40+ Backbiting and Slandering Quotes in Islam (Hadith on Gheebat or Gheebah)

In this article, we have compiled some of the most thought-provoking backbiting quotes in Islam in order to show the negative sides of backbiting (gheebat in Islam) and raise awareness on all Muslims to be better people.

Backbiting and slandering (also called “gheebat” or “gheebah” in Islam) is considered haram and strictly prohibited in Islam as it destroys friendships and invokes chaos within communities. It is stated in many Quran verses and Hadiths that Allah wants us to guard our tongues, meaning that we should be careful not to take part in gheebat. It includes both talking behind someone’s back and making up lies about a person. They are both considered haram and Allah strictly prohibits them in Quran, there are many hadiths from the Prophet saying the same.

That is why we have compiled various different backbiting and slandering quotes in Islam both as Quran verses and hadiths from the Prophet. We hope they guide you to the right path. May Allah bless you!

Backbiting Quotes in Islam to Duly Follow

Here, we have gathered the most important backbiting quotes in Islam to follow the right path. Backbiting is a major sin in Islam and should be avoided at all costs. Allah strictly prohibits gheebat and declares it as haram, so these backbiting in Islam quotes will hopefully make you follow the rules of Mighty Allah. Read them below:

• “O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (Quran, 49:11)
• “Neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful” (Quran, 49:12)
• “And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [ones] will be questioned”. (Quran, 17:36)
• “Those who love (to see) scandal published broadcast among the Believers, will have a grievous Penalty in this life and in the Hereafter: Allah knows, and ye know not.” (Quran, 24:19)
• “O believers, if a hypocrite brings you any news, verify “it” so you do not harm people unknowingly, becoming regretful for what you have done.” (Quran, 49:6)
• “Allah does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged. And ever is Allah Hearing and Knowing.” (Quran, 4:148)
• “Do not, then, yield to those who reject the Truth, decrying it as false; And do not yield to any contemptible swearer, the fault-finder who goes around slandering, the hinderer of good, the transgressor, the sinful; the ill-mannered (quarrelsome), and above all mean and ignoble.” (Quran, 68:8-13)
• “But he who commits a fault or a sin and then throws the blame therefore on an innocent person, burdens himself with the guilt of calumny and [yet another] flagrant sin.” (Quran, 4:112)
• “Verily, numerous among you are those who would falsely accuse others of unchastity: [but, O you who are thus wronged,] deem it not a bad thing for you: nay, it is good for you!  [As for the slanderers,] unto every one of them [will be accounted] all that he has earned by [thus] sinning; and awesome suffering awaits any of them who takes it upon himself to enhance this [sin]!” (Quran, 24:11)
• “Why do not the believing men and women, whenever such [a rumor] is heard, think the best of one another and say, ‘This is an obvious falsehood.’?” (Quran, 24:12)
• “Woe unto every slanderer, fault-finder!” (Quran, 104:1)
• “Thus it is: if the hypocrites, and they in whose hearts is disease, and they who, by spreading false rumors, would cause disturbances in the City [of the Prophet] desist not [from their hostile doings]. We shall indeed give thee mastery over them, [O Muhammad] – and then they will not remain thy neighbors in this [city] for more than a little while.” (Quran, 33:60)
• “Stay away from malicious gossip and fake words.” (Quran, 68:11)
• “Let my enemies say what they will, for my sins are many and perhaps because of their backbiting and slander, my sins will be lightened and instead fall upon their shoulders.” (Anonymous)
• “Be careful of laughing at others for perhaps Allah might forgive their ignorance and not forgive your arrogance.” (Shaykh Yasir Zadhi)
• “A wise man first thinks and then speaks, but a fool speaks first and then thinks.” (Imam Ali)

Hadith Slander Quotes in Islam to Keep in Mind

Allah instructed the Prophet to spread His teachings and His words to all humanity, which included the harms of slander and backbiting. These hadith slander quotes in Islam are amongst the most important ones to keep in mind to avoid taking part in such acts of gheebat. Keep these Islamic quotes about backbiting in your hearts and you shall remain pure:

• “The listener is one of the two backbiters.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Al Fayd al Kashani)
• Lo, whoever does a favour to his brother by refuting his backbiting upon hearing it in a gathering, God shall save him from a thousand kinds of evils in this world and in the Hereafter. And if he does not do so despite his ability to refute it, on him shall be the burden of one who commits his backbiting seventy times.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Imam al Sadiq)
• “The havoc wrought on the believer’s faith by backbiting is swifter than the one wrought by aklah (a disease that consumes the flesh) in the side of his body.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Imam al Sadiq)
• “Whoever backbites a Muslim spoils his fasts and breaks his wudu’, and shall come on the Resurrection Day with his mouth’s stench more putrid than a carcass’, and it shall irk those who are with him in his station. If he dies before repenting, his death is like that of one who dies while considering permissible that which is prohibited by God, the Exalted and the Glorious.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Al Hurr al Amili)
• “Slander is forbidden for each Muslim, and surely slander destroys good deeds as the fire destroys wood.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Imam As Sadiq)
• “One who narrates with the purpose of backbiting and dishonouring a believer to be reproached before people, God shall evict him from His protection to Satan’s protection, and Satan too does not accept him.” Prophet Muhammad, through Imam As Sadiq)
• “The slanderer will not enter Paradise.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Hudhayfah)
• “The best servants of Allah are those who remind you of Allah when they are seen. The worst servants of Allah are those who carry gossip, separating between loved ones and seeking misery for the innocent.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abdur Rahman ibn Ghanm)
• “Verily, the most beloved to me are those of you with the best character, soft in nature, friendly and befriended. The most hateful of you to Allah are those who spread gossip, who cause discord between loved ones and seek misery for the innocent.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abu Huraira)
• “Fasting is a shield, as long as you do not damage it by lying or backbiting.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abu Ubaydah)
• “It is an evil mount for a man to rely upon what others merely assert.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abu Qilabah)

What is the Punishment for Gheebat in Islam?

Gheebat in Islam is condemned by both Allah and the Prophet as it harms relationships between friends and family. In order to discourage believers from taking part in gheebat, Islam has put severe punishments for the sinful act of backbiting. We have put together what these punishments for gheebat are in the form of Islamic quotes on slandering and its punishments. Check them out:

• “Verily, those who accuse chaste women, who never even think of anything touching their chastity and are good believers — are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a great torment” (Quran, 24:23)
• “It is not permissible for a Muslim to slander his brother, and it is a major sin; he must repent from that and seek forgiveness from the one whom he slandered; if the latter does not pardon him, he has the right to demand his rights according to sharee’ah.” (Fatwaa al Lajnah al Daaimah)
• “Two things that come out of a believer’s mouth are the most sinful: the first is shirk to one and only Allah; the second is slandering a friend or a relative. Allah surely punishes those who sin out of their mouths.” (Anonymous)
• “Taking part in gheebah on someone’s wrongdoings is a bigger sin than theirs, no matter what their sin was.” (Anonymous)
• “Man is hidden under the fold of his tongue, not under his scarf. Those with insights and those who hope to meet God must see the punishment of this sin and its dire consequences that it leaves on the individual and society, so not stopping the tongue and being exposed to people through backbiting and gossip exposes a person to bankruptcy on the Day of Resurrection.” (Muhammad al Jubouri Yaqdan Sami)
• “The sin of backbiting is surely and severely wrong; it causes fatal separation and diminishing of a community. Allah will curse those who keep taking part in gheebat but surely, He is Forgiving to those who repent.” (Anonymous)
• “If you cannot forbid backbiting, you must leave the gathering. If you stay, you are sinning. Surely, the sinners will be punished in the afterlife for their wrongdoings.” (Ibn Baz)

What Does the Prophet Say About Backbiters in Islam?

As the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad was frequently asked about backbiting, slandering, and gheebah. His answers shed light on the words of Allah as to how Islam sees backbiters. Here, we have gathered some of the most important hadiths and backbite quotes in Islam from Prophet Muhammad to learn more about Islam’s view on slandering and gheebah. Read them below:

• “Whoever withholds his intercession regarding other than the legal punishments prescribed by Allah, then Allah will oppose him, and whoever knowingly argues for falsehood, then he will never be free of Allah’s displeasure until he stops, and whoever says something about a believer that is untrue, then Allah will lodge him in a hole of mud until he repents from what he said.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abdullah Ibn Umar)
• “Beware of Gheebah (slander/backbiting), indeed backbiting is a worse sin than zina (adultery), a person may commit zina and Allah accepts his repentance, but Allah does not forgive the backbiting until the person whom he backbit forgives him.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Ibn Abi Ad Dunya)
• “Whoever defends the reputation of his brother, Allah will defend his face from the Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abu Darda)
• “Backbiting is to mention your brother in a way he dislikes. Even if what you say about him is true, it is backbiting. If it is not true, it is slander.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abu Huraira)
• “Let not one of you mention anything bad to me about my companions, for I love to meet them while my heart is at peace.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Abdullah ibn Masud)
• “You avoid backbiting, for that it perpetuated fire dogs, the one who claims that he was born permissible has lied when he eats people’s meat by backbiting.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Nouf Al Bakali)
• “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for anything that was difficult to avoid. One of them used to walk about spreading malicious gossip (gheebah) and the other used not to take precautions to avoid getting urine on himself when he urinated. May these torments be reduced so long as these [green branches] do not dry out.” (Prophet Muhammad, through Ibn Abbas)

 How to Stop Backbiting and Slandering

Backbiting and slandering are amongst the most sinful things that a believer can do without realizing their wrongdoings. If you have suffered from sin in way of gheebah, it is not too late to stop backbiting and slandering and ask for forgiveness from Allah the Merciful.

You should always keep in mind that Allah is watching you wherever you are and He listens to whatever you say. That is why you have to always remember these quotes, what Allah says in Quran about backbiting and what His Messenger says about gheebah.

You should use these quotes to inspire yourself and others not to backbite and slander. Sharing them with your loved ones will keep you away from those sinful acts and you will live a better life. Remember, it is never too late to be a better Muslim and share the word of Allah with your friends and family.

May Allah bless you.