2021-03-12 17:05:46
al-hajr (ie: boycotting) varies according to how strong or weak, and how few or how numerous the people who are doing the boycotting are. The purpose is to rebuke and discipline the person being shunned and to deter the masses from doing likewise.
وَهَذَا الْهَجْرُ يَخْتَلِفُ بِاخْتِلَافِ الْهَاجِرِينَ فِي قُوَّتِهِمْ وَضَعْفِهِمْ وَقِلَّتِهِمْ وَكَثْرَتِهِمْ فَإِنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ بِهِ زَجْرُ الْمَهْجُورِ وَتَأْدِيبُهُ وَرُجُوعُ الْعَامَّةِ عَنْ مِثْلِ حَالِهِ.
If the maṣlaḥah (ie: purpose) is more likely be to achieved by boycotting, and it will weaken and reduce the evil, then it is prescribed,
فَإِنْ كَانَتْ الْمَصْلَحَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ رَاجِحَةً بِحَيْثُ يُفْضِي هَجْرُهُ إلَى ضَعْفِ الشَّرِّ وَخِفْيَتِهِ كَانَ مَشْرُوعًا.
But if the person being boycotting and others will not be deterred by that, rather the evil will increase, and the person doing the boycotting is weak and the bad consequences will outweigh the good, then boycotting is not prescribed, rather softening the hearts of some people is more effective than shunning.
وَإِنْ كَانَ لَا الْمَهْجُورُ وَلَا غَيْرُهُ يَرْتَدِعُ بِذَلِكَ بَلْ يُزِيدُ الشَّرَّ وَالْهَاجِرُ ضَعِيفٌ بِحَيْثُ يَكُونُ مَفْسَدَةُ ذَلِكَ رَاجِحَةً عَلَى مَصْلَحَتِهِ لَمْ يَشْرَعْ الْهَجْرُ؛ بَلْ يَكُونُ التَّأْلِيفُ لِبَعْضِ النَّاسِ أَنْفَعَ مِنْ الْهَجْرِ.
But in some cases boycotting is more effective than softening the hearts.
وَالْهَجْرُ لِبَعْضِ النَّاسِ أَنْفَعُ مِنْ التَّأْلِيفِ؛
Hence the Prophet ﷺ sought to soften the hearts of some people and boycotted others,
وَلِهَذَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَأَلَّفُ قَوْمًا وَيَهْجُرُ آخَرِينَ.
And the three who stayed behind (from Tābūk) were better than most of those whose hearts were to be softened, because they were leaders who held positions of influence among their tribes. So the interests of Islām dictated that the hearts of the leaders be softened, whereas the three who were shunned were believers and there were many other believers besides them.
كَمَا أَنَّ الثَّلَاثَةَ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا كَانُوا خَيْرًا مِنْ أَكْثَرِ الْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ لَمَّا كَانَ أُولَئِكَ كَانُوا سَادَةً مُطَاعِينَ فِي عَشَائِرِهِمْ فَكَانَتْ الْمَصْلَحَةُ الدِّينِيَّةُ فِي تَأْلِيفِ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَهَؤُلَاءِ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ سِوَاهُمْ كَثِيرٌ
So, boycotting them was supporting Islām and was a means of purifying them of their sins.
فَكَانَ فِي هَجْرِهِمْ عِزُّ الدِّينِ وَتَطْهِيرُهُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِمْ
Similarly, what is prescribed with regard to the enemy is to fight them sometimes, and to seek truces with them sometimes, and to take the jizyah sometimes, according to circumstances and what is in the ummah’s best interests.
وَهَذَا كَمَا أَنَّ الْمَشْرُوعَ فِي الْعَدُوِّ الْقِتَالُ تَارَةً وَالْمُهَادَنَةُ تَارَةً وَأَخْذُ الْجِزْيَةِ تَارَةً كُلُّ ذَلِكَ بِحَسَبِ الْأَحْوَالِ وَالْمَصَالِحِ.
And the opinions of the Imāms like Aḥmad and others in this issue is based on this foundation, and this is why he would differentiate between places where bidʿah had increased like the Qadariyyah in Baṣrah, and astrology in Khurasān, and Tashayyuʿ (ie: Shīʿism) in al-Kūfah, and places where it was not the case.
وَجَوَابُ الْأَئِمَّةِ كَأَحْمَدَ وَغَيْرِهِ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى هَذَا الْأَصْلِ وَلِهَذَا كَانَ يُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ الْأَمَاكِنِ الَّتِي كَثُرَتْ فِيهَا الْبِدَعُ كَمَا كَثُرَ الْقَدَرُ فِي الْبَصْرَةِ وَالتَّنْجِيمُ بِخُرَاسَانَ وَالتَّشَيُّعُ بِالْكُوفَةِ وَبَيَّنَ مَا لَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ.
Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwá 28/206
ابن تيمية، مجموع الفتاوى ٢٨/٢٠٦
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