Is backbiting shirk?

· 29 Rabiʻ I 1442 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Does backbiting mean its shirk and after judgement we cannot go to paradise even after Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)'s intercession?

If I backbited and do not go to the person because of feeling shy, how can I tell this person? Can we do tauba so that Allah knows that we tried our best not to backbite? Can this be forgiven?.

Answer

Backbiting is not shirk, but it is a sin. You need to make istighfar and taubah. Further, if the person you spoke ill of knows about it then you must also ask him for forgiveness.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

Answered by
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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