The Ruling on Returning the Greeting to the Shi'ah and Expelling Them from Mosques?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you and protect you. We have Shi'ah in our workplace, and we see them. Do we return the greeting to them? Is it permissible to return their greeting? We also see them in the mosque, and they pray on papers. Is it permissible to expel them from the mosque?
The Shaykh : I say, treat them as they treat you. If they greet you, return the greeting to them. It is not good to expel them from the mosque. In fact, some of them may be common people who do not know anything, and their scholars have misled them. You can influence them through politeness and calling to what is best. Using violence among people is not a viable option. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, loves gentleness in all matters. If you were to confront them now and say, "Do not prostrate on paper, do not prostrate on stone," and so on, and if the matter ended there and they stopped, that would be good. But they will increase in their behavior, and enmity and hatred between you will become more severe. What I see is that the obligatory thing first is to advise them.
If the Sunnah becomes clear to them, I assert with certainty that if they have true faith, they will return to it and abandon their falsehood. If this happens, it is the most complete and best outcome. If it does not happen, then you treat them as they treat you. As for expelling them from the mosque, that is not for you to do; it is for those above you to deal with them as they see fit. Yes.
The Shaykh : I say, treat them as they treat you. If they greet you, return the greeting to them. It is not good to expel them from the mosque. In fact, some of them may be common people who do not know anything, and their scholars have misled them. You can influence them through politeness and calling to what is best. Using violence among people is not a viable option. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, loves gentleness in all matters. If you were to confront them now and say, "Do not prostrate on paper, do not prostrate on stone," and so on, and if the matter ended there and they stopped, that would be good. But they will increase in their behavior, and enmity and hatred between you will become more severe. What I see is that the obligatory thing first is to advise them.
If the Sunnah becomes clear to them, I assert with certainty that if they have true faith, they will return to it and abandon their falsehood. If this happens, it is the most complete and best outcome. If it does not happen, then you treat them as they treat you. As for expelling them from the mosque, that is not for you to do; it is for those above you to deal with them as they see fit. Yes.