf, 50:18)

And Allah knows best.

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