Guidelines for Boycotting Sinful Muslims

Question:
May Allah reward the Honorable Shaykh with the best reward. Your Eminence the Shaykh, there are some questions, one of which asks: Is there a word regarding the guidelines for boycotting the sinful among Muslims?

Answer:
Yes. Boycotting a person is prescribed when there is a pressing need for it. It is a form of treatment in the category of proper conduct. It is a treatment. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) boycotted some people and did not boycott others. So, if the one in authority, or a scholar, or the head of the household, or the head of the tribe, or someone else, sees that boycotting is appropriate, they should boycott the one who openly commits sins, specifically the one whose sins are the most apparent and persistent. And if the one in authority or someone else with a role sees that boycotting is not appropriate, and that maintaining the bond of advice, enjoining good and forbidding evil, caring for him, and not leaving him to Satan is better, then there is no harm in that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) boycotted the three who lagged behind in the expedition to Tabuk, but he did not boycott others who displayed hypocrisy. Rather, he sought to win them over, called them to Allah, accepted their outward appearance, and left their inner secrets to Allah.
The point is that the believer, especially the one who is boycotting, should look at what is in the public benefit. If he sees that boycotting is better and that the desired result is achieved through it, he should boycott according to what he sees as the public benefit. And if he sees that boycotting increases evil and leads to corruption, he should not boycott. Instead, he should turn to advice, enjoining good and forbidding evil, and treatment, until the evil is removed through the path of treatment by advice and guidance, or by seeking the help of those in authority, or by other means that he sees as sufficient, or in which the removal or reduction of the evil is hoped for.
Some of the Imams said in a poem of his: "Boycotting the one who openly commits sins is a recommended practice. It has been said that deterring him is more obligatory and more emphatic. It has also been said that this is the absolute rule, as long as he is open about it and meets you with a frowning, scowling face." The point is that in boycotting, the public benefit must be considered, and the prevention of harm must be considered for the one from whom that is achieved and who is affected by the boycott. So, boycotting is not always the better option, nor is leaving it always the better option. Rather, the public benefit must be considered, because it is a form of treatment from which the rectification of the one being treated is hoped for. May Allah guide them all. Yes.