The excuse presented to them for this, rather than any other obvious transgression, is perhaps heedlessness about its being prohibited despite all the discussions of verses and narratives warning us all in its regard. This is the least excuse presented by those who are habitual in being thus heedless. Perhaps they take these sins as being not affecting their status of mastership on account of this type of contemptible behavior being hidden from those who seek a station with the ignorant ones. If Satan insinuates to them to drink wine or commit adultery with chaste women, they would not obey him because it is seen as a sin by the masses of people who see its place as being low. To them, it is one of the clearly visible sins.

Had people referred to their power of reasoning and sought light from their intellects, they would have found a distant difference between both sins and a great deal of variation. Nay! There is no way to compare sins which undermine the right of Allah, Praise to Him, in particular and what is relevant of them to His servants, especially the latter’s honor, for honor is greater than wealth and more precious. The more precious a thing is, the greater is the sin of violating it in addition to total corruption as we, God willing, will be witnessing.

I liked to place in this message a group of statements about backbiting, how the Book and the Sunnah prohibit it, how reason leads to this conclusion, naming it Kashf al-Reeba an Ahkam al-Gheeba (removing doubt about the rulings relevant to backbiting), following it with whatever relates to backbiting and some rulings about envy, concluding it with urging communication, enjoining love and kindness. I have arranged it into an Introduction, Chapters and a Conclusion.

About the Introduction, its definition and a group of prohibitions which carry warnings, here below are some of them:

We say that gheeba, backbiting, as an expression, has two definitions:

One of them is famous: It is mentioning someone’s condition during his absence in a way which he hates, attributing to him what is regarded as a shortcoming according to convention in order to belittle and speak ill of him. Beware of underestimating something wrong when you speak to the doctor, for example, or when you plead to the ruler for mercy when you condemn time or talks about a blind man and point out their shortcomings. One can do away with doing so by voicing displeasure with these things which are attributed to him.

The other is attracting one’s attention to something whereby he hates to be identified. This is more general than the first because of making a statement, a reference, or narrating a tale or other things, and it is better because of what we will be explaining about backbiting not being restricted to only making statements.

A famous tradition cites the Prophet (S) asking his companions, “Do you know what backbiting is?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “It is when you say something about your brother which he hates.” It was said to him, “Suppose what I say about my brother is true.” He said, “If what you say is true, it is backbiting, and if it is not, it is slandering.”1

Some people mentioned the name of a man in the presence of the Prophet (S), saying, “How weak he is!” He (S) said, “You have backbitten your fellow.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah! What we have said about him is true!” He (S) said, “If you wrongfully attribute something to him, you will be slandering him.”2

There is consensus about prohibiting backbiting. It is a major sin due to both the Book of Allah and the Sunnah warning against it.

Allah Almighty clearly holds it in contempt in His Book, making a similitude between one who is guilty of it to one who eats the flesh of his dead brother. He says,

“O you who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible), for suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy on each other, nor speak ill of others by way of backbiting. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay! You would abhor it... but fear Allah, for Allah is oft-Returning, Most Merciful” (Qur'an, 49:12).

The Messenger of Allah (S) has said, “A Muslim, all of him, is prohibited from harming another Muslim, whether shedding his blood, or robbing him of his possessions, or harming his honor”3

Jabir [ibn Abdullah al-Ansari] and Abu Sa’id al-Khudri have said, “He (S) has said, ‘Beware of backbiting, for backbiting is worse than adultery. An adulterer repents, so Allah accepts his repentance, but one who backbites is not forgiven unless his fellow [whom he had backbitten] forgives him’”4

In a famous lengthy narrative, the Prophet (S) is quoted as having said, “The recording angels report the deeds of a servant of Allah, and he has a light like the rays of the sun which stays on till it reaches the lower heavens as the recording angels think greatly of his deeds and testify for him. But when it reaches the gate, the angel in charge of the gate says, ‘Smite the face of the doer of this deed! I am in charge of monitoring backbiting; my Lord ordered me not to let any good deed of one who backbites people reach my Lord’”5.

Anas is said as having quoted the Prophet (S) saying, “During the night of isra', I passed by people who were scratching their noses with their nails. I asked Gabriel about them. Gabriel said, ‘These are the people who backbite others and speak ill of their honor’”6.

Al-Bara' [ibn ‘Azib] has said, “The Messenger of Allah delivered a sermon to us once till the free ladies in their own homes heard him. He said, ‘O folks who have believed in tongue but not in heart! Do not backbite the Muslims, and do not trace their shortcomings, for if one keeps track of the shortcoming of his brother, Allah will track his shortcoming, and if Allah tracks his shortcoming, He will expose him even in the deepest depth of his home’”7

Sulayman ibn Jabir has said, “I went to see the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be with him and his progeny, and said to him, ‘Teach me something good whereby Allah benefits me.’ He said, ‘Do not underestimate any good deed even if it is an act of pouring from your bucket into a cup of one seeking a drink, and when you meet your brother, meet him with a smile. When he goes away, do not backbite him’”8

Anas [ibn Malik] has said, “The Messenger of Allah (S) delivered a sermon to us once and mentioned usury, touching upon its magnanimity. He said, ‘One dirham is won by a man through usury is looked upon by Allah as greater than thirty-six acts of adultery a man commits. The most serious type of usury is when one speaks ill of a Muslim’s honor’”9

Jabir has said, “We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (S) when he approached two graves of persons being tormented. He said, ‘They are not being tormented because of having committed a major sin. One of them used to backbite people. The other was too careless to cleanse himself after urinating.’ He (S) called for a fresh palm leaf or two which he broke, planting one on each grave. He (S) said, ‘This will lighten their torment as long as they are not dry’”10

Anas has said, “The Messenger of Allah (S) ordered people once to fast then said, ‘Nobody should break his fast till I give him permission.’ People fasted. When it was evening, a man would come and say, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I have kept my fast; so, please grant me permission to break my fast,’ and he would give him permission. A man came and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Two young women from among your folks have kept fasting, but they are too shy to come to you; so, please give them permission to break their fast.’

The Prophet (S) turned away from him. The man repeated his request, whereupon the Prophet said to him, ‘They did not uphold their fast. How can one fast while eating people’s flesh? Go and tell them that if they were fasting, they should vomit.’ The man returned to the young women and narrated the above to them. They vomited. Each of them vomited a clot of blood. The man returned to the Prophet (S) and told him about it. He (S) said to him, ‘I swear by the One Who holds the soul of Muhammad in His hand that had they (clots) remained in their stomachs, they would have consumed them like fire.’”

Another version of this incident says that when the Prophet turned away from the man, the latter returned and said, “O Messenger of Allah! They, by Allah, have almost died [of hunger and thirst].”

The Prophet (S) told the man to bring him the two women whom he ordered to vomit. Each vomited blood, filling a whole container. He (S) then said, “These women abstained from what Allah had permitted them and broke their fast on what Allah had prohibited them. Each sat with the other and both kept eating people’s flesh”11

It has also been reported that “One who eats his brother’s flesh in the short life will have the flesh brought near to him in the Hereafter and it will be said to him, ‘Eat it dead as you ate it alive.’ He will eat it and will cry out and frown indignantly”12

The Messenger of Allah (S) stoned a man once on account of having committed adultery. Someone said to his fellow, “This man used to squirt like dogs.” The Messenger of Allah (S) brought them a carcass and said to them, “Eat it.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah! Must we really eat a stinking carcass?!” He (S) said, “What you have just eaten of the flesh of your brother is more stinking than it”13

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) has said, “Backbiting is prohibited on every Muslim. It consumes good deeds as the fire consumes firewood”14

Al-Saduq has cited his forefathers citing Ali (‘a) saying that the Messenger of Allah (S) said, “Four persons shall add harm to the residents of the fire to the harm from which they already suffer: They shall be given to drink of the boiling water in hell. They shall lament, so much so that the people of the fire shall say to each other, ‘What is wrong with these four harming us in addition to the harm from which we already suffer?’ One of them will be dangling from a coffin made of burning timbers and a man runs with him. A man’s mouth will be dripping blood and pus. And a man will be eating his own flesh. It will be said to the man of the coffin, ‘What is wrong with the furthermost man, for he has added to our harm?’

He will say, ‘The furthermost man died owing people money; he did not feel like paying them back or fulfilling his obligations to them.’ Then it will be said to the man running with him, ‘What is wrong with the furthermost man who has added harm to our harm?’ He will say, ‘The furthermost man used not to care where his urine fell on his body.’ Then it will be said to the man whose mouth drips blood and pus, ‘What is wrong with the furthermost man, for he has added to our harm?’ He will say, ‘The furthermost man used to mimic people: He would look at every foul word, praise then repeat it.’

Then it will be said to the one who eats his own flesh, ‘What is wrong with the furthermost man, for he has added to our harm?’ He will say, ‘The furthermost man used to eat of people’s flesh through backbiting, slandering others’”15

Through tracking the isnad back to the Prophet (S), the Messenger of Allah (S) said once, “One who delves into backbiting his brother, revealing his shortcomings, will have placed his first step in hell, and Allah will reveal his shortcoming to all creation”16

One who backbites a Muslim will have his fast nullified, and his ablution will be void; so, if he dies in such a state, he will be regarded as having permitted what Allah prohibits.17

Abu Abdullah (‘a) has said that the Messenger of Allah (S) said, “Backbiting is swifter in undermining a Muslim’s creed than the food in his stomach”18

The Messenger of Allah (S) has said, “Sitting in a mosque waiting for the prayer is adoration as long as one does not do something awful.” It was said to him, “O Messenger of Allah! What is this awful thing?” He said, “Backbiting”.19

The son of Abu ‘Umar has cited Abu Abdullah (‘a) saying, “One who mentions what he sees in a believer with his own eyes and hears with his own ears is included among those about whom Allah has said,

“Those who love (to see) scandal publicized widely among the believers will have a grievous penalty in this life and in the hereafter” (Qur'an, 24:19).20

Al-Mufaddal quotes [Abdullah] ibn ‘Umar saying that Abu Abdullah has said, “One who tells a tale about a believer whereby he intends to dishonor him, undermine his prestige and make people think lowly of him, Allah gets him out of His protection to the protection of Satan, and even Satan will not accept to protect him”21

Allah Almighty has inspired to Moses son of Imran [Amram] that if a backbiter repents, he will be the last to enter Paradise, and if he does not, he will be the first to enter hell.22

It has been narrated that Jesus, peace be with him, and his disciples passed once by the carcass of a dog. The disciples said, “How foul its stink is!” Jesus, peace be with him, said, “How white his teeth are!”.23 It is as though the prophet was prohibiting them from speaking ill of the dog, attracting their attention to mentioning only what is best of Allah’s creations.

It has been indicated with regard to the interpretation of this verse of the Almighty:

“Woe unto every (kind of) scandal-monger and backbiter” (Qur'an, 104:1)

that the scandal-monger is one who slanders people, while the backbiter is the one who eats people’s live flesh.24

Al-Hassan has said, “By Allah! Backbiting is faster in [bearing an impact on] the faith of a believer than what he eats bears on his body”.25

Be informed that the reason which requires emphasizing the issue of backbiting and making it look greater than many major transgressions is its inclusion of all what contradicts the goal of the Wise One, Praised is He, unlike the rest of transgressions, for these cause partial harms.

The explanation of the above is this: The important goal of the legislator is to unite the souls on one concern, one way, which is: treading the path of Allah in all its provisions, what it allows or prohibits, and this cannot materialize except through cooperation and solidarity among humankinds. The latter depends on their determination being united, on their innermost becoming pure, and on their collective fellowship and love so they may be like one single slave obeying his Master.

This, too, will never materialize except by getting rid of grudge, hatred, envy and the like. One who backbites his brother incurs his grudge and prompts a similar reaction. This surely is the opposite of what the legislator ultimately seeks. It is an overwhelming harm; therefore, Allah and His Messenger (S) have emphasized its prohibition, warning against it, and surely success comes only from Allah.

Having completed what the Introduction requires, let us start delving into this book's Chapters.

• 1. This is recorded in Tanbih al-Khwatir, Vol. 1, p. 118. It is also recorded in Al-Targheeb wal Tarheeb, Vol. 3, p. 515.
• 2. This is stated in Ad-Durr Al-Manthoor, Vol. 6, p. 96.
• 3. Vol. 1, p. 115 of Tanbih al-Khawatir.
• 4. Vol. 1, p. 115 of Tanbih al-Khawatir; p. 116 of Irshad al-Qulub.
• 5. See p. 74, Vol. 1 of Al-Targhib wal Tarhib.
• 6. p. 115, Vol. 1 of Tanbih al-Khawatir; p. 116 of Irshad al-Qulub.
• 7. Tanbih al-Khawatir, Vol. 1, p. 115.
• 8. Tanbih al-Khawatir, Vol. 1, p. 115.
• 9. Tanbih al-Khawatir, Vol. 1, p. 116.
• 10. Tanbih al-Khawatir, Vol. 1, p. 116.
• 11. Ihya Ulum ad-Din, Vol. 3, p. 134. Ad-Durr al-Manthur, Vol. 6, p. 96.
• 12. Ihya' Ulum ad-Din, Vol. 3, p. 135.
• 13. Tanbih al-Khawatir, Vol. 1, p. 116.
• 14. Musbah al-Shari’a, pp. 204-205.
• 15. ‘Iqab al-A’mal, p. 294.
• 16. ‘Iqab al-A’mal, p. 337.
• 17. ‘Iqab al-A’mal, p. 332.
• 18. Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 357; see also Al-Ikhtisas, p. 228.
• 19. Rawdat al-Waizeen, p. 470; see also Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 257.
• 20. Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 357.
• 21. Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 358; see also Al-Ikhtisas, p. 32.
• 22. Masabih al-Shari’a, p. 205.
• 23. Tanbih al-Khawatir, Vol. 1, p. 117.
• 24. Ihya ‘Ulum ad-Din, Vol. 3, p. 135.
• 25. Ihya ‘Ulum ad-Din, Vol. 3, p. 135.