A person asks whether fasting stops one from discussing narrators under al-jarh wa al-tadʿīl. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Hadi al-Madkhali answers that fasting does prevent it, as speaking about people may resemble backbiting. Therefore he avoids doing it during the day and prefers to speak at night.
A person from Libya asks: Is there anything that prevents speaking about people under [the subject] of al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl whilst fasting?
I say: Yes, the fast prevents me from doing so and that is because speaking about people is [a form of] backbiting which is permissible if there is a benefit. And all praise is due to Allah ﷺ, it isn’t obligatory upon me to speak about them during the day, so I speak at night. As for the daytime I do not speak.
