Ghibah

Ghibah ( ) is backbiting as understood in Islam. It is generally regarded as a major sin in Islam and compared in the Qur'an to 'the abomination of eating the flesh of a dead brother'.

Quran

There are two verses in the Quran about backbiting. Verse 12 of Surah Al-Hujurat says:

Verse 148 of Surah Al-Nisa says:

Hadith

The hadith defines backbiting and generally advises Muslims not to do it about other Muslims and not to publicize and keep secrets (كتمان الاسرار, kitma'n al-asra'r) of others.

Concealing secrets

Scope of validity

Based on the mentioned second verse and some reliable hadiths Islamic jurists including Al-Nawawi in his book Gardens of the Righteous have declared backbiting in 6 cases to be valid -

1. and seeking justice against a tyrant ruler or oppressor
2. seeking a solution to a problem from a judicial person or someone reliable,
3. exposing religious errors while propagating Islam,
4. about a person engaged in openly persistent deadly sins or Bid'ah which harm people,
5. warning someone of danger and harm in case of marriage, business and contract, and
6. defining one's characteristic with the popular negative traits without which he can not be recognised easily.

Also, in the case of people who repeatedly commit crimes openly and show no remorse, and there is no possibility of repentance, if backbiting them openly can warn them and save others from their harm, then backbiting them is permissible.

See also

• Nifaq
• Taqwa
• Human cannibalism
• Aghori
• Despondence in Islam

References