By Ishaaq bn AbdirRaheem Aboo Aamir
Bismillaah-ir-Rahmaan-ir-Raheem
The Messenger of Allaah - salallaahu alahyi wa sallaam - did guide the Ummah to be wary of every information passing by, that we should either play ignorance of it or be indifferent towards it.
A habitual tale carrier can become a liar. He said – salallaahu alahyi wa sallaam – on the authority of Hafs bn Aasim as recorded by al-Imaam Muslim and others:
ÙƒÙŽÙÙŽÙ‰ بÙالْمَرْء٠كَذÙبًا أَنْ ÙŠÙØَدّÙØ«ÙŽ بÙÙƒÙلّ٠مَا سَمÙعَ
‘It is enough to call a person a liar when he narrates everything he hears.’
It once happened during the time of Abdullaah bn Ma’ood – radiyaLlahu an’hu - that there was an announcement among the people [from no definite source] one morning that whoever prayed in the Great Masjid [in Kufah] would enter the Jannah. By morning, people filled up the Masjid including men and women. When Ibn Mas’ood was informed of what had happened, he went to the Masjid and said: ‘What is the problem with you? The information you have followed was an emission from the devil, no book was revealed after your Prophet, in fact there won’t be any revelation after him – salallaahu alahyi wa sallam. It has been the way of Shaytaan that if he wants to spread a lie among the people, he will transform himself to a man, will meet another person and say to him: ‘Have you been informed?’ The other person would say: ‘About what?’ Shaytan would say: ‘That there was such-and-such happening? Go and inform your people The other person would go as instructed and he has only been sent by none other than Shaytaan.’
Ibn Waddaah recorded the report in his ‘al-Bida’’ [1/10].
