Narrated Muadh ibn Anas: The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone guards a believer from a hypocrite, Allah will send an angel who will guard his flesh on the Day of Resurrection from the fire of Jahannam; but if anyone attacks a Muslim saying something by which he wishes to disgrace him, he will be restrained by Allah on the bridge over Jahannam till he is acquitted of what he said.
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
Defending the honor of a Muslim believer, whether in his presence or in his absence, is a great and virtuous deed of immense merit. Through this, a righteous society is formed, and mischievous individuals are not given the opportunity to thrive.
According to some researchers, this narration is of the level of hasan (good).
For details, see: (al-Ta‘liq al-Raghib: 3/302, 303 and Mishkat, al-Tahqiq al-Thani by al-Albani, Hadith: 4986)
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4883