Intermediate
Special Topics
Surah: Al-Hujurat (12)
And Do Not Spy — Prohibition of Spying
وَلَا تَجَسَّسُواْ وَلَا يَغۡتَب بَّعۡضُكُم بَعۡضًا
— الحجرات الآية 12
Verse: "And do not spy and do not backbite one another." (49:12) — Spying: investigating people's faults and secrets without permission. Includes: eavesdropping, reading correspondence, monitoring homes, tracking movements without legal justification. Backbiting follows spying — because spying is the source that feeds backbiting.
Source: Al-Qurtubi (16/338)
Test Yourself
Why does the prohibition of backbiting follow immediately after spying?
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