Winter Conferences: True Meaning of Sitting with Innovators (If the Hukm of Tabdee' is Actually Established)

Follow @AhleDhikr

Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Naasir al-Baraack [may Allaah Preserve him] said:

Sitting with innovators and engaging with them in their falsehood are ways in which people are misguided and misguide others by. Sitting with them without refuting or objecting to their innovations suggests that the one accompanying them is pleased with their falsehood.

So whoever is not able to refute or object to their innovations must not sit with them. Rather, sitting with them would be considered as a sitting that is a sitting of disobeying Allaah.

As for those who sit with innovators in order to refute their falsehood, from the different levels of innovations of Kufr, Bid’ah and sin etc. then such a ruling differs depending on the situation and objectives.

Therefore, sitting with them may be recommended; such as a person who has knowledge and wants to give them Da’wah but this is on the condition that he doesn’t fear harm for himself or his religion.

It may be Makrooh to sit with innovators or it may be Mubaah, all depending on the consequences and the situation.

It may be that sitting with innovators is Haraam if by sitting with them would lead to corruption of one’s religion and understanding.  It may also be Haraam if the person is taken as an example and is seen sitting with them.

Sometimes, abandoning the people of innovation and sin maybe in order to be saved from their evils and corruption, but at times it may be as an act of rebuking them for their misguidance (so that they may take heed), and proclaiming innocence from them.

So the narrations that have come from the Salaf warning against sitting with innovators have all come with the understanding that they feared for themselves from the evils of their innovations and misguidance –fearing that they would be influence if they sat with them.

As for most people nowadays, they do not have knowledge or strength in Emaan in order to refute and reject innovations and misguidance.

So as the saying goes, “Precaution is better than cure.”

And Allaah Knows Best.

[10/8/1426 – 14/9/2005]

http://ar.islamway.net/fatwa/36288/مجالسة-أهل-البدع