Mishkat al-Masabih 4811 — Manners

Nafi Narrated from:

I was with Ibn Umar رضي الله عنه on a road (going somewhere). Suddenly, he heard a mizmar (pipe). He put his fingers in his ears and moved away to the other side of the road. Then, having gone some distance, he asked me 'O Nafi, do you hear anything?' I said, 'No!' then, he removed his fingers from his ears and said, 'I had been with Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and he had heard the sound of a reed-pipe (yara) and he had done as I did just now. Nafi رحمه الله said further, "At that time, I was young." [2]Ghibah (غيبة) 'backbiting' is to speak ill of someone behind his back. It is speak of a person in his absence such things as he would not like if he heard them. Shatm (شتم) is to 'revile' or 'abuse'. It is speaking indecently and to someone with such words as are not approved by Shar'iah and are against etiquette, civil conduct and politeness.The ahadith in this chapter emphasise that the tongue should be preserved from bad words and speech as are not accepted by Shari'ah (divine law) and society. Main among them are backbiting, abusing and disrespectful talk. These ahadith point out the evil in these things from the point of view of Shari'ah (divine law) and how much is he looked down upon who does these things.