In Gheebah

Nuʿaym b. Ḥammād > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Muḥammad > al-ʿAlāʾ from his father > Abū Hurayrah

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. – Good Chain

أَخْبَرَنَا نُعَيْمُ بْنُ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ الْعَلَاءِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قِيلَ لَهُ مَا الْغِيبَةُ؟ قَالَ «ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ» قِيلَ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا أَقُولُ؟ قَالَ «فَإِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ» – إسناده حسن