The danger of backbiting and tale bearing.

I was sitting at work busy in finishing some documents, but I found a group of my colleagues speaking about someone in his absence, mentioning him with bad qualities, derogating his status out of envy from themselves, and defaming his reputation!

Dear brothers, do you know that backbiting is one of the grievous sins which are not forgiven by the supplication that expiates idle talks in gatherings, but are only erased by sincere repentance. We all know the danger of backbiting and tale bearing and their severe torment, but we do not exert enough efforts to avoid it, so we do not regret before the Lord of the worlds.

One of the dangers of backbiting is: It spoils actions and eats up good deeds to the extent that someone said: If I were to backbite someone, I had backbitten my parents because they are the most entitled with my good deeds. Assemblies corrupt people and destroy everything because the final destination of backbiters will be Hell.

Backbiting is not less danger than tale bearing but rather more dangerous. It is a bad quality and one of the mean characteristics. In order that Muslims beware of it, Islam warned against such quality and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) explained and forbade the people to do it, as reported in the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Do you know what is backbiting?" They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: "Mentioning your Muslim brother with things that he hate." It was said: What if my Muslim brother has the bad quality I just mentioned in him? He said: If he has that bad quality, you would have backbitten him and if he has not got that quality, you would have attributed lies against him." What a bad image it is! How bad actions and sayings backbiters commit!

As for the most important reasons that incite backbiting, it is raging of revenge as if someone speaks against someone else because he is angry with him or there is envy in his chest against him or just for keep up with peers.

And also for accommodating friends such as a person sits in a gathering where backbiting is committed and hates to advise them for fear that they may make averse to him or backbite to make people laugh; which is called joking to earn the love of people.

A backbiter should know that he exposes himself to the wrath of Allah and his good deeds move to the backbitten until he will not have any good deeds left for him. If he wants to backbite a person, he has to remember the bad defects of himself and busy himself with fixing them; he should be ashamed of mentioning the defects of others while he is defected. If thinks himself free of defects, he should focus on thanking Allah and put himself in the shoes of the person he had backbitten. Thus, a backbiter will not satisfy for himself such a position and will exert efforts to avoid the causes of backbiting to protect himself against them.

After all, let us not utter any word that does not please Allah because we speak a lot and forget Allah's Saying: "Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)." [Surat Qaf: 18].

The angels of the Most Gracious do not forget, so what should we do when we are reviewed to our Lord and it is said to us: "This Our Record speaks about you with truth. Verily, We were recording what you used to do (i.e. Our angels used to record your deeds)." [Surat Al Jathiyah: 29].

Let us remember when it is said to us: "(It will be said to him): “Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day.”" [Surat Al Isra': 14].

The Prophet (peace be upon him) saw a group of people who had copper nails scratching their faces and chest. Thereupon, he said: Who are those, O Gabriel? He said: Those are the people who backbit people and slander their honors.

I ask Allah, the Ever-Generous and the Lord of the Supreme Throne, to grant us a sincere repentance that erases previous sins. We ask Him to forgive our sins, mistakes, and exceeding bounds, and not to use our tongues in things that do not please Him. Indeed, He is the All-Worthy and the All-Able. Verily, He is the Best Guardian and the best Supporter.