Backbiting and Accusations

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ الْغِيبَةُ أَسْرَعُ فِي دِينِ الرَّجُلِ الْمُسْلِمِ مِنَ الْأَكِلَةِ فِي جَوْفِهِ قَالَ وَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص الْجُلُوسُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ انْتِظَارَ الصَّلَاةِ عِبَادَةٌ مَا لَمْ يُحْدِثْ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَ مَا يُحْدِثُ قَالَ الِاغْتِيَابَ.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Backbiting destroys the religion of a person faster than an internal cancerous disease.’ “The Imam has also said, ‘The Messenger of Allah has said, “Sitting in the mosque is worship as long as it does not happen.” He was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, ‘What has not happened?’ He said,

مَنْ قَالَ فِي مُؤْمِنٍ مَا رَأَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ وَ سَمِعَتْهُ أُذُنَاهُ فَهُوَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذابٌ أَلِيمٌ‌[1].

"Whoever says about a believer what his eyes have seen and his ears have heard, he is among those whom Allah, the Almighty and Glorious, has said about: 'Indeed, those who like that immorality should be spread among those who have believed will have a painful punishment.'" (24:19).

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْغِيبَةِ قَالَ هُوَ أَنْ تَقُولَ‌[3] لِأَخِيكَ فِي دِينِهِ مَا لَمْ يَفْعَلْ‌[4] وَ تَبُثَّ عَلَيْهِ أَمْراً قَدْ سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ لَمْ يُقَمْ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ حَدٌّ[5].

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about backbiting. The Imam said, ‘It is when you say about your brother in belief something about his religion that he has not done, and publicize against him something that Allah has covered up for him and he is not convicted for such crimes.’”

سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ ص مَا كَفَّارَةُ الِاغْتِيَابِ قَالَ تَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِمَنِ اغْتَبْتَهُ كُلَّمَا ذَكَرْتَهُ‌[6].

“The Holy Prophet was asked, ‘What is the expiation for backbiting?’ He said, ‘It is to ask forgiveness from Allah for the person backbitten whenever one remembers him. ’”

مَنْ بَهَتَ مُؤْمِناً أَوْ مُؤْمِنَةً بِمَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ فِي طِينَةِ خَبَالٍ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ مِمَّا قَالَ‌[7] قُلْتُ وَ مَا طِينَةُ الْخَبَالِ قَالَ صَدِيدٌ يَخْرُجُ‌[1] مِنْ فُرُوجِ المُومِسَاتِ‌[2].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Whoever accuses a believer with something that is not in him, Allah will raise him formed with the clay of Khabal, in which he will remain until he is out of what he had said. ’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘What is KhabalT The Imam said, ‘It is the puss that comes out from the vagina

قَالَ لِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ص‌ مَنْ ذَكَرَ رَجُلًا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ بِمَا هُوَ فِيهِ مِمَّا عَرَفَهُ النَّاسُ لَمْ يَغْتَبْهُ وَ مَنْ ذَكَرَهُ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ بِمَا هُوَ فِيهِ مِمَّا لَا يَعْرِفُهُ النَّاسُ اغْتَابَهُ وَ مَنْ ذَكَرَهُ بِمَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَهُ.

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) once said to me, ‘Anyone’s mentioning a man behind his back with something that is found in him and people know is not backbiting. Whoever mentions a person behind his back with something that is found in him and people do not know it, he has backbitten him. Whoever mentions a person with somethin

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ الْغِيبَةُ أَنْ تَقُولَ فِي أَخِيكَ مَا سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ أَمَّا الْأَمْرُ الظَّاهِرُ فِيهِ مِثْلُ الْحِدَّةِ وَ الْعَجَلَةِ فَلَا وَ الْبُهْتَانُ أَنْ تَقُولَ فِيهِ مَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ‌[3].

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Backbiting is when you say something about your brother (in belief) that Allah has covered up for him. However, the matters that are manifest in him like hot-temperedness and haste is not backbiting. Accusation is when you say about him what is not found in him.’”