The act of backbiting has been strongly condemned in Islam, in both the Quran and the Hadith.

There are frightening descriptions of the punishment for backbiting in Islam.

Backbiting in Islam is likened to one of the most repulsive acts possible, in the Quran.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a Hadith that whoever has oppressed another person should indeed beg for forgiveness.

And he or she must do this before the day of resurrection.

On that day, there will be no money to compensate for wrong deeds. In fact, the evildoer may lose his or her good deeds as well. Eventually, if that's not enough, then Allah will give the oppressor the sins of the oppressed.

A Muslim scholar, Dr. Omar Suleiman urged Muslims to desist from idle speech, advising believers to think before they utter any word.

"The hypocrites don't think before they speak. A believer's tongue is filtered by their heart while a hypocrite speaks first before (thinking of the consequences," he said.

Suleiman said those who talk too much are in most cases likely to make so many mistakes hence their sins keep piling up.

"A believer has a process to think about what they are going to say. Don't mention anybody's name when that person is not sitting in front of you," he said.

Mufti Menk asked Muslims not to do anything to compromise the sanctity of these last nights in Ramadhan.

"Don't argue, swear, backbite or gossip. Focus solely on the Almighty. Do more good deeds, give generously and make an intent that every little bit you do is for Him and Him alone,"he said.

Allah commands the believers to avoid negative assumptions. He points out that this can be sinful. He also tells Muslims not to spy or backbite each other. Then, the Almighty likens backbiting to eating the flesh of one's dead brother.

Backbiting is certainly a major sin and must be avoided at all costs.