Slander

Nobody defends slander in principle. Almost everybody does it, usually without applying the word to what they are doing.

That gap between the ruling and the behavior is what this booklet works on.

What It Sets Out

It defines slander precisely and gives the authentic evidence for its prohibition — which matters, because a sin left vaguely defined is a sin nobody recognizes in themselves.

Then the harder material: the motives that produce it, the characteristics of the person who slanders, and the particular case of the two-faced — the one who carries speech between people and appears agreeable to both. The Prophet ﷺ singled that type out for the worst description among people.

The Cure

The booklet closes where a book like this must: with the sayings of the Salaf and the practical remedy. Recognizing the sin is the easy half. What to do when the conversation starts, how to leave it, and what to do about what you have already said — that is what the reader actually needs.

Related Reading

• Backbiting & its Evil Effects — backbiting, treated in the same series
• Lying & Envying — lying and envy, for younger readers
• Hindrances on the Path — the small social failings that do lasting damage