Reports on the prohibition of defaming a man and backbiting

Tariq bin Shihab said: There was a bitter exchange between Sayyiduna Khalid bin al-Walid and Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with them both), and a man began to speak ill of Sayyiduna Khalid in the presence of Sayyiduna Sa'd. Sayyiduna Sa'd said: Stop! The quarrel that is between us does not reach our religion!

Zayd bin Suhan said that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What has stopped you, when you saw a man tarnishing people's honour, that you did not even rebuke him? They said: We protect ourselves from his tongue. He said: That is even more base, that you are becoming witnesses.

Qays said that Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by a dead mule and said to his companions: That one of you should eat from this until his belly is full is far better than that he should eat the flesh of his Muslim brother.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is backbiting? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: That you mention about your brother what he dislikes. The man said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is your view if what I say is present in my brother? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If what you say is present in your brother, then you have backbitten him, and if what you say is not present in your brother, then you have slandered him.

Al-Hakam said that a son of Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man backbit another man, and another man stopped him. At this, Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Whoever defends the honour of his brother, it will be a barrier for him from Hell.

Ibn Awn said: A man backbit another man, and another man answered him back. At this, Umm al-Darda' said: I envy you, for whoever defends the honour of his brother, Allah Almighty will protect him from the gust of the wind of Hell, or from the burning fire of Hell.

Ibrahim said that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When you say what is present in a man, you have not declared him pure.

Ziyad bin Ilaqah said that Sayyiduna Usamah bin Sharik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was present when the Bedouins asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): Will there be sin upon us in doing such and such? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Servants of Allah! Allah has removed sin, except for the person who backbites his brother; because of that, he has become sinful.

Shu'bah said that Mu'awiyah bin Qurrah said: If you were to see a man with a severed hand and then mention him by saying, the one with the severed hand, this too would be backbiting.

The narrator said: I mentioned this to Abu Ishaq, and he said: He spoke the truth.

Abdullah bin Bakr said that Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If I were to see a man suckling directly from a goat on the road and then mocked him, I would fear that death would not come to me until I too suckled directly from a goat.

Al-Sha'bi said that Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When you say about your brother what is present in him and he does not hear it, you have backbitten him, and when you say what is not present in him, you have slandered him.

Ibrahim said that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If I were to mock a dog, I would fear that I might become a dog too.

Ibrahim said that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Afflictions are set upon people only because of words.

Abu al-Duha said that Masruq said: When you say something about a person that is in him, you have backbitten him, and when you say something about him that is not in him, you have slandered him.

Ibn Ajlan said that al-Harith said: I was holding Ibrahim's hand and we were intending to go to the mosque. Meanwhile I mentioned a man and backbit him, so Ibrahim said to me: Go back and perform ablution; they used to count this as foul speech.