"Verily, those who accuse chaste women, who never even think of anything touching their chastity and are good believers, are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a great torment. " [Q 24: 23]
What is slander? According to Microsoft Encarta Dictionary [2007 Edition], slander is the act of saying something false or malicious that damages somebody's reputation.
Malik related to me from al-Walid ibn Abdullah ibn Sayyad that al-Muttalib ibn Abdullah ibn Hantab al- Makhzumi informed him that aman asked the Messenger of Allaah, [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] "What is backbiting?" The Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, "It is to mention about a man what he does not want to hear." He said, "Messenger of Allaah! Even if it is true?" The Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, "If you utter something false, then it is slander." [Muwatta]
Categories of slander: Slander is of different categories. The act of slandering Allaah or His Messengers is the greatest of them. If someone deliberately slanders Allaah or His Messengers in the Muslim land the punishment for that in this world is that such a person should be killed. Allaah says; "The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter." [5: 33] This punishment can only be carried out by the Muslim authorities only and not by anybody else within the Muslim society.
It becomes more difficult to carry out this punishment if the slander occurred outside the Muslim land! The second category of slander is to slander a believer and more especially believing women falsely. Allaah says; "Verily, those who accuse chaste women, who never even think of anything touching their chastity and are good believers, are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a great torment. "[Q 24: 23)
For people who slander [accuse them of illegal sexual intercourse] believing women, they Will be beaten With eighty strokes of the cane and they will not be allowed to bear witness in legal cases again. Verily, those who accuse chaste women, who never even think of anything touching their chastity and are the good believers, are cured in this life and in the hereafter, and for them will be a great torment." [Q 24:23]
Unbelief: Narrated Abu Hurayrah [RA]: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) observed: "Two (things) are found among men which are tantamount to unbelief: slandering ones lineage and lamentation on the dead. "[Muslim]
The curse of Allaah: Allaah says; "Verily, those who accuse chaste women, who never even think of anything touching their chastity and are good believers, are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a great torment." [Q24: 23]
Punishment of the grave: Ibn Abbas related that the Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] passed by two graves and said, "They are being punished. But they are not being punished for a great matter (on their part). One of them did not clean himself from urine and the other used to spread slander. "[Ibn Majah]
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited