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Is it prescribed to boycott innovators in this day and age?

Question: 22872

When is it prescribed to boycott innovators (followers of bid’ah)? When is it prescribed to hate for the sake of Allaah? Is it prescribed to boycott them in this day and age?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

The believer should analyze the situation in the light of
faith and sharee’ah, and ignore his whims and desires. If his shunning and
keeping away from the innovator will not result in a greater evil, then it
is prescribed, and at the very least it is Sunnah. Similarly, shunning those
who openly commit sin is at the very least Sunnah. But if not shunning them
will be more effective because one thinks that calling these innovators,
guiding them to the Sunnah and teaching them what Allaah has enjoined upon
them will be more effective in guiding them, then he should not hasten to
shun them, but he should hate them for the sake of Allaah just as he hates
the kaafirs and sinners. But his hatred for the kuffaar should be greater,
whilst also calling them to Allaah and striving to guide them, acting in
accordance with all the shar’i evidence. So he should hate the innovator in
accordance with the degree of his innovation, so long as it does not imply
kufr, and he should hate the sinner in accordance with the degree of his
sin, but he should also love him for the sake of Allaah in accordance with
the degree of his Islam and faith. From this we know that shunning depends
on the situation. 

Conclusion: the most correct approach is to look at the
shar’i interests involved, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) shunned some people and not others, depending on the
objectives of Islam. He shunned Ka’b ibn Maalik and his two companions (may
Allaah be pleased with them) when they stayed behind from the campaign of
Tabook with no excuse. He shunned them for fifty days, until they repented
and Allaah accepted their repentance. But he did not shun ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Ubayy ibn Salool and a group of those who were accused of hypocrisy, for
shar’i reasons. 

The believer looks at what is in the best interests (of
Islam). This does not contradict the idea of hating the kaafirs, innovators
and sinners for the sake of Allaah and loving the Muslims for the sake of
Allaah. Attention must be paid to what is in the general interest; if
shunning is better then they should be shunned, but if the objectives of
Islam dictate that ongoing da’wah efforts should be made rather than
shunning, then that is what should be done, following the teaching of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). And Allaah is the
Source of strength. 

Source

Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), 9/423

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