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The question

What is the ruling on backbiting someone who is not accountable, such as an insane person or a child, and is mentioning their flaws in order to understand their condition considered backbiting?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Gheebah (backbiting) is mentioning a person with what they dislike concerning their faults, while those faults are present in them. If those faults are not in them, then it is Buhtan (slander). The ruling on backbiting a non-accountable person (such as an insane person or a minor) is prohibition, just like backbiting an accountable person. Backbiting is permissible for six reasons: seeking redress, seeking help to change a reprehensible act, seeking a , warning Muslims from evil, open transgression or innovation, and for identification if it is the only means. It is permissible to mention a person by their faults for the purpose of identifying them if there is a valid Shariah benefit resulting from it and identification is not possible without it, but it is forbidden to mention them with it out of disparagement.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
69088
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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