Backbiting – The Verdict Of Quran And Hadith
In addition to making people realize the Only God and His Omnipotence, the other important aspect of Islam is to perfect the human character. Ethics is an integral part of Islam and if it is to be taken out of the character of a Muslim, then one can easily presume that the Muslim does not practice Islam in the true sense of the matter.
When it comes to ethics, Islam has given guidelines about almost every ethical matter that should concern a Muslim. One of such matters is the most commonly and casually performed act of backbiting. Among the more sophisticated and learned people, back biting might be a detested vice, however, the masses are unfamiliar with its curse and continue on doing it without any eye on the implications.
Islam clearly detests backbiting and has given strict guidelines that forbid a Muslim from committing the act of backbiting. The lines below discuss the way Quran and hadith detest backbiting and regard it as a curse.
Eating Flesh of Dead:
The greatest warning that a Muslim can infer pertaining to backbiting is in the ayah of Quran, where Allah Almighty says:
“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.” (49:12)
This ayah of Quran makes it clear that backbiting of a Muslim is like eating the dead flesh of a brother. As despicable is it to eat the flesh of a dead brother, so is the act of backbiting. Therefore, a Muslim must consider the heinous nature of the apparently unimportant and hurtles act.
This act of backbiting standing for eating the flesh of dead brother or dishonoring the body of a dead brother is further ascertained by the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in which He narrates one of the group of people He saw in hell during His journey of Mairaj. Prophet (PBUH) said:
“When I was ascended, I came across a people that had nails made of brass, with which they were scratching their faces and their chests. So I said: ‘Who are these people, O Jibreel?’ He said: ‘They are the ones who eat the flesh of people and dishonor them.’” (Ahmad)
Therefore, above everything a Muslim should be clear of the fact that backbiting is not something that should be taken casually, rather, in addition to the social vice as it is, it also brings punishment in the world Hereafter as well, ergo, a Muslim is to refrain from it and consider it a social as well ethical evil and discourage people who perform it.
Having The Clear Concept:
One of the major reasons why people aren’t aware of backbiting or if they are aware of it, they do not explicitly know when they are doing the act is the fact that they have ambiguity when it comes to defining backbiting.
People think that backbiting is something, which a person does behind the back of another person which is meant to produce ill for the person that is not present. Thus, any false rumor spread behind the back of a person is what people consider backbiting and if talking bad behind the back of someone is justified, it is considered a normal thing. A Muslim needs to understand that backbiting is backbiting and a Muslim has no right to speak bad behind the back of another Muslim whether it is justified or not. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once addressed His companions by saying:
“Do you know what Gheebah (backbiting) is?”
They said:
“Allah and His Messenger know best.”
He said:
Saying something about your brother that he dislikes.”
They asked:
“What if what I say about my brother is true?”
He said:
“If what you say is true then you have backbitten about him, and if it is not true, then you have slandered him.” (Muslim)
Thus, the hadith makes backbiting clear from slandering. If a Muslim is spreading false rumors behind the back of another Muslim, then it comes under the category of slandering and Islam does not allow it. Even if the bad talk about a fellow Muslim behind the back is justified because it is the truth, even then Islam does not permit it because it harms the impression of a Muslim. Islam is a religion of protecting each other and veiling the faults of others, therefore, a Muslim cannot be in a position where he or she tells open to people about the fault of a fellow Muslim, when Allah Almighty had covered that fault. Thus, backbiting is not permissible under any pretence.
The Reason Behind Forbiddance:
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:
“Verily, your blood, your wealth and your honor are sacred for you, just as this day of yours is sacred, in this land of yours, in this month of yours. Have I not conveyed?” (Bukharee)
These are the words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which He uttered on his last sermon during the pilgrimage. This hadith shows that as sacred are the month of Dul Hijjah and the place of Kabah, so is sacred the human blood, wealth and honor. The act of backbiting is an attack on the honor of a person which as per this hadith is sacred, thus, the reason why Allah Almighty forbids backbiting is that it is an attack on the honor of a Muslim, which another Muslim ought to protect in any case.
In a nutshell, for a Muslim it is important to realize the graveness of the act of backbiting. Apparently it might seem a trivial and inconsequential thing, but when seen on a broader spectrum, it causes defame and harms the honor of a Muslim. When the honor of a person is attacked, it is quite natural that a person responds to it in the same manner which results in disunity and hatred among the members of a community. Therefore, a Muslim must refrain from backbiting another Muslim, no matter how justified it seems.
