Mīzān al-Ḥikma

The Meaning of Backbiting

Volume 1 4 narrations
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Backbiting/Slander 4 Adultery 1

In this chapter

hadith 300
The Prophet (SAWA) 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 اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ لأبي ذرّ ـ: .... يا أبا ذرٍّ، إيّاكَ والغِيبَةَ؛ فإنَّ الغِيبَةَ أشَدُّ مِن الزِّنا ... قلتُ: يا رسولَ اللّهِ، وما الغِيبَةُ؟ قالَ: ذِكرُكَ أخاكَ بما يَكرَهُ، قلتُ: يا رسولَ اللّهِ، فإن كانَ فيهِ ذاكَ الذي يُذكَرُ بهِ ؟ قالَ: اِعلَمْ أنَّكَ إذا ذَكَرتَهُ بما هو فيهِ فقدِ اغتَبتَهُ، وإذا ذَكَرتَهُ بما ليسَ فيهِ فَقَد بَهَتَّهُ.
Tags Backbiting/SlanderAdultery
hadith 301
The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Backbiting is to say something about your brother that he would not like.
رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): الغِيبَةُ ذِكرُكَ أخاكَ بما يَكرَهُ.
Tags Backbiting/Slander
hadith 302
Aamr b. Shuayb narrated, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, that some people spoke about a man in the presence of the Prophet (SAWA), saying
‘He does not eat unless he is fed, and does not go out unless a mount is made ready for him. So the Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘You have talked about him behind his back to which they replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah, we have only said what is true! so he exclaimed, ‘It is bad enough to talk about your brother regarding what is true [let alone what is false]!
الترغيب والترهيب عن عَمرُو بن شُعَيبٍ ـ عن أبيهِ عن جدِّهِ ـ: أنّهم ذَكَرُوا عندَ رسولِ اللّهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) رجُلاً فقالوا: لا يَأكُلُ حتّى يُطعَمَ، ولا يَرحَلُ حتى يُرحَلَ لَهُ، فقالَ النبيُّ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): اغتَبتُمُوهُ، فقالوا: يا رسولَ اللّهِ، إنّما حَدَّثْنا بما فيهِ ! قال
حَسبُكَ إذا ذَكَرتَ أخاكَ بما فيهِ.
Tags Backbiting/Slander
hadith 303
Imam al-Kazim (AS) 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.
Tags Backbiting/Slander