The Evils of Backbiting and Permissible Criticism in Defence of the Religion

By Abu Khadeejah ʿAbdul-Wāhid

All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the noble Prophet, his family, his companions and all who truly follow him.

It is reported in the two saheehs from the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) who said that Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said:

إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً يَرْفَعُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَاتٍ وَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللَّهِ لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً يَهْوِي بِهَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ

“A slave of Allah may utter a word which pleases Allah without giving it much importance, and because of that Allah will raise him to degrees [of reward—and a slave of Allah may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity and because of that he will be thrown into the Hell-Fire.” (Bukhari, no. 6478)

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْغِيبَةُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قِيلَ أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا أَقُولُ قَالَ ‏”‏ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ

Gheebah (backbiting) the believers, cursing them and belittling them is from the lowly, vile and ignoble manners. Adiyy Ibn Hātim (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) said:

الغيبة مرعى اللئام

“Gheebah is the grazing land of the lowly ones.”

Sufyān ath-Thawrī (d. 161 AH):

 الغيبة أشد من الدين الدين يقضى والغيبة لا تقضى

“Backbiting is worse than debt because a debt can be paid back, but backbiting cannot be paid back!”

‘Abdullāh Ibn Umm Maktoom (Allah be pleased with him) said:

مَنِ اغْتِيبَ عِنْدَهُ مُؤْمِنٌ فَنَصَرهُ جَزَاهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا خَيْرًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، وَمَنِ اغْتِيبَ عِنْدَهُ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَمْ يَنْصُرْهُ جَزَاهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ شَرًّا

“When a believer is backbitten before a person and so he defends [his brother], Allah will reward him in this life and the Hereafter. However, when a believer is backbitten in his presence yet he does not defend [his brother], then Allah will recompense him with evil in this life and the Hereafter.” Then he said:

وَمَا الْتَقَمَ أَحَدٌ لُقْمَةً شَرًّا مِنَ اغْتِيَابِ مُؤْمِنٍ، إِنْ قَالَ فِيهِ مَا يَعْلَمُ، فَقَدِ اغْتَابَهُ، وَإِنْ قَالَ فِيهِ بِمَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ فَقَدْ بَهَتَهُ‏.‏

“Whoever takes an evil morsel in backbiting a believer and says about him what he knows [to be true], then he has backbitten him. And if he says something about him which he does not know [to be true], he has slandered him.”  (Saheeh, Al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 734)

The Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said:

لَا يَدْخُلُ اَلْجَنَّةَ قَتَّاتٌ 

“The backbiter will not enter Jannah.” (Bukhāri and Muslim)

Jābir (Allah be pleased with him) said that a foul-smelling wind was felt [by the Companions] in the time of the Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

إِنَّ نَاسًا مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ اغْتَابُوا أُنَاسًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَبُعِثَتْ هَذِهِ الرِّيحُ لِذَلِكَ‏.‏

“Some of the hypocrites are backbiting some of the Muslims – that is why this wind was sent.” (Hasan, Al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 733)

Al-Bukhāri reported:

عَنْ قَيْسٍ قَالَ‏:‏ كَانَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ يَسِيرُ مَعَ نَفَرٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَمَرَّ عَلَى بَغْلٍ مَيِّتٍ قَدِ انْتَفَخَ، فَقَالَ‏:‏ وَاللَّهِ، لَأَنْ يَأْكُلَ أَحَدُكُمْ هَذَا حَتَّى يَمْلَأَ بَطْنَهُ، خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ مُسْلِمٍ‏.‏

Qays said that ʿAmr bin al-ʿAaṣ (Allah be pleased with him) was going somewhere with his friends. They passed by a dead mule whose belly had swollen up. So ʿAmr said: “By Allah, it is better for one to eat to his fill from this dead mule than to eat the flesh of a Muslim [by backbiting him].” (Saheeh, Al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 736)

Permissible Criticism

In defence of the religion, it is permitted to speak about someone in his absence or even after his death. In Saheeh Muslim there is a chapter entitled:

باب الْكَشْفِ عَنْ مَعَايِبِ، رُوَاةِ الْحَدِيثِ وَنَقَلَةِ الأَخْبَارِ وَقَوْلِ الأَئِمَّةِ فِي ذَلِكَ

“Unveiling Defects of the Transmitters of Ḥadīth and Relaters of Reports – The Statements of the Scholars Regarding That.” Imām Muslim said:

حَدَّثَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، وَحَسَنٌ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ عَفَّانَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا عِنْدَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ابْنِ عُلَيَّةَ فَحَدَّثَ رَجُلٌ، عَنْ رَجُلٍ، فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ هَذَا لَيْسَ بِثَبْتٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ اغْتَبْتَهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ مَا اغْتَابَهُ ‏.‏ وَلَكِنَّهُ حَكَمَ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِثَبْتٍ

ʿAmr Ibn Alī and Hasan al-Hulwānī narrated to me, both of them on authority of Affān bin Muslim, he said: