Shaykh al-Islaam
Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allaah have Mercy on him] said:
Boycotting is of
two types: boycotting in order to rebuke so that the person would give up their
bad deeds.
However, this
type of boycotting is on the condition that one is able to bring about change,
and that one is not unable to benefit them. If the people of innovation and sin
are plenty and ones’ ability to change their practices by boycotting is feeble,
then boycotting them is not applicable.
He then
continued:
If you have power
over them and boycotting the people of sin and innovation will enable them to
change, then boycotting and abandoning them is a form of punishment will bring
about a greater benefit.
A principle:
- -If one does something bad but the good is greater, then
doing this bad action in actuality is not a bad action.
- -If by doing a good action there is no greater benefit
then doing this good action is not a good action, rather it is a bad action.
Therefore,
boycotting and abandoning innovators can either be productive, such as the
sinner leaves his sin or the innovators leaves his innovation - then this
objective is praiseworthy, as he is forbidding the evil and bringing about
punishment upon those who deserve it. By it also, he strengthens al-Emaan,
righteous deeds and he increase its people.
However, if
boycotting or abandoning them doesn’t bring about any rectification, rather it
only increases the people of truth in alienation and resentment towards
al-Emaan and the Sunnah, then this boycotting is not correct. They are not
achieving anything by this. Rather, they are creating more harm as they are
doing something which has not been commanded, as Imaam Ahmad said about the
Jahmees in Khursaan, “Boycotting them in Khursaan only increases the
Jahmiyyah.”
If one is unable
to bring about rectification by boycotting them, then the order to boycott no
longer stands. In fact, their attempt to remove harm (sins, innovations etc.)
via boycotting only makes the believers weaker and at times, it could only
increase the bad-doers in proof and number.
[Adapted from
Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa (28-210/212)]
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