How should a Muslim deal with a person who commits religious innovations, and should he boycott him?

The Shaykh : Come on, let the flow go, give me, give me the second question. May Allah bless you.

The questioner : The questioner says: Praise be to Allah. Despite the effort to uphold the Sunnah and make it clear, many religious innovations (bid'ah) have become apparent. The question is: How should a Muslim who follows the Sunnah deal with a Muslim who commits religious innovations, especially in these days when religious innovations have multiplied? And is it permissible to boycott him after giving him advice, with details on this?

The Shaykh : And what is this?

The questioner : Is it permissible to boycott him after giving him advice, with details on this?

The Shaykh : I say that religious innovations (bid'ah) are divided into two categories: innovations that constitute disbelief (kufr) and innovations that are less than that. In both categories, it is obligatory for us to call those who claim to be Muslims, whether they commit innovations that constitute disbelief or those less than that, to the truth by explaining the truth. We do not attack what they are upon until we know from them that they are arrogant in accepting the truth, because Allah the Exalted said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) So we first call these people to the truth by explaining it and clarifying it with its evidence. The truth is accepted by every person of sound fitrah (innate natural disposition); all sound dispositions accept the truth. If we find stubbornness and arrogance from them, then we expose their falsehood. Exposing their falsehood, other than in argumentation with them, is obligatory. As for boycotting them, this depends on the innovation. If the innovation constitutes disbelief, it is obligatory to boycott them. If it is less than that, we refrain from boycotting them if there is no benefit in boycotting them. If there is benefit, we do it; if there is no benefit, we avoid it. This is because the default ruling for a believer is that boycotting him is forbidden, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) So every believer, even if he is an open sinner (fasiq), it is forbidden to boycott him unless there is a benefit in the boycott. If there is a benefit in the boycott, we boycott him, because boycotting is a remedy. But if there is no benefit in it, or if it leads to an increase in sin and arrogance, then leaving what has no benefit is the benefit. If someone responds to this by saying that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) boycotted Ka'b ibn Malik and his two companions who lagged behind in the Battle of Tabuk, the answer is that this happened from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he ordered the Companions to boycott them because there was a great benefit in boycotting them. Did these people, when they were boycotted, increase in what they were doing? Did they increase in lagging behind what was obligatory upon them, or did they become more attached to it? Rather, they became more attached to it, until Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) received a letter from the King of Ghassan saying that he had heard that his companion, meaning the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), had treated you harshly. And that you are not in a place of humiliation or disgrace, so join us and we will support you. He wrote to you: Join us and we will support you, meaning come to us and we will support you and make you like us.
But what did Ibn Malik do, given the hardship and distress he was in? Do you know what he did? He took the letter and went with it and burned it in the oven (may Allah be pleased with him). And he was truthful, for this is from the trial. Indeed, this is from the trial and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). If he had not had the firm faith he had, he would have been pleased with this letter and gone to the king to make him one of the princes. Look (may Allah be pleased with him), look at the depth of his wisdom, where he took this letter and burned it in the oven, because if it had remained in his hand, he would have feared that he might think about it and reconsider a second time, and Satan would misguide him and he would go to the king, the King of Ghassan. So there was a great benefit in boycotting these people.
Then the result that has no equal is that Allah sent down a Book concerning them that is recited until the Day of Resurrection. Meaning He turned to them in mercy Then He said Just as these people were truthful, so Allah sent down these verses, or this verse, concerning them. Yes.