Is it permissible for a person to boycott another person and cut ties with him, citing the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Wahshi, the killer of Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him): “Hide your face from me”?

The questioner: There is, meaning, among us in Kuwait, among a group of committed Muslim youth, you find some who are not at ease with others, having no complaint against them regarding their religion.

The Shaykh : Allah is the Helper.

The questioner: But he says, “I am not personally at ease with him; my soul is not reassured by him.” And if he rebukes him or the like, they cite the hadith of Wahshi when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: So Wahshi came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repentant, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: So they say that the psychological state of the Messenger (peace be upon him) was such, and the man came to him repentant. They cite this hadith. So if you could clarify this for us?

The Shaykh: This is a citation in the wrong place. It is true that he came repentant, but in the soul of the Messenger (peace be upon him) was a grief that days and time do not erase, because of Wahshi’s killing of his uncle Hamzah. So what did this person who is not at ease do to the one he is not at ease with? What did he do to him? Nothing. And so this citation actually indicates to us that we live in a time when people have become arrogant before they have matured, and they have assumed the airs of scholars while they are ignorant and not scholars. So this citation is very weak; because it does not match the incident. Suppose a person killed a Muslim brother unjustly, oppressively, and tyrannically, and came to him repentant, and it became apparent from his conduct in his life that he was truly repentant, but he said to him: This is not like that; because this person killed his brother unjustly, so he does not want the tranquility of his life to be disturbed by seeing the face of his brother’s killer, for example. So the matter is different. We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to make us understand the religion and teach us its interpretation.

The questioner: I mean, is he sinful for that, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh: Without a doubt; because this is from boycotting and cutting ties.

The questioner: Is it not from following desire?

The Shaykh: Without a doubt, it is following desire.