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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Codes of Training Backbiting Or Carrying Words Backbiting is a very bad habit, and unfortunately it is very much prevalent in the society. If someone speaks something against someone, the backbiter carries the word to the other person saying that so-and-so was saying such-and-such a thing about you. Carrying words are signs of meanness and evil. This creates chasms between good friends.

Many crimes, skirmishes, enmities, murders and feuds are the result of misunderstandings between people due to backbiting. The peace of many households gets shattered due to this nasty practice. Husbands and wives are separated, friends become enemies, parents turn against their children mainly because of the backbiting by some nasty, thoughtless persons. When a backbiter gets exposed, he will be thrown out from everywhere and people hate to see his face.

The people curse the backbiter and wish him destruction. The worst of backbiting is the act of sleuthing for the evil tyrants. If someone does eves dropping for a tyrant and a pious person unnecessarily comes into trouble because of this, and suffers bodily damage or death due to torture, then the backbiter will be equally answerable as that evil person who engaged him to do the nefarious job. They will both be punished on the Day of Judgement.

Although, in this case, the backbiter was not directly involved with the physical act of torturing the innocent person. The Prophet of Islam says: The worst person is one who does backbiting against his Muslim brother to the King and do sleuthing against him. This sleuthing is bad for him, for the friend against whom he had reported and also for the King.

[1] Islam has pronounced the act of sleuthing and backbiting taboo (haram) and there are many traditions of the Prophet and others in this regard. Imam Mohammed Baqir says: The backbiter will be denied entry to the Heaven. [2] Hazrat Ali says: The foul and evil amongst you are those who do backbiting and create differences between friends and expose the defects of good people**[3]** There can be many reasons for backbiting. Sometimes enmity becomes the cause of the act.

The backbiter may be inimical to one of the parties and be jealous of their good relations. He keeps giving false and malicious reports about one to the other till they fall into his trap.