Seeking forgiveness for backbiting
Question: Soon after I hit puberty, I would joke with my friends, we would mock each other, tease each other, and sometimes we would backbite about each other as well. One of them has died now, and I don’t know where the others are. How can I ask for forgiveness for this?
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your question. I commend you for wanting to change your ways and sincerely repent for any sin you might have committed with your tongue.
Although you may not be held accountable for joking and teasing, you should certainly seek Allah’s forgiveness for any backbiting you may have done, which is sufficient. There is no need to seek out people from your past and ask their forgiveness unless you had actually stolen wealth or property from them. Please see this link for sincere repentance:
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/articles/featured-articles/what-are-the-conditions-of-making-tawba-transcript-ustadh-abdullah-misra/
You may also perform the Prayer of Repentance:
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/hanafi-fiqh/prayer-of-repentance-salat-al-tawba/
The best thing that you can do for your friend who has passed away is to read Qur’an and donate the reward to him or donate charity on his behalf.
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/general-counsel/donating-reward-to-the-dead-a-detailed-answer/
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/tag/donating-reward-to-the-deceased/
The best thing that you can do to change yourself and prove your sincerity to Allah is to acquire reliable knowledge of Islam and apply it in your life. Try a free course at Seekers and commit to transforming yourself. May Allah give you every success.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
