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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Ain-Al Hayat, The Essence of Life Chapter 12: The Status Backbiting Condemned All schools of thoughts in Islam are united on condemning back-bitiing as a haram act. It is proved beyond doubt through authentic traditions that the Prophet of Islam (S) has termed backbiting as a major sin worst than adultery. Backbiting is more nefarious than adultery. If a person commits adultery and expresses his compunction wholeheartedly, Allah might pardon him.

But backbiting is an unpardonable sin. The only way out for the backbiter is that the person about whom he carried tales himself pardons him. Abusing a Muslim is impiety, fighting with him is infidelity but backbiting against him is like eating the flesh of one’s own brother. This is tantamount to disobedience to Allah.

It is authentically reported from Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) that If a person carries the tales of a Mu’min, that he had witnessed or heard, his position will be as stated by Allah, ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ Those who like to reveal the failings of the faithful, they have severe chastisment in store for them?

(24:19) Backbiting destroys the faith of a Muslim as leprosy disintegrates the body from inside. Awaiting the arrival of the time of the next congregation in the mosque is an act of virtue, if one doesnot indulge in backbiting about others in the meantime. It is narrated from Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) that.

“If a person narrates the doings of a Mu’min to others with a purpose of belittling him, Allah will remove this backbiter from his guardianship and transfer him to the guardianship of the Satan.

Satan willingly accepts the charge of such a person!” It is narrated from the Prophet of Islam (S) that a person who has faith in the Day of Judgement, he should not sit in a company where there is talk against the Infallible members of the Prophet (S)’s Family and also there is a practice of backbiting against Mu’mins. When a person prevents others from backbiting, Allah will remove from him a thousand difficulties.

If the person quietly listens to backbiting and doesn’t intervene on behalf of the absent person, he will himself become a party to the sin of backbiting. This sin will be seventy times more severe than the sin of the person who was actually doing the backbiting.

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