Now what does
Gheebah mean?
Gheebah
comes from the
root: Gha-Yaa-Baa,
meaning that
which is unseen.
In Arabic,
backbiting, slandering,
or any misuse of
the tongue is
Gheebah.
Gheebah is to
talk about your
brother or
sister in such a
manner that he
or she would
dislike it if
told to their
face. Gheebah is
one of the
major sins
in Islam because
it hurts others
and destroys
their
self-esteem.
In the following
you can see that
the prophet (s.a.w.s)
has clearly
defined Gheebah
(backbiting) for
us, so that we
can identify and
keep away from
this terrible
sin.
Abu Huraira (r.a.)
narrated that
the Prophet (s.a.w.s)
said,
"Do you know
what is
backbiting?"
They (the
companions)
said: "Allah and
His Messenger
know best.
Thereupon he
(the Prophet)
said:
"Backbiting
implies your
talking about
your brother in
a manner which
he does not
like." It was
said to him:
"What if what I
say about my
brother is
true?" He said:
"If what you
said about him
is true then you
would have
backbitten him,
and if it is not
true, then he is
slandered (buhtaan)
[Reported in
Saheeh Muslim:
hadeeth 1183,
Sahih Muslim:
Book 31, Number
6265, Abu Dawud,
Ahmad, Tirmidhi,
others...]
and in Another
Hadith
Al-Muttalib ibin
Abdullah said,
"The Messenger
of Allah said,
Gheebah (gossip,
backbiting)
means that a man
mentions about a
person something
which is true,
behind his
back."
[Al_Suyuti,
Zawaid Al Jami
from the report
of al Khara'iti
in Masawi Al
Akhlaq. Malik
reported
something
similar with a
Mursal Isnad as
mentioned in Al-Sahihah,
No. 1992]
.
Narrated Aisha,
Ummul Muminin:
I said to the
Prophet (s.a.w.s):
It is enough for
you in Safiyyah
that she is such
and such (the
other version
than Musaddads
has:) meaning
that she was
short-statured.
He replied; You
have said a word
which would
change the sea
if it were mixed
in it...
[Sunan Abu Dawud:
Book 41, Number
4857]
We all indulge
in Gheebah
without
realizing it
but, we tend to
realize how
painful and
horrible it is
only when we
become victim
(the one who is
back bitten) to
it.
Before I started
researching
about Gheebah, I
was very
careless about
this sin, many
times to the
point of not
being bothered
or not caring to
attempt to keep
away from it.
But I realized
the dreadful
part only when
someone spoke
about me. I
realized the
feeling of the
people who I
spoke of must
have endured.
Therefore we
should remember
that when we
commit Gheebah
we sacrifice the
honor of our
brothers and
sisters.
I go further
with the point
of Gheebah being
wrong by
pointing out
what Allah says
in the Holy
Quran.
"O, you who
believe! Avoid
much suspicion;
in deeds 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 God,
verily, God is
the one who
accepts
repentance, Most
Merciful.
( Surah Al
Hujurat 49: 12)
Surah Humazah in
the Holy Quran,
describes
clearly that,
one who indulges
in Gheebah is in
clear error and
in great loss.
1. Woe to every
slanderer and
backbiter.
2. Who has
gathered wealth
and counted it,
3. He thinks
that his wealth
will make him
last forever!
4. Nay! Verily,
he will be
thrown into the
crushing Fire.
5. And what will
make you know
what the
crushing Fire
is?
6. The fire of
Allâh, kindled,
7. Which leaps
up over the
hearts,
8. Verily, it
shall be closed
in on them,
9. In pillars
stretched forth
(i.e. they will
be punished in
the Fire with
pillars, etc.).
These verses
tell us about
the terrible
punishment, that
befall on the
Muslim who
commits Gheebah.
An Islamic
speaker once
said,
"Even in our
thought, one
should honor his
brother or
sister in
Islam".
It is obvious
that we as
Muslim should be
loving and
compassionate
with one
another.
Gheebah is a
disgusting sin,
definitely one
of the biggest,
and evilest
wreckers of this
compassion, love
and brotherhood.
What we also
fail to realize
is that Gheebah
will wash away
our good deeds
and our good
deeds would be
snatched from us
and given to one
who we spoke ill
off on the Day
of Judgement.
The prophet
(saw) said: We
will have
survived all of
the horrible
trials, the
judgement, the
bridge, and the
huge thorns
which snatch us
according to our
deeds and throw
us into Hell.
(Sahih Bukhari:
Volume 8, Book
76, Number 577).
We will have
been through all
this, only to
lose all our
good deeds
because we could
not or would not
control our
tongue.
This boneless
flesh called "
tongue" is
playing games
and showing its
stunt. It is not
funny… We
might be so
lenient to this
but in the sight
of Allah it is
one of the most
hated thing.
The Prophet says
that Allah is
the Judge of
Judges and that
no one can judge
anyone as Allah
does. If one is
judgmental, he
is making
himself into a
judge with no
authority from
the Judge of
Judges. When one
says: "So-and-so
is a no-good
person," we
should remember
that we are not
the judge of our
Lords servants;
He created them
and He judges
them as He
wills! We should
remember,
whoever ignores
this point is
competing with
Allah and taking
his attribute of
Al Haakem (The
Judge) and
setting himself
as partner
against Allah.
What a grave
mistake!
Allah teaches us
to speak out
against Slander
and try to put a
stop to it in
the following
verse:
And why did you
not, when you
heard it, say?
"It is not right
of us to speak
of this: Glory
to God, this is
a most serious
slander"
(Surah An Nur
24:16)
Gheebah is
indeed a
disgusting sin
worse than Zina
(fornication).
It can be done
so easily, any
moment, any
time, whereas
Zina is a sin
were one cannot
engage as easily
as Gheebah
However, we should also
understand that under some
circumstances a person is
allowed to talk about his
brother or sisters.
The following are the only
circumstances where one is
allowed to talk about his
brother or sister in islam
1. If the person is being
oppressed. In this case you are
allowed to talk about the person
who oppresses so that the
oppressed may take what is
rightfully his. He should only
talk out of necessity and only
to the one who can assist the
oppressed person in taking his
right from the oppressor.
2. Requesting a fatwa (Islamic
ruling). For example, you may
say "my brother did such and
such (recalling the event), what
do I do?" It is permitted to
recall the incident and not
mentioning the name of the
person (this is better) so that
a fatwa may be obtained.
3. When seeking marriage,
setting up a business or being a
witness. If a man asked another
about a third person who has
proposed it is permitted for the
one being asked to say what he
knows about the one who has
proposed. When talking about him
(the one seeking marriage) the
one who knows him should be
honest about what he says,
without diminishing the persons
value nor exaggerating his
faults.
4. Cautioning people about
bad/evil-doers. If a person
propagates forbidden or evil, or
something which contains shirk,
it is permitted to warn people
about that person until they are
convinced about the misleading
information.