Question: What is the ruling on backbiting a Christian?
Answer: (Shaykh Mashhoor Hasan Salaam): The rulings of the sharee'ah does not hinge around persons, rather it hinges around actions. Thus backbiting a Muslim is despicable just as it is despicable as it applies to the Christian. However backbiting a Muslim is much worse due to the additional rights that he has upon you, but nonetheless backbiting a Christian is haraam. For example, it is haraam to steal from the Muslim and from the Christian, so just as it is impermissible to steal from a Christian, likewise it is impermissible to backbite him. Because as we previously mentioned, the rulings of the sharee'ah hinges around actions and not persons.
Imaam Maalik student ibn Wahb asked him about backbiting a Christian, so he replied, 'Aren't they people?" He said, "Of course." He then said, Allaah ta'alaa says, "And say that which is good to the people." (Al-Baqarah: 82) He did not say, 'Say to the Muslims…' and people includes the Muslim, the kaafir, and the people of the Book, from amongst them.
A Muslim must also guard his tongue from backbiting because if he bad-mouths the Jew, the Christian, and the kaafir, this will lead to bad-mouthing the Muslim, and if he bad-mouth the Muslim that is distant, the he will eventually bad-mouth the Muslim that is close to him. It can even reach the point of bad-mouthing his very close family. Thus a Muslim should safeguard his tongue from abusing and derogating others – even abusing animals – for indeed Taqideen As-Subki was one day walking with his son, so a dog barked at them, so the young son said, "Shut up you son of a dog!" So the father got angry and said, "Do not say that. Safeguard your tongue my son because if you train your tongue to speak like this, then it will come out from you without you intending it." This is the upbringing of Imaam As-Subki who went on one day to become one of the greatest and most recognized of the Shafi'ee scholars.
A person will not have acceptance on the earth, and the people will not benefit from him – especially if he is a student of knowledge – except that he counts his inhalations and exhalations, and before he speaks, he ponders on that which he is about to say. And the one who remains quite is never regretful. A word as some of the salaf used to say, "Is like a spark that emanates from a rock – it leaves ad never returns." Thus it is upon the Muslim to guard his tongue from backbiting, tale-carrying, lying, and abusing the kaafir, the Jew or the Christian, because the sharee'ah has prohibited such acts regardless of who you slander or who you backbite.
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Note: Warning others about a person who does evil and commits major sins is obligatory (waajib). If a Muslim fears that his brothers may be harmed by those people’s actions, he must advise them and tell them about these evildoers, so that no one will fall into their trap. It is also obligatory to advise the evildoers and those who commit major sins, so that perhaps Allaah (subhana wa ta'ala) may guide them.
