Islam
is a religion of peace, love and compassion which teaches us that we
should respect the honor, reputation and privacy of others. Lies,
suspicion, backbiting, slander, and gossip are destructive, major sins
that go against what Islam stands for and sow enmity and discord among
Muslims. They cause hostilities between family members, neighbors, and
friends. Therefore, Islam clearly defines and prohibits them in the
severest of terms.
What exactly is Backbiting & Slander?
Our
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has clearly
explained them. One time he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
asked his companions:
“Do you know what is backbiting?” They said,
“Allah and His Messenger know best.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“Saying something about your brother that he dislikes.” It was said,
“What if what I say about my brother is true?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“If what you say is true then you have backbitten about him, and if it is not true, then you have slandered him.“ (Saheeh Muslim)
‘Backbiting means that a man mentions about a person something which is true behind his back.’ (Silsilah as-Sahihah)
Making
fun of people by making negative facial expressions or by hand gestures
while they are unaware is also a form of backbiting.
Why Do We Gossip And Backbite?
· To get things off one’s chest especially in case of hatred.
· To joining in with a group of friends.
· To show our superiority and put others down.
· Out of jealousy or anger.
· Out of pity on someone.
Strict Prohibition of Backbiting
Allah prohibits backbiting in the Quran by comparing to the disgusting act of cannibalism: “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 dead brother? You would hate it (so
hate backbiting). And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of
repentance and Merciful.” (Quran 49:12)
Often
times we backbite and gossip about others without thinking much of it.
We treat it lightly, however, Allah reminds us that in fact it may be a
serious sin in the sight of Allah! The Quran says:
“When
you were propagating it with your tongues, and uttering with your
mouths that whereof you had no knowledge, you counted it a little thing,
while with Allah it was very great.” (Quran 24:15)
Many
people are so busy spreading slander they hear that they do not stop
for a minute to ponder whether it is true or not. Allah says:
“And
why, when you heard it, did you not say: ‘It is not for us to speak of
this. Exalted are You, [O Allah]; this is a great slander’?” (Quran 24:16)
We need to be careful of letting our tongues slip. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“When
man wakes up in the morning each day, all his body parts warn his
tongue saying: ‘Fear Allah with regards to us, for we are under your
mercy; if you are upright, we will be upright and if you are crooked, we
will be crooked.’” (Tirmidhi)
The reward of controlling our tongue is Paradise. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“He
who protects his tongue from unlawful utterances and his private parts
from illegal sexual intercourse, I shall guarantee him entrance into
Paradise.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)
Prohibition of Listening to Gossip
We
should not pay attention to gossip that is criticizing a fellow Muslim
or listen to it with enjoyment and hope to hear more. Allah says,
“And
do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the
hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be
questioned.” (Quran 17:36) The Prophet said,
“Whoever defends the honor of his brother, Allah will protect his face from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.” (Silsilah as-Sahihah)
We
should remember who is the best Muslim that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) has defined for us. He (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“He is the one from whom Muslims are safe from the evil of his tongue and hands.” (Saheeh Muslim)
When is Backbiting Allowed?
Islam
teaches us that if people are being ridiculed or backbitten in our
presence, we should defend their honor. If we neglect doing so, we risk
depriving ourselves of the ever-needed help and mercy from Allah. Yet,
some situations allow us to inform others of what someone has done.
1. Complaint to someone in authority who can address the wrong when an injustice has been done.
2. Seeking religious guidance from a Muslim scholar.
3. To get help in changing a wrong or to prevent a disaster.
4. Consultation in matters of marriage, business, asking about a neighbor before moving, etc.
In these cases we are allowed reveal only as much as necessary about the person. All these forms of ‘backbiting’ are allowed
Allah Says in the Quran what means: "And
why, when you heard it, did you not say: 'It is not for us to speak of
this. Exalted are You, [O Allah]; this is a great slander?'" [Quran 24:16]
Backbiting & Slander Defined
Prophet Muhammad 
(may Allah exalt his mention) once asked: "Do
you know what backbiting is?" His companions, may Allah be pleased with
them, replied: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He then
said: "It is to say something about your brother that he would
dislike." Someone asked: "But what if what is said is true?" The
Messenger of Allah replied: "If what you say about him is true, then you have backbitten him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him." [Muslim]
Islam
is a religion of peace, love and compassion. Lies, suspicion,
backbiting, slander and gossip are totally alien to Islam. In fact, they
are considered amongst the most destructive of major sins. This is so
because these sins sow enmity and discord among the Muslim Ummah
(nation) and lead to its destruction. They cause hostilities between
people of the same household, and between neighbours, friends and
relatives.
Islam
demands that our relationship with mankind be one of sincerity and
responsibility. It should be one where we have respect for the honour,
reputation and privacy of others. Islam teaches us that we are not only
held accountable for our attitudes and actions, but also for anything
over which we have control or influence in our society or the world
around us.
Allah has Forbidden the Believers from Backbiting
Allah states in the Quran (what means): "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." [Quran 49:12]
If we were to reflect deeply over this example, it would be enough to keep us away from backbiting!
Backbiting and Slander are Great Sins and Cannot be Treated with Indifference
The Quran Says (what means): "When
you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of
which you had no knowledge and thought it was insignificant while it
was, in the sight of Allah, tremendous." [Quran 24:15]
Many
of us backbite and gossip without thinking. We think it is a minor
matter, however, Allah reminds us to be careful, for even though we
think we are doing something small, it is in fact very large in the
sight of Allah!
Allah Teaches Us to Speak Out Against Slander and Try to Put a Stop to It
Allah Says (what means): "And
why, when you heard it, did you not say: 'It is not for us to speak of
this. Exalted are You, [O Allah]; this is a great slander?'" [Quran 24:16]
Many people are so busy spreading the slander they hear that they do not even stop to consider whether it is true or not.
Satan Wishes that We Use Our Tongues to Create Conflict and Hatred
Allah Says (what means): "And
tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces
[dissension] among them. Indeed, Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear
enemy." [Quran 17:53]
Are
we falling into Satan's trap? We can all analyse ourselves to see if
this is the case. Let's now compare that to what Prophet Muhammad said about backbiting:
Allah states in the Quran (what means): "There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern…" [Quran 33:21]
We Should Guard Our Tongue from Sins and Use Our Limbs in Acts of Obedience
Prophet Muhammad said:
"He who protects his tongue from unlawful utterances and his private
parts from illegal sexual intercourse, I shall guarantee him entrance
into Paradise." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Prophet Muhammad was once asked: "Who is the best Muslim?" He replied: "He is the one from whom Muslims are safe from the evil of his tongue and hands." [Muslim]
Deriding
people in their presence by making negative facial expressions or by
hand gestures while they are unaware is also a form of backbiting.
We Need to Beware of the Slipping of Our Tongues
Prophet Muhammad said: "When
man wakes up in the morning each day, all his body parts warn his
tongue saying: ‘Fear Allah with regards to us, for we are under your
mercy; if you are upright, we will be upright and if you are crooked, we
will be crooked.’" [At-Tirmithi]
Backbiting
and slander are so widespread that they have become the topic of
people’s meetings and an avenue for expressing their anger, misgivings
and jealousy. Those who indulge in backbiting are oblivious of the fact
that they are only harming themselves. This is because on the Day of
Resurrection, both the wrongdoer and the wronged will stand before
Allah, the Just Judge. Allah will then give the wronged person from the
good deeds of the person who wronged him by backbiting or other
injustices.
Some
situations allow us to inform others of what someone has done. We are
permitted to inform the authorities when someone does injustice to us or
others. We are permitted to inform someone who can prevent a
perpetrator from committing further vice. It is also permissible for us
to tell whoever seeks our advice about a person for business dealings or
marriage. In this case we are allowed reveal only as much as necessary
about the person so that the enquirer will not feel deceived. All these
forms of speaking about others are lawful.
Islam
teaches us that if people are being ridiculed or backbitten in our
presence, we should defend their honour. If we neglect doing so, we risk
depriving ourselves of the ever-needed help and mercy from Allah.
Prophet Muhammad said: "If
a man's Muslim brother is slandered in his presence, and he is capable
of defending him and does so, Allah will defend him in this world and in
the next. But if he fails to defend him, Allah will destroy him in this
world and the next." [Al-Baghawi]
What will we do the next time we are tempted to backbite, or if we hear slander in our presence? The choice is ours.
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