Ghībah

Backbiting — defined precisely by the Prophet as 'your mention of your brother with what he dislikes.' Al-Dhahabi devotes careful attention to this sin because it is among the most prevalent and least acknowledged of the major transgressions. It violates the honour and reputation of an absent person who cannot defend themselves; it spreads resentment, damages relationships, and corrupts the communities it enters. The Quran compares it to eating the flesh of one's dead brother — one of scripture's most visceral images — specifically to awaken the conscience to how serious the believer typically takes what is so commonly practised. Al-Dhahabi notes that its expiation requires both tawbah to Allah and, where possible, restoration of the wronged person's reputation.

As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Dhahabī and the scholars of his school.