Sunan Abi Da'ud · Hadith 4874

حدثنا عبد الله بن مسلمة القعنبي، حدثنا عبد العزيز، - يعني ابن محمد - عن العلاء، عن أبيه، عن أبي هريرة، أنه قيل يا رسول الله ما الغيبة قال ‏"‏ ذكرك أخاك بما يكره ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قيل أفرأيت إن كان في أخي ما أقول قال ‏"‏ إن كان فيه ما تقول فقد اغتبته وإن لم يكن فيه ما تقول فقد بهته ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Hurairah said: 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 is true you have slandered him, and if what you say of him is not true, you have reviled him.

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).