Late one night someone in the class group chat posted an old photo of Sumaiya and started making fun of it. One laughing emoji after another. Sumaiya wasn't in the group.
Lamia sat with her phone, wondering — should she add a laugh too? Everyone else was. Then she remembered her Islamic Studies teacher saying the Quran compares backbiting to eating the flesh of one's dead brother.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱجۡتَنِبُواْ كَثِيرٗا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعۡضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثۡمٞۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُواْ وَلَا يَغۡتَب بَّعۡضُكُم بَعۡضًاۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمۡ أَن يَأۡكُلَ لَحۡمَ أَخِيهِ مَيۡتٗا فَكَرِهۡتُمُوهُۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٞ رَّحِيمٞ
“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 brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allāh; indeed, Allāh is Accepting of Repentance and Merciful.”
Surah Al-Hujurat 49:12
Translation: Saheeh International (QuranEnc)
Lamia wrote: 'Sumaiya isn't here — she'd be really hurt if she saw this. Shall we delete it?' For a few minutes no one wrote anything. Then the one who had posted it wrote, 'Sorry, you're right,' and deleted the photo.
Sumaiya never knew what had happened. But Lamia knew that day she had protected a friend's honour.