"Woe to Every Slanderer..."

In the Name of Allah (God), the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.

Salaam (Peace) to all.

Allah says, in the Holy Qur'an: "Woe to every slanderer, defamer!"

"Woe" is defined as "Deep distress or misery, as from grief; wretchedness; regret; Misfortune; calamity".

To "Slander" is defined as to "charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone".

To "defame" is "to attack the good name or reputation of, as by uttering or publishing maliciously or falsely anything injurious".

The implication here is that even if the thing being reported is True, if the reporter's intention is to bring unwarranted harm to the accused, he or she is guilty of "slander" and/or "defamation".

Why should "deep distress or misery, as from grief" come to those who "attack the good name or reputation" of others "by uttering or publishing maliciously or falsely anything injurious"?

The Hon. Elijah Muhammad once said, in words, that whenever a Man is falsely accused, the heavens and the earth cry out for Justice for that innocent Man; and the punishment that would have fallen on the innocent man, if he were guilty, falls on the accuser.

One of the Principles upon which the Universe - of which we all are integral parts - is constructed is the Principle of Justice. In order for Balance and Harmony to be maintained in the Universe, there must be a constant application of the Law of Justice to "neutralize" or "correct" any violations of those principles of Balance and Harmony.

When a person formulates an intention to cause harm to an innocent Man or Woman (whether physical harm or harm to his or her reputation) by way of spoken or written word, that person is generating an 'Imbalance' in the Universal Order of things, seeking to impose an effect upon another who is not Naturally Deserving of it. In doing so, the 'accuser' is activating the Universal Law of Justice - which is designed to restore Balance and Harmony - against himself.

The Hon. Elijah Muhammad also said that if the accuser corrects his error, and makes amends from a sincere motivation...in TIME, he can "deactivate" that Law against himself, and we say he is "forgiven".

This is why it is so very important that we do not take the power of speech for granted, and that we keep in mind that with freedom comes responsibility. With the freedom of speech comes the responsibility to make sure that our speech is Truthful and Warranted, lest we harm others, and ultimately bring "woe" upon ourselves.

It is no sin to "disagree" with another Being's point of view. The "sin" is in allowing our disagreements to cause us to violate the principle of Justice and Fairness in our interactions with one another.

We will all be held accountable for what we set in motion...especially nowadays.

Let us be careful.

Peace to those who Seek Peace.

RM