Book Name:Faizan e Imam Azam
Those people who love Imam Abu Hanifa رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه but remain engaged in seeking the shortcomings of others by asking unnecessary questions should learn from this. Remember, intentionally seeking another Muslim’s fault, without a shar’i need, is forbidden. It is stated in the Quran:
وَ لَا تَجَسَّسُوۡا
Translation from Kanz al-Īmān: “And do not search for (hidden) faults.”[1]
If this fault is revealed to others in such a manner that they know that it is so-and-so’s shortcoming, then this is another sin. If someone is exposing and sharing the mistake of a scholar, it is worse. The Proof of Islam, Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states in Kimiya-e-Sa’adat: Exposing the mistakes of a scholar is haram for two reasons:
1. It is a form of backbiting.
2. People will use it as evidence to perform the same sins without any hesitation. The Devil will aid people in committing the same mistakes by telling them they are not pious like so-and-so scholar.[2]
The more people he informs of that fault, the more his sins will increase. Hence, it is essential for Muslims to refrain from seeking the faults of others in the first place. If someone tells you about another person’s sin, protect yourself from listening to it. If you happen to see someone make a mistake or come to know about it, conceal it. Do not expose it to others without a valid shar’i reason.
3 Hadith regarding the Concealment of Sins
1. The one who conceals the sins of a believer is as if he has revived a girl who was buried alive.[3]