The ruling on greeting a sinner who openly commits his sin
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His Eminence the Shaykh: Many Muslims are confused about the issue of whether or not to greet a sinner who is openly committing a sin, such as smoking. Is there a rule that clarifies this issue and similar ones? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you.
Yes, the rule is: First: open sinfulness does not take a person out of faith, and it is not permissible to boycott a believer for more than three days. However, if the boycott serves as a cure for him,Meaning: such that if he sees that so-and-so has boycotted him, or that people have boycotted him, he straightens out and his condition improves, then in that case the boycott is praiseworthy.
Boycotting may be recommended or it may be obligatory, depending on what results from it. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) boycotted Ka'b ibn Malik and his two companions, and he ordered the people to boycott them for their absence from the expedition to Tabuk. But did this boycott benefit them or not? It benefited them; for it increased their turning to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the strength of their faith. It is not hidden from us what happened to Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) in the trial.where a letter came to him from the king of Ghassan, and he said: It reached us that your companion has called you a liar, so come to us that we may comfort you. It was as if he was indicating that if he came to him, he would make him one of the kings of Ghassan. What did he do? He did not increase in anything by this except in faith. He took the paper and burned it, fearing that his soul might tempt him in the future to go to this king. And in the end, Allah the Exalted revealed a book regarding their story, by which he draws near to Allah the Exalted by reciting it,and it is recited in the prayer: [At-Tawbah: 118] to the end of it.
So the important point, my brother, is that if there is a benefit for the open sinner in boycotting him, then boycott him; otherwise, do not boycott him. If you pass by a person who is smoking, and smoking is a sin and forbidden, and persisting in it lowers its owner from the rank of justice to the rank of open sinfulness, greet him. If you see that boycotting him will not benefit, greet him. Perhaps if you greet him, stand with him, and speak to him: that this is forbidden, and that it is not befitting for you, perhaps he will comply and put out the cigarette and not return to it. But if you did not greet him, that would be great in his mind, and he would hate you and hate the advice you bring.
Even if he persists in the sin, greet him and advise him.
Yes, the rule is: First: open sinfulness does not take a person out of faith, and it is not permissible to boycott a believer for more than three days. However, if the boycott serves as a cure for him,Meaning: such that if he sees that so-and-so has boycotted him, or that people have boycotted him, he straightens out and his condition improves, then in that case the boycott is praiseworthy.
Boycotting may be recommended or it may be obligatory, depending on what results from it. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) boycotted Ka'b ibn Malik and his two companions, and he ordered the people to boycott them for their absence from the expedition to Tabuk. But did this boycott benefit them or not? It benefited them; for it increased their turning to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the strength of their faith. It is not hidden from us what happened to Ka'b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) in the trial.where a letter came to him from the king of Ghassan, and he said: It reached us that your companion has called you a liar, so come to us that we may comfort you. It was as if he was indicating that if he came to him, he would make him one of the kings of Ghassan. What did he do? He did not increase in anything by this except in faith. He took the paper and burned it, fearing that his soul might tempt him in the future to go to this king. And in the end, Allah the Exalted revealed a book regarding their story, by which he draws near to Allah the Exalted by reciting it,and it is recited in the prayer:
And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind
وَعَلَى الثَّلاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُواSo the important point, my brother, is that if there is a benefit for the open sinner in boycotting him, then boycott him; otherwise, do not boycott him. If you pass by a person who is smoking, and smoking is a sin and forbidden, and persisting in it lowers its owner from the rank of justice to the rank of open sinfulness, greet him. If you see that boycotting him will not benefit, greet him. Perhaps if you greet him, stand with him, and speak to him: that this is forbidden, and that it is not befitting for you, perhaps he will comply and put out the cigarette and not return to it. But if you did not greet him, that would be great in his mind, and he would hate you and hate the advice you bring.
Even if he persists in the sin, greet him and advise him.