SAEDNEWS: Some narrations state that a person who speaks ill of others behind their backs, damages their reputation, and diminishes their dignity is not of legitimate birth. This is because, if a person were conceived through a lawful union, they would never become involved in such a sinful act.
According to Saednews, Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
“Backbiting is forbidden for every Muslim, and it consumes good deeds just as fire consumes firewood.”
Sometimes, by committing backbiting, a person loses all the good deeds they have performed, and the reward for those deeds is transferred to the record of the person they spoke ill of. Consider the following narration:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“On the Day of Resurrection, a person will be brought before Allah and given his book of deeds. When he looks into it, he will find none of the good deeds he had performed.
He will say, ‘My Lord! This is not my record, for I cannot see any of my acts of worship and obedience in it.’
He will be told, ‘Your Lord neither makes mistakes nor forgets. This is indeed your record. However, your good deeds have been taken away because of your backbiting against others.’
Then another person will be brought forward and given his book of deeds. Contrary to his expectations, he will find many good deeds recorded in it.
He will say in amazement, ‘My Lord! This is not my record, for I never performed these acts of worship and goodness.’
He will be told, ‘So-and-so spoke ill of you behind your back, and his good deeds have therefore been transferred to your record.’”
Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever spreads a statement about a believer with the intention of disgracing him, destroying his dignity, and making him lose his standing in the eyes of people, Allah will remove him from His guardianship and place him under the guardianship of Satan, yet Satan himself will not accept him.”
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“Backbiting affects a Muslim’s religion more rapidly than a disease eats away at his body.”
He also said:
“Backbiting and tale-bearing strip away a person’s faith just as a shepherd strips the leaves from a tree.”
Without a doubt, anyone who engages in backbiting will face severe punishment on the Day of Resurrection.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“Whoever consumes the flesh of his brother in this world by backbiting will be brought before him on the Day of Resurrection. He will be told: ‘Eat his flesh while he is dead, just as you ate it while he was alive.’ He will then eat from his dead flesh, grimacing in distress and crying out.”
It is also narrated from the Holy Prophet that he said:
“On the night of my Ascension (Mi‘raj), I passed by a group of people who were scratching their faces with their fingernails. I asked Gabriel, ‘Who are these people?’ He replied, ‘These are those who used to backbite others and attack their honour and reputation.’”
Another narration states that committing backbiting diminishes the spiritual value of a person's acts of worship.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Sitting in the mosque while waiting for the time of prayer is an act of worship, as long as a person does not invalidate it.”
He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what invalidates it?”
He replied:
“Backbiting.”
In another narration, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that angels responsible for recording human deeds take a servant’s good deeds up to the heavens. These deeds shine like rays of sunlight.
However, the angel responsible for accepting and presenting these deeds says:
“Strike this deed against the face of its owner! I am the angel responsible for backbiting. My Lord has commanded me not to allow the deeds of those who backbite others to pass beyond me and reach Him.”
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Paradise is forbidden to three types of people: the tale-bearer, the backbiter, and the habitual drinker of alcohol.”
Important Note:
Even if a person who commits backbiting repents and their repentance is accepted, they will still be among the last people to enter Paradise.
Allah Almighty revealed to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him):
“A person who backbites others will be the last to enter Paradise if they repent. But if they do not repent, they will be the first to enter the Fire.”
Some narrations state that a person who habitually speaks ill of others behind their backs, damages their reputation, and diminishes their dignity is not of lawful birth. The reasoning given is that someone born through a lawful union would never become involved in such a sin.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“He has spoken falsely who claims to have been born of lawful means while consuming the flesh of people through backbiting. Avoid backbiting, for it is the food of the dogs of Hellfire.”
Perhaps the reference to unlawful birth in this narration concerns being nourished or brought into existence through unlawful sustenance. It is also possible that this description applies specifically to those who make backbiting and hurting others a persistent habit. The use of the present-tense expression in the narration, indicating continuity, supports this possibility.
And Allah knows best.
Another narration states that a person who speaks ill of a Muslim behind their back does not possess true faith.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
**“O you who have believed with your tongues but whose hearts have not truly believed! Do not backbite Muslims, and do not search for their hidden faults.
Indeed, whoever investigates the private affairs and hidden faults of their fellow believer, Allah will expose their own faults. And whoever has their faults exposed by Allah will be disgraced, even within the privacy of their own home.”**
