Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1934
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنِ الْعَلاَءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الْغِيبَةُ قَالَ " ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ " . قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا أَقُولُ قَالَ " إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ " . قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ وَابْنِ عُمَرَ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Qutaybah narrated to us: ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad narrated to us, from al-‘Ala’ ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: It was asked, “Messenger of Allah, what is backbiting?” He replied: “Mentioning your brother in a way he dislikes.” He was asked: “What if what I say about him is true?” He replied: “If what you say about him is true, you have backbitten him; if it is not true, you have slandered him.”
There are also reports on this topic from Abu Barzah, Ibn ‘Umar, and ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The distinction in the final answer is preserved: true but disliked mention is backbiting; false mention is slander.
قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا أَقُولُ قَالَ " إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ " .
The Arabic distinguishes a true but disliked statement (backbiting) from a false one (buht/slander).
Should ‘slandered him’ remain the English rendering of بهته?
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ،
The witness omits the Arabic transmission chain.
Should the isnad be included in the translated block?
قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ وَابْنِ عُمَرَ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو .
The Arabic gives three related narrators and a hasan sahih grade, absent from the witness.
Should these compiler notes be retained?