“And do not spy [on each other].

“And do not spy [on each other].” (49:12) Spying on your Muslim brother or sister and trying to find their weak points and secrets is not allowed in Islam. “Nor should some of you backbite others.” (49:12) “Backbiting” is known in Arabic as ghibat. 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 defend himself. In this sense, the…