BOYCOTING IN ISLAM [I] There are two types of boycotting in Islaam. *Boycotting … a Muslim boycotting his Muslim brother is [regarded as being] of two types in the Legislation of Allaah. *The first: Is that he boycotts him due purely to a worldly matter, and it is not important whether this matter is something material or not [related to individual taste]–it is purely worldly. This [type of] boycotting is forbidden in Islaam. *In situations such as it, there is an allowance of [not speaking for] three days only. So if it continues for more than three days, it is forbidden [haraam], and that is his saying, ‘It is not allowed for a Muslim to boycott his brother for more than three. They meet and so this one turns away from that one, and that one from this. And the best of them is the one who initiates giving the salutation to his brother.’ [His saying] ‘More than three,’ i.e., more than three days, its meaning is that it is permissible for three days, an allowance from Allaah the Blessed and Most High, for His believing servants to vent their anger … by boycotting his brother Muslim for a day, two days, three–any more than that is forbidden [haraam] and not allowed. *For this reason the Prophet Sallallahu alayh wa ssalaam described this boycotting by saying, ‘It is not allowed for a Muslim to boycott his brother for more than three days.’ [And he said], ‘They both meet …’ i.e., one is going, the other is coming, but instead of one giving salaam to the other and the other person replying, ‘…this one turns away from that one, and that one from this …’ i.e., he ignores his brother who just passed by him. This action is not permissible after three days. ‘…And the best of them is the one who initiates giving the salutation to his brother.’ This last sentence from the hadith gives us two things: *The first: that this forbidden boycotting will cease just by the mere giving of salaam. And this is a very beautiful policy legislated by the Sharee’ah. Because it is difficult to bring together, all at once, hearts which have boycotted and hate each other. *But the All-Wise Legislator [i.e, Allaah] presented us with an easy key, which is that when you have a dispute with your brother regarding a worldly matter and it continues for more than three days, then it is forbidden [haraam] for you [to continue boycotting], and it is upon you to break the boycott, and to stop the separation/exodus [from one another]. *And it is not necessary for you to go to his house–that would be something good, something beautiful, and that you apologise to him, but this requires extremely strong eemaan–and this is rarely found among the people. Thus the All-Wise Legislator made the way to ending this boycotting and separation easy: when you meet him in the street you give him salaam, [saying], ‘As-Salaamu alaikum,’ and thus the sin would be lifted. This is taken from his saying, ‘… And the best of them is the one who initiates giving the salutation to his brother.’ There is no doubt that the better of the two is the one who gives the salaam first. So this person who gave the salaam first has moved from the level of committing a forbidden act to the level of entering into the way of Islaam, through [showing] his brotherhood for his Muslim brother. *The other person without doubt is also someone who has turned away and abandoned his brother, this other person to whom the salaam was given by the first … this [second] person who returns the salaam has committed a sin, and that [person who gave the salaam first] has been saved from the sin. *The best of the two is the one who gives the salaam first. So when the sin of abandoning and boycotting ceases to exist by giving the salaam, then this is usually the first step to meeting again, even if [that second meeting is] only through giving salaam, then maybe a handshake [will follow] which is regarded as one of the strongest reasons in attaining forgiveness from Allaah, the Blessed and Most High, since the Prophet g said, ‘No two Muslims meet and shake hands except that their sins fall away just like leaves fall off a tree in autumn.’ *You know how in autumn a tree’s leaves turn yellow and fall away, and you hear a sound when they fall, the sins of two Muslims who meet and shake hands fall off just like that, their sins fall off just as leaves fall off a tree in autumn. This is when the boycotting is related to worldly matters, whether material or abstract [but worldly nevertheless].
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 05:41:12 +0000
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