Diseases of the Tongue

Notes: Diseases of the Tongue
MCA Santa Clara, CA

Dr. Haifaa Younus of the Jannah Institute 
2/1/13

Aafatul lisan, diseases of the tongue - what does it mean? In general, it is saying anything that is not going to get me closer to Allah or will increase my sins. The virtue of staying quiet is hard, especially for women. And if you do stay quiet people will talk about you 'Oh what's wrong with her? Is she depressed?' But it is actually virtuous to "speak good or remain silent" -

 "فليقل خيرًا، أو ليصمت‏"

The Prophet (SAW) said, "Whoever guarantees me (the chastity of) what is between his legs (i.e. his private parts), and what is between his jaws (i.e. his tongue), I guarantee him Jannah." Sahih Bukhari. 

وعن سهل بن سعد قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏‏ "‏من يضمن لي ما بين لحييه، وما بين رجليه أضمن له الجنة‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.

‏  To guarantee Jannah, pay attention to two parts of your 

body - your private parts and your tongue. Protecting your private parts is very easy - stay away from illegal relationships outside of marriage, zina.

Now the tongue - that's the hard part. The Prophet (SAW) said: "None of your faith is correct unless your heart is upright and your heart will not be rectified until your tongue is in order." So what we say reflects our heart's status. My Iman determines how clean my heart and tongue are. A person who backbites all the time has a problem in their heart, in their Iman. It has to do with how much a person prays, fasts, etc. He didn't say there was no Iman at all, just that it won't be correct. Some people swear to fit in. Half of what we watch on TV is swearing. If I am listening, then I am saying it, then my heart is not sound and my Iman is not sound. It all has an effect.

The Prophet (SAW) was talking to Mu3adh bin Jabal (RadiaAllahu 3anhu) and he took hold of his tongue and told Mu3adh, "Keep this in control.' Then Mu3adh said "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we really be accounted for what we talk about?" He replied, "People will be thrown on their faces into the Hell on account of their tongues." 

فأخذ بلسانه قال‏:‏ ‏"‏كف عليك هذا‏"‏ قلت‏:‏ يا رسول الله وإنا لمؤاخذون بما نتكلم به‏؟‏ فقال‏:‏ ثكلتك أمك‏!‏ وهل يُكب الناس في النار على وجوههم إلا حصائد ألسنتهم‏؟‏‏"‏ ‏‏رواه الترمذي 

The message here is to control our tongue. Memorize this hadith and practice it. Try to apply it. 

The 13 most common diseases of the tongue

1. Al Kalamu fi ma la ya3ni- Talking about things that are not your business. 

This is asking questions like 'how much did this house cost? Did you take a bank loan? How many bedrooms is it? etc.'. The Prophet (SAW) said "A sign of one's excellence in his Islam, is ignoring what does not concern him." (Ahmad, Malik & At-Tirmidhi) So what is my business? What can I talk about? You can talk about anything that you need to know, anything that will bring you closer to Allah, whether for me, my life, or my family. 

For example you are invited to someone's house - what is your business, what could you ask about? Before you go you could call her on the phone, ask her if she needs any help, ask if we are going to pray in your home or to pray and come, what time is the gathering? Then you get in the house - greet with an islamic greeting, if it is a new house say the du'a for a new house. Then you sit down and talk - could talk about an Islamic topic or advice for your child for example how can I help my son wake up for Fajr (but don't ask her does *your* son wake up for fair). But of course we don't have to talk just about Islam. How can we guarantee that every word I say is bringing me one step closer to Jannah? You can choose topics that are important for a Muslim. For example, you could talk about health - it is an Islamic issue because your body is an amana (trust) from Allah. If you know she is a woman who takes good care of herself - ask her to teach you and give you some recipes. Ask her what is the best thing to eat in the morning.. etc. This is talk but there's no haram in it. But don't ask what do *you* eat for breakfast. You can say general things like how are you doing, how was your week, how is your family, how was your trip - out of courtesy, but be careful in going into details - once you get into details it becomes not your business. But it's okay if she tells you details herself.

Let's see this example from the Prophets. Sayyidina Luqman was walking and saw Sayyidina Dawud, who was a blacksmith, haddad, working with iron. He was working on making a shield and Luqman noticed it was very beautiful and he felt curious to ask what Dawud was making and why but his wisdom stopped him from asking. When Dawud finished, he told Luqman 'O what a beautiful shield I made for the war.' Then Luqman said 'al samtu hukmun - staying quiet is a wisdom'. It is very hard to practice this. Holding the tongue is extremely difficult. You hear a news, how hard is it for you to keep it to yourself? You heard that someone got engaged, and you want to spread the news even though no one told you to do that. So try to follow this general rule: Every time you have the urge to ask someone something, first ask yourself 'why do I want to know?' If the answer is just because, then don't ask. Another check - Will knowing this help me get to Jannah? Even the common question 'how many children do you have' could get you into trouble if that woman does not have any children. 

2. Al qawlu fil baatil - Talking about things that are haram. 

Here, the subject matter of the discussion is something haram. For example, the commonest one is talking about movies or TV series or soap operas. You see something in these shows, it is something haram like adultery or stealing or zina, then you go and talk about it to someone. We do this sometimes just for fun, nothing to do, just sitting around chatting and wasting time. Check: ask yourself 'Is what I am going to talk about haram?' 

3. Taqara'u fil kalam - Intentionally using big words to impress people and make them feel you are better than them. 

You choose hard words that no one ever heard. If you do this on purpose you are trying to show off how good you are. 

Hadith: The most hated among you to me, and furthest from the Prophet (Salla Allahu 3laihi wassalam) in Jannah are three: 

1. People who talk too much about things that don't concern them.

2. People who exaggerate (take something true and make it seem bigger than it really was).

3. People who praise themselves directly or indirectly with pride: praising yourself by praising your children, saying things like 'no one cooks this recipe better than me', or 'you haven't tasted mine'.

What makes us say these things? Kibr - pride. Shaytan comes through this door of pride. You always make sure everyone around you feels that you are better than them. If I say no one makes it better than me, then it will make me feel good about myself. But it's not getting you closer to Jannah. We notice it when others do it, but we don't notice when we do it. When you talk make the people feel you are one of them. Be simple in the way you speak and don't try to impress. Check: ask yourself 'Am I using big words to impress people?'

4. Fuhsh - Using bad language, dirty words, or du'as of cursing. 

For bad language, we usually say this while joking or angry. Or we hear it said by others and we don't say anything. Make sure the person knows you don't want to hear these things. You don't have to listen to this. At least your face has to change so the person can feel that you are not comfortable with this. When you start practicing this, you may have a hard time in the beginning. But if you stay firm on your position, they will come to respect you. The Prophet (Salla Allahu 3laihi wassalam) said Allah does not like foul talk - la yuhibbu al fuhsh.

It also means no talking about fahshaa'- which usually means the relationship between a man and his wife. It's amazing how much we women do that - talking about details in our life. What happens inside the bedroom between a man and a woman should never be spoken about. 

It also means not cursing. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: "It does not befit a Siddiq (righteous Muslim) to frequently curse others.''  [Muslim]

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏لا ينبغي لصدِّيق أن يكون لعانًا‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

It is so common these days to curse our children. When you say Allah yil3anak you are asking Allah to push your child away from His mercy. These kind of curses, Allah used them for the oppressors- athaalimeen. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "Do not curse one another, invoking Curse of Allah or Wrath of Allah or the fire of Hell.'' [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].
  قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏"‏لا تلاعنوا بلعنة الله، ولا بغضبه، ولا بالنار‏"‏‏.‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه أبو داود والترمذي وقال حديث حسن صحيح‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

5. Katratul Mazh - Too much joking. 

A little bit of joking is okay. But too much joking is a disease. But what's wrong with joking? You don't really mean it. The problem is it leads you to other diseases like lying, making fun of people, and sometimes leads to problems and fights. The Prophet (Salla Allahu alayhi wassalam) used to joke but only with the truth. For example, the time when he told a woman 'La yadkhul al jannah 3ajuz: Old women don't enter Jannah'. Then he said to her the ayah in Surat Al Waaqi3a - "We have resurrected them a creation and made them young virgins." (The age in Jannah is 33.) But he was not described as a dahhak, a laugher. He was qaleel al dahk, laughed little. When he laughed, the maximum it got was a smile so large that you could see his back teeth, Alaihi sallatu wassalam. He would joke by saying the truth. Another joke he said was when he called a man 'yathul ithnayn: O you with two ears'. Another joke: 'We are going to carry you on the son of a camel.' So joking is not haram. But it could be haram when the subject of the joke is haram, or the words used are haram. Too much joking is not haram but it's a disease of the tongue - because people will not know when you are saying something real or it's a joke. The examples here show that the Prophet (Salla Allahu 3laihi wassalam) only did it with women and boys, and very rarely, only 3 or 4 stories from his whole life.

6. Types of Lying. When you talk too much, it’s easy to lie without realizing it.

- Qawlu shay’in la ta3maloon- telling someone to do something that you don’t do. Allah says in Surat Al-Saff: “O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? It is most hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do.” (61:2-3)

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لاَ تَفْعَلُونَ

كَبُرَ مَقْتاً عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لاَ تَفْعَلُونَ

- Takhluful Wa3d - saying you will do something when you don’t really intend to do it. For example when we say the word in sha’ Allah, usually we say it and it means we might do it. And most of the time we say it and it actually means we are not going to do it. In sha’ Allah actually means we are going to do it, if Allah allows it. Allah says in Surat Al-Kahf: “And never say of anything, ‘Indeed, I will do that tomorrow’, except when adding, ‘If Allah wills.’ And remember your Lord when you forget it and say, ‘Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct’.” (18:23, 24)

وَلاَ تَقُولَنَّ لِشَاْىءٍ إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذٰلِكَ غَداً

إِلاَّ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَداً

- Sukhriya - making fun of people with arrogance or hatred. Talking about how someone speaks, their accent, the way they walk, and making fun of them. Even if what you are saying is true, it is the way you are saying it that is the problem - how your heart is transferring the info. For example when you talk about someone as tall, short, overweight, skinny, light, dark. If you say it in a mocking way, then that is sukhriya. 

If a woman is asking about your daughter for marriage, say the truth but choose general words like average height, fair masha’ Allah, etc. In weddings, some people say ‘what did she see in him’ - this is not your business, you are mocking the bride and you are backbiting her too. 

There is also a type of mocking with our eyes and facial expressions that we need to be careful of. 

- Zuhaa’ - talking about yourself in a showing off way. 

7. Ta3assub lil ra’ee - Always arguing and insisting you are right. 

This is very common between women. There are two scenarios: If you are right and you insist you are right - then you are being arrogant. Or you are wrong and insist you are right - then you are arrogant and ignorant. So both ways there is no benefit. 

But what if someone is saying Maghrib is 2 rak’ahs and you know it is 3 what do you do? “Wa itha khatabahum al jahiloona qaloo Salama” When ignorant people argue with them, they say ‘Peace’. Don’t argue with those who are obviously wrong. The servants of Allah walk on earth with humbleness. When the ignorant talk to them they don’t answer. Because arguments only lead to hatred and bad feelings.   

When two people talk, most of what they speak is of no benefit except for 3 things: 

1. Reminding others of good deeds (al amru bil ma3ruf). But do not talk with authority. Say it in a way that will help. 
2. Saying things to correct bad feelings between people.
3. Saying kind words to someone for the sake of Allah wanting the reward from Allah.. A good word is sadaqa (charity). A smile is sadaqa. 

Argue vs. Discussion. Argue is a negative term. But discussion is positive. So if someone is asking you about Islam, and you are explaining - this is not an argument. This is Amru bil ma3ruf (enjoining the good). But if then they come and tell you no that is not true, and they are getting upset, then stop. Your nafs (ego) might try to get in there and you want to make your point. The shaytan might tell you ‘are you going to let her go without convincing her?’ Stop. Let it go. There’s no benefit in continuing if the other person is not open to learning.

8. Ifshaa-ul Sir - Telling a secret.

If someone tells you something and then tells you not to tell anyone, then don’t say it. This will cause a disaster. This is an amanah, a trust. They trusted you. So before you speak, ask yourself is what you are going to say helpful or harmful? If you are not telling but you are acting upon it, that situation is different.

9. Gheebah - Backbiting. 

Backbiting is saying something true about someone that they wouldn’t like to hear.  Allah says in the Surat Al Hujurat “O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former; nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former, nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. How bad is it, to insult one's brother after having Faith [i.e. to call your Muslim brother (a faithful believer) as: "O sinner", or "O wicked", etc.]. And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.).” (49:11) 

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُواْ خَيْراً مِّنْهُمْ وَلاَ نِسَآءٌ مِّن نِّسَآءٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْراً مِّنْهُنَّ وَلاَ تَلْمِزُوۤاْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلاَ تَنَابَزُواْ بِٱلأَلْقَابِ بِئْسَ ٱلاسْمُ ٱلْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ ٱلإَيمَانِ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُوْلَـٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّالِمُونَ

Don’t make fun of others because they could be better than you in the eyes of Allah. You might think you are better than someone but maybe they are ahead of you into Jannah, you don’t know your status with Allah. Don’t give people bad nicknames like shorty etc. Unless you need to identify someone for example the lady that limps. 

Then in the next ayah, Allah gives us a parable: Do you want to eat the flesh of a person? Be God conscious. 

“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (49:12)

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ٱجْتَنِبُواْ كَثِيراً مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلاَ تَجَسَّسُواْ وَلاَ يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضاً أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتاً فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ

This parable about eating the flesh of a person is the harshest parable in the entire Qur’an. Even zina fornication did not get a parable, just a punishment. But backbiting got a very harsh parable. There are also several hadiths on backbiting.

The Holy Prophet on his way back heard a man saying to his companion: "Look at this man: Allah had concealed his secret, but he did not leave himself alone till he was killed like a dog!"A little further on the way there was the dead body of a donkey lying rotting. The Holy Prophet stopped, called the two men and said: "Come down and eat this dead donkey." They submitted: "Who will eat it, O Messenger of Allah?" The Holy Prophet said: "A little before this you were attacking the honor of your brother: that was much worse than eating this dead donkey." (Abu Dawud)

"O assembly of those who have believed with their tongues, but into whose hearts faith has not yet reached! Do not backbite the Muslims, nor seek out their secrets! For, whoever seeks out the faults of his brother, Allah will seek out his secrets. And, whoever has his secrets sought out by Allah, Allah will disgrace him, even [if he hides] in the depths of his house. [Abu Dawud in al-Adab, 4/271, #4880]

So for example when you go into someone’s home, don’t look in the cabinets trying to find something haram. All children of Adam are sinners, and the best ones are those who repent. 

Why do we backbite each other?

• Jealousy: we don’t say it but our actions and our tongue says it.
• Arrogance: we express it by putting people down and saying bad things about them.
• Hatred: hate makes me backbite. 
• Fun or boredom: when you have nothing to do you end up talking on the phone or having coffee with a friend... 90% of the talk is backbiting.

What if someone else is backbiting?

• The one who listens to backbiting is part of it, because you are letting it continue.
• If you have authority on this person tell them this is haram, remind them, say something good about the person. But don’t correct in an arrogant way, not like a mufti. 
• For example children: tell them it is haram, don’t eat the flesh of that person. We want to teach them the right way. But the best way is to model the behavior yourself. Start with yourself. When you are able to control yourself then you are wise, then people will start listening to you and your teaching will bring fruits. 
• If your child is telling you want happened in school and is talking about their teacher, this is backbiting. Take the opportunity to teach them when they are children.
• If it is someone above you who you don’t have authority over, then try to change the subject.
• But if it’s someone that you can’t talk with at all, then leave the room.

Situations where you are allowed to backbite?

• You can talk about someone if you don’t mention their name. If you want to ask for advice for yourself for something that happened to you, you can say this happened to my friend x, change the names, and don’t say it was you. This is not backbiting.
• When people ask you about marriage you can talk about the person, but don’t go into too much detail. Give the minimum amount of information. If a girl does something that is not allowed in Islam you just day I don’t think it’s a good choice, I don’t think it’s going to work. You can’t say oh she’s the best girl. Because the person is trusting you. If the marriage is a disaster you will be blamed. This is an amanah, a trust. Once a Shaykh was asked about a person for marriage, and he gave general information: This man is from this country and the people in this country have these qualities.
• To prevent harm to someone else. If your friend wants to bring someone to paint her home and she calls you and asks if he is a good painter. If he didn’t do a good job, then you can say ‘I don’t think I will use him again.’ This is not talking about someone for fun, this is for a real need. She’s asking you and you know that you have to say the truth. If you know about him for sure, just say the truth of what you know. 
• If a person is publicly doing something. A person smokes in public and you say that he smokes, that is not backbiting. But if they are privately doing things, don’t say anything. Allah likes you to cover other’s faults, then he will cover your faults. 

What if you backbited?

• Backbiting violates the right of Allah and the right of the person. So you have to ask Allah to forgive you, then ask the person to forgive you. You can say that you were weak and in that moment shaytan came to you and you said something bad. 
• If the person is dead, then make du’a for them and praise them in public. Making du’a for them is the best thing you can do.
• And don’t go back to backbiting.

"Beware of backbiting, for backbiting is more serious than adultery. A man may commit adultery, and drink [wine], and then repent, and Allah will forgive him. But, the backbiter will not be forgiven by Allah until his [backbited] companion forgives him." [Suyuti, Al-Jami` as-Saghir, 1/174, #2919, from Ibn Abid-Dunya, and Abush-Shaykh, Al-Tawbikh.]

We always notice the way people treat us but we don’t look at how we treat others. Why do you expect more from others than what you expect of yourself? The best thing to do is not to speak. The Sahabi Abdullah bin Mas’ud said, when we don’t talk we don’t fall into these things. 

10. Nameemah - Slander: passing information about someone that is not true. 

In Surat Al-Nur, the punishment for slander is 80 slashes on the back.

If someone comes to you and tells you something bad about someone:

1. Don’t believe it.
2. Tell them they shouldn’t be saying things like that.
3. Say something good about that person, remember the good of that person.
4. Don’t try to follow up with the information, don’t spy.
5. Don’t pass the information to anyone else. Don’t do what you don’t like people to do.

11. Being Two-Faced

They have two tongues. They praise you when they are with you, but then they go and say bad things about you to others. Hadith - one of the worst kinds of people are the people with two faces. 

12. Mujamalah - Praising people too much.

We praise people too much as if Allah created no other person. We have too much emotions sometimes. When we love someone we give too much. Then something happens between you and her and your heart changes and you start backbiting her negatively. When we hate someone we talk too much. Rasulullah (salla Allahu 3laihi wassalam) heard one sahabi praising another sahabi he told them ‘Woe to you. You just cut the neck of your brother.’ When you praise someone, you are gifting them arrogance. The person will get used to it, and start to expect it. Then if they don’t get it, they will feel upset. We have to be careful and choose the right words. You can make a du’a for that person instead. Stay in the middle and be very careful. And make sure you are telling the truth and sincerely mean what you are saying.

13. Fatawi 'ala hawaa' - Giving Fatwas without being certain.

The last point is we need to be very careful when we talk about the deen (religion). Sometimes we end up giving fatwas (religious rulings) about things we don’t really know about or not sure about. Because if we tell someone it’s ok you can do that, then it turns out to be the other way around, then that is a big problem. Imam Malik said the one who says ‘I don’t know’ has given the right answer. When he was asked questions, 99% of them he replied I don’t know. You and me, we probably don’t even know how to read the Qur’an properly, and I come and say halal and haram left and right. If you gave a wrong answer, then that person tells others, then all these sins come back to you! When someone starts a good thing, they get the hasanat of everyone that does it. But if you start a bad thing, you get all the sins of everyone. Why do we do this? Arrogance. 

How to cure the diseases of the tongue

1. Talk less. The most difficult thing to control when you are sitting with people is your tongue. That doesn’t mean we are always silent. But it means we have to always think about what we are saying. We have to be fair with our ears and our tongue - 2/3 listening and 1/3 talking. It’s an art to learn how to listen. That’s something we need to learn. The #1 way to cut all these diseases of the tongue is to not talk too much. If you’re in a gathering and every woman talked 10 minutes, that’s 1 1/2 hours. These diseases are very difficult to control. The culture and this day and age is the time of talk. Email, texting, chatting - these are talk too even though you are not saying it. Cut down on your going out and talking to people. You don’t have to be with people all the time. You might say ‘what am i going to do at home bored?’ Yes that is good because it will teach you to be silent. Just sit with yourself. Listen to yourself. Cut down on social activities that are not necessary. Sit with your children. 
2. Be conscious in what you are speaking. Be simple and direct. Hadith - “Man kaana yu’minu billahi wal yawmil aakhiri fal yaqul khayran aw liyasmut - Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent”.
3. Take your time in saying things. Try to put Allah’s words in what you are saying so Allah will protect you. Put something that will please Allah in your speech - a hadith or ayah etc. So there will be baraka in what you are saying.
4. Stay away from people who talk too much. There is peer pressure in all ages. Be careful and choose your friends wisely. Stay away from people to praise too much or gossip or joke too much. If you are going to visit someone and you know it’s going to end up in disobeying Allah, then just say I can’t. You don’t have to answer every invitation. Avoid situations where it will be difficult for you to control your tongue.
5. Keep busy with the obedience of Allah so that you don’t get busy in the disobedience of Allah. I’m either reading something halal or something haram. Reading is ok, but if it’s too much it’s not good. Put the Qur’an on. You don’t have to answer every phone call. You don’t have to speak to your friends everyday, unless they are sick or need you.

What are you going to say on the Day of Judgement? I didn’t know? These diseases are haram. We have to start working on ourselves to stop these things. Just like not waking up for Fajr - the diseases of the tongue are the same. They are major sins. So we need to figure out what our weaknesses are and what we can change. Then we need to remember Allah by making thikr. If we are remembering Allah, we won’t get caught in these things. It will help us realize that we cannot do it by ourselves- we need Allah to help us. Ask Allah through this du’a: Allahumma a’inna ‘ala thikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibadatik. O Allah help me to remember You, thank You, and worship You.

Dr. Haifaa Younus's bio:

Briefly, Dr Haifaa is a Physician, specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a student of Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui in the various Islamic Sciences. She is also a graduate of The Mecca Institute of Islamic Studies in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and has studied under various Shuyukh in the different fields of Islamic studies.

  

Her teaching experience includes Seminars, Workshops and Retreats in the United States and in South Africa on essential aspects of the Dīn and on the Thematic commentary of various Chapters of the Holy Qur’ān and their practical relevance in our day to day living.

  

She is the founder of Jannah Institute - Islamic studies for women that aims to bring the light of Islam to the hearts and lives of women.

http://jannahinstitute.com/