Rumours and backstabbing lead to social divisions and destruction, today's sermon warns. To guard against this, Muslims should be careful to confirm information before sharing it.
The Quran's Al Hujraat chapter stresses the importance of checking if rumours are true.
One verse of the chapter says: "O ye who believe! If an evil-liver brings you tidings, verify it, lest ye smite some folk in ignorance and afterward repent of what ye did."
The Quran also teachs Muslims to get news directly from its sources, the sermon continues.
A verse from another chapter says: "And when Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah? He saith: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If I had ever said it, then thou wouldst have known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in thy mind."
Al Hujraat also warns Muslims against insulting people, making fun of them and swearing.
"Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they [are], not let women [deride] women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames."
Another verse says: "Shun much suspicion; for lo! Some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another."
