tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post7839492972154237408..comments2024-03-28T19:56:42.305-05:00Comments on Alexander Pruss's Blog: DetractionAlexander R Prusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-42064127702072531862011-05-05T15:18:44.226-05:002011-05-05T15:18:44.226-05:00Prof Pruss,
I think you're right that gheeba ...Prof Pruss,<br /><br />I think you're right that gheeba is more general than detraction. <br /><br />Does it only apply to Muslims? I think a good argument can be given to the contrary. The narrations speak of doing gheeba against one's 'brother', and against 'believers'. The Quran says there is brotherhood between 'believers'. So who is a believer (Mu'min)? Verses like 2:62 ascribe belief (Imaan) to non-Muslims:<br /><br />[2:62] Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in God and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.<br /><br />What I'm not so sure of is whether gheeba includes backbiting everyone, regardless of whether they have belief or not. But it's not something I've really looked into so don't take my word for it..InshAllah.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05993790321899952355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-55336183012373832262011-05-04T17:02:11.013-05:002011-05-04T17:02:11.013-05:00I like the term "gratuitous speech" in t...I like the term "gratuitous speech" in the case of detraction, but I worry that it suggests that there is a presumption against speaking in general (a "silence is golden" rule). See <a href="http://alexanderpruss.blogspot.com/2008/01/confidentiality-and-value-of-truth.html" rel="nofollow">this post</a>, which of course could be mistaken.<br /><br />I agree with your final remark. Speech of the sort forbidden by Paul could also be positive. We might call such speech "flattery" when we say it to the person it is about (and then distinguish honest and dishonest flattery, depending on whether the content is believed to be true). <br /><br />There are a lot of ways of violating this Pauline command beside detraction and flattery. This is a command well worth thinking about and I am grateful to you for having brought it up.Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-57883508067613981862011-05-04T16:29:38.346-05:002011-05-04T16:29:38.346-05:00Prof. Pruss,
You know the term gratuitous evil. I...Prof. Pruss,<br /><br />You know the term gratuitous evil. I wonder with regards to Ephesians 4:29, we can say that the author is arguing against a particular form of "gratuitous speech," mainly of the negative kind.<br /><br />As with the good and bad there seems to be an asymmetry between the two. It's hard to have gratuitous speech of the positive kind. It's hard to say too many good things about someone or something. Though, one could argue you could install a sense of pride and overly build up one's ego if you speak too positively about one.Jarrett Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17191046219215006345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-22486382789244754542011-05-04T13:56:31.088-05:002011-05-04T13:56:31.088-05:00Thanks for the mention of the Islamic tradition. ...Thanks for the mention of the Islamic tradition. Google found <a href="http://www.al-islam.org/kashf-ar-reeba-an-ahkam-al-gheeba/" rel="nofollow">this</a> very interesting book.<br /><br />My impression from looking at the book I link to above (though I don't know how reliable it is) is that gheeba is more general than detraction. Detraction is specifically the <em>revelation</em> of the faults of another. So you don't commit detraction (though you might be guilty of some other violation of Eph. 4:29) if you say bad things about another that are already publicly known. <br /><br />Question: Does gheeba include backbiting against a non-Muslim?Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-41173843139752599602011-05-04T12:10:41.434-05:002011-05-04T12:10:41.434-05:00The Islamic tradition also recognizes this sin. I...The Islamic tradition also recognizes this sin. In Arabic it's known as 'gheeba', and is typically translated as 'backbiting' in english, but I'm not sure that this is the most accurate translation of the word. The famous Qur'anic verse that mentions this sin is 49:12, and it compares those who engage in it to those who eat the dead flesh of their brothers. The implication is that it's a major sin.<br /><br />[49:12] O you who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty to God. Lo! God is Oft-Returning, Merciful..InshAllah.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05993790321899952355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-34834949542190508292011-05-04T10:26:18.492-05:002011-05-04T10:26:18.492-05:00Amen.
But it's so hard to follow this!Amen.<br /><br />But it's so hard to follow this!Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-80906813802119565192011-05-04T01:52:44.337-05:002011-05-04T01:52:44.337-05:00"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of ..."Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29)Jarrett Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17191046219215006345noreply@blogger.com