The Ruling on Boycotting the People of Innovation and Hatred for the Sake of Allah

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. The corners are hidden, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Yes. Please, go ahead.

The questioner : Pardon me.

The Shaykh : Abu Rami, please, go ahead.

The questioner : As we see now, among some of the brothers, following the Sunnah is rare in the mosques, and innovations have spread, as you know, in many groups. So, from the perspective of hatred for the sake of Allah and love for the sake of Allah, one wants to, for example, be hostile to these groups, not speak to them, turn away from them, and force enmity and hatred upon them. Does this mean we see it as correct from some of the brothers, or is there something you advise us and advise our brothers to follow, the Book and the Sunnah, as our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us? How is hatred for the sake of Allah and love for the sake of Allah, if Allah wills? So advise us about that?

The Shaykh : What I see in this matter, and Allah knows best, is that hatred for the sake of Allah and love for the sake of Allah, above all else, is a work of the heart. And it may be followed by a physical or bodily action.
The first matter is a constant rule in every time and in every place, meaning that the love and hatred of the heart must be such that the Muslim holds fast to love for the sake of Allah and hatred for the sake of Allah. As for the other part, which is the practical action, this varies from person to person, from place to place, and from time to time. In the righteous times that were in the early centuries, and we hope they return as they were in some of those centuries at least, in a near time, if Allah wills, in such times where the followers of the truth find supporters, it is necessary to have love and hatred in both its heart and physical or practical aspects. But in our time, it is necessary to observe the rule of prioritizing public benefit over harm, or the exact opposite. Ah, ah. Often some fathers, let alone others, are tested with some sons who do not respond to the fathers' advice. And they may be among those who abandon prayer. The father continues to remind him and advise him as long as Allah wills, then he finds no response from this disobedient son. So here, it may appear to this father to expel him from his home, claiming that it is from the perspective of hatred for the sake of Allah and boycotting for the sake of Allah. In such an example, and there are many, many examples, other examples should be measured against this example, because the operative cause, as the jurists say, revolves with the thing it affects in existence and absence. So if this son is mostly believed by his father that if he expels him from his home, there will be something in the improvement of his condition, then at that time the legitimacy of expulsion is returned. But if it is mostly believed by him that he will increase in corruption and deviation, then at that time, "Hannaniyak" (a phrase meaning "I am sorry for you" or "I am distressed for you"), some of the evil is better than some. So he contains him and continues to perform the duty of reminding him and advising him. On this basis, we say regarding love for the sake of Allah and hatred for the sake of Allah: you see, for example, a person who is a neighbor to you and may participate with you in prayer, but he is hostile to you in your Salafi Sunnah direction, and may be harsh with you at times with his words. The previous scale is what we must hold fast to and weigh the benefit and harm with. If you see that bearing with him, being patient with him, and following up with him with reminding, advising, preaching, and teaching, which he needs, then continuing with him is better than boycotting. But if it is the exact opposite, then here boycotting comes into play in light of the previous example. And what I see now in many of our enthusiastic youth is that they do not place hatred for the sake of Allah in its proper place. And the reason for that is enthusiasm devoid of jurisprudence and knowledge. And there is no harm in me using now the innovated term in this time, but it is a linguistic innovation, not a religious one, which is "fقه al-waqi'" (jurisprudence of reality). "Fقه al-waqi'" requires that we know this person whom we want to boycott, because he is, for example, from the enemies of the Sunnah or the da'wah, or we want to continue with him. We must study the reality of this person. So what is stronger for us at that time, we proceed with it, and we do not let the blame of a blamer in the sake of Allah affect us. Yes. We do not care if, when we continue with him, some of our enthusiastic brothers say to us, "You are accompanying the people of innovation," "You are mixing with the people of innovation," for example. Or others, if they see that you have become convinced that there is no benefit in continuing with him, but rather it is necessary to boycott him, it does not matter to us either if they say to us, "You are strict," "You are fanatical." Rather, the Muslim must be, meaning, a jurist, and be as said in the hadith: This is the answer to what you asked, and I hope from Allah success for us and for you. Please, go ahead.