The Sin of Assumptions

Bad intention you didn't act on? Not punished. A sin you thought about but stopped yourself from? Not punished. Islam is merciful like that. The thought alone is almost never the crime. Except one. Bad assumptions about a fellow believer. Scholars called it backbiting of the heart. You never said a word out loud, but the suspicion itself is a sin you'll be held accountable for. Allah criticised the believers in the story of Aisha (RA) not for what they said, but for what they thought the moment they heard it. "Why didn't you think better?" Guard your mind. Your thoughts about your Muslim brother are not private.