Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do you know what backbiting is? The companions said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is mentioning about your brother something which he dislikes, which is actually present in him. A man asked: What if what I say about my brother is actually found in him? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: If what you say is present in him, then you have backbitten him, and if those faults are not in him, then you have slandered him.