Prohibition of Backbiting and Tale-Bearing
fiqh
Level: basic
muamalat
fqh-020
وَلَا يَغۡتَب بَّعۡضُكُم بَعۡضًاۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمۡ أَن يَأۡكُلَ لَحۡمَ أَخِيهِ مَيۡتٗا
— الحجرات 12
Verse: "Do not backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat his dead brother's flesh? You would hate it." (49:12)
Definition of backbiting: "Do you know what backbiting is? Mentioning your brother in a way he dislikes. What if it is true? That is backbiting. If not true — that is slander." (Muslim)
The rhetorical image: "Eating dead brother's flesh" — three repulsions combined: eating + human flesh + carrion.
Permitted cases (necessity): Seeking a legal opinion mentioning the person, warning Muslims from specific harm, testifying against witnesses and narrators.
Source: Sahih Muslim (2589); Al-Qurtubi (16/334); Al-Nawawi, Riyad Al-Salihin
Question: What is the definition of backbiting in the Prophetic hadith and how does it differ from slander?
Answer: Backbiting: mentioning what a person dislikes about them that is true. Slander (buhtaan): mentioning what they dislike that is not true — slander is worse.