Ashburn , US
19-03-2024 |10 Ramaḍān 1445 AH

Backbiting

Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘On the night that I was taken on my Night-Journey [to the heavens], I passed by a group of people scratching their own faces with their nails, so I asked, ‘O Gabriel, who are these people?’ so he replied, ‘These are people who backbit about other people and disparaged their reputations.

رسولُ اللّٰهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): مَرَرتُ ليلةَ اُسرِيَ بي علي قَومٍ يَخمِشُونَ وُجوهَهُم بأظفارِهمِ، فقلتُ: يا جَبرَئيلُ، مَن هؤلاءِ ؟ فقالَ: هؤلاءِ الذينَ يَغتابُونَ الناسَ ويَقَعُونَ في أعراضِهِم.

Reference: ’[Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 1, p. 115]

Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Backbiting is worse than adultery’, at which he was asked, ‘How so?’ He replied, ‘A man commits adultery, then repents, and Allah pardons him for it, whereas the backbiter is not forgiven until his victim forgives him.’

قالَ رسولُ اللّه‏ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): الغِيبَةُ أشَدُّ مِن الزِّنا، قيلَ: وكيفَ ؟ قالَ: الرجلُ يَزني ثُمّ يَتوبُ فَيَتُوبُ اللّه‏ُ علَيهِ، وإنّ صاحِبَ الغِيبَةِ لايُغفَرُ لَهُ حتّي يَغفِرَ لَهُ صاحِبُهُ.

Reference: [al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, v. 3, p. 511, no. 24]

Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Backbiting is the attempt of one who is incapable [of doing better himself].

الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الغِيبَةُ جُهدُ العاجِزِ.

Reference: ’[Nahjul Balaghah, Saying 461]

Description: Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) said to a man who was backbiting about a man in his presence, ‘Stop backbiting, for verily it is the food of the dogs of Hell.’

الإمامُ‏الحسينُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ لِرجُلٍ اغتابَ عِندَهُ رجُلاً ـ: يا هذا، كُفَّ عنِ الغِيبَةِ؛ فإنّها إدامُ كِلابِ النارِ .

Reference: [Tuhaf al-’Uqul, no. 245]

Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Do not backbite lest you become a victim of backbiting, and do not dig a hole for your brother lest you fall in it yourself, for you will be paid back whatever you put in.

الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا تَغتَبْ فتُغتَبُ، ولا تَحفِرْ لِأخِيكَ حُفرَةً فَتَقَعَ فيها ؛ فإنَّكَ كما تَدينُ تُدانُ .

Reference: ’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 249, no. 16]

Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) narrated, ‘A man once came and told Ali b. al-Husayn (a.s.) [i.e. Imam Zayn al-Abidin], ‘Verily x has said that you are astray and that you are an innovator!’ So Ali b. al-Husayn (a.s.) said to him, ‘Neither have you observed the right of the man you sat with by transmitting to us what he spoke about, nor have you observed my right by informing me of something about my brother which I would not have known! … Beware of backbiting for verily it is the food of the dogs of Hell, and know that whoever frequently talks about people’s faults, the frequency of his backbiting is a witness [to the fact] that he only finds faults in others according to the extent present in himself.’

الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): قالَ رَجُلٌ لعليِّ بنِ الحسينِ ’: إنَّ فُلانا يَنسُبُكَ إلي أ نّكَ ضالٌّ مُبتدِعٌ ! فقالَ لَهُ عليُّ بنُ الحسينِ ’: مارَعَيتَ حقَّ مُجالَسَةِ الرجُلِ حيثُ نَقَلتَ إلَينا حَديثَهُ، ولا أدَّيتَ حَقِّي حيثُ أبلَغتَني عن أخي ما لَستُ أعلَمُهُ ! ... إيّاكَ والغِيبَةَ فإنّها إدامُ كِلابِ النارِ، وَاعلَمْ أنّ مَن أكثَرَ مِن ذِكرِ عُيوبِ الناسِ شَهِدَ علَيهِ الإكثارُ أ نّهُ إنّما يَطلُبُها بقَدرِ ما فيهِ.

Reference: [Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 246, no. 8]

Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Backbiting eats away at a man’s faith faster than a gangrenous sore can eat away to the inside.

رسولُ اللّٰهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): الغِيبَةُ أسرَعُ في دِينِ الرجُلِ المُسلمِ مِن الآكِلَةِ في جَوفِهِ.

Reference: ’[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 357, no. 1]

Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Whoever backbites a fellow Muslim man or woman, Allah neither accepts his prayer nor his fasting for forty days and nights, until and unless the victim of his backbiting forgives him.’

رسولُ اللّٰهِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): مَنِ اغتابَ مُسلِماً أو مُسلمَةً لم يَقبَلِ اللّه‏ُ صَلاتَهُ ولاصيامَهُ أربَعينَ يَوما ولَيلةً، إلّا أن يَغفِرَ لَهُ صاحِبُهُ.

Reference: [Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 258, no. 53]

Description: The Prophet (S) said to Abu Dharr, ‘O Abu Dharr, beware of backbiting, for verily backbiting is worse than adultery…’ [Abu Dharr narrates], I asked, ‘O Prophet of Allah, and what is backbiting?’ to which he replied, ‘Your mentioning something about your fellow brother that he would not like.’ I asked, ‘O Prophet of Allah, and what if the thing mentioned about him was actually true about him?’ so he replied, ‘Know that if you say something about him that is true then you have indeed backbit about him, and if you what you have said is not true, then you have indeed slandered him.

رسولُ اللّٰهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ لأبي ذرّ ـ: .... يا أباذرٍّ، إيّاكَ والغِيبَةَ؛ فإنَّ الغِيبَةَ أشَدُّ مِن الزِّنا ... قلتُ: يارسولَ اللّه‏ِ، وما الغِيبَةُ؟ قالَ: ذِكرُكَ أخاكَ بما يَكرَهُ، قلتُ: يارسولَ اللّه‏ِ، فإن كانَ فيهِ ذاكَ الذي يُذكَرُ بهِ ؟ قالَ: اِعلَمْ أ نَّكَ إذا ذَكَرتَهُ بما هو فيهِ فقدِ اغتَبتَهُ، وإذا ذَكَرتَهُ بما ليسَ فيهِ فَقَد بَهَتَّهُ.

Reference: ’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 89, no. 3]

Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Backbiting is to say something about your brother that he would not like.

رسولُ اللّٰهِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): الغِيبَةُ ذِكرُكَ أخاكَ بما يَكرَهُ.

Reference: ’[Kanz al-’Ummal, no. 8024]

Description: Imam al-Kazim (a.s.) said, ‘He who talks about someone behind his back, mentioning what is true about him, and what people already know, then he has not backbit about him, whereas he who talks about someone behind his back about something that is true but that people do not know about, then he has backbit about him.’

الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن ذَكَرَ رجُلاً مِن خَلفِهِ بما هُو فيهِ ممّا عَرَفَهُ الناسُ لم يَغتَبْهُ، ومَن ذَكَرَهُ مِن خَلفِهِ بما هُو فيهِ ممّا لايَعرِفُهُ الناسُ اغتابَهُ.

Reference: [al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 358, no. 6]

Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Four types of people are such that talking about them behind their backs is not considered backbiting: the immoral person who makes a public display of his immorality; the dishonest leader who, even if you were to be good to would not appreciate you and if you were to be bad to would not forgive you; those who joke about their [and others’] mothers; and one who is a dissenter, who defames my community, and draws his sword against it.

رسولُ اللّٰهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): أربَعةٌ لَيست غِيبَتُهُم غِيبَةً: الفاسِقُ المُعلِنُ بِفِسقِهِ، والإمامُ الكَذّابُ إن أحسَنتَ لم يَشكُرْ وإن أسَأتَ لم يَغفِرْ، والمُتَفَكِّهونَ بالاُمَّهاتِ، والخارِجُ عنِ الجَماعَةِ الطاعِنُ علي اُمَّتِي الشاهِرُ علَيها بسَيفِهِ.

Reference: ’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 261,

Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Until when will you sidestep talking about the impudent person?! Disgrace him [through disclosing his insolent acts] so that people may be on their guard against him.

رسولُ اللّٰهِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): حتّي مَتي تَرعَوُونَ عن ذِكرِ الفاجِرِ؟! اِهتِكُوهُ حتّي يَحذَرَهُ الناسُ.

Reference: ’[Kanz al-’Ummal, no. 8074]

Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘The one who listens to backbiting is as [bad as] the backbiter.’

الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): السامِعُ لِلغِيبَةِ كالمُغتابِ.

Reference: [Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1171]

Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) saw a man backbiting someone in the presence of his son, al-Hasan (a.s.), to whom he said, ‘O my son, steer your hearing clear of such a person, for verily he took the most repulsive thing from his mind and poured it into yours!

الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ وقد نَظَرَ إلي رجُلٍ يَغتابُ رجُلاً عندَ ابنِهِ الحسنِ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ: يابُنَيَّ، نَزِّهْ سَمعَكَ عن مِثلِ هذا ؛ فإنّهُ نَظَرَ إلي أخبَثِ ما في وِعائهِ فَأفرَغَهُ في وِعائكَ!

Reference: [al-Ikhtisas, p. 225]

Description: Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.) said, ‘The right of the ears is to keep them pure from listening to backbiting, and from that which is unlawful to listen to.’

الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): حقُّ السَّمعِ تَنزيهُهُ عن سَماعِ الغِيبَةِ، وسَماعِ ما لايَحِلُّ سَماعُهُ.

Reference: [al-Khisal, p. 566, no. 1]