Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Qur’an,


وَلا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ


وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُوْلَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولاً

“Do not pursue that regarding which you have no knowledge. Indeed the hearing, the sight and the heart will be questioned” [al Isra' 17:36]

Further, in a hadeeth Rasūl Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم mentions,

“Part of the goodness of a man’s religion is that he abandons that which does not concern him.” [Tirmidhi]

We cannot become pure of heart and mind without abandoning interest in other people’s affairs, which are of no concern to us. By asking questions and probing into the private affairs of others, we are only satisfying a craving of the nafs. In order to progress spiritually and thus make our religion good, we must abandon such acts.

[This short excerpt is based on a brothers' majlis (gathering held for spiritual training) held by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq on 6th February 2002].