The Ruling on One Who Repents from Harassing People

Question:
In his second question, he says: If a person harms Allah’s creation, whether men or women, some of whom he knows and some of whom he does not, should he seek forgiveness and pardon from those he knows? Or should he make du'a for them, and is that sufficient? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
If he is harming people, he must repent to Allah for that, and he must seek their pardon, asking them to forgive him. If he is harming them by cursing, beating, or taking their money, he must seek their pardon and return their money if he took any from them. If they pardon him and forgive him, praise be to Allah. Otherwise, he must return the money he took from them along with his repentance to Allah (may He be Exalted).
As for if it is merely backbiting, where he backbites them, then if it is feasible, he should seek their pardon, seek their pardon. But if he fears something worse from that, and seeking their pardon is not feasible, rather he fears fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), then he should make du'a for them, seek forgiveness for them, and mention them with good, citing the good qualities he knows of them in place of the qualities he criticized them for. He should mention their good deeds that he knows about them in the gatherings where he used to backbite them, and this serves as a replacement for his backbiting, along with making du'a for them and seeking forgiveness for them. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.