Is it permissible to boycott a Muslim?
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The student : Shaykh, if you please, I have a question. In the current circumstances we are in, there are many different directions and sects, whether in terms of belief or interpretation, and so on. Here is a real question that exists: now, a Muslim brother does not greet or return the greeting, does not visit, and does not follow the funeral of someone who differs from him in... absolutely, even if he is a Muslim just like him. He starts listing such-and-such’s faults, saying so-and-so does this and that, and they say this and that. So we tell him, this is backbiting; this is a Muslim, and you are exposing his faults? He says, this is hatred for the sake of Allah, and this is clarifying what he is upon. So how do we know how to distinguish between hatred for the sake of Allah and clarifying errors without falling into the backbiting that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned us about? He said:
The Shaykh : I do not feel that what you are saying is the case. I do not know of a Muslim who does not greet his Muslim brother while he believes him to be a Muslim. This is a boycott that is not permissible in Islam. And the fact that Muslims differ is not a new matter; it is old. But mutual advice is what must exist between Muslims, and that they should love one another and be affectionate toward one another for the sake of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Turning away from one another and boycotting one another is something prohibited in Islam, and love for the sake of Allah is something desired in Islam, and hatred for the sake of Allah is likewise. But some people do not know how to apply this correctly. I am often asked about a Muslim boycotting his Muslim brother for some reason, and I say that while boycotting is originally prescribed, today is not the time for its application. Because if you wanted to boycott every Muslim you disapproved of something in, you would remain alone and isolated. So it is not for us today to deal with the method of hatred for the sake of Allah and boycotting for the sake of Allah. That is only for the time when the strength of the Muslims is strong and the appearance of the Muslims is strong in their dealings with one another. At that time, when an individual deviates from the straight path, he is boycotted. At that time, the boycott becomes a cure for him and a means of educating him. But now, this is not its time. In places like Syria and Jordan, there are many young people who neglect and abandon prayer, and there is much questioning about this issue. So-and-so says to me, "My friend used to pray with us, then he deviated and left prayer. We advised him, preached to him, and reminded him, but he did not take heed and did not accept advice. Should I boycott him?" I tell him, no, do not boycott him, because if you boycott him, you will help him in his deviation and misguidance. And if you boycott him, his corrupt brothers in the land will receive him, and he will become stronger in his deviation. So you must continue to follow him and keep him in your company, while monitoring him with preaching at times and reminders at other times, perhaps Allah (Mighty and Majestic) will guide him. We have a saying in Syria that a person was abandoning prayer, then he repented, and for the first time he wanted to pray and went to the mosque, but he found it closed. He said, "You are a drunkard and I am a sinner." This man who was boycotted, when he is boycotted, says to the boycotter, "I never want you, nor do I want to be your companion, nor do I want you to be my companion." Therefore, in the present age, it is not at all wise to boycott people because of their deviation, whether this deviation is ideological in belief or behavioral in conduct. Rather, we must be patient in our companionship with these people, and we must not mislead them or declare them disbelievers, because this misleading and this declaring of disbelief benefits us in no way. Rather, we must remind them, as He (Mighty and Majestic) said:[Adh-Dhariyat 51:55]
The student : Shaykh Nasser, it is observed that the person who keeps the company of a deviant should be confident in himself and not be affected by the ideas of the deviant person.
The Shaykh : By Allah, you are correct in this, and this is a very necessary matter. Yes.
And if there is in him what we say, "O Messenger of Allah," he said, "If there is in him what you say, then you have backbitten him."
الو كان فيه ما نقول يا رسول الله قال لو كان فيه ما تقول تكون اغتبتهThe Shaykh : I do not feel that what you are saying is the case. I do not know of a Muslim who does not greet his Muslim brother while he believes him to be a Muslim. This is a boycott that is not permissible in Islam. And the fact that Muslims differ is not a new matter; it is old. But mutual advice is what must exist between Muslims, and that they should love one another and be affectionate toward one another for the sake of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Turning away from one another and boycotting one another is something prohibited in Islam, and love for the sake of Allah is something desired in Islam, and hatred for the sake of Allah is likewise. But some people do not know how to apply this correctly. I am often asked about a Muslim boycotting his Muslim brother for some reason, and I say that while boycotting is originally prescribed, today is not the time for its application. Because if you wanted to boycott every Muslim you disapproved of something in, you would remain alone and isolated. So it is not for us today to deal with the method of hatred for the sake of Allah and boycotting for the sake of Allah. That is only for the time when the strength of the Muslims is strong and the appearance of the Muslims is strong in their dealings with one another. At that time, when an individual deviates from the straight path, he is boycotted. At that time, the boycott becomes a cure for him and a means of educating him. But now, this is not its time. In places like Syria and Jordan, there are many young people who neglect and abandon prayer, and there is much questioning about this issue. So-and-so says to me, "My friend used to pray with us, then he deviated and left prayer. We advised him, preached to him, and reminded him, but he did not take heed and did not accept advice. Should I boycott him?" I tell him, no, do not boycott him, because if you boycott him, you will help him in his deviation and misguidance. And if you boycott him, his corrupt brothers in the land will receive him, and he will become stronger in his deviation. So you must continue to follow him and keep him in your company, while monitoring him with preaching at times and reminders at other times, perhaps Allah (Mighty and Majestic) will guide him. We have a saying in Syria that a person was abandoning prayer, then he repented, and for the first time he wanted to pray and went to the mosque, but he found it closed. He said, "You are a drunkard and I am a sinner." This man who was boycotted, when he is boycotted, says to the boycotter, "I never want you, nor do I want to be your companion, nor do I want you to be my companion." Therefore, in the present age, it is not at all wise to boycott people because of their deviation, whether this deviation is ideological in belief or behavioral in conduct. Rather, we must be patient in our companionship with these people, and we must not mislead them or declare them disbelievers, because this misleading and this declaring of disbelief benefits us in no way. Rather, we must remind them, as He (Mighty and Majestic) said:
And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.
وذكر فإن الذكرى تنفع المؤمنينThe student : Shaykh Nasser, it is observed that the person who keeps the company of a deviant should be confident in himself and not be affected by the ideas of the deviant person.
The Shaykh : By Allah, you are correct in this, and this is a very necessary matter. Yes.
Source
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