What is Gheebah?

Gheebah (غِيْبَة) means backbiting: speaking about a Muslim in their absence in a way they would dislike, whether it is true or false—about their body, lineage, character, deeds, or anything else. The Prophet ﷺ defined it clearly:

"Do you know what backbiting is?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said, "It is to mention about your brother that which he would dislike." Someone asked, "What if what I say about my brother is true?" He said, "If what you say about him is true, you have backbitten him; and if it is not true, you have slandered him."

Source: Sahih Muslim 2589

Why Is It So Terrible? It Is Like Zina of the Tongue

Islam treats backbiting as one of the gravest sins. Allah likens it to eating the flesh of your dead brother—something that would fill any person with disgust. The Prophet ﷺ also warned that backbiting can destroy a person's good deeds and bring the same kind of spiritual ruin as major sins:

"The one who backbites and the one who listens to it are partners in sin."

Source: Musnad Ahmad, Sunan Abi Dawud — and the listener is commanded to reject it.

Scholars have described backbiting as "zina of the tongue" because, like zina, it violates the sanctity of another person, spreads harm, and is strictly forbidden. The Prophet ﷺ said that backbiting is worse than adultery in the sense that Allah may forgive the latter when the person repents, but the one who was backbitten must forgive the backbiter before the sin is lifted—making it a sin that can follow a person until the Day of Judgment if the victim does not forgive.

Punishment in the Quran

Allah says in Surah Al-Hujurat (49:12):

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ

"O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful."

Source: Quran 49:12

Punishment and Warnings in the Hadith

The Prophet ﷺ described the harsh consequences of backbiting in this life and the next:

• Scavengers of the grave: It was reported that the Prophet ﷺ passed by two graves and said the occupants were being punished—one for backbiting and one for not cleaning himself from urine. He said the backbiter would have flesh torn from him in the grave. Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 1378, Sahih Muslim 292
• Partners in sin: "Whoever backbites a Muslim has wronged him; so whoever is able to compensate him, let him do so. Otherwise, the one who was backbitten will take from the backbiter's good deeds on the Day of Resurrection." Source: Musnad Ahmad, authenticated by scholars
• Defending honor: "Whoever defends his brother's honor in his absence, Allah will shield his face from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection." Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1931, Jami` at-Tirmidhi

Stories of Punishment and Repentance

In the hadith of the two women in the grave, the Prophet ﷺ explained that they were being punished—one for backbiting and the other for not guarding herself from urine. The one who backbit was made to tear at her own flesh. This shows the severity of the sin in the sight of Allah.

Another narration teaches that on the Day of Resurrection, the good deeds of the backbiter are transferred to the one who was backbitten. If the backbiter runs out of good deeds, the sins of the victim are placed upon the backbiter. This is among the harshest spiritual punishments described in the Sunnah.

Sources: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim — see hadith on the punishment of the grave and the transfer of deeds.