The Fiqh of whispering

 

By Shaykh Uthaymeen

 

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد -

 

 

The following are some of the main points from the Shaykh’s speech
 The Hadith:

 إِذَا كُنْتُمْ ثَلَاثَةً فَلَا يَتَنَاجَى رَجُلَانِ دُونَ الْآخَرِ حَتَّى تَخْتَلِطُوا بِالنَّاسِ أَجْلَ أَنْ يُحْزِنَهُ 

 

When three of you are together, two of you must not converse privately ignoring the third until the number increases, lest the third should be grieved. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

 The reason for the prohibition is because it will cause sadness for the third person.

 Huzn (زنِ حُ -sadness) and Gamm (غمَ -sorrow) relates to what has already occurred.
If it relates to the future it is called Khauf (خوف-fear)

 This hadith shows the prohibition of bringing sadness upon the Muslim because his statement “two of you must not converse privately” is a prohibition. And this is because this will harm him, and harming the Muslim is Haram.

 If there are four people and two of them are whispering, this is not prohibited.
This is because the two other people will not be harmed by the two whispering privately.

 If there are three people and two of them are speaking in a language foreign to the third person—even if they are speaking aloud—then this is prohibited. This is because this will cause him sadness, because the third person does not know what they are saying; thus he will be sad.

 If the third person does not care if they whisper or not; either because he is a strong person, or he does not fear anything bad from them, or he has a strong personality; then there is no problem if the other two whisper.

 If there is a gathering of five people and one of them is from the elders; either by
way of his knowledge or his status. And in every gathering he whispers with the same person this will cause sadness upon the others, therefore this is prohibited.

 The Prophet َصلى الله عليه وسلم was the best of teachers. When he gave a ruling, he explained the reason for the ruling.
Summary translation by Rasheed ibn Estes Barbee

 

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