Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/346)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

No one of you should speak of another behind his back in a way that displeases him, concerning something that is actually true of him.

Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Fadl al-Kharqi informed us; Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd Allah al-Taysafuni informed us; Abd Allah ibn Umar al-Jawhari informed us; Ahmad ibn Ali al-Kushmihani narrated to us; Ali ibn Hujr narrated to us; Ismail ibn Jafar narrated to us, from al-Ala ibn Abd al-Rahman, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Do you know what backbiting is?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “It is to mention your brother in a manner he dislikes.” It was asked, “What if what I say about my brother is true?” He said, “If what you say is true of him, then you have backbitten him; ⦗136/b⦘ but if it is not true of him, then you have slandered him.” (1)

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Tawbah informed us; Abu al-Tahir al-Harithi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yaqub al-Kisa'i informed us; Abd Allah ibn Mahmud informed us; Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah al-Khallal informed us; Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from al-Muthanna ibn al-Sabbah, from Amr ibn Shuayb, from his father, from his grandfather, that they mentioned a man in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, “He does not eat until he is fed, nor travel until he is provided with a mount.” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “You have backbitten him.” They said, “But we only spoke of what is actually true of him.” He said, “It is enough that you mention your brother by what is true of him.” (2)

Allah, Exalted is He, says: “Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it!” Mujahid said: When they were asked, “Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?” they replied, “No.” It was then said: “You would detest it!” That is, just as you detest this, avoid speaking ill of him in his absence.

Al-Zajjaj said: Its meaning is that speaking ill of someone absent from you is like eating the flesh of your brother while he is dead and unaware of it.

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Sharihi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi informed us; Ibn Fanjawayh informed me; Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; al-Firyabi narrated to us; Muhammad ibn al-Musaffa narrated to us; Abu al-Mughirah Abd al-Quddus ibn al-Hajjaj narrated to us; Safwan ibn Amr narrated to me; Rashid ibn Sad and Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr narrated to us, from Anas ibn Malik, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said: “When I was taken up through the heavens, I passed by people who had nails of copper with which they were scratching their faces and their flesh. I said, ‘Who are these, Gabriel?’ He replied, ‘These are those who consume the flesh of people and violate their honor.’” (3)

(1) Narrated by Muslim in The Book of Righteousness and Maintaining Ties of Kinship, in the chapter on the prohibition of backbiting, no. 2589, 4:2001; and cited by the author of Sharh al-Sunnah, 13:138-139. (2) Al-Mundhiri said in al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, 3:506: “Al-Asbahani narrated it with a good chain of transmission.” (3) Narrated by Abu Dawud in The Book of Manners, in the chapter on backbiting, 7:213. Al-Mundhiri said: “It was mentioned that some narrated it mursal.” It was also narrated by Imam Ahmad, 3:224. After citing the hadith, al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said in his Tafsir, 4:215: “Abu Dawud alone narrated it.”

لَا يَتَنَاوَلُ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا بِظَهْرِ الْغَيْبِ بِمَا يَسُوءُهُ مِمَّا هُوَ فِيهِ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ الْخَرْقِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الطَّيْسَفُونِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ الْجَوْهَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْكُشْمِيهَنِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: "أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْغَيْبَةُ؟ قَالُوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ، قَالَ: ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ، قِيلَ: أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا أَقُولُ؟ قَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فقد اغتبته، ١٣٦/ب وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ". (١) أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي تَوْبَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ الْحَارِثِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْكِسَائِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَحْمُودٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْخَلَّالُ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنِ الْمُثَنَّى بْنِ الصَّبَّاحِ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ أَنَّهُمْ ذَكَرُوا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَجُلًا فَقَالُوا: لَا يَأْكُلُ حَتَّى يُطْعَمَ، وَلَا يَرْحَلُ حَتَّى يُرَحَّلَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "اغْتَبْتُمُوهُ" فَقَالُوا: إِنَّمَا حَدَّثْنَا بِمَا فِيهِ، قَالَ: "حَسْبُكَ إِذَا ذَكَرْتَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا فِيهِ" (٢) . قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ﴾ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: لَمَّا قِيلَ لَهُمْ "أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا" قَالُوا: لَا قِيلَ: ﴿فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ﴾ أَيْ فَكَمَا كَرِهْتُمْ هَذَا فَاجْتَنِبُوا ذِكْرَهُ بِالسُّوءِ غَائِبًا. قَالَ الزَّجَّاجُ: تَأْوِيلُهُ: إِنَّ ذِكْرَكَ مَنْ لَمْ يَحْضُرْكَ بِسُوءٍ بِمَنْزِلَةِ أَكْلِ لَحْمِ أَخِيكَ، وَهُوَ مَيِّتٌ لَا يُحِسُّ بِذَلِكَ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الشَّرِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ فَنْجَوَيْهِ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْفِرْيَابِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُصَفَّى، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْمُغِيرَةِ عَبْدُ الْقُدُّوسِ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ، حَدَّثَنِي صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا رَاشِدُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: "لَمَّا عُرِجَ بِي مَرَرْتُ بِقَوْمٍ لَهُمْ أَظْفَارٌ مِنْ نُحَاسٍ يَخْمُشُونَ بِهَا وُجُوهَهُمْ وَلُحُومَهُمْ، فَقُلْتُ: مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ يَا جِبْرِيلُ؟ فَقَالَ: هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ لُحُومَ النَّاسِ وَيَقَعُونَ فِي أَعْرَاضِهِمْ" (٣)

(١) أخرجه مسلم في البر والصلة، باب تحريم الغيبة برقم (٢٥٨٩) : ٤ / ٢٠٠١، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٣ / ١٣٨-١٣٩. (٢) قال المنذري في الترغيب والترهيب: ٣ / ٥٠٦: "رواه الأصبهاني بإسناد حسن". (٣) أخرجه أبو داود في الأدب، باب في الغيبة: ٧ / ٢١٣ وقال المنذري: "وذكر أن بعضهم رواه مرسلا"، والإمام أحمد: ٣ / ٢٢٤. قال الحافظ ابن كثير في تفسيره: ٤ / ٢١٥ بعد أن ساق الحديث: "تفرد به أبو داود".