The Ruling on Mentioning the Good Deeds of an Innovator When Explaining His Innovation

Question:
When speaking about innovators and mentioning their errors, some people say that it is necessary to mention both their good deeds and their bad deeds. What is Your Eminence’s answer regarding that?

Answer:
It is not obligatory. The intention is to warn against the innovation (bid'ah). It is not obligatory to mention the good deeds. If there is a need for it, there is no harm, but the intention is to warn against the bad deeds so that they are abandoned. He said to you, so he said in the book that so-and-so did such and such, calling to such and such. So-and-so gave a sermon and said in his sermon such and such, so beware of it. This is what is permissible. One person gave a sermon to the people and said that the Mawlid is an innovation and is not permissible. Do you go on to explain his good deeds? No, there is no need to go to his good deeds. This is a mistake, and praise be to Allah. He says it is built on the graves because the righteous have a right to have things built on their graves to honor them and show their status. You say, no, this is a mistake. It is not necessary to say that he has such and such good deeds. No, the intention is to clarify the error he made in this. He said, "We should pray at the graves and recite at them." You say, no, this is a mistake. This is an error born of ignorance. The intention is to clarify what he erred in. As for his good deeds, that is between him and Allah. Yes.