Backbiting

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  الغِيبَةُ أشَدُّ مِن الزِّنا ، قيلَ : وكيفَ ؟ قالَ : الرجلُ يَزني ثُمّ يَتوبُ فَيَتُوبُ اللَّهُ علَيهِ ، وإنّ صاحِبَ الغِيبَةِ لايُغفَرُ لَهُ حتّى‏ يَغفِرَ لَهُ صاحِبُهُ . _{الترغيب والترهيب : 3 / 511 / 24 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘Backbiting is worse than adultery’, at which he was asked, ‘How so?’ He replied, ‘A man commits adultery, then repents, and Allah pardons him for it, whereas the backbiter is not forgiven until his victim forgives him.’ _{al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, v. 3, p. 511, no. 24}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :} مَرَرتُ ليلةَ اُسرِيَ بي على‏ قَومٍ يَخمِشُونَ وُجوهَهُم بأظفارِهمِ ، فقلتُ : يا جَبرَئيلُ ، مَن هؤلاءِ ؟ فقالَ : هؤلاءِ الذينَ يَغتابُونَ الناسَ ويَقَعُونَ في أعراضِهِم . _{تنبيه الخواطر : 1 / 115 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘On the night that I was taken on my Night-Journey [to the heavens], I passed by a group of people scratching their own faces with their nails, so I asked, ‘O Gabriel, who are these people?’ so he replied, ‘These are people who backbit about other people and disparaged their reputations.’ _{Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 1, p. 115}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  يُؤتى‏ بأحَدٍ يَومَ القِيامَةِ يُوقَفُ بينَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ ويُدفَعُ إلَيهِ كتابُهُ فلا يَرى‏ حَسَناتِهِ ، فيقولُ : إلهي ، ليسَ هذا كتابِي ! فإنّي لا أرى‏ فيها طاعَتي ؟ ! فيقالُ لَهُ : إنّ رَبَّكَ لايَضِلُّ ولايَنسى‏ ، ذَهَبَ عَمَلُكَ بِاغتِيابِ الناسِ . ثُمّ يُؤتى‏ بآخَرَ ويُدفَعُ إلَيهِ كتابُهُ فَيَرى‏ فيهِ طاعاتٍ كثيرَةً ، فيقولُ : إلهي ، ما هذا كتابِي ! فإنّي ما عَمِلتُ هذهِ الطَّاعاتِ ! فيقالُ : لأنَّ فلاناً اغتابَكَ فَدُفِعَت حَسَناتُهُ إلَيكَ . _{جامع الأخبار : 412 / 1144 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘On the Day of Resurrection, a man will be brought forth to stand before Allah, and his book of deeds will be presented to him, and he will not see any of his good deeds therein, upon which he will exclaim, ‘My God, this is not my book! For verily I do not see any of my acts of obedience therein?!’ So he will be told, ‘Verily your Lord neither loses nor forgets [deeds], but your deeds have gone because of your backbiting people.’ Then another man will be brought forth, and will be presented his book of deeds, and he will see many acts of obedience recorded therein, and will exclaim, ‘My God, this is not my book! For verily I did not perform all these acts of obedience!’ and he will be told, ‘It is because so and so backbit you, so his deeds have been transferred to you.’ _{Jami al-Akhbar, p. 412, no. 1144}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  مَنِ اغتابَ مُسلِماً أو مُسلمَةً لم يَقبَلِ اللَّهُ صَلاتَهُ ولاصيامَهُ أربَعينَ يَوماً ولَيلةً ، إلّا أن يَغفِرَ لَهُ صاحِبُهُ . _{بحار الأنوار : 75 / 258 / 53 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘Whoever backbites a fellow Muslim man or woman, Allah neither accepts his prayer nor his fasting for forty days and nights, until and unless the victim of his backbiting forgives him.’ _{Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 258, no. 53}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  الغِيبَةُ أسرَعُ في دِينِ الرجُلِ المُسلمِ مِن الآكِلَةِ في جَوفِهِ . _{الكافي : 2 / 357 / 1 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘Backbiting eats away at a Muslim man’s faith faster than a gangrenous sore can eat away to the inside.’ _{al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 357, no. 1}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  الغِيبَةُ ذِكرُكَ أخاكَ بما يَكرَهُ . _{كنز العمّال : 8024 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘Backbiting is to say something about your brother that he would not like.’ _{Kanz al-Ummal, no. 8024}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  أربَعةٌ لَيست غِيبَتُهُم غِيبَةً: الفاسِقُ المُعلِنُ بِفِسقِهِ ، والإمامُ الكَذّابُ إن أحسَنتَ لم يَشكُرْ وإن أسَأتَ لم يَغفِرْ، والمُتَفَكِّهونَ بالاُمَّهاتِ ، والخارِجُ عنِ الجَماعَةِ الطاعِنُ على‏ اُمَّتِي الشاهِرُ علَيها بسَيفِهِ . _{بحار الأنوار : 75 / 261 / 64 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘Four types of people are such that talking about them behind their backs is not considered backbiting: the immoral person who makes a public display of his immorality; the dishonest leader who, even if you were to be good to would not appreciate you and if you were to be bad to would not forgive you; those who joke about their [and others’] mothers; and one who is a dissenter, who defames my community, and draws his sword against it.’ _{Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 261, no. 64}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  حتّى‏ مَتى‏ تَرعَوُونَ عن ذِكرِ الفاجِرِ ؟! اِهتِكُوهُ حتّى‏ يَحذَرَهُ الناسُ . _{كنز العمّال : 8074 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘Until when will you sidestep talking about the impudent person?! Disgrace him [through disclosing his insolent acts] so that people may be on their guard against him.’ _{Kanz al-Ummal, no. 8074}

رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله: مَن اُغتِيبَ عِندَهُ أخوهُ المسلمُ، فاستَطاعَ نَصرَهُ فلم يَنصُرْهُ، خَذَلَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الدنيا والآخِرَةِ . _{كتاب من لا يحضره الفقيه : 4 / 372 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘He in whose presence a fellow Muslim brother is talked about behind his back, and who does not defend him despite having the ability to do so, Allah disgraces him in this world as well as in the Hereafter.’ _{al-Faqih, v. 4, p. 372}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  مَن تَطَوَّلَ على‏ أخِيهِ في غِيبةٍ سَمِعَها فيهِ في مَجلِسٍ فَرَدَّها عَنهُ ، رَدَّ اللَّهُ عَنهُ ألفَ بابٍ مِن السُّوءِ فِي الدنيا والآخِرَةِ . _{الأمالي للصدوق : 516 / 707 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘Whoever does a good service to his fellow brother by deterring people from talking behind his back in a gathering where he hears them backbiting him, Allah will repel from him a thousand types of evil in this world as well as in the Hereafter.’ _{Amali al-Saduq, p. 350}

^{رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله :}  إذا اغتابَ أحَدُكُم أخاهُ فلْيَستَغفِرِ اللَّهَ ؛ فإنَّها كفّارَةٌ لَهُ . _{كنز العمّال : 8037 .}

 ^{The Prophet (SAWA) said,} ‘When one of you backbites about his fellow brother, he must seek forgiveness from Allah for that is penance for it.’ _{Kanz al-Ummal, no. 8037}