Ghība
Definition
Ghiba is the mentioning of a person's real faults in their absence in a way that would displease them if they heard it — even if everything said is true. The Quran's image is searing: 'Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it.' Al-Ghazali spends more time on ghiba than any other tongue-sin because it is simultaneously the most common, the most socially normalised, and the most damaging to the fabric of community. He carefully defines its boundaries — there are legitimate contexts in which mentioning faults is permissible (giving testimony, seeking help for a grievance, warning someone of danger) — but insists that the vast majority of what passes for ordinary conversation is ghiba.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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