يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۱۲﴾

﴾12﴿ Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanuj taniboo kaseeram minaz zanni inna ba'daz zanniismunw wa laa tajassasoo wa la yaghtab ba'dukum ba'daa; a yuhibbu ahadukum any yaakula lahma akheehi maitan fakarih tumooh; wattaqul laa; innal laaha tawwaabur Raheem

﴾12﴿ O believers, avoid much suspicion, for indeed some suspicion is a sin. And do not spy on one another, nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would surely detest it. And fear Allah the Exalted; indeed, Allah the Exalted is Most Accepting of Repentance, Most Merciful

[12] This is the sixth etiquette being mentioned, and in it, three other types of things are prohibited, as they also lead to corruption and discord, and involve insulting and belittling a Muslim, and indicate arrogance towards others. All these are serious traits that do not befit a Muslim.
In the previous verse, things were mentioned that cause a Muslim to be disrespected directly to his face. In this one, matters are mentioned that cause disrespect behind his back. These three follow a very proper order:
First is having bad suspicion, which may arise due to a person’s faults. Then one starts investigating and searching for his flaws, and then mentions them behind his back — this is backbiting.
(كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ) — Know that a state arises in a person where he can neither confirm something as good nor as bad. This state is called doubt, and acting upon it in any form is not permissible.
Sometimes, a person leans toward one side of a judgment but still considers the other side possible — this is called ظن (assumption or conjecture).
And when one is so convinced of one side that no doubt or imagination remains for the other, this is called یقین (certainty), which is the level of faith in Islamic rulings.
Since blameworthy assumptions are actions of the hypocrites, disbelievers, and polytheists — and they are the ones who do it the most — and since accusing someone without proof is also very common, that is why the verse says كَثِيرًا (a lot), and thus prohibits resembling the disbelievers and hypocrites.
(إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ) — Indeed, some suspicion is sin.
Question: Previously, the word كَثِيرًا (many) was used and the command to avoid was given, which indicated that many suspicions are sinful.
But in this sentence, the word بَعْضَ (some) is used, which seems to indicate few?
Answer: There are several explanations:
1. First Explanation: The word بَعْضَ is a general term and refers to a portion — whether small or large.
Yes, the use of this word implies that some forms of suspicion are praiseworthy, as mentioned earlier.
2. Second Explanation: Most suspicions arise involuntarily in the heart.
Later, people either act upon them or not.
So the word اجْتَنِبُوا (avoid) alludes to the need for caution — that one should take care not to let such condemnable thoughts enter the heart involuntarily.
Since some people act on them and others do not, and acting on some suspicions is sinful while acting on others is not, the word بَعْضَ is used to distinguish.
(وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا) — After harboring bad thoughts or making accusations, a person may try to seek out faults in others.
This verse forbids that.
(وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا) — When someone finds a fault in another, he may mention it behind his back to dishonor him.
This verse forbids that.
A hadith explains: “Backbiting is when you mention something about your brother that he dislikes — if the fault exists, you have backbitten him; if not, then you have slandered him,” and slander is a major sin.
If a person does not consider a certain trait in himself to be a flaw and is not hurt when it’s mentioned, then mentioning it and refuting it within the bounds of Shariah is not backbiting.
This is the intent behind Hasan al-Basri’s statement that some forms of backbiting are permissible innovations.
Similarly, if a wicked person openly displays his immorality, or if a claimant mentions the faults of the accused before a judge to prove his case (without the intent to hurt), it is not considered backbiting.
Also, in the science of hadith transmitters (‘ilm al-rijāl), mentioning a narrator’s faults is not backbiting because the intent is to protect the religion, not to hurt the individual.
Likewise, mentioning the oppression of a tyrant ruler — with the intent of warning others and helping people avoid his injustice — is not considered backbiting, because the intention is to promote good, not to cause pain.
(أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا) — This is a prohibition against backbiting through metaphor and comparison.
It compares a person’s honor to his flesh: just as cutting someone's flesh causes pain, so does harming their honor.
And comparing the person’s absence to death — just as the dead do not hear people’s words, the absent person also cannot hear or defend himself.
The phrase مَيْتًا (dead) answers a potential objection: one might say that dishonor hurts only when it is done in front of the person, but not in his absence when he’s unaware.
The answer: just as cutting the flesh of a dead body causes no pain yet is still dishonorable, similarly, dishonoring someone in their absence is still disgraceful — even if they feel no pain.