A Group Deserting One of Its Members

10-9-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

We wish to remind you about our request for a comprehensive answer to the case of an active member of a very important Islamic organization who was punished by ordering other members to abstain from saying salaam to him by drawing a comparison between his case and that of those three Sahaba who were punished with the same during prophet Muhammad's life time. We expect a comprehensive answer very very soon.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Basically deserting a Muslim person and cutting relations with him is forbidden except if there is a sound justification for doing so. If there is any benefit for the Muslims in deserting him, then it is permissible because the purpose of deserting a person is to deter him and the people who are like him from committing sins or practicing innovations, and the like. Therefore, it is not permitted for the members of the organization to desert this person except if there is a valid reason according to the Islamic Sharee’ah.

Allah knows best.