Backbiting

Quran

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا۟ وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًاۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ 

O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful.

Al-Hujurat 49:12

Hadith: Arabic Text followed by English Translation. 

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏

أتدرون ما الغيبة‏؟‏” قالوا‏:‏ الله ورسوله أعلم قال‏:‏ ‏”‏ذكرك أخاك بما يكره‏”‏ قيل‏:‏ أفرأيت إن كان في أخي ما أقول‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ ‏”‏إن كان فيه ما تقول، فقد اغتبته، وإن لم يكن فيه ما تقول فقد بهته

رواه مسلم ٢٥٨٩ .

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

Do you know what is backbiting?”

The Companions said: “Allah and His Messenger know better.”

Thereupon he said,

“Backbiting is talking about your (Muslim) brother in a manner which he dislikes.”

It was said to him: “What if my (Muslim) brother is as I say.”

He said,

“If he is actually as you say, then that is backbiting; but if that is not in him, that is slandering.

Narrated by Muslim, 2589