Talking about your/other's sins is NOT permissible

Talking About Sins

It is prohibited (haram) and sinful to talk about sins, whether current or past, except when there is a Shariah-countenanced reason. Even when such a reason exists, if it is possible to mention something general (such as not mentioning oneself or any particular type of sins) then mentioning specific sins would remain sinful. This is because it is:

(1) obligatory to avoid vain talk [defined below] and

(2) obligatory to conceal one's sins.

Talking about the vain is to talk about sins [one's own or others], such as talking about gatherings of drinking, or the fornicators, without there being a valid reason. This is because it is revealing sin, whether one's own or another's, without a [religiously valid] reason. [al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya Sharh al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya, 3: 224-225]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, "All my Community will be forgiven except those who are blatant. And it is from blatancy for one to perform an act at night and to wake up and tell something that they did such-and-such,while Allah had concealed it for them. They slept under the cover of Allah, and they rended Allah's covering from themselves in the morning." [Bukhari and Muslim]




What if I am asked whether I did such and such?

Given this, if someone asks one whether one used to do drink, for example, in the bad old days, one cannot answer in the affirmative. Rather, one should answer by an indirect answer, like, "Why would any Muslim drink?" Or, "Alhamdulillah, Allah protected me from that, intending that Allah protected one after one stopped. If such an indirect answer does not come to one's mind, it would be permitted (or, rather, necessary) to lie and deny this.





Why?

The reason why it is so important not to talk about sin is because of what sin is: it is that which Allah hates, and may punish its doer for in the Hereafter. Sins go against the very purpose of the creation of humanity, which is to know and worship Allah. If you examine sins, all of them either entail or lead to social harms.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "Believers see their sins as if they were sitting at the foot of a mountain and feared that it may fall on them, while the corrupt see their sins as if they were a mere fly that flew by their nose." [Bukhari and Muslim] Sins are something extremely grave. The believer fears even getting close to sinning, because of their firm belief, sincere devotion, and true love.

When people start talking about sins, they lose their gravity and people start thinking (even if only subconsciously) that it is not all that bad to sin. For example, if one missed praying Fajr, one must feel remorseful. This remorse would lead to repentance and a determination not to make the same mistakes again. However, if one went to the breakfast table, and everyone was talking 'normally' about how they didn't get up for Fajr, this sin would feel less grave. Eventually, it would just be the way things are.




Taking Care of One's Eyes and Ears


The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,

"From the excellence of a man's Islam is leaving that which does not concern him."

That is, to leave that which is not important or befitting of him, whether in speech, actions, or thought.The reality of 'that which does not concern him' is that which is not needed for a worldly or next-worldly necessity, and dos not aide in attaining his Lord's good pleasure, such that it is possible to life without it.

And it has been related in a Prophetic hadith that, "The people of the Garden will not remorse except for moments that passed them by without remembering Allah." [Tabarani]

So glad tidings to one who takes himself to account before he is taken to account!

source