Slander Has Negative Outcomes for Individuals, Society
One who slanders will eventually be disgraced. Such a person loses his reputation in society.
Buhtan is among moral vices about which God says in Verse 58 of Surah Al-Ahzab: “Those who hurt believing men and believing women undeservedly, shall bear the guilt of slander and a major sin.”
Buhtan results from one’s internal ugly characteristics.
Slander results from one's internal ugly traits and rooted in some moral vices such as:
1- Animosity. Sometimes a person falsely attributes improper things to another person in order to quell his hatred and feelings of animosity toward that person.
2- Envy. Sometimes a person feels jealous of another person’s status or accomplishments and resorts to slander to undermine them.
3- Fear and the urge to escape punishment. Sometimes a person fears being punished for a wrongdoing, or wants to prevent a wrong from being attributed to him, and therefore resorts to slander.
The negative consequences of buhtan are much harsher than those of ghibah (backbiting), because in the latter one talks about the imperfections and flaws that actually exist in another person, while in the former one falsely attributes something bad to another person.
Buhtan has many negative consequences for both the individual and the society.
It sows the seeds of enmity and hatred in society and turns friendship into enmity. Buhtan destroys the feeling of trust, which is the basis for the formation of small and large units in society.
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It can negatively affect all relationships, turning marriages into divorces, undermining the bonds between fathers and sons, and even leading to crimes such as murder.
It has been narrated from the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that anyone who slanders ot falsely attributes something to a believing man or woman, God will place him on a pile of fire until he comes out of what he has said about his brother or sister in faith.
