I am a committed man who follows the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but I have colleagues who have some religious innovations. Is it permissible for me to boycott them?
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The questioner : From Algeria, the questioner Muhammad A. A. says, “May the Shaykh be respected, I am a Muslim and I thank Allah for that, following the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).”
The Shaykh : May Allah send prayers and peace upon him.
The questioner : But I have colleagues who have some religious innovations. Is it permissible for me to boycott them and leave them? Please advise us and guide us, may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for one who has companions
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : who have religious innovations to advise them and clarify to them that what they are upon is a religious innovation, so that perhaps Allah may guide them through his hands, so that he may attain their reward. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ali ibn Abi Talib:Sahih al-Bukhari 3701 If they persist in what they are upon of religious innovation, and if the religious innovation is one that entails disbelief, then it is obligatory for him to boycott them and keep his distance from them. If it is not one that entails disbelief, then let him look to see if there is a public benefit in boycotting them. If there is a public benefit in boycotting them, he should boycott them; if there is no public benefit in boycotting them, he should not boycott them. This is because boycotting is a remedy; if its benefit is expected, let him do it, and if its benefit is not expected, let him not do it. This is because the original ruling is that boycotting a believer is forbidden, and the sinner among the believers does not lose the name of faith, so boycotting him is originally forbidden. But if there is a public benefit in boycotting him because he will straighten out and leave what entails his open sinfulness, then he is boycotted; otherwise, he is not. This is the criterion for boycotting that brings the evidence together.
And its summary is that boycotting the disbeliever who has committed apostasy is obligatory if advising him does not benefit him. Boycotting the open sinner is not permissible except if there is a public benefit in boycotting him. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: except if there is a public benefit in boycotting him, in which case he is boycotted, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did with Ka'b ibn Malik and his two companions when they lagged behind the expedition to Tabuk. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. From Sudan, O respected Shaykh, a questioner asks about the lawful and unlawful ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation)...
The Shaykh : about?
The questioner : The lawful and unlawful ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation).
The Shaykh : The lawful ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) is what the Sunnah brought, such as: “O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and heal; You are the Healer, there is no healing except Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness”. The unlawful ruqyah is the innovative or polytheistic one. So whatever is a religious innovation or shirk (associating partners with Allah), then the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is forbidden and does not increase the person except harm and illness. And if it is decreed that he is healed by it, he was not actually healed by it; rather, the healing was at that time, not by it, as a test from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for this man who performed ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with shirk (associating partners with Allah) or with religious innovations.
As for the permissible supplications that are not religious innovations, the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with them is permissible. Thus, it is clarified that ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) has four categories: what the Sunnah brought, the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is prescribed and recommended; what is shirk (associating partners with Allah) or a religious innovation, the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is forbidden; and what is a permissible supplication with no shirk (associating partners with Allah) in it and no religious innovation, but it is not from what was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is permissible. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation):Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 3:518. Yes.
The Shaykh : May Allah send prayers and peace upon him.
The questioner : But I have colleagues who have some religious innovations. Is it permissible for me to boycott them and leave them? Please advise us and guide us, may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for one who has companions
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : who have religious innovations to advise them and clarify to them that what they are upon is a religious innovation, so that perhaps Allah may guide them through his hands, so that he may attain their reward. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ali ibn Abi Talib:
if one man is guided on the right path (i.e. converted to Islam) through you, it would be better for you than (a great number of) red camels.
لأن يهدي الله بك رجلا واحدا خير لك من حُمْر النعمAnd its summary is that boycotting the disbeliever who has committed apostasy is obligatory if advising him does not benefit him. Boycotting the open sinner is not permissible except if there is a public benefit in boycotting him. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
It is not permissible for anyone to boycott his believing brother for more than three days. They meet, and this one turns away and that one turns away, and the best of them is the one who starts with the greeting
لا يحل لأحد أن يهجر أخاه المؤمن يلتقيان فيُعرض هذا ويُعرض هذا وخيرهما الذي يبدؤ بالسلامThe questioner : May Allah bless you. From Sudan, O respected Shaykh, a questioner asks about the lawful and unlawful ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation)...
The Shaykh : about?
The questioner : The lawful and unlawful ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation).
The Shaykh : The lawful ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) is what the Sunnah brought, such as: “O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and heal; You are the Healer, there is no healing except Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness”. The unlawful ruqyah is the innovative or polytheistic one. So whatever is a religious innovation or shirk (associating partners with Allah), then the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is forbidden and does not increase the person except harm and illness. And if it is decreed that he is healed by it, he was not actually healed by it; rather, the healing was at that time, not by it, as a test from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for this man who performed ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with shirk (associating partners with Allah) or with religious innovations.
As for the permissible supplications that are not religious innovations, the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with them is permissible. Thus, it is clarified that ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) has four categories: what the Sunnah brought, the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is prescribed and recommended; what is shirk (associating partners with Allah) or a religious innovation, the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is forbidden; and what is a permissible supplication with no shirk (associating partners with Allah) in it and no religious innovation, but it is not from what was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), the ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) with it is permissible. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation):