A man has a relative who has placed a satellite dish on the roof of his house; should he visit him in his house or boycott him?
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The questioner : He says: A man has a relative who has placed a satellite dish on the roof of his house; should he visit him in his house or boycott him? And when is boycotting permissible, because I fear that my visiting him would be an approval, and I know that he will not heed the advice?
The Shaykh : O my brothers! Boycotting is not permissible; it is not permissible to boycott a sinner no matter how great his sin is, except if there is a benefit in boycotting, except if there is a benefit in boycotting. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 2560a Is the sinner a believer or not a believer? Answer me? He is a believer. Even if his sin were the greatest of sins after shirk (associating partners with Allah), he is a believer. There is no sin in dealings with creation greater than killing. Intentionally killing a believer is among the greatest of sins. The Prophet (peace be upon him) even said: Sahih al-Bukhari 6862 And yet Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:178] Who is his brother? [Al-Baqarah 2:178] Who is the brother? The one who was killed, even though the killing was intentional, because there is no retaliation (qisas) except for intentional killing: [Al-Baqarah 2:178] So Allah the Exalted made the one who was killed the brother of the killer, even though he is a killer, which is among the greatest of sins. And if he is a believer, it is not permissible to boycott him for more than three days. Yes, if there is a benefit and advantage in boycotting, we boycott him. What is the benefit? That he feels ashamed, reflects on his sins, and says: My relative or my brother did not boycott me except for this reason, so we will leave this reason. In this case, boycotting is good or obligatory. Mention to me a boycott that proved beneficial? Yes. The three who were left behind; their boycott proved beneficial. The Prophet (peace be upon him) boycotted them, and the Companions boycotted them. But what a boycott it was! It bore ripe fruits without parallel in their story. Allah revealed a story about them that is recited in the mosques, in the prayers, and people draw near to Allah the Exalted through it. How many good deeds are there in each letter? Ten good deeds. And at the end He said: [At-Tawbah 9:119] But where is a boycott that begets this? Some people say: By Allah, I do not have the patience to greet a sinner. My brother, this sinner has an illness. Do we leave the sick and say: We will not treat them? The answer is: No, we treat them. We do not let emotion and zeal overcome the public benefit. Treat them. It is true that a person may find it very heavy to meet a man who has a cigarette and greet him, but as long as you know that you want to cure this man of his illness, take the closest path that will be a cure for him and no harm to you. The Messenger (peace be upon him) dealt with people with gentleness, softness, and kindness. And Allah said to him: [Ali 'Imran 3:159]
The questioner : He says: Your Eminence, you touched upon the topic of cultural invasion and its impact through these channels, and there is a danger you have not spoken about, which is these newspapers that have started publishing pictures of naked women, and they have harmed hearts and ideas, especially since the man or father brings them into his house, and they are in front of his women without supervision or care. What is your advice to him and to our Muslim brothers?
The Shaykh : This problem is truly correct, but it is an old problem that I have spoken about several times on the pulpit, and others have spoken about it in articles and sermons.
The Shaykh : O my brothers! Boycotting is not permissible; it is not permissible to boycott a sinner no matter how great his sin is, except if there is a benefit in boycotting, except if there is a benefit in boycotting. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
It is not permissible for a Muslim to have estranged relations with his brother beyond three nights, the one turning one way and the other turning the other way when they meet; the better of the two is one who is the first to give a greeting.
لا يحل للمؤمن أن يهجر أخاه فوق ثلاث، يلتقيان فيعرض هذا ويعرض هذا، وخيرهما الذي يبدأ بالسلامremains at liberty regarding his religion unless he kills somebody unlawfully
لا يزال الرجل في فسحة من دينه ما لم يصب دماً حراماًO you who have believed, prescribed for you is legal retribution for those murdered - the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But whoever overlooks from his brother anything
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى الْحُرُّ بِالْحُرِّ وَالْعَبْدُ بِالْعَبْدِ وَالْأُنْثَى بِالْأُنْثَى فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَيْءٌBut whoever overlooks from his brother anything
فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَيْءٌBut whoever overlooks from his brother anything
فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَيْءٌO you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَSo by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them.
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْThe questioner : He says: Your Eminence, you touched upon the topic of cultural invasion and its impact through these channels, and there is a danger you have not spoken about, which is these newspapers that have started publishing pictures of naked women, and they have harmed hearts and ideas, especially since the man or father brings them into his house, and they are in front of his women without supervision or care. What is your advice to him and to our Muslim brothers?
The Shaykh : This problem is truly correct, but it is an old problem that I have spoken about several times on the pulpit, and others have spoken about it in articles and sermons.