# Is it Islamic to name and shame someone for a sin?

*The haram police: an online objection, the unqualified, and a Prophet who never named and shamed*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/6_dmojl-_bi/s/6/
- Date: 2017-09-29 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Propaganda against Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan - Mufti Abu Layth (15:41–19:37)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_dmOJl-_bI&t=941s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/6_dmojl-_bi/

**Topics:** Speech and everyday conduct; Social media; The life of the Prophet

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Naming and shaming a person for a sin is a modern tabloid practice with no basis in the Prophet's example, who addressed wrongdoing without naming anyone. Those acting as haram police are mostly unqualified, and Mufti Abu Layth notes they ignore rulings that apply to themselves.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that publicly naming and shaming a person for a sin is a modern tabloid practice with no basis in the Prophet's example, since the Prophet addressed wrongdoing without naming anyone.

**Evidence, his words at 18:21:** “this is a 21st century Western tabloid tabloid ISM culture that you are exploiting that you are building your faith upon this is nothing nothing from the teachings of Islam” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_dmOJl-_bI&t=1101s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth recounts a commenter who told him online that even without much learning she knew the act was haram and had the right to tell the man off. He replied that the very scholars such people rely on unanimously hold that a woman not covering her head is haram and that being on social media without hijab is haram by their standards, yet she has no problem with that, and that he himself thinks it is her business and nobody's place to tell her off, so she cannot claim the right to tell someone else off for a haram act. He says most of those involved have never read the whole Quran with understanding, have not memorised a juz, could not relate a single hadith with its chain and explain it, and know nothing of basic legal theory, the scholars' disagreements, the maqasid of the shari'ah, the message of the sirah or the legal maxims, and asks who authorised them to become the haram police and since when bullying became acceptable. He says that when the Prophet saw something haram he would go to the mosque and say what is it with people that they do such and such, never naming or shaming anyone, and calls naming and shaming a twenty-first-century Western tabloid culture with nothing to do with Islam. He closes the first element with the hadith that all the children of Adam sin, saying nobody is as pure as the driven snow.

## Sources and names cited

- report: ma bal aqwam what is the matter with people who do such and such
- report: all the children of adam are sinners
- hijab
- maqasid al-shari'ah
- hisbah (ahkam al-hisbah, the rulings of accountability)

## Transcript (machine tier, 15:41–19:37)

[15:14] okay to start off with so this I can tell people off because you know this is haram in Islam no no you cannot you're not even a skull most of these people are not even detailed scholars of Islam most of them are not even well-versed on the esta laughs the 54 or the Oh su Lee through I had people engaged with me saying to me online I've had and I'm not trying to judge here but I'm being very clear so there's women saying I'd a woman say online well I may not be

[15:49] so learned in Islam but even I know this is Haram and and I have a right to tell him off she had an animal cell and animal silent - a ruffed right so now so some person some woman was or saying this that I I may not be so learning in this lumber and I said look with all due respect let's just begin with the fact that most of these people that you're saying these scholars or whoever you want to rely on unanimously amongst themselves agree that for a woman not to wear the head

[16:27] covering is Haram you yourself are on social media with no Hitcher according to all of them that's Haram according and I'm not look I I may disagree with some of these scholars but this isn't me this is these very same people you don't have a problem with that you're on social media according to most of these people that's Haram you don't have a problem with that and I'm not saying I and I feel rightly so it's your business it's for nobody to tell you off oh but somebody else is committing a Haram ah I have the right to tell them off no you

[17:05] do not know you do most of these people they have these people have never most of these I've never read the entire Quran throughout their lives with with with understanding not even the entire Quran they haven't even read most of them haven't even committed a single Jews to memory most of them will never be able to even read one entire hadith with the chain from memory and explain what it is they've got no idea of Basel basic legal theory within Islam will fit the disagreements they do not know how the scholars have disagreed they do not

[17:44] even understand most of these people the Mikasa the Sharia they do not understand the the message in the sealer of the prophet muhammad salallahu alaihe wasalam they do not understand the kawaii a sharia these people have taken to his bath how how have these people become the haram police who has authorized them people have been bullying online they've been bullying since when did bullying become okay let's take a look at the messenger of allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when he saw something haram going on with

[18:21] people he would go to the masjid and he would say ma ba Lu affirming yeah Oh Munna because I work as a mob a loophole mean yes I look at the vachetta maharaja linea yeah I look at all he would say what is it with people that they do this and this and this why is it with a man that he has said this did he ever dress them name and shame them this is a 21st century Western tabloid tabloid ISM culture that you are exploiting that you are building

[18:59] your faith upon this is nothing nothing from the teachings of Islam so lets us clarify this this part first the first part of the tripartite equation that they feel they have the right to command the good and forbid the evil no you do not you have no right to speak on behalf of God no right be ashamed of yourself you know the Haram actions that you perpetrate everybody Kulu bani adam' ha ha all of the children of adam are people who

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 6_dmOJl-_bI/s/6. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/6_dmojl-_bi/s/6/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.