“ʿItbān” is normally pronounced with a short i (kasra) under the ʿayn—although a reading with a short u (ḍamma) is also reported—followed by a plain tāʾ and then a bāʾ. As for “al-Dukhshum,” the dāl is read with a ḍamma, the khāʾ is quiescent, and the shīn again carries a ḍamma.
- Kaʿb ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) related—in his well-known, lengthy narration about his repentance that appeared earlier in the Chapter on Repentance (1)—that while the Prophet ﷺ was sitting among the people at Tabūk he asked, “What has become of Kaʿb ibn Mālik?” A man from Banū Salamah replied, “Messenger of Allah, his two fine cloaks and his fondness for admiring himself have kept him back.” Muʿādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) retorted, “What a wretched thing you have said! By Allah, Messenger of Allah, we know nothing about him but good.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then remained silent. Agreed upon.
The word ʿaṭfāhu means “his two sides.”
- Chapter: Situations in Which Backbiting Is Permissible
Be aware that backbiting is permissible only for a legitimate, Sharʿī purpose that cannot be achieved without it. It is sanctioned in six cases:
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Lodging a grievance: The wronged person may complain to the ruler, the judge, or anyone else who has authority or power to vindicate him, saying, “So-and-so wronged me in such-and-such a way.”
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Seeking assistance to remove a wrongdoing and guide a sinner back to what is right: one may say to someone who is able to eliminate the offense, “So-and-so is doing such-and-such; stop him,” with the sole aim of ending the wrongdoing. If that is not the intention, it is forbidden.
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Requesting a legal opinion (fatwā): a person may say to the mufti, “My father, or my brother, or my husband…"