# This Sin Is Worse Than Zina – And You May Be Doing It Daily - Language: en - Published: 2026-08-26 - Canonical: https://blog.towardseternity.com/en/blog/this-sin-is-worse-than-zina-and-you-may-be-doing-it-daily - Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRAnjl4m7Cc - Channel: Towards Eternity This is the cleaned transcript of the source video. The speech is unaltered. --- Imagine this. You spent your whole life praying, waking up for Tahajjud, giving charity, and reciting the Qur’an. You did extra acts of worship, hoping to get closer to Allah. But on the Day of Judgment, you look at the book of your deeds and the good deeds you were so sure about, the ones you relied on for the Hereafter, they're all gone. It's empty. Nowhere to be found. And then it gets even worse. Your book is handed to you from your left. You know what that means, right? If your sins outweigh your good deeds, and you have to enter Hell before Paradise, your book is given from the left. You're shocked. You think to yourself, "Wait… how is that possible? Was everything I did in vain?" What you didn’t realize is that there was a sin in your life that you kept committing. It seemed small, harmless, even normal. What is that? Backbiting. Gossip or Gheebah. A sin so subtle, so casual that it never even crossed your mind that it could be wiping out your hard-earned rewards. Today, we’re going to see just how serious and terrifying this sin really is. The sin we often don’t take seriously enough. What kind of words lead us into backbiting without even realizing it? And did you know that in some cases, backbiting is actually allowed, it's halal? What are those situations? We're going to talk about this. And most importantly, how can we protect ourselves from this dreadful sin? We’re going to talk about all of it. Let’s get into it. Here’s how Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the famous scholar, describes backbiting. He says, "It is like a fire that consumes good deeds like a flame eating up wood." Isn’t that terrifying? It should make all of us think. If you were to die today, where do you think you would go? Paradise or Hell? Just think about it for a second. You have hope in Allah’s mercy. You pray, you give charity, you try to be a good person. It feels like you’re on the right path, right? But wait, are you really sure? What if, in the Hereafter, you find yourself asking, "Why am I getting my book in my left hand?" Because there was a sin in your life that seemed so small, so harmless, but it was eating up your good deeds. Another hard question. Would you ever want to eat the flesh of a dead person? Or even worse, your own brother’s flesh? Sounds horrifying and disgusting, right? But what if we’re doing something just as bad every day without even realizing it? There’s a sin that Allah compares to eating the flesh of your dead brother. It not only wipes away your good deeds but also burdens you with the sins of others. In Surah Al-Hujurat, Allah warns us about backbiting. He says, "O you who have believed, avoid much assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of Repentance and Merciful." Just picture this. Someone is lying there, dead. And you’re actually biting into his body. Feels disgusting, ugly, right? Well, that’s what happens when you backbite. You’re committing one of the ugliest sins. There are some sins that nearly everyone agrees that they are bad, like adultery, gambling, or slander. People stay away from them. Now, imagine someone mentions m*rder. Everyone’s reaction would be, "Oh, that’s horrible!" But what about backbiting? It's different, right? It has become so normal, so harmless. It's not like murder. It seems innocent. We're just gossipping. So harmless in people's eyes. And that’s exactly what makes it so dangerous. People who gossip justify this innocent sin by saying things like, "We’re just talking, no big deal." Or, "I’d say it to their face anyway." Or, "But what I am saying about him is true." Or even they say, "I’m only saying this because I care." However, the Prophet (saw) said, "Backbiting is more severe than adultery." You might be thinking, "Wait, what do you say? What do you mean? How can it be like adultery?" Of course, in general, adultery is a bigger sin. But not all backbiting is the same. Some forms of backbiting may not lead to major consequences, but sometimes, a single sentence can cause chaos. It can ruin lives, it can be fitnah, sometimes even lead to m*rder. Imagine your words caused someone’s de*th. You took away their right to dignity, and pushed another person into becoming a m*rderer. Wouldn't that make the form of backbiting even worse than adultery? So, some forms of backbiting can have consequences even worse than the major sins we call kabaair. Think about it. How many family conflicts start because of gossip? How many friendships fall apart? How many fights and grudges come from just a few words? Here’s something even more serious. If you started gossip that ended up ruining someone’s life, and that person doesn’t forgive you, then you’re in serious trouble on the Day of Judgment. Because when it comes to the rights of others, Allah has left forgiveness in their hands. That’s exactly why Allah compares backbiting to eating the flesh of your dead brother. He asks in the Qur'an, "Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead?" Our Prophet (saw) has a hadith about backbiting which is truly shocking. Prophet (saw) says, "During the Mi'raj I saw a group of people who were scratching their chests and faces with nails made of copper. I asked, 'Who are these people, O Jibril?' Jibril replied, 'These are the people who ate flesh of others and trampled people's honor.'" Isn't it a terrifying punishment? Is it really worth it? We’ve become so used to backbiting that, at the end of the day, when we ask ourselves, "Did I commit a sin today?" we just say, "No, it was a normal day. Alhamdulillah, I didn’t do anything wrong." It has become so normal that as soon as two people sit together, they start talking bad about someone else. Some people object and say, "You say all that but we are not gossipping, we are just stating what's true." Brother, if it wasn't true, it would be slandering. If it was true, it's backbiting. So what’s the difference between backbiting and slander? Prophet (saw) answered this question. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "Do you know what is backbiting?" The Companions said, "Allah and His Messenger know better." Thereupon Prophet (saw) said, "Backbiting is talking about your brother in a manner which he dislikes." It was said to him, "What if my brother is as I say?" Prophet (saw) answered, "If he is actually as you say, then that is backbiting. But if that is not him, that is slandering." So either way, it’s a sin. Imagine that we are a group of friends. Omar, Adam, and I, we come together and we start talking badly about Ensar. Ensar is absent here. I start to gossip about Ensar, say some bad things about Ensar, damaging his reputation in your minds. Over time, you start to lose respect for him and feel distant from him. In the same way, when Ensar is here but Adam is not here, we talk badly about Adam too. We gossip again. Because of this, everyone starts to think badly about each other, and instead of being close like brothers, we grow apart. Before this gathering, we trusted each other and had a strong friendship. But now, doubts enter our minds, and our friendship starts to break. However, Islam tells us to be like brothers and teaches us to respect and protect each other. What a beautiful religion Islam is! It preserves Ensar’s dignity even when Ensar is not here, keeps our hearts pure, and protects the trust between us from being broken. There's an amazing story I remember. Sheikh Saadi mentions his childhood and he says, "I remember very well that I was very devoted to my worship even in my childhood. I would wake up at night and engage in worship. One night, I was sitting next to my father. I had not closed my eyes all night, nor had I put down the Qur’an. Meanwhile, some people around us were asleep. I said to my father, "Not even one of them lifts their head for Tahajjud prayer; they're sleeping as if they were dead." Upon hearing this, my father said, My son! Instead of gossiping about others, it would have been better if you had slept like them!" Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re backbiting. So how can we understand if the conversation we're having is backbiting or not? The rule is always the same. Would the person we’re talking about feel uncomfortable if they witnessed this moment or not? The fact that we’re saying the truth doesn’t change anything. If it's not true, it's slander. Our scholars highlight a surprising point. This sin is not only recorded for the one who speaks, but also for the one who willingly listens. If a person stays in an environment where backbiting is happening and listens willingly, they also share in the sin. Perhaps now we are beginning to recognize this disease of backbiting. One that seems so harmless, but silently eats away at our good deeds. In such a situation where there is backbiting, we should politely try to change the subject, warn others to stop, or if nothing else works, we should leave that gathering. If we remain there and willingly listen, we become part of the sin. The Prophet (saw) said, "He who defends the honor of his brother, Allah will secure his face against the Fire on the Day of Resurrection." By the way, sometimes, there are situations that look like backbiting but actually they aren’t. Backbiting can be permissible in a few special instances. So, what are these situations? The first one, Seeking Justice for Oppression. If a person has been wronged, they can complain about someone to an authority to get their rights. Second one, Warning Someone About Harm or Deception. If someone is at risk of being deceived or harmed, it is permissible to inform them. For example, if a person has bad habits and someone is considering marrying them, it is allowed to disclose the truth. The third one, if a person commits sins publicly, feels proud of his sins, and does not feel sorry when his sins are mentioned, it is not regarded as backbiting to mention him, because he is proud of what he does. The fourth one, mentioning a fault without identifying the person by name. The fifth one, Referring to Someone by a Well-Known Nickname. If a person is commonly known by a nickname, such as "The Blind" or "The Lame", and there is no other way to describe them, it is not considered backbiting. However, if it is done with an intention to mock, it is haram. Speaking under these conditions is not a sin. Of course, ill intent should not be involved. I once heard a saying from a great Islamic scholar. "I cannot see the faults of others because I am too busy seeing my own." if you really want to stay away from backbiting, start by working on your own flaws. We all have so many things to improve in ourselves, right? If we focused on them, we wouldn’t even have time to worry about other people’s faults. There is a quote that I like very much. "People are like eagles with sharp eyes when it comes to seeing the faults of others. But when it comes to seeing their own faults, they are like ostrich burying its head in the sand." Maybe you're thinking, "I haven’t really been careful about backbiting, and I’ve talked about so many people in the past. What do I do now?" You need to repent for both the backbiting you’ve done and the gossip you’ve listened to willingly. And you should ask forgiveness from the people you’ve spoken about. There are two rights you’ve violated here. The first is Allah’s right. You can repent for the sin you committed against Him. After every prayer, or whenever it comes to mind, you can say, "O Allah, I repent for all the backbiting I have done in the past, and anything I may do in the future. Ameen." The second is the right of the person you wronged. If possible, go to them and say, "Brother, sister, please forgive me. I may have said things about you that you wouldn’t like." These are the things that we should do. Have you ever noticed this interesting contradiction? People usually gossip about someone they don’t like, right? But in reality, they’re actually doing that person a favor. There’s a story about this. A man goes to another and says, "Hey, someone has been talking about you behind your back." So, instead of getting angry, the man sends a gift to the person who backbit about him. When the backbiter receives the gift, he’s confused and asks, "Why are you sending me this gift?" The man replies, "I heard you gifted me some of your good deeds, so I wanted to return the favor." In other words, when you backbite about someone you don’t like, you’re actually rewarding them in the Hereafter and punishing yourself. Because Allah will take from your good deeds and give them to the person you talked about. Now think about it. May Allah protect us, if you and I were to end up in Hell, what would be the reason? Probably not for big sins like m*rder, adultery, or drinking alc**ol, right? But what about sins that seem small, harmless, like backbiting? You could actually end up in Hell for them. And in the Hereafter, you’ll have to hand over your good deeds to the people you backbit. Is it really worth it? So, let's repent again and again. Ask the people we backbit for forgiveness. And when someone starts backbiting in front of us, speak up. "Brother, this is backbiting. Let’s not talk about this." Stop them. Because just sitting there and listening makes us a part of it too. Our Prophet (saw) says, "Whoever conceals the fault of his Muslim brother, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection." If you stop backbiting, Allah will cover your faults on the Day of Judgment. What a beautiful promise. You know how our Prophet (saw) says, "Whoever is silent, he is saved." May Allah help us control our tongues. 100 years from now, none of us will be above the ground. We will be below the ground. Those watching this video, editing it, speaking in it, all of us. Just like a seed buried in the soil, sprouting on its way to becoming a new tree, we too will enter the soil, beginning our new and eternal life. And that’s the real question. Where will we be in the new life? Heaven or Hell? Most of the sins that destroy our Afterlife come from our tongues, backbiting, lying, slander, et cetera. So, let's be careful. Whoever controls their tongue, they are saved.