Back to search

Is it permissible to give general charity on behalf of backbiting and calumny, with the intention that the one who was backbited takes from the merits of the charity instead of the merits of the one who gave the charity, and is it permissible for a child to give charity for that on behalf of their parents?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

For backbiting, it suffices for repentance to seek forgiveness for the one who was backbitten, to supplicate for him, and to praise him in his absence, along with sincere repentance and remorse. Backbiting is not a financial right but rather an ethical one, and the backbiter does not need to give charity on behalf of the one he backbit. If the backbitten person does not know that he was backbitten, there is no need to inform him; rather, he should be praised in the gatherings where he was backbitten, and forgiveness should be sought for him. Financial charity is not necessary for atonement for backbiting, but charity in general is a good deed and one of the causes for expiating sins, and a complement to repentance. However, if a person backbit his parents after their death, its atonement is sincere repentance, seeking their forgiveness and pardon, and striving to be dutiful to them.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy