Listening to Others Backbiting

Firstly: 

Allah has prescribed fasting during the
month of Ramadhan so that those who fast may attain taqwa (piety). Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the
fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you,
that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” [2:183] 

If
that colleague who eats the flesh of people (by gossiping) does not pay heed
to this month then when will he pay heed, repent and fear Allah? 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and
acting upon it, Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.” [al-Bukhaari]

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: “Fasting is not just (giving up) food and drink, rather it
is giving up lying, falsehood and idle talk.” 

Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah al-Ansari (may Allah
be pleased with him) said: “When you fast, then let your hearing, your sight
and your tongue fast from lying and sin, stop abusing servants and be
tranquil and dignified on the day when you fast. Do not let the day when you
do not fast and the day when you fast be the same.” 

Those who backbite about people and “eat
their flesh” should beware lest their fast be lost and lest all they get
from it is hunger and thirst. 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said: “There may be a fasting person who gets nothing
more from his fast that hunger and thirst, and there may be a person who
prays qiyam and all he gets from his qiyam is a sleepless night.” [Ahmad]. 

Some
of the scholars are of the view that committing sins invalidates the fast. 

Hafsah bint Sireen (may Allah have mercy
on her) said: “Fasting is a shield, so long as the one who fasts does not
break it, and what breaks it is backbiting.” 

It was narrated that Ibrahim al-Nakha’i
(may Allah have mercy on him) said: They used to say that lying breaks the
fast of one who is fasting. 

This was also the view of some of the
salaf (pious predecessors), which is that all sins break the fast, and
whoever commits a sin when he is fasting has to make it up. This is the view
of al-Imam al-Awza’i, and was the view favoured by Ibn Hazm al-Zahiri (may
Allah have mercy on him). 

But the majority of scholars are of the
view that committing sins reduces the reward for fasting, but it does not
invalidate the fast, and this is the correct view. See the answer to
question no.

50063. 

Secondly: 

Backbiting is a major sin. Allah, may He
be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O
you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And
spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the
flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear
Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most
Merciful”

[49:12] 

It was
narrated that Anas ibn Malik said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When my Lord took me up into heaven,
I passed by some people who had nails of copper with which they were
scratching their faces and chests. I said: ‘Who are these, O Jibreel?’ He
said: ‘These are the ones who used to eat the flesh of the people and impugn
their honour.’” [Abu Dawood]

Thirdly: 

You have to denounce this colleague of
yours and not approve of what he is doing. 

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri
(may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever among you sees an evil
action, let him change it with his hand (by taking action); if he cannot,
then with his tongue (by speaking out); and if he cannot, then with his
heart (by hating it and feeling it is wrong), and that is the weakest of
faith.” 

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: 

Note that the one who hears any backbiting
about a Muslim should refute it and rebuke the one who says it. If he does
not rebuke him in words he should rebuke him by his actions. If he cannot
rebuke him by his actions or his words, then he should leave that gathering.
If he hears any backbiting about his Shaykh (teacher) or anyone else who has
a right over him or is one of the righteous and virtuous people, then he
should pay even more attention to what we have said. 

In the
book of al-Tirmidhi we narrated from Abu’l-Darda (may Allah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Whoever protects the honour of his brother, Allah will protect his face
from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.” [Al-Tirmidhi] End quote. Al-Adhkaar. 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baz (may Allah
have mercy on him) was asked: 

I am a young woman who hates backbiting
and gossip. Sometimes I am with a group of people who talk about others and
they start backbiting and gossiping. In my heart I hate and loathe this, but
because I am very shy I cannot tell them not to do that, and there is no
place I can go to get away from them. Allah knows that I wish that they
would talk about something else. Is there any sin on me for sitting with
them? What should I do? May Allah help you to do what is best for Islam and
the Muslims. 

He replied: 

There is sin on you for that unless you
denounce the evil. If they accept that from you, then praise be to Allah,
otherwise you have to leave them and not sit with them, because Allah, may
He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And
when you (Muhammad) see those who engage in a false conversation about Our
Verses (of the Quran) by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn
to another topic. And if Shaytan (Satan) causes you to forget, then after
the remembrance sit not you in the company of those people who are the
Zalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)” [6:68] 

“And
it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Quran) that when you
hear the Verses of Allah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them,
until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them)
certainly in that case you would be like them”

[4:140] 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him
change it with his hand (by taking action); if he cannot, then with his
tongue (by speaking out); and if he cannot, then with his heart (by hating
it and feeling it is wrong), and that is the weakest of faith.” [Muslim]. 

And there are many other verses and
ahadeeth (prophetic narrations) which say the same thing. And Allah is the
Source of strength. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baz. 

So strive to remind your colleague of the
ruling on backbiting, and explain to him the punishment of the one who does
that. Perhaps he will give up what he is doing of sin. Remind him that
backbiting during Ramadhan is more sinful, and the basic principle is that
you should avoid sitting with him if he persists in not responding to the
command of Allah. But seeing as you work with him and you cannot leave the
place, then avoid listening to him and stop paying any attention to what he
says. You can use the means of threatening to report him to his superiors at
work, or threaten to tell the people about whom he is talking. Perhaps if he
does not fear Allah he will fear people and will stop backbiting about them,
and you will be relieved of having to listen to his annoying talk. 

And Allah knows best.