A Maligning Word can Take to Hell

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “If a man uses a word in order to disgrace an innocent man in the world, it becomes the duty of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to burn him in Hell Fire of the Day of Resurrection.” [Ihya Ulum Id Deen by Imam Ghazali]

Surely, our tongues are heavy burdens that we carry! May Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) help us to control our tongues, and to use them sparingly and wisely.

It has been reported that a man crossed fourteen hundred miles in search of a wise pious man and asked him seven questions:

(1) What is heavier than the sky? (2) What is more spacious than the earth? (3) What is harder than stone? (4) What is hotter than fire? (5) What is colder than ice? (6) What is richer than the sea? (7) Who is more humiliated than an orphan?

The wise man said: (1) The slander of an innocent man is heavier than the sky. (2) Truth is wider than the earth. (3) The heart of an unbeliever is harder than that of a stone. (4) Greed and hatred are hotter than fire. (5) The heart of a man who does not remove the wants of relatives is colder than ice. (6) A contented heart is richer than the sea. (7) The slanderer becomes more humiliated than on orphan when his action is disclosed. [Ihya Ulum Id Deen by Imam Ghazali]