Don’t Listen to Gossip

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa RaḥmatuLlāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu BiLlāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. BismiLlāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi RasūliLlāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al- Ḥaqqānī. Madad. Ṭarīqatunā aṣ-Suḥbah wa l-Khayru fi l-Jam‘iyyah.

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm:

(Qur’ān 49:06). ‘Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū in jā’akum fāsiqun binabain fatabayyanū an tuṣībū qawman bijahālatin fatuṣbiḥū ‘alā mā fa‘altum nādimīn’, ‘O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.’ Ṣadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm.

Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla warns us in Qur’ān ‘Aẓīmu sh-Sha’n, “Do not believe everyone”—especially the fāsiq. A fāsiq is someone who lies, indifferent to religion, does not perform prayer, and cannot be trusted; Allāh ﷻ says, “Do not believe their words.” Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla warns: If someone brings you news and you act upon it—thereby harming others—only to later discover the news was untrue, you will feel regret. Therefore, you must be careful about where and from whom you hear information. There is no need to listen to trivial or unnecessary things.

Why do we say this? Because the situation has become much worse now. In the past, one person might tell another; even if they shared it with a couple of people, it wouldn’t cause a major issue or be known by everyone. Now—setting television aside—everyone has a phone in their hand. They mislead people with falsehoods—saying “I did this, I did that,” “this happened,” “so-and-so did this,” or “these people are like this, those people are like that”—and stir up hostility. People in this day and age are not particularly inclined toward friendship or goodness anyway; they crave hostility and evil, and they seek out such news. That is why there is no need to listen to such people. There is no need to listen to “what this person said” or “what that person did.” Simply continue on the condition you know to be right. Do not give credence to such things. Do not take action based on anyone’s word—especially not the word of the fāsiq. Unfortunately, most people nowadays fall into this category of fāsiq. Unfortunately, that has to be stated. As

we defined it, a fāsiq is someone who breaks their word, spreads gossip, and speaks falsehoods. Unfortunately, most people of this time are like that.

Therefore, do not take it upon yourself to act on everything people say, lest you cause harm to others. If you hear something, it is better to act as if you never heard it at all. Even if you do hear it, do not spread it or repeat it to anyone. That is the best course of action. In such situations, the best thing to do is simply not to listen to the news. Pay no heed to remarks like, “So-and-so said this about you,” “This person wrote that against you: You are like this or like that.” Shukr to Allāh ﷻ we told this to the brothers long ago. Sometimes they would come and say, “This person is saying such-and-such against you, and that person is saying this.” We say, “Don’t even mention it.” Often, the poor ones who carry such gossip come to regret it later. If they refrain from speaking, at least they avoid feeling ashamed afterward. They repent, and Allāh ﷻ forgives them. But if you come and repeat those words to us, a sense of resentment and aversion toward that person will take root in our hearts. Consequently, it breeds badness rather than affection among Muslims.

That is why, shukr to Allāh ﷻ, we had already advised against this long ago. May Allāh ﷻ be pleased with them; the brothers heed our words and do not bring such gossip to us. However, they must also avoid speaking this among themselves. Speaking ill of one another or harboring hostility is not a good thing. Ṭarīqah is built upon affection and friendship. ‘ ’, ‘Innama l-mu’minūna ikhwa’, ‘The believers are but brothers.’ (Qur’ān 49:10). Believers are brothers. It is not right to sow seeds of aversion and resentment among them. Therefore, do not pry too much, asking, “Who said what? Who did what?” Whoever has made a mistake—may Allāh ﷻ forgive them. Allāh ﷻ is the Most Forgiving; He ﷻ forgives those who turn to the right path and those who repent and seek forgiveness. May Allāh ﷻ be pleased with you all. May Allāh ﷻ protect us all, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allāhi t-Tawfīq. Al-Fātiḥa.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 04 October 2026/ 23 Rabih Al-Akhir 1448 Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul