The Ruling on Killing Concealed Hypocrites

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: Regarding the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he did not kill the hypocrites because he feared that the Arabs would say that Muhammad kills his companions, does this indicate that it is permissible to kill them if there is no harm?

Answer:
As long as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not kill them, they are not to be killed unless they display the nullifiers of faith. If the nullifiers become apparent from them, they are then given the choice to repent; if they repent, well and good, otherwise they are killed. They are given the choice to repent. Yes. As for the mere fact that they conceal themselves and do not display any of the nullifiers, and their Islam is accepted openly, their inner secrets are left to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) avoided killing them out of fear of something more severe, namely that people would say that Muhammad kills his companions. These people testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they fight alongside him. If they were killed, it would result in a backlash among the people and doubt regarding the religion of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no doubt that averting harm takes precedence over seeking benefit, and committing the lesser of two harms to avert the greater is a well-known principle. Yes.