How can backbiting be repelled properly without lying or defending falsehood?

It is sufficient for refuting backbiting to enjoin the backbiter to fear Allah and forbid him from his evil deed. The matter becomes more meritorious if you admonish him and advise him by clarifying the seriousness of backbiting. If the questioner knows the innocence of the backbitten from the defects mentioned about him, then it is sufficient for her to deny those defects about him. It is not necessary to praise him with what he deserves, and it is not permissible to lie in this regard. Examples of refuting backbiting include reprimanding the backbiter, denouncing him, and absolving the backbitten of what he was described with, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Mu'adh ibn Jabal did. Backbiting is permissible in certain circumstances and is forbidden concerning a Muslim and a Dhimmi (protected non-Muslim), but it is permissible concerning a hostile disbeliever, provided that only the truth is spoken.