Tajassus and the Spread of Disgrace in Islamic Perspective

Disgrace, or ‘aib’, is a human reality. It can stem from negligence, mistakes, or simply the fragile parts of someone's life. Human nature inclines to conceal it.

Nowadays, many people no longer see aib as something to be hidden. On social media, disgrace becomes content. On television, it’s a source of entertainment. In casual hangouts, it's discussed as gossip.

Social media and national television have become open stages for exposing others' mistakes, inviting everyone to watch and comment.

Yet in Islam, spreading others' aib is clearly forbidden. This was also emphasized by Dr. Kharis Nugroho, Lc., M.Ud., a lecturer in Al-Quran and Tafsir Studies at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), who addressed the widespread phenomenon of tajassus.

“Islam highly values a person's dignity. One of the ways it protects this is by prohibiting the act of exposing others’ disgrace as a preventive measure,” said Kharis, Friday (13/6/2025).

Tajassus is the act of seeking out other people’s faults and disgrace with the intent to demean or bring them down. “This is clearly forbidden in Islam,” he emphasized.

Kharis directly referred to the words of Allah in the Qur'an, Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 12, which reads:

يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوْا كَثِيْرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّۖ اِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ اِثْمٌ وَّلَا تَجَسَّسُوْا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَّعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًاۗ اَيُحِبُّ اَحَدُكُمْ اَنْ يَّأْكُلَ لَحْمَ اَخِيْهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوْهُۗ وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ ۗاِنَّ اللّٰهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيْمٌ

"O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful."

The verse above not only forbids tajassus, but also links it to ghibah (backbiting). Both of these disgraceful traits apply to direct interpersonal relationships as well as interactions in digital spaces.

According to Kharis, the spread of disgrace through social media and infotainment content, such as gossip accounts or TV programs, is essentially a form of mass tajassus. It becomes even more dangerous when it's disguised under the label of "public education."

"Islam has its own way of educating society without having to expose someone’s disgrace,” he explained.

Broadcasting cases of divorce, infidelity, or domestic violence in a vulgar manner through media or personal accounts not only wounds the dignity of those involved. This disgraceful behavior also provokes negative public comments that can become jariah sin (continuous sin).

“By continuous sin, I mean a sin that continues to accumulate as long as the content is being shared, watched, or talked about by others,” Kharis added.

The trend of justifying the spread of disgrace as “educational” is, according to Kharis, a form of intention manipulation. “If the true intent is to educate, there are many more Islamic ways to do so. For example, consulting a third-party professional to handle divorce cases, attending solution-based religious studies or sermons, rather than exposing someone's disgrace,” he said.

The media should be capable of educating without mentioning names, showing faces, or leading public opinion toward scorn. Especially since Muslims carry a moral responsibility to guard their words and writings, both in public and digital spaces.

So how should we respond when gossip or disgraceful content suddenly appears on our social media timelines? To answer this, Kharis referred to a saying of the Prophet Muhammad SAW:

مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ

"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent." (Hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

Do not share, do not join in the criticism, and do not even comment. Such restraint acts as a primary filter to keep us from falling into unnoticed social sins.

"It’s better to occupy yourself with things that bring reward, such as reading the Qur’an, doing dhikr (remembrance of God), attending religious studies, or spending time on other beneficial activities," he advised.

It is time for society to cultivate a culture of tabayyun (seeking clarity and verifying truth), not tajassus. Building a healthy public space does not mean exposing the private wounds of others, but instilling Islamic ethics in every piece of content, comment, and conversation we engage in.

Protecting the dignity of our fellow Muslims is just as important as protecting our own. “Whoever conceals the faults of a fellow Muslim, Allah will conceal their faults on the Day of Judgment,” Kharis concluded.

Writer: Genis Dwi Gustati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva