Is it permissible for a Muslim to isolate himself from the sects and trials in this time and confine himself to himself alone?

The questioner : The questioner : He says ... in this time there are trials and the trials have multiplied, then he asks: Does it mean that the Muslim must isolate himself? And what do you say about the saying of Allah the Exalted and is it the case that the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Hudhayfah to the end of the hadith is this question?

The Shaykh : This is the question; it contains several questions. Start with the first question: What is it?

The questioner : Is it permissible for a Muslim to isolate himself?

The Shaykh : The Muslim differs first by his faith and by his time and place. So, if one is strong in faith and does not fear for himself that he will be afflicted with deviation in his creed or in his conduct, then it is better for him to mix with the Muslims and not isolate himself from them. And this is an explicit text in his saying (peace be upon him) which al-Tirmidhi and others from the people of the Sunan narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What completes the previous answer is that the matter differs by the faith of the Muslim and by his time and place. There are hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim and others that the best of people in the time of trials is a man who has sheep, so he isolates himself from people in a valley of these valleys, eating and drinking from their produce, and he suffices people from his evil and he suffices himself from the evil of people. This is in the time of trials. And there is no doubt that the time of trials differs in its scarcity and abundance. So the matter returns to observing the faith of the believer. If one is, as we said earlier, strong in faith and does not fear for himself deviation in his creed, in his worship, or in his conduct, then it is better for him to remain with people. And there is no doubt that in his remaining with them, he will perform enjoining good and forbidding evil, and giving sincere advice, and the like. So that is better for him and better than isolating himself from people and saving himself. This is the first question.