. I.ii . <': / f·g< "1// (cont.)

In other words, if a person is committing a sin at the present moment in front of another Muslim, he must put a stop to that sin, even if it means he must tell others about it. In the example above, he should try to stop the person from drinking and even ask others to help him. However, if he comes and the person had just finished the drink and put the glass down, then he may conceal his fault. (3) The person whose fault is being concealed must be a religious person who is known for performing the obligatory deeds and is not known 1 Al-Haitami, Fath, p. 256. 2 Cf., al-Mudaabaghi, p. 256. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi whatsoever for performing evil deeds. In other words, it must have been a slip on his part and almost everyone is bound to slip some time. ( 4) The concealment must not be in a situation where one has been called to be a witness to what has occurred. It also must not be a case where one has to testify to the integrity of a witness or of a narrator of reports. In those cases, the person does not have the right to conceal the other person's faults. ( 5) The benefit of concealing the person's sin must outweigh the benefit of letting his sin be known. If it is better for a person's sin to be known, it should not be concealed. According to ibn Uthaimeen, if the benefit and the harm seem to be the same in both cases, it would be best to conceal the sin.1 As al-Bugha and Mistu point out, this does not mean that one does not advise the person and remind him of Allah. He should be reminded. He should be told not to repeat that sin that he has committed and so forth. This is part of the obligatory naseehah (sincere advice) that every Muslim should make toward his brother.2 According to ibn Rajah, included in this category of those whose sins should be concealed is a person who comes, full of repentance and sorrow, asking for the prescribed punishment to be implemented on him without explicitly stating what sin he has committed. He should not be asked to admit to his crime but instead he should be told to repent privately and conceal his sin. This was the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not ask Maaiz what sin he committed when he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) asking to be punished.3 Interceding on Behalf of Righteous Muslims If a righteous Muslim who is not known for committing sins should blunder and commit a mistake, the others should keep his mistake concealed. Furthermore, if the mistake concerned another's right, they should intercede on behalf of the pious Muslim. In other words, they should convince the one who was wronged to forgive his brother, to overlook his mistake and not to take the matter to the authorities and press charges. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, "Intercede [on each other's behalf] and you will be rewarded." (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) The Prophet (peace be upon him) sated, 1 Ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 5, p. 1 5. 2 Al-Bugha and Mistu, p. 291 . 3 Ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 292. Hadith #36: "Whoever Relieves a Believer . . . " o lP ,,, ,,. o "" J ,,. ; :b.JI Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi even care what anyone says about them and their sins. This person is not deserving of having his sins concealed. In fact, al-Haitami states it is a must that his sins not be concealed. Instead, others should be told about him so that they may take their precautions against him. Concealing his sins will just give him the opportunity or encouragement to do even more sins. Furthermore, he should be taken to the authorities to be dealt with in the proper manner to try to curb his evil. 1 Al-Hasan al-Basri stated that there is no such thing as backbiting with respect to such people.2 Obviously, if a person is openly committing such sins he could not possible careor he does not have the right to objectif people mention those sins behind his back. According to ibn Rajah, it is permissible to search into the affairs of such people if they are accused of committing specific crimes.3 This view is based on the Prophet's statement after punishing a man for illegal sexual intercourse, recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim, "O Unais, go to that woman and if she confesses her crime, have her stoned to death." According to Imam Malik, no one should even step in and try to intercede on such a person's behalf.