Calumny
Calumny
“Ye have been forbidden to commit … calumny; shun ye, then, what hath been prohibited in the holy Books and Tablets.” 1
“O Son of Being! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.” 2
“O Son of Being! Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness.” 3
“Verily I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good, defile it not with unseemly talk. God hath forgiven what is past. Henceforward everyone should utter that which is meet and seemly, and should refrain from slander, abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men.”” 4
“The individual must be educated to such a high degree that he would rather have his throat cut than tell a lie and would think it easier to be slashed with a sword or pierced with a spear than to utter calumny or be carried away by wrath.” 5
“Perseverance and patience are required to counteract the effects of slander and calumny.” 6
“backbiting or calumny
Backbiting, slander and dwelling on the faults of others have been repeatedly condemned by Bahá’u’lláh. In the Hidden Words, He clearly states: “O Son of Being! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.” And again: “O Son of Man! Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness.” This strong admonition is further reiterated in His last work, “the Book of My Covenant”: “Verily I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good, defile it not with unseemly talk. God hath forgiven what is past. Henceforward everyone should utter that which is meet and seemly, and should refrain from slander, abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men.”” 7
Other references
Lights of Guidance 304 – 325
Babi Dispensation
See Commentary of Sirih Joseph chapters 100, 105 & 106
Islamic Dispensation
“Heed not the type of despicable man ready with oaths A slanderer going about with calumnies.” 8
Christian & Jewish Dispensation
“Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.” 9
“The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.” 10
“Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will.” 11
Footnotes
Baha’u’llah, The Most Holy Book, para 19 ↩
Baha’u’llah, Arabic Hidden Words no. 26 ↩
Baha’u’llah, Arabic Hidden Words no. 27 ↩
Baha’u’llah, Book of My Covenant ↩
Selections from the Writings of Abdul-Baha ↩
From a letter from the Universal House of Justice, 31 October 2008 ↩
Notes to the Kitab-i-Aqdas no. 37 ↩
The Holy Qur’an, Al-Qalam 68:10-11 ↩
James 4:11 ↩
Proverbs 25:23 ↩
Psalm 101:5 ↩