Ghibat means talking about the hidden bodily defects or...

Ghibat means talking about the hidden bodily defects or secret inappropriate behaviour of someone behind his/her back. The reason why ghibat of another Muslim is forbidden in Islam has been explained by Allah in the next sentence of the verse: “Does any one of you like to bite the flesh of his dead brother?! Surely you dislike it.” Ghibat is just like biting the dead body of your own brother: he cannot defend himself.

Saying bad things about someone in his absence is almost the same—he is not present to…