غيبة

Arabic

Etymology

Verbal noun of غَابَ (ḡāba), from the root غ ي ب (ḡ-y-b).

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): /ɣaj.ba/

Noun

غَيْبَة • (ḡayba) f (plural غَيْبَات (ḡaybāt))

1. verbal noun of غَابَ (ḡāba)
   1. absence
2. instance noun of غَابَ (ḡāba)
3. occultation

Declension

Declension of noun غَيْبَة (ḡayba)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	غَيْبَة ḡayba	الْغَيْبَة al-ḡayba	غَيْبَة ḡaybat
Nominative	غَيْبَةٌ ḡaybatun	الْغَيْبَةُ al-ḡaybatu	غَيْبَةُ ḡaybatu
Accusative	غَيْبَةً ḡaybatan	الْغَيْبَةَ al-ḡaybata	غَيْبَةَ ḡaybata
Genitive	غَيْبَةٍ ḡaybatin	الْغَيْبَةِ al-ḡaybati	غَيْبَةِ ḡaybati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	غَيْبَتَيْن ḡaybatayn	الْغَيْبَتَيْن al-ḡaybatayn	غَيْبَتَيْ ḡaybatay
Nominative	غَيْبَتَانِ ḡaybatāni	الْغَيْبَتَانِ al-ḡaybatāni	غَيْبَتَا ḡaybatā
Accusative	غَيْبَتَيْنِ ḡaybatayni	الْغَيْبَتَيْنِ al-ḡaybatayni	غَيْبَتَيْ ḡaybatay
Genitive	غَيْبَتَيْنِ ḡaybatayni	الْغَيْبَتَيْنِ al-ḡaybatayni	غَيْبَتَيْ ḡaybatay
Plural	sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	غَيْبَات ḡaybāt	الْغَيْبَات al-ḡaybāt	غَيْبَات ḡaybāt
Nominative	غَيْبَاتٌ ḡaybātun	الْغَيْبَاتُ al-ḡaybātu	غَيْبَاتُ ḡaybātu
Accusative	غَيْبَاتٍ ḡaybātin	الْغَيْبَاتِ al-ḡaybāti	غَيْبَاتِ ḡaybāti
Genitive	غَيْبَاتٍ ḡaybātin	الْغَيْبَاتِ al-ḡaybāti	غَيْبَاتِ ḡaybāti

Derived terms

• الغَيْبَة الصُّغْرىٰ (al-ḡayba(t) aṣ-ṣuḡrā)
• الغَيْبَة الكُبْرىٰ (al-ḡayba(t) al-kubrā)

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key): /ɣiː.ba/

Noun

غِيبَة • (ḡība) f

1. backbiting, bad-mouthing, maligning, harmful or slanderous gossip, speaking badly of a person in his absence
   • Sahih Muslim

     […] عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ ٱللَّٰهِ—صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ—قَالَ: «أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْغِيبَةُ؟» قَالُوا: «اَللَّٰهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ.» قَالَ: «ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ.» قِيلَ: «أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا أَقُولُ؟» قَالَ: «إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ ٱغْتَبْتَهُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ.»

     […] ʕan ʔabī hurayrata, ʔanna rasūla llāhi—ṣallā llāhu ʕalayhi wasallama—qāla: “ʔatadrūna mā al-ḡībatu?” qālū: “ʔallāhu warasūluhu ʔaʕlamu.” qāla: “ḏikruka ʔaḵāka bimā yakrahu.” qīla: “ʔafaraʔayta ʔin kāna fī ʔaḵī mā ʔaqūlu?” qāla: “ʔin kāna fīhi mā taqūlu faqadi ḡtabtahu, waʔin lam yakun fīhi faqad bahattahu.”

     Abu Hurayrah related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Do you know what is ḡībah?" They said, "Allah and his Prophet know best." [So] he said, "[It is] speaking ill of your brother [literally "mentioning your brother and what he dislikes to be mentioned"]." [Then] someone said, "[But] what if what I said is true?" [So] he said, "If it is true, it is ḡībah, and if it is not, it is buhtān.

Declension

Declension of noun غِيبَة (ḡība)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	غِيبَة ḡība	الْغِيبَة al-ḡība	غِيبَة ḡībat
Nominative	غِيبَةٌ ḡībatun	الْغِيبَةُ al-ḡībatu	غِيبَةُ ḡībatu
Accusative	غِيبَةً ḡībatan	الْغِيبَةَ al-ḡībata	غِيبَةَ ḡībata
Genitive	غِيبَةٍ ḡībatin	الْغِيبَةِ al-ḡībati	غِيبَةِ ḡībati

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: qeybət
• → Bashkir: ғәйбәт (ğəybət)
• → Bengali: গীবত (gībôt)
• → Indonesian: gibah
• → Kazakh: ғайбат (ğaibat)
• → Uzbek: gʻiybat

See also

• نَمِيمَة (namīma)
• اِغْتَابَ (iḡtāba, verb)