Q398 :Muslims boycotting each other
A398 : The Prophet says : “Do not hate each other
and do not envy one another, and do not turn your back on each other.
Servants of Allah, be always brothers. It is not lawful for anyone to
boycott his brother for over three nights. They may meet and each of
them turns his face away. The one who is first to greet the other is
the better one of the two of them. ” This Hadith shows how much
importance Islam attaches to the brotherhood of Muslims and how it
discourages any action that tends to weaken the bond of his
brotherhood. That means that it is permissible, although by no means
encouraged, for two Muslims not to be on speaking terms for a shorter
period. This should be understood as a concession which is given in
view of what quarrels may take place between people who are otherwise
good Muslims. It is only natural for a human being to get angry at
times and to allow his anger to get the better of him. This may lead to
an estrangement or a boycott between them. Muslims who find themselves
in such a situation are allowed three days to let their tempers cool
down. Quarrels which result from long harbored hate or envy will take
much longer to mend. However, we are netmanded by the Prophet not to
entertain such feelings for any length of time against fellow Muslims.
Perhaps it should be added here that when a person fears that his
continued relationship with a particular person is bound to cause him
harm, whether in respect of his worldly interest or in respect of his
fulfillment of his Islamic duties, he will be right not to maintain a
very close relationship with that person. He need not boycott him
altogether, but he may keep him at arm’s length. Sometimes when a
quarrel takes place between two persons, they regret it and both of
them are eager to mend the relationship, but they cannot bring
themselves to start the process of reconciliation. Each of them feels
that he will be netpromising his dignity if he goes to the other and
greets him warmly as if there has been no quarrel. The Prophet
encourages us not to allow such a consideration to stop us from doing
what is right. It is not easy for people to overnete their ego and
bring themselves to greet a person with whom they have quarrelled
especially when they genuinely feel hurt that the other person was
totally in the wrong. But it is this particular attitude which the
Prophet wants to play down so that it does not prevent Muslims from
making things up after they have quarrelled. A Muslim always tries to
excel. He wants to earn more reward so that he makes sure of being
forgiven for his sins on the day of judgement. So the overriding
criterion for a Muslim is what to do in order to earn Allah’s pleasure
and receive more reward from Him. When the Prophet points out a method
or an action which makes a person better, his very statement proves a
motive for every Muslim to follow that message or to act on that
advice. This particular concept makes it easier for a Muslim to
overnete his pride and to start the process of making up, although he
may feel that he was the one oppressed.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )