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Backbiting
(ghaybah or ghibah) is forbidden in the Glorious Qur’an, which
likens a person who backbites to one who eats the flesh of his dead
brother (Al-Hujurat 49:12).
It
is also condemned in the Sunnah. We read in a Prophetic hadith,
“Verily, your blood (i.e., life), your property, and your honor
are inviolable (and sacred) among you…” (Reported by Muslim)
Backbiting
is mentioning a person in a manner that he dislikes, whether by
referring to a defect in his body such as shortness or squint; or in
his lineage such as that his father is immoral or indecent; or in
his morality such as that he is dirty.
All
this is involved in the Prophetic hadith reporting that when the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked what backbiting
means, he answered, “To mention your brother in a manner which he
dislikes.” Then he was asked, “What if my brother actually has
(this failing) that I made a mention of?” The Prophet said, “If
(that failing) is actually found in your brother, you in fact
backbit him, and if that is not in him, it is a slander.”
(Reported by Muslim)
It
is also worth mentioning that whatever involves the meaning of
insulting is included in backbiting, whether it is in the form of
words, gestures, or writing. Additionally, whoever listens to
backbiting is regarded as a participant in it unless he denies it
either with his tongue or with his heart if he fears to do so in
public. He may also leave the place where it is being committed or
turn the topic to another subject. In all situations, he must deny
backbiting. This is, of course, part of the Muslim’s duties
towards others.
The
Causes and Remedy of Backbiting
There
are many things that lead to backbiting, including the following:
-
Alleviation
of or response to one’s anger. A person may be led by his
anger with another person to backbite him.
-
Conformity
with one’s guests or fellows. As a compliment, a person may
share with his fellows or guests in backbiting others, thinking
that this is a requisite of good social relations or that they
may reject his act if he does not do so.
-
Upgrading
one’s position by degrading that of another person. For
example, a person may say that so-and-so is ignorant or
narrow-minded, aiming to show that he is knowledgeable and
broad-minded and, consequently, better than he.
-
Joking
and jesting. A person may backbite someone just for the sake of
making some others laugh; this even represents a means of
livelihood for some persons.
As
for the remedy, the backbiter should know that, by backbiting
people, he subjects himself to the wrath and punishment of Allah the
Almighty and that his good deeds will be paid to those whom he
backbites, and if he has no good deeds their evil deeds will be
loaded on him. It is a very effective remedy for any backbiter to
remember and comprehend these facts. Furthermore, whenever he is
about to backbite someone, he may think about his own shortcomings
and how to rectify himself. In this way, he may feel ashamed of
himself when realizing that he himself has defects that others can
see. Even if a backbiter thinks that he has no defects, he may show
gratitude to Allah for His uncountable favors and bounties by not
defiling himself with one of the ugliest flaws, i.e., backbiting.
Moreover and more important still, he should remedy backbiting by
overpowering the cause or causes leading to it. So, for example, if
he knows that he backbites someone because he is angry with him, he
should suppress his anger, and so on.
Here,
it is worth noting that backbiting may be committed by the heart,
and this is what may be called thinking ill of the others. A Muslim
should not think ill of another person unless he explicitly knows
about him some evil thing that cannot be interpreted as meaning
otherwise, especially when he knows it through a trustful, faithful
Muslim. Nevertheless, a Muslim is generally recommended not to
respond to ill thoughts as regards others. He may instead invoke
Allah on their behalf whenever Satan pushes him to think evil of
them, for this enrages Satan and drives him away, fearing that he
may be accustomed to invocation through his evil whispers.
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