Gossiping and compensation

21-5-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it true that if someone gossips about you, that you get part of their good deeds without any retaliation?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. If the person who is backbitten does not forgive the backbiter, neither does he take revenge by cursing that person, for instance, then he can take revenge on the Day of Judgement. There are many evidences of Shariah proving this fact. The clearest evidence was narrated in Sahih Muslim from Abu Hurairah (Radiya Allahu Anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "If any Muslim has opposed his brother concerning honour or anything else, let him obtain his pardon today (in this world) before the time comes when he will have neither Dinars nor Dirhams (i.e. he will be penniless). If the aggressor may have some good deeds (in his account) the same would be deducted in equal proportion to his wrongs, if the aggressor will have no good deeds in his account, the wrongs of the aggrieved would be added to the account of the aggressor in equal proportion" . Imam Ahmad said: 'cursing one is the same as taking revenge. So, whoever did not bear it to be rewarded on the Day of Judgement, curses the person who treated him unfairly he takes his revenge in this world' . Imam Ahmad 's opinion is based on the Hadith that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "Anyone who curses the unjust, he takes his revenge" [ al-Tirmizi ]. Allah knows best.