Slander and false accusation are about speaking lies about someone else and attributing something to them through defamation. In Islam, falsely attributing a bad deed that a person did not commit to them is called slander (böhtan). It is known to everyone that lying and backbiting are major sins. Slander specifically contains both lying and backbiting. In other words, the composition of slander consists of lying and backbiting. Speaking about a person in their absence is backbiting (qeybət), and attributing an event that did not happen to them is lying (yalan). In religious terms, in slander, the accuser (the evil force) is attributing a false charge to another person based on mere conjecture and suspicion without knowledge, the root of which stems from ill-opinion (sui-zann). Therefore, slander is the worst form of lying and is a double sin. It should be noted that both in the Holy Quran and in the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (S), slander and false accusation are considered major sins, strictly forbidden, and a severe punishment has been determined for those who commit them. For instance, the Almighty God says in the final heavenly Book: "When you received it (the lie spread by the hypocrites) with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge, and thought it to be a light matter. Whereas it was in the Sight of Allah a great thing! And why did you not, when you heard it, say: 'It is not right for us to speak of this. Glory be to You (Allah)! This is a great slander (Böhtan)!' Indeed, those who like to spread evil rumors (to discredit, to disrespect) among the believers will have a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah knows, and you know not!" (Holy Quran, Surah An-Nur, verses 15-16 and 19).
Or, the Prophet Muhammad (S) said in one of his hadiths: "Whoever slanders a believing man or woman, or says about them something that is not in them, Allah will place them on a fiery wire on the Day of Resurrection until they retract what they said" (Abu Dawud al-Sijistani. "Sunan Abu Dawud". Translation and commentary. 16 volumes. Prepared by Necati Yeniel et al. Istanbul, 2003. Volume XVI, p. 93, Hadith No. 4883).
Yes, slander is such a filthy act. This evil practice, which has been used by evil forces throughout history, is unfortunately still encountered today. In recent days, unpleasant expressions are being used about the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board (CMB), His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, and undignified slanders that do not suit his name and personality are being cast upon him. I believe that these are slanders directed against the Chairman of the CMB, carrying a malicious character and calculated to damage his clean and spiritual reputation. Because there is no need to introduce His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam in detail. He is well known by our society, the world's Muslims, and the world's heads of state and religious leaders. Significant works have been written about him. The number of titles, orders, and medals he possesses, and the local and international events he has attended for the sake of peace and coexistence of the peoples of the world and the region, is countless. This list could be greatly extended. However, I would like to draw attention to a few subtle points regarding the current slander campaign here.
Firstly, His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade is the supreme religious leader of the Muslim population not only of Azerbaijan but of the Entire Caucasus. The Muslims of the Caucasus and the country have chosen him as their spiritual father, a cleric with high religious knowledge and education, and a wise elder (ağsaqqal). In my opinion, with the great life path he has traversed, which is clear to everyone, as well as the fact that he has honorably carried this heavy burden on his shoulders since the age of 31, His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam has genuinely proven that he is worthy of this supreme religious position; there is no place here for any obscure point that could cause slander. If we consider the Muslims of the Caucasus and the country as one family, then His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam is the father of this family; the father is the elder, the head of the house and the family, and to insult the father means to insult his family and children. In this case, it is the duty of the family and children to defend the father's honor and dignity. If this is the case, then defending His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade is the Muslim duty of the Muslims of the Caucasus and the country, and the slanders cast upon our supreme religious leader are, first and foremost, also cast against all the Muslims of the Caucasus and the religious stratum of the country.
Secondly, His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade is one of the phenomenal personalities of Azerbaijan, if one can say so, our national brand. He has always been with us, he is with us now, and he will be with us until the end of his life. We are not saying this; the 40 years of Sheikh-ul-Islamdom and the scientific and social activity of the CMB Chairman are saying this. His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam is a person who shared the same ideas with the founder of the Independent Azerbaijani statehood, His Eminence Heydar Aliyev, for the sake of great Azerbaijanism, who stepped with him on this path, and who was close in heart and soul to the National Leader who had unparalleled services in the formation and development of our national statehood. His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam, who is well aware that religion is separate from the state according to our Constitution, but who, as a patriotic, religious, and faithful citizen, has never remained indifferent to the fate of his state and country, constantly provides moral support to the successor of the National Leader, President of the country Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who tirelessly works to convey the just voice of Azerbaijan and the truths about our Karabakh lands subjected to Armenian occupation to the international community through his social activity. It is no coincidence that our Head of State, as a sign of respect and reverence, annually attends the Iftar tables organized and established as a tradition at the residence of His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam during the month of Ramadan (excluding this year's Iftar table due to the special quarantine regime declared in the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Our Head of State said at one such event: "As every year, we meet at the Iftar table of His Eminence the Sheikh during the blessed month of Ramadan. This is a beautiful tradition. This tradition lives on and will continue to live on. This is a clear example of state-religion relations. State-religion relations are of particular importance for every country, and these relations in Azerbaijan are exemplary. The National Leader Heydar Aliyev and His Eminence the Sheikh stand at the foundation of these relations. Their personal friendship and mutual respect have had a very great impact on the development of state-religion relations. I am a witness that His Eminence the Sheikh and the National Leader Heydar Aliyev were very close people, and the work they did for the nation and the Motherland created the conditions for the successful development of today's Azerbaijan."
In this case, the slander campaign launched against His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade can also be considered to be against our national statehood. In my opinion, those who initiate this filthy campaign want to achieve several things, which are the following:
To gain personal dividends in society and to make themselves famous by this vile act against the country's influential supreme religious leader; if the other side responds adequately (for example, by appealing to law enforcement agencies and court instances), to draw attention to themselves with such actions and to possess some kind of heaven-sent "hero" image, and then leave the republic and go abroad under the guise of populist speeches and calls such as "democratic and human rights are violated in Azerbaijan or freedom of thought and speech is trampled upon," and live the desired happy life there;
Some social network users (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), bloggers, or electronic media bodies, by exploiting the social and political unawareness of a certain part of society, seek to ensure the readability of the slanderous and false information about His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade by forcing it onto society, thereby advancing in the constantly updating IP competition in the electronic media world and gaining certain material benefit—that is, to be able to stay on the agenda and increase their number of views by speculating for the sake of ratings (this is also incorrect from the perspective of international principles of journalism such as objectivity, accuracy, honesty, and impartiality; due to such incidents, the issue of strengthening control over social networks has already begun to be discussed in the Azerbaijani Parliament).
The dishonorable person who slanders His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade by replacing the blessed word "Allah" in his name with the word "devil" is, first and foremost, a devilish-natured person who does not recognize the Almighty God and commits disbelief (kufr) against Him, and is not a human being from a human perspective, because a person would not commit such impoliteness and disrespect towards their Creator—the Lord who created them; from a religious point of view, they are an apostate (murtad) and a non-Muslim, a person far from the belief in Tawhid (monotheism) and the Hereafter (Akhirah) and unworthy of servitude, since no Muslim would resort to such a vile act; according to their national identity, they are an Armenian, a rabble-rouser financed by the Armenian lobby abroad. Their true goal is to work in favor of the Armenians by tarnishing His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam's large-scale activities related to conveying the Karabakh truths to the international community.
The conclusion drawn from these claims allows us to say that those who slander the Sheikh of the Entire Caucasus are devious and dark forces who follow the devil. They must know that they will achieve nothing with such vile acts. They must be certain that they are gaining the hatred of the country's and the Entire Caucasus's Muslims with such slanders. They must realize that the Supreme Power who protects and safeguards His Eminence the Sheikh-ul-Islam from all kinds of slander and evil is the word "Allah"—which was inscribed in his name by his late parents—and Almighty God Himself, the owner of this blessed word. And Allah-Tala has said: "O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan—indeed, he orders immorality and wrongdoing (to commit adultery, to lie, to slander others)..." (Holy Quran, Surah An-Nur, verse 21).
Ahliman Rustamov
Researcher-Writer on Theology,
Journalist-Investigator