wrongdoing to be like the one who commits it. Hence the scholars have said:

If someone is invited to a feast where there is wrongdoing, such as wine or flute-playing, he may not attend. This is because Allah Most High has commanded us to denounce wrongdoing to the extent possible. Whoever attends voluntarily without denouncing it has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger by neglecting His command to reject it with abhorrence and forbid it. Accordingly, someone who voluntarily attends gatherings where wine is drunk, without necessity, and does not denounce the wrongdoing as Allah has commanded, shares in the sinners’ sinfulness and is counted among them.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

Is backbiting permissible concerning certain people, or may a particular individual be singled out? What is the ruling on this? Please give us a detailed answer, so that those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong may understand this, and each may draw upon knowledge and sound judgment according to his ability.

He answered:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. The starting point in this discussion is to understand that backbiting is as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained it in the authentic hadith. When asked about backbiting, he said:

“It is to mention your brother in a way he dislikes.”

He was asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what if my brother really has the fault I mention?”

He replied: “If he has the fault you mention, you have backbitten him; if he does not, you have slandered him.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained the difference between backbiting and slander, and that lying