How do we deal with those who have departed from the methodology of the Salaf, among the scholars and others?

The questioner : What is the manner of dealing with, or what is the ruling on, those who have departed from the methodology of the righteous Salaf, whether they are scholars or of a lower status? How should we deal with them, and what is the ruling regarding them? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. As it is befitting for a scholar or a student of knowledge to deal with the general Muslim population, it is in accordance with the spirit of advice. It is obligatory, always within the limits of one's ability and capacity, to connect with them personally, by phone, or in writing, by any means by which advice and knowledge can be offered to them. It is not permissible, merely because a difference arises in one aspect or several aspects of knowledge, to make that a reason for a Muslim to distance himself from his Muslim brother. I am fully convinced of what I am saying, on the condition that stubbornness does not appear from the person who disagrees with us in our methodology and our call. If stubbornness does appear, then at that point, continuing to contact them is a waste of time, especially since human capacities are limited; one cannot address every individual in the town, let alone in the country, let alone in the whole world. Therefore, he must categorize people: who is most likely to benefit from his addressing them, his contacting them, his befriending them, and his companionship with them more than others. He should begin, as that poet said in his verse:
"Knowledge, if you seek it, is much, and life is short for acquiring it.
So prioritize the more important of them over the less important."
On this scale, prioritize the most important. This one has the capacity to understand you and respond to you more than that one, so give him two portions of your time, and give that one one portion. There is a person who deserves three portions, and so on. But this one who deserves only one portion, if you can avoid cutting him off, do not cut him off unless his stubbornness becomes apparent to you. Stubbornness is disbelief, so there is no benefit in wasting time with him. Thus, the answer to the question is that these people, some of whom were, for example, on the Salafi line but then fell into a partisan line, it is not permissible to cut them off. Rather, we should continue to follow up with them with knowledge and reminders and the like, until we despair of them, God forbid, and we classify them among the stubborn and arrogant ones, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I must abbreviate the hadith because I assume you know it. If you feel that a person is arrogant toward the truth and haughty about it, then cast him off. As for the others, you must be with them within the limits of your ability. This extent is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.