The Ruling on Failing to Forbid Backbiting in Gatherings

The questioner:
May Allah reward you. This questioner says: I made a covenant with myself before Allah the Exalted to stay away from backbiting, just as I did with some of my previous sins.

The Shaykh:
What? He says: I made a covenant with myself before Allah Mighty and Majestic to stay away from it. One makes a covenant with oneself or with Allah; a covenant with Allah is not with oneself. Yes. He says: I made a covenant with Allah to...

The questioner:
He says: I made a covenant with Allah to stay away from sin, which is a correction of his question. He says: I made a covenant with Allah to stay away from sin, from backbiting, just as I did with some of my previous sins, and I found it very difficult, as there is no gathering free of backbiting except what your Lord has mercy upon. So what is the advice for fulfilling this covenant and staying away from this backbiting?

The Shaykh:
If you do not enter into it and do not participate with them in the backbiting, you have nothing to answer for except in the aspect that you left off advising them. As for the backbiting, if you hold your tongue, you do not enter into it. But you enter into the sin of not advising them.

The questioner:
He says: May Allah keep you safe, is it obligatory for me to deny everyone who backbites in the assembly I am present in?

The Shaykh:
Yes. Make clear to them the backbiting and make clear the warning against it, and advise them in this matter. Yes.