and extorting people, levying unlawful tolls, collecting wealth by oppression, or assuming illegitimate offices; in such cases it is permissible to mention him for what he openly does, but it is forbidden to speak of any other faults he may have—unless one of the previously mentioned reasons makes doing so lawful.
- Identification. If a person is commonly known by a nickname such as al-Aʿmash (“the bleary-eyed”), al-Aʿraj (“the lame”), al-Asamm (“the deaf”), al-Aʿmā (“the blind”), al-Aḥwal (“the cross-eyed”), and the like, it is permissible to identify him by it, yet it is unlawful to use the nickname as a form of belittlement. Should another means of identification be possible, that is preferable.
These, then, are the six grounds cited by the scholars—most of them agreed upon—and their proofs in sound hadiths are well known. Among them are:
1539 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that a man sought permission to enter upon the Prophet ﷺ, whereupon he said, “Allow him in; what a wretched fellow of his clan (1) he is!” Agreed upon. Al-Bukhari adduced this hadith as evidence for the permissibility of backbiting people of corruption and doubtful conduct.
1540 – She also narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I do not think so-and-so and so-and-so understand anything of our religion.” Reported by al-Bukhari. Al-Bukhari said that al-Layth ibn Saʿd, one of this hadith’s transmitters, stated that the two men were among the hypocrites.
1541 – Fāṭimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “Abu al-Jahm and Muʿāwiyah have both proposed marriage to me.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “As for Muʿāwiyah, he is a pauper (2) who has no wealth; and as for Abu al-Jahm, he never puts his staff down from his shoulder.” Agreed upon. In Muslim’s version: “As for Abu al-Jahm, he beats women,” which explains the wording, “he never puts his staff down from his shoulder”; it has also been said that it means he travels frequently.
1542 – Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We set out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on