The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked: Messenger of Allah! What is back-biting? He replied: It is saying something about your brother which he would dislike. He was asked again: Tell me how the matter stands if what I say about my brother is true? He replied: If what you say of him is true, you have slandered him, and if what you say of him is not true, you have reviled him.  

أَنَّهُ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الْغِيبَةُ قَالَ ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ قِيلَ أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا أَقُولُ قَالَ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ  

I said to the Prophet ﷺ: It is enough for you in Safiyyah that she is such and such (the other version than Musaddad's has:) meaning that she was short-statured. He replied; You have said a word which would change the sea if it were mixed in it. She said: I imitated a man before him (out of disgrace). He said: I do not like that I imitate anyone even if I should get such and such.  

قُلْتُ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ حَسْبُكَ مِنْ صَفِيَّةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ غَيْرُ مُسَدَّدٍ تَعْنِي قَصِيرَةً فَقَالَ لَقَدْ قُلْتِ كَلِمَةً لَوْ مُزِجَتْ بِمَاءِ الْبَحْرِ لَمَزَجَتْهُ قَالَتْ وَحَكَيْتُ لَهُ إِنْسَانًا فَقَالَ مَا أُحِبُّ أَنِّي حَكَيْتُ إِنْسَانًا وَأَنَّ لِي كَذَا وَكَذَا  

The Prophet ﷺ said: The most prevalent kind of usury is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim's honour.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ مِنْ أَرْبَى الرِّبَا الاِسْتِطَالَةَ فِي عِرْضِ الْمُسْلِمِ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: The gravest sin is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim's honour, and it is a major sin to abuse twice for abusing once.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ مِنْ أَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ اسْتِطَالَةَ الْمَرْءِ فِي عِرْضِ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَمِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ السَّبَّتَانِ بِالسَّبَّةِ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: When I was taken up to heaven I passed by people who had nails of copper and were scratching their faces and their breasts. I said: Who are these people, Gabriel? He replied: They are those who were given to back biting and who aspersed people's honour. Abu Dawud said: Yahya b. 'Uthman has also transmitted it from Baqiyyah, there is no mention of Anas in it.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمَّا عُرِجَ بِي مَرَرْتُ بِقَوْمٍ لَهُمْ أَظْفَارٌ مِنْ نُحَاسٍ يَخْمِشُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَصُدُورَهُمْ فَقُلْتُ مَنْ هَؤُلاَءِ يَا جِبْرِيلُ قَالَ هَؤُلاَءِ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ لُحُومَ النَّاسِ وَيَقَعُونَ فِي أَعْرَاضِهِمْ  

This tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Isa b. Abi ‘Isa al-sailahini from Abu al-Mughirah, as Ibn al-musaffa said.  

ابْنُ الْمُصَفَّى  

The Prophet ﷺ said: "O people who have believed by their tongue, and Īmān (faith) has not ˹yet˺ entered their hearts, do not back-bite ˹your fellow˺ Muslims, and do not look for their faults. For if anyone hunts for their faults, Allah will ˹expose˺ his fault, and if Allah ˹exposes˺ the fault of anyone, He disgraces him in his house."  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «يَا مَعْشَرَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِلِسَانِهِ وَلَمْ يَدْخُلِ الإِيمَانُ قَلْبَهُ لاَ تَغْتَابُوا الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُوا عَوْرَاتِهِمْ فَإِنَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ عَوْرَاتِهِمْ يَتَّبِعِ اللَّهُ عَوْرَتَهُ وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعِ اللَّهُ عَوْرَتَهُ يَفْضَحْهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ۔»  

The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone eats once at the cost of a Muslim's honour, Allah will give him a like amount of Jahannam to eat; if anyone clothes himself with a garment at the cost of a Muslim's honour, Allah will clothe him with like amount of Jahannam; and if anyone puts himself in a position of reputation and show Allah will disgrace him with a place of reputation and show on the Day of Resurrection.  

أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ أَكَلَ بِرَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ أَكْلَةً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُطْعِمُهُ مِثْلَهَا مِنْ جَهَنَّمَ وَمَنْ كُسِيَ ثَوْبًا بِرَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَكْسُوهُ مِثْلَهُ مِنْ جَهَنَّمَ وَمَنْ قَامَ بِرَجُلٍ مَقَامَ سُمْعَةٍ وَرِيَاءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُومُ بِهِ مَقَامَ سُمْعَةٍ وَرِيَاءٍ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ  

Everything of a Muslim is sacred to a Muslim : his property, honour and blood. It is enough evil for any man to despise his brother Muslim.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ مَالُهُ وَعِرْضُهُ وَدَمُهُ حَسْبُ امْرِئٍ مِنَ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ