O beloved of the Lord! If any soul speak ill of an absent
one, the only result will clearly be this: he will dampen the zeal of the
friends and tend to make them indifferent. For backbiting is divisive, it is
the leading cause among the friends of a disposition to withdraw. If any
individual should speak ill of one who is absent, it is incumbent on his
hearers, in a spiritual and friendly manner, to stop him, and say in effect:
would this detraction serve any useful purpose? Would it please the Blessed
Beauty, contribute to the lasting honour of the friends, promote the holy
Faith, support the Covenant, or be of any possible benefit to any soul? No,
never! On the contrary, it would make the dust to settle so thickly on the
heart that the ears would hear no more, and the eyes would no longer behold the
light of truth.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
