Backbiting
الغيبةMentioning another person in a way they would dislike behind their back
Qur'an
القرآن الكريميَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ
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 Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.
Translation: Saheeh International
Hadith
الحديث النبويعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ مَظْلَمَةٌ لأَحَدٍ مِنْ عِرْضِهِ أَوْ شَىْءٍ فَلْيَتَحَلَّلْهُ مِنْهُ الْيَوْمَ، قَبْلَ أَنْ لاَ يَكُونَ دِينَارٌ وَلاَ دِرْهَمٌ، إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ عَمَلٌ صَالِحٌ أُخِذَ مِنْهُ بِقَدْرِ مَظْلَمَتِهِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُ حَسَنَاتٌ أُخِذَ مِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ صَاحِبِهِ فَحُمِلَ عَلَيْهِ "
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever has oppressed another person concerning his reputation or anything else, he should beg him to forgive him before the Day of Resurrection when there will be no money to compensate for wrong deeds. If he has good deeds, those good deeds will be taken from him according to his oppression, and if he has no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed person will be loaded on him."
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْغِيبَةُ " . قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ . قَالَ " ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ " . قِيلَ أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا أَقُولُ قَالَ " إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ "
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Do you know what backbiting is?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Prophet said, “To mention your brother in a way he dislikes.” It was said, “What if it is true about him?” The Prophet said, “If what you say about him is true, it is backbiting. If it is not true, it is slander.”
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَمَّا عُرِجَ بِي مَرَرْتُ بِقَوْمٍ لَهُمْ أَظْفَارٌ مِنْ نُحَاسٍ يَخْمِشُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَصُدُورَهُمْ فَقُلْتُ مَنْ هَؤُلاَءِ يَا جِبْرِيلُ قَالَ هَؤُلاَءِ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ لُحُومَ النَّاسِ وَيَقَعُونَ فِي أَعْرَاضِهِمْ "
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When I was taken up during the Night Journey, I passed by people who had nails of copper, scratching their faces and chests. I said: Who are these, O Gabriel? Gabriel said: These are the ones who eat the flesh of people and defame their reputations.”
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَوَقَعَ فِيهِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَخَلَّلْ قَالَ وَمَا أَتَخَلَّلُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَكَلْتُ لَحْمًا قَالَ إِنَّكَ أَكَلْتَ لَحْمَ أَخِيكَ
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reported:
We were sitting with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when a man stood to leave, then another man spoke badly about him after he left. The Prophet said, “Pick your teeth.” The man said, “O Messenger of Allah, why should I pick my teeth when I have not eaten meat?” The Prophet said, “You have eaten the flesh of your brother.”
عَنْ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ الأَسْلَمِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يَا مَعْشَرَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِلِسَانِهِ وَلَمْ يَدْخُلِ الإِيمَانُ قَلْبَهُ لاَ تَغْتَابُوا الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُوا عَوْرَاتِهِمْ فَإِنَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ عَوْرَاتِهِمْ يَتَّبِعِ اللَّهُ عَوْرَتَهُ وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعِ اللَّهُ عَوْرَتَهُ يَفْضَحْهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ "
Abu Barzah al-Aslami reported:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “O you who have faith with their tongues but faith has not entered their hearts! Do not backbite the Muslims or seek their faults. Whoever seeks their faults, Allah will seek his faults. And if Allah seeks his faults, He will expose him even in the privacy of his own house.”
اغْتَبْتُمُوهُ فَقَالُوا إِنَّمَا قُلْنَا مَا فِيهِ فَقَالَ فَحَسْبُكَ إِذَا ذَكَرْتَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا فِيهِ
Abdullah ibn Amr reported:
They mentioned a man in front of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and they said, “He only eats if he is fed! He only moves if he is made to move!” The Prophet said, “You have backbitten him.” They said, “We only said what is true about him.” The Prophet said, “It is enough sin to mention bad things about your brother.”
In another narration, the Prophet said, “If what you said about him were not true, you would have slandered him.”
عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِنَّ مِنْ أَرْبَى الرِّبَا الاِسْتِطَالَةَ فِي عِرْضِ الْمُسْلِمِ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ "
Sa'id ibn Zayd reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, the worst act of usury is to attack the reputation of a Muslim without a just cause.”
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْمُفْلِسُ " . قَالُوا الْمُفْلِسُ فِينَا مَنْ لاَ دِرْهَمَ لَهُ وَلاَ مَتَاعَ . فَقَالَ " إِنَّ الْمُفْلِسَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِصَلاَةٍ وَصِيَامٍ وَزَكَاةٍ وَيَأْتِي قَدْ شَتَمَ هَذَا وَقَذَفَ هَذَا وَأَكَلَ مَالَ هَذَا وَسَفَكَ دَمَ هَذَا وَضَرَبَ هَذَا فَيُعْطَى هَذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ وَهَذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ فَإِنْ فَنِيَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُقْضَى مَا عَلَيْهِ أُخِذَ مِنْ خَطَايَاهُمْ فَطُرِحَتْ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ طُرِحَ فِي النَّارِ "
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Do you know who are bankrupt?” They said, “The one without money or goods is bankrupt.” The Prophet said, “Verily, the bankrupt of my nation are those who come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting, and charity, but also with insults, slander, consuming wealth, shedding blood, and beating others. The oppressed will each be given from his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before justice is fulfilled, then their sins will be cast upon him and he will be thrown into the Hellfire.”
Statements of the Salaf
أقوال السلفI met people in this city [Madinah] who had no apparent flaws, but they spoke about the flaws of others, so people began discovering flaws in them. And I met people who had flaws, but they held their tongues from the faults of others, so their flaws were forgotten.
Source: Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Jāmiʿ Bayān al-ʿIlm wa Faḍlih 1083
I mentioned a man unfavorably before Iyas, so he looked at me and said: “Did you fight the Romans this year?” I said: “No.” He said: “Did you fight the Turks?” I said: “No.” He said: “Rome is safe from you, and the Turks are safe from you, yet your Muslim brother is not safe from you?!” Sufyan said: “I never repeated it after that.”
Source: Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah 9/336
We used to say: The people with the most sins are those who are most occupied with mentioning the sins of others.
Source: Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, al-Ṣamt wa Ādāb al-Lisān 181
A man said to al-Hasan: “So-and-so has backbitten you.” So al-Hasan sent him a tray of fresh dates, saying: “I was informed that you gifted me your good deeds, so I wished to reciprocate your gift.”
Source: al-Ghazālī, Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn 3/144
Whoever has a believer backbitten in his presence and supports him, Allah will reward him with good in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever has a believer backbitten in his presence and fails to support him, Allah will reward him with evil in this world and the Hereafter. No person has ever swallowed a morsel worse than backbiting a believer.
Source: Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, al-Ṣamt wa Ādāb al-Lisān 232
إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَذْكُرَ عُيُوبَ صَاحِبِكَ فَاذْكُرْ عُيُوبَ نَفْسِكَ
If you desire to mention the faults of your companion, remember your own faults first.
عَلَيْكُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهُ شِفَاءٌ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَذِكْرَ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّهُ دَاءٌ
Adhere to the remembrance of Allah, for it is a cure; and beware of mentioning people, for it is a disease.
Source: Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, al-Zuhd 616
مَهْلًا يَا رَبَاحُ إِنَّهُ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيُظْلَمُ بِالْمَظْلَمَةِ فَلَا يَزَالُ الْمَظْلُومُ يَشْتِمُ الظَّالِمَ وَيَنْتَقِصُهُ حَتَّى يَسْتَوْفِيَ حَقَّهُ فَيَكُونُ لِلظَّالِمِ عَلَيْهِ الْفَضْلُ
Calm down, O Ribah! Verily, I have heard that a man might be oppressed with a great wrong, and he continues to revile and belittle his oppressor until he forfeits his right and he owes his oppressor even more.
مَهْ أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ إِنَّكَ لَوْ وَافَيْتَ الْآخِرَةَ كَانَ أَصْغَرُ ذَنْبٍ عَمِلْتَهُ قَطُّ أَعْظَمَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ ذَنْبٍ عَمِلَهُ الْحَجَّاجُ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ حَكَمٌ عَدْلٌ إِنْ أَخَذَ مِنَ الْحَجَّاجِ لِمَنْ ظُلِمَ شَيْئًا فَسَيَأْخُذُ لِلْحَجَّاجِ مِمَّنْ ظَلَمَهُ فَلَا تَشْغَلَنَّ نَفْسَكَ بِسَبِّهِ
Calm down, sir! When you arrive in the Hereafter, the smallest sins you committed will be worse for you than the greatest sins committed by Al-Hajjaj. Know that Allah judges with justice! If He takes something away from Al-Hajjaj because of his wrongdoing, He also gives back to Al-Hajjaj because he was wronged, so do not busy yourself with cursing him.
Source: Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, al-Tawbah 41
A servant will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and presented with his record. He will not see his prayers, nor his fasting, nor his good deeds. He will say: O Lord, this is the record of someone else, for I had good deeds not in this record. It will be said to him: Verily, your Lord does not overlook or forget. Your deeds have vanished because you were backbiting people.
Statements of Scholars
أقوال العلماءقِيلَ يُؤْتَى الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابَهُ فَلَا يَرَى فِيهِ حَسَنَةً فَيَقُولُ أَيْنَ صَلَاتِي وَصِيَامِي وَطَاعَاتِي فَيُقَالُ ذَهَبَ عَمَلُكَ كُلُّهُ بِاغْتِيَابِكَ لِلنَّاسِ
It is said that a servant will receive his book of deeds on the Day of Resurrection and he will not see any good in it. He will say: Where are my prayers? Where is my fasting? Where are my acts of obedience? It will be said: All of your good deeds have been lost because you were backbiting against people.