Narration Against a Believer

قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ مَنْ رَوَى عَلَى مُؤْمِنٍ رِوَايَةً يُرِيدُ بِهَا شَيْنَهُ وَ هَدْمَ مُرُوءَتِهِ لِيَسْقُطَ مِنْ أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ أَخْرَجَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ وَلَايَتِهِ إِلَى وَلَايَةِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَلَا يَقْبَلُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ.

“Once Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) said to me, ‘Whoever makes a narration against a believer intending thereby to defame him and destroy his honor to discredit him in the eyes of people, Allah moves him out of His guardianship to that of Satan, and Satan will not accept him.’”

قُلْتُ لَهُ‌ عَوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِ حَرَامٌ قَالَ نَعَمْ‌[1] قُلْتُ تَعْنِي سُفْلَيْهِ‌[2] قَالَ لَيْسَ حَيْثُ تَذْهَبُ إِنَّمَا هِيَ إِذَاعَةُ سِرِّهِ.

“Once I asked him (abu ‘Abd Allah) (a.s.) ‘Is it unlawful to publicize the secrets and privacy of a believer before another believer?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, it is unlawful.’ I then asked, ‘Do you thereby (privacy) mean his two lower organs (anus and genitals)?’ The Imam said, ‘It is not what you thought it is. It is to

مَا هُوَ أَنْ يَنْكَشِفَ فَتَرَى مِنْهُ شَيْئاً إِنَّمَا هُوَ أَنْ تَرْوِيَ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ تَعِيبَهُ‌[3].

“About the Hadith that says, ‘Privacy of a believer is unlawful for another believer,’ the Imam has said, ‘It is not that they (genitals) are exposed and one sees certain parts of them. It is to make certain narrations against him to reproach and defame him.’”