How Should a Woman Respond to False Accusations or Inappropriate Conduct?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
How should a woman respond Islamically to false accusations or inappropriate conduct?
Answer
I pray you are well.
False accusations are generally accusations of being loose, or of infidelity, and similar matters.
The Seriousness of False Accusations in the Shari‘a
In the Sharia, there is recourse in a Muslim country. A woman can go to a court, and if the people involved cannot produce four witnesses who caught her in the act of indecency, and if they are not willing to testify, then the one who makes the accusation is whipped.
This shows how strongly the Shari‘a views such accusations. Someone who has been accused in this way is being oppressed (mazlum). Injustice (zulm) has been done to them.
Turning to Allah When Wronged
In such a situation, turn to Allah and say, “O Allah, defend me.”
If there is an actual recourse you can take, such as in the workplace, then go to HR.
However, a person may find themselves in a situation where zulm is inflicted on them, and they have no one to turn to. In that situation, you turn to Allah and ask Allah Most High.
Taking the Means in Cases of Harassment
The same applies to any inappropriate conduct. Take the means Allah has provided you.
If you are being harassed or if someone is causing problems in the workplace or spreading rumors, take the steps available to you. In most workplaces, there are provisions, usually within an HR system, that allow you to raise the matter with the appropriate authorities.
A Tested Supplication
Something useful, in the sense that it has been tried and tested by people, is what has come from the words of Shaykh Abul Hassan al-Shadhili.
He said that if you say, “HasbunAllahu wa ni‘mal wakil,” matters like this are usually sorted.
You may say it 450 times a day.
Seeing Allah’s Tarbiya in the Trial
Ultimately, you should view the matter through the perspective of Allah’s tarbiya for you.
Allah may be putting you through a situation to change your life in some way, to raise you, to get you out of a bad situation, or to distance you from certain people.
Think about it and consider the best possible outcome for you.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr. Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr. Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.
