What is the meaning of backbiting and talebearing, and what is the meaning of forbidding what is wrong?
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The questioner : What is the meaning of backbiting and talebearing, and what is the meaning of forbidding what is wrong? Is it considered backbiting or talebearing if we tell people that such-and-such a person did such-and-such, so that people may beware of him? And what is the recompense for one who says such things?
The Shaykh : Backbiting is mentioning your brother in his absence with what he dislikes, such as saying in his absence that he is an open sinner, that he is negligent regarding the religion of Allah, that he has such-and-such physical defects related to his body, or that he has such-and-such character defects related to his conduct. So, if you mention your brother in his absence with what he dislikes regarding his religion, his body, or his conduct, that is backbiting. This is if he actually has what you are saying.Sunan Abi Dawud 4874Sahih (Al-Albani) meaning he has slandered him in addition to backbiting him. This is backbiting.
And if backbiting occurs in the presence of the one being backbitten, it becomes abuse and cursing.
As for talebearing, it is not backbiting. Talebearing is conveying the words of another to the person about whom they spoke, with the intention of causing corruption between them. For example, you go to a person and say, "So-and-so said such-and-such about you," in order to corrupt the relationship between them. Talebearing is one of the major sins, just as backbiting is also one of the major sins, according to the stronger opinion. Whether in talebearing the person about whom you told actually said what they said or not, it is not permissible for anyone to convey the words of one person to the person about whom they spoke, thereby sowing enmity between them. Rather, if someone speaks to you about a person, advise him and warn him against talebearing, and say to him, "Do not convey to me the words of people about me, and fear Allah," until he abandons talebearing.
Know that whoever tells tales to you will tell tales about you, so beware of him. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Qalam 68:10-13] It is also established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Sahih Muslim 105b meaning a talebearer. It is also established from him that he passed by two men being punished in their graves, and he said about one of them: The greatest form of talebearing is when a person tells tales between scholars, the scholars of the Shari'ah, by conveying the words between this scholar and that scholar in order to corrupt the relationship between them, especially if it is a lie, for then it combines talebearing and lying. He goes to a scholar and says, "So-and-so, one of the people of knowledge, says such-and-such about you." This is one of the major sins, and it entails great harm and sowing enmity between scholars. As a result, the disintegration of the community follows the disintegration of their scholars. This is the difference between backbiting and talebearing.
As for the questioner's statement, "Is it backbiting to speak of attributes by which people know the specific person, without the speaker naming him?" The answer is that we say: Yes, if a person speaks of attributes that apply only to a specific, known person among the people, then this is backbiting, because the people know his identity by the attribute that only he possesses. However, if the attribute mentioned is one of the matters that must be changed because it is what is wrong, then there is no harm in speaking about the one who possesses it, even if his identity becomes known. It was the custom of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that if someone among the people contradicted the Shari'ah of Allah, he would speak about them and say: or or the like, even though the people might know who these individuals were by following up on the matter.
Branching from this, if a person backbites a bad caller to evil and identifies him by name to warn people against him, then there is nothing wrong with this; rather, it may be obligatory upon him, because of the removal of danger from the Muslims, who know nothing about his condition. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The listener is Muhammad Amin from Irbid, Jordan. In his message, he says: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy, and in Him we seek help. Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Shaykh : Backbiting is mentioning your brother in his absence with what he dislikes, such as saying in his absence that he is an open sinner, that he is negligent regarding the religion of Allah, that he has such-and-such physical defects related to his body, or that he has such-and-such character defects related to his conduct. So, if you mention your brother in his absence with what he dislikes regarding his religion, his body, or his conduct, that is backbiting. This is if he actually has what you are saying.
If what you say of him is true, you have slandered him, and if what you say of him is not true, you have reviled him.
إن كان فيه ما تقول فقد اغتبته وإن لم يكن فيه ما تقول فقد بهتهAnd if backbiting occurs in the presence of the one being backbitten, it becomes abuse and cursing.
As for talebearing, it is not backbiting. Talebearing is conveying the words of another to the person about whom they spoke, with the intention of causing corruption between them. For example, you go to a person and say, "So-and-so said such-and-such about you," in order to corrupt the relationship between them. Talebearing is one of the major sins, just as backbiting is also one of the major sins, according to the stronger opinion. Whether in talebearing the person about whom you told actually said what they said or not, it is not permissible for anyone to convey the words of one person to the person about whom they spoke, thereby sowing enmity between them. Rather, if someone speaks to you about a person, advise him and warn him against talebearing, and say to him, "Do not convey to me the words of people about me, and fear Allah," until he abandons talebearing.
Know that whoever tells tales to you will tell tales about you, so beware of him. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:
(10) And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer (11) [And] scorner, going about with malicious gossip - (12) A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful, (13) Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate pretender.
وَلا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَهِينٍ * هَمَّازٍ مَشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ * مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ * عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍThe beater of false tales would never enter heaven.
لا يدخل الجنة قتاتHe goes about spreading talebearing.
إنه يمشي بالنميمةAs for the questioner's statement, "Is it backbiting to speak of attributes by which people know the specific person, without the speaker naming him?" The answer is that we say: Yes, if a person speaks of attributes that apply only to a specific, known person among the people, then this is backbiting, because the people know his identity by the attribute that only he possesses. However, if the attribute mentioned is one of the matters that must be changed because it is what is wrong, then there is no harm in speaking about the one who possesses it, even if his identity becomes known. It was the custom of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that if someone among the people contradicted the Shari'ah of Allah, he would speak about them and say:
What is the matter with a group of people?
ما بال قومWhat is the matter with a group of men?
ما بال رجالBranching from this, if a person backbites a bad caller to evil and identifies him by name to warn people against him, then there is nothing wrong with this; rather, it may be obligatory upon him, because of the removal of danger from the Muslims, who know nothing about his condition. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The listener is Muhammad Amin from Irbid, Jordan. In his message, he says: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy, and in Him we seek help. Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.