What A Bad Person?

'Aayeshah Radiyallahu 'Anha reports. "A person asked permission to present himself before Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam while I was with him. Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said: 'What a bad person is he among his community'. 

After saying this, he gave him permission to enter. After the person entered, he spoke very softly to him. When the person left I said: 'O Rasulullah, you said what you said before he entered, then you spoke so softly to him,. Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said: 'O 'Aayeshah, the worst person is that who stops speaking to one because of his indecency'".

Commentary
Most of the 'ulama have written that this person's name was 'Uyaynah. It is said that till then he had not sincerely accepted Islaam, but hypocritically and outwardly. Upto that time Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam treated the hypocrites in the same manner as he had treated the Muslims. Therefore he treated him in the same manner. After the death of Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam when some people began turning away from Islaam (irtidaad), he also became a murtad, and openly declared the kufr that was in his heart. When he was brought before Sayyidina Abubakr Radiyallahu 'Anhu, the children of Madinah began jeering him that this person has also become a murtad (turned apostate). He replied: 'Since when have I been a Muslim that it may be said that I have become a murtad?

He later became a Muslim, and took part in jihaad in the time of Sayyidina 'Umar Radiyallahu 'Anhu. It is for this reason that Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam pointed out this fact before he entered.

Since this was intended to rectify (islaah) and to save others from harm, therefore this saying of Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam cannot be termed according to the shari'ah as ghibah (backbiting). To mention a bad deed of a person with the intention that others may not fall into it, or be tricked into it, is not classed as those prohibited in ghibah. Some of the 'ulama have stated that this person was an open faasiq. It is permissible to make ghibah of the one who openly indulges in fisq and fujur. When he arrived in the presence of Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam, to make him feel at ease and captivate his heart, Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam spoke softly to him, as was his noble habit. It was also the noble habit of sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam to speak softly to everyone. It is for this reason that Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam made this clear to Sayyiditina 'Aayeshah Radiyallahu 'Anha and others, so they may not feel that by the courtesy shown by Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam to this person, that this person is honest and a well wisher, and due to this one may be deceived and fall into some, calamity, or a secret may be said before him.

It is the habit of hypocrites to discuss the secrets of others so that they obtain special status and one's inner secrets. In the last sentence of the hadith the words 'worst person' could have two meanings. This may be referring to the person that presented himself. In order to keep away from his rudeness, he was treated in this manner, or this may be referring to the noble personage of Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam that, 'When did you find me to be a rude person, that you were waiting for such a thing. He is an indecent person, and due to his indecency people will refrain from coming to him, and if I also speak like this, people must also stop coming to me'. As a result of which only he shall be a loser, but how could Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam tolerate him being a loser? [Tirmidhi 047:008 (333)]