"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for some suspicions are a
sin. Do not spy on one another, nor backbite one another. Would
one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would
abhor it, [so similarly, avoid backbiting]. And fear Allah.
Indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Qur'an, [49:12]
"And do not follow that of which you do not have knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - [you] will be asked about all of those." Qur'an, [17:36]
"He does not utter a [single] word, except that there is, with him, [an angel] ready and waiting [to record it]." Qur'an, [50:18]
Imam Nawawi says "It is obligatory for every sane adult to guard his tongue against talking, except when it contains a clear benefit. If talking and remaining silent are of equal benefit, it is sunnah to abstain, for permissible talking might lead to something undesirable or forbidden, as in fact is very often the case, and nothing matches safety."
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah :
"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say [something]
good, or he should keep silent." [Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn
Majah]
Nawawi says, "This hadith is quite explicit that it is imperative to not talk unless the speech is good, which is that wherein there is some benefit. If a person is in doubt as to whether there will be any benefit, then he should remain silent."
On the authority of Sahl ibn Sa`d :
"Whoever guarantees for me what is between his two jaws and what is
between his two legs, I guarantee Heaven for him." [Bukhari, Muslim]
On the authority of `Uqbah ibn `Amir : I said, 'O Messenger of Allah!
What is salvation?"
He said, "Hold your tongue, let your house contain you, and weep over
your sins." [Bukhari, Muslim]
Mu`adh ibn Jabal said, "Are we even going to be held accountable for
what we say?!"
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
"May your mother bebereaved of you! Is there anything which drags
people into the Fire on their faces other than the harvest of their tomgues?!"
[Tirmidhi (hasan sahih)]
On the authority of Abu Bakrah, from the Farewell Pilgrimage:
"Indeed, your blood, property and honor are sacred to [one another],
like the sanctity of this day of yours in this city of yours." [Bukhari,
Muslim]
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah :
"All of a Muslim is prohibited to another Muslim : his blood, his honor
and his property." [Muslim]
"O assembly of those who have believed with their tonngues, but into whos hearts faith has not yet reached! Do not backbite the Muslims, nor seek out their secrets! For, whoever seeks out the faults of his brother, Allah will seek out his secrets. And, whoever has his secrets sought out by Allah, Allah will disgrace him, even [if he hides] in the depths of his house. [Abu Dawud in al-Adab, 4/271, #4880]
"Beware of backbiting, for backbiting is more serious than adultery.
A man may commit adultery, and drink [wine], and then repent, and Allah
will forgive him. But, the backbiter will not be forgiven by Allah
until his [backbited] companion forgives him." [Suyuti, Al-Jami` as-Saghir,
1/174, #2919, from Ibn Abid-Dunya, and Abush-Shaykh, Al-Tawbikh.]
Someone asked, "How about if my brother contains that [characteristic
which I am mentioning]?"
He replied, "If he possesses that which you mention, then you have
[indeed] backbited him. And, if he does not contain that which you say,
then you have slandered him." [Muslim in al-Birr, 4/2001, #70; Ahmad in
Al-Musnad, 2/230,384]
Body.
Lineage.
Character.
Clothing.
"And, when they hear vain talk, they turn away from it." [Qur'an, 28:55]
"[Succesful are] those who shun vain talk." [Qur'an, al-Mu'minun: 3]
"Whoever is present while a Muslim is humiliated before him, and is able to assist him [and yet does not], Allah will humiliate him before [all of] creation." [Ahmad in al-Musnad, 3/487; Suyuti in Al-Jami` As-Saghir, 2/510, #8375]
"Whoever protects a believer from a hypocrite, Allah will send to him an angel to protect him from the Fire of Hell on the Day of Arising. [Abu Dawud in al-Adab, 4/272, #4883]
"Whoever averts [an attack] from the honor of his brother, Allah will
avert the fire from hi sface on the Day of Arising." [Tirmidhi (hasan)]
"Indeed, truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Heaven. And, a man [continues to] tell the truth, until he is recorded before Allah as a truthful one. And, indeed, lying leads to evil, and evil leads to Hell. And, a man [continues to] lie until he is recorded before Allah as a liar. [Bukhari, Muslim]
"Insulting a Muslim is impiety, and killing him is [a form of] unbelief."
[Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi, Tabarani, Daraqutni.]
2. Seeking help to change an evil, or to reform the wrongdoer. If the intention in telling the ghibah is not to change the wrong, then it is forbidden to relate it.
3. Asking for a fatwa. A person may say, 'My father/brother/wife has
done such-and-such to me. What can I do about it?
On the authority of `A'ishah : Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, said to
the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), "Abu Sufyan is a
miserly man, and he is not giving me what would suffice me and my child,
unless I take from him without his knowing." He said, "Take what
suffices you and your child according to common usage." [Bukhari, Muslim]
However, it is more precautionary to avoid mention of names, for exaple
by asking instead, "What is the verdict regarding a person who has done
such-and-such?"
4. Warning, such as warning a prospective buyer that the merchant is a swindler, or warning a student that his prospective teacher is an innovator or a deviant.Also, revealing the faults of weak narrators and forgers of hadith, and giving someone a candid appraisal of a person whom the former is thinking of marrying.
On the authority of Fatimah bint Qays : she said, "I came to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and told him, "Abu Jahm and Mu`awiyah have [both] proposed to me." He said, "As for Mu`awiyah, he is a poor man with no money, and as for Abu Jahm, his stick never leaves his shoulder." [Bukhari, Muslim, Malik]
5. If someone is commonly known by a nickname, although if there is some alternative way to refer to him, it is preferable.
6. Someone who sins openly, and has no qualms about his sins being mentioned.
However, it is not permissible to mention any of his secret sins.
"There can be no backbiting of one who casts off the mantle of modesty."
[Suyuti, Al-Jami` As-Saghir, 2/519, from Bayhaqi.]
"Whoever has wronged his brother, in the way of property or honor, let him go to him and repair it, before it is taken [from him on a day] when he has no dirhams or dinars, such thatif he has any good deeds, some of the good deeds will be taken and given to [the wronged one], otherwise [if he has no goo deeds], some of the other's evil deeds will be taken and cast upon him." [Bukhari, Al-Mazalim, 5/121, #2449. Ahmad, Al-Musnad, 2/435]
If the person has not learned that he has been backbited, then the backbiter need not tell him, but he should ask Allah to forgive him.
"The expiation with regard to one who has been backbited is that forgiveness be asked for him." [Suyuti, Al-Jami` As-Saghir, 2/390, #6259]
Mujahid said : the expiation for eating the flesh of your brother is
that you praise him and pray for good for him, and similar is the case
if he has died.