What is the ruling on sitting with those who backbite, without participating in the backbiting?

Sitting with people of immorality is prohibited, and it is not permissible to sit with someone who commits a sin unless one is rebuking them. If one is unable to or cannot rebuke them, then one should avoid them. This is especially emphasized if one fears being influenced. One should strive to guide colleagues and convince them of the necessity of abandoning sins, for a person can be influenced by those they sit with. Scholars have encouraged companionship with good people and warned against mixing with bad people. Allah Almighty said: (And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire touch you) (Hud: 113). If people of sin persist in their disobedience, then it becomes obligatory to shun them, to keep away from evil.