or anything else; whatever your brother finds distasteful, do not mention it about him in his absence. We have already made clear that ghībah (backbiting) is one of the major sins, and that neither prayer, nor charity, nor fasting, nor pilgrimage wipes it away. Like every other major sin, however, it will be weighed against one’s good deeds. We also pointed out that backbiting varies in ruling and heinousness according to the harms it produces, and that backbiting those in authority—scholars and governors—is more serious than backbiting others because of the great evils that result from it.

As for the verses the author cites, the first is the Almighty’s statement: “And let not some of you backbite others.” This clause is connected to the beginning of the verse: “O you who believe, avoid much suspicion, for some suspicion is sin, and do not spy, nor let some of you backbite others. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it” (Q 49:12). Allah thus forbade backbiting and then set forth a parable that repels every soul, saying: “Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it.” If your Muslim brother were presented to you as a corpse, would you like to eat his flesh? The answer is an emphatic no—everyone says, “I would never like that.”

If someone were to ask, “What is the link between backbiting and this parable?” we would say: the person you backbite is absent and cannot defend himself, just like the dead person whose flesh is being carved—he cannot rise to defend himself. For this reason, if you say to your brother’s face something he dislikes, it is not called backbiting; rather, it is verbal abuse and revilement.

“Be mindful of Allah; indeed Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.” After prohibiting backbiting, Allah commands God-fearingness, indicating that those who backbite others have not shown due fear of Allah.

And know that if you set yourself upon your brother’s fault, spread it, and pry into his private matters, Allah the Exalted