What is backbiting? What is the ruling of Islam and what is the punishment of this act? Is it forbidden?

Definition of backbiting:

Backbiting actually means”peaking ill of a person in their absence with the purpose of disparaging or not, and no matter whether the alleged shortcoming was related to his body, lineage, behavior, deeds, statements, religion, or life, and other defects which are usually concealed from the people. Similarly, it does not matter whether the description was done by words or by gesture.

Forbidden backbiting in Islam:

In Islam,it is sinful to backbite a Muslim, also is it sinful to backbite a non- Muslim. But, if due to some reason a person has evil qualities or incorrect beliefs that would cause harm to other persons, then to fore warn people to protect them from such evil and wrong belief will not be considered as backbiting.

In Qur’an Allah says:

And some of you should not backbite the others, would anyone of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? No, you abhor it.”(Al Qur’an 49:12)

Don’t listen to backbiting:

In the same manner as backbiting is prohibited in Islam, so listening is also prohibited Indeed. some traditions indicate, the listener is like the backbiter in all the evil aspects so much so that his act is a grave sin carrying an obligation to seek forgiveness from the victim.

Backbite an unlawful act:

Backbiting is counted among major sins of Islam.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said:
“Do you know what backbiting is?”They said,”Allah and His Messenger know best.”He peace be upon him then said, “It is to say something about your brother that he would dislike.”Some one asked him, “But what if what I say is true?” The Messenger of Allah said, “If what you say about him is true, you are backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him.”(sahih muslim)

The worst sin:

Do you know backbiting is more sinful than adultery(illegal sexual intercourse). Do You know why? When you commit zina you can ask Allah for forgiveness and Allah can forgive you but when you backbite someone Allah cannot forgive you untill the person whom you spoke ill of forgives you first.

The Prophet once gave counsel to Abu Dharr, saying: O Abu Dharr! Beware of backbiting, for backbiting is graver than adultery. Abu Dharr (r) said: Why is that so, O Messenger of Allah? He (s) replied: That is because when a man commits adultery and then repents to God, God accepts his repentance. However, backbiting is not forgiven until forgiven by its victim.

Imagine You’re now standing in front of Allah and your account is about to begin. You look to your right and you feel happy looking at whole your good deeds. Suddenly your good deeds start vanishing. The good deeds are going to all the people you have backbitten against, your relatives, your friends and your collegues.

How to get rid of backbiting:

If someone, Allah forbid, has been guilty of this illegal act, he or she must purge this vice and nourish the roots of sincerity, unity, and solidarity in his or her heart.
It is been said in the traditions that the good deeds of the backbiter are transferred to the book of deeds of the victim of his backbiting, and the victim’s sins are transferred to the record of the backbiter.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever has wronged his brother with regard to his honor or anything else, let him seek his forgiveness today, before there will be no dinar and no dirham, and if he has any good deeds to his credit they will be taken from him in a manner commensurate with the wrong he did, and if he has no good deeds, then some of his counterpart’s bad deeds will be taken and added to his burden.”[al-Bukhaari].
So brother and sisters you have a bit time you can save your akhirah by saying sorry to the victims and bye bye to this ugly act.

Punishment of backbiting:

It was narrated that Ibn’Abbas said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by two graves and said, “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for anything that was difficult to avoid. One of them used to walk about spreading malicious gossip (nameemah),and the other used not to take precautions to avoid getting urine on himself when he urinated.” Then he called for a green branch, which he split in two and planted a piece on each grave, and said, “May their torment be reduced so long as these do not dry out.”[al-Bukhaari, Muslim]

May Allah give us tofeeq to do good deeds and protect us from this bad evil act.