Boycott their Products and Companies

by Asma bint Shameem

The basic principle is that it’s permissible to do with business with the non Muslims.

But if they’re enemies of Islaam and they’re at war with us or they insult our religion or our beloved Prophet ﷺ or they are oppressing and killing our brothers and sisters, then we should strive against them with all our might with our selves and our money and whatever else we have.

And that includes boycotting their products if that would be of harm to them.

🍃 The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“Strive against the mushrikeen with your wealth, your lives and your tongues (speech).”

(Abu Dawood 2504; saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood)

Boycotts have a long and important history of contributing to progressive social change, as well as succeeding in their more immediate goals.

One of the earliest examples was the boycott in England of sugar produced by slaves. In 1791, after Parliament refused to abolish slavery, thousands of pamphlets were printed encouraging the boycott. Sales of sugar dropped by between a third and a half.

So we don’t need to go buy their stuff.

Or do business with them.

Rather we SHUN them.

And we BOYCOTT their products and their businesses and companies.

🍃 Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'adi said:

"Boycotting enemies through commerce, trade, business, etc. is a major pillar among the pillars of Jihaad and has tremendous benefits."

🍃 Shaykh Abdul Kareem al-Khudayr said:

“Boycotting, no doubt, punishes the one who does these actions (transgressions).

And it also puts pressure on them from their people.

And if this punishes them, then there’s no doubt that it is religiously legitimate.

And a person is not required to buy their products to begin with.

And if there was enmity between your father or brother and another person, and he has a business, and you were to boycott him, would anyone blame you?

So how about the one who has made their enmity to all of the Muslims clear?

And Alhamdulillaah things go on without their products, and no doubt this has an impact on them and causes disruption for them.

And if this effect is clear, then there is no doubt that boycotting is something that is required.”

🍃 When someone asked Shaykh al-Albaani about meat slaughtered by people of Bulgaria is halaal or not, he was very UPSET.

That’s because the Bulgarians were killing a lot of Muslims at that time.

Shaykh Al-Albaani said:

“Just now I said to one of my brothers who asked me, and how often I am asked, to this day the people are still asking me about meat from Bulgaria, and in reality I’m amazed at them—we’ve been sorely tried by [this issue] of Bulgarian meat for many long years, [after] all of these years hasn’t the time come for the Muslims to understand what the ruling concerning this Bulgarian meat is?

Such a strange thing!

So I say that if you are in doubt and are uncertain about whether these animals have been slaughtered Islaamically or not— what you are not in doubt about is [the fact] that they are slaughtering our Muslim brothers there, the Turks who have been resident there for a long time, they are slaughtering them just like sheep are slaughtered.

So [even] if the Bulgarians really are slaughtering the meat which we import from them according to the Sharee’ah, I [still] say that it is NOT allowed for us to import it from them; on the contrary, it is obligatory upon us to BOYCOTT them so that they cease spilling the blood of our Muslim brothers there.

Subhaan Allaah!

The feeling of brotherhood has died which the Prophet ﷺ described as being that of one body:

“The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.”  (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)

The Muslims don’t feel the [many] pains of their brothers any more, the Islaamic bonds between them have been cut off, and for this reason their concern [instead] is to ask, “Is it allowed to eat Bulgarian meat or not?!”

Yaa akhi, you know that the Bulgarians are slaughtering the Muslims there, there is no difference between an Arab Muslim, a Turkish one, an Afghaani Muslim and so on, and the situation is as he ﷺ said: “The Muslims are brothers …,”

so if we are brothers, then it is obligatory on us to jealously protect each other and to feel grief for each other—and not merely be concerned with what one eats and drinks.

Isn’t this tyranny and this excruciating aggression against our Muslim brothers there ENOUGH to turn us away from Bulgarian meat, even if it is halaal?!

This is sufficient.

And this is a reminder, and a reminder benefits the believers.“

(Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 190)

🍃 Shaykh Mashoor, a student of Shaykh al-Albaani said regarding boycotting the Jews:

“And this time, I emphasize boycotting.

Boycotting is a successful, fast, and effective remedy.

It is important, and it should be practiced as a RELIGIOUS DUTY.

I said this, from the perspective of speaking on behalf of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala for more than 30 years.

I am neither eating nor drinking anything if I am aware that some of the profit (from that) returns to the Jews.

I consider, I hope that you forgive me that’s the one who calls Allaah, or rather the one who prays against the Jews while eating and drinking from food that profits them, he is a LIAR in his supplication, and he is NOT SINCERE at all.”

🍃 Shaykh Salih al-Luhaydan said:

“Boycotting of disbelieving nations, as a means of WAR upon them, if that necessitates narrowing down their trade routes because of their attack on Muslims, then it can be done.”

🍃 Abu’l-Wafa’ ibn ‘Aqil al-Hanbali said:

“If you want to know how much respect the people of a certain era have for Islaam, then do not look at the crowds of people who go to the mosques, or the noise they make when raising their voices in the Talbiyah; rather look at the extent to which they go along with the enemies of Islaam."

(Al-Adab ash-Shar‘iyyah by Ibn Muflih  1/237).

🔺IMPORTANT POINT

Boycotting just their products is NOT ENOUGH.

We as Muslims should also boycott their lifestyle, their celebrations and traditions, their mindset.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"He who imitates any people (in their actions) is considered to be one of them." (Abi dawood 4031: saheeh by al-Albaani)

Just boycotting their coffee and burgers is NOT enough.

We MUST boycott Shaytaan alongside it.

Boycott Shirk

Boycott Bid'ah

Boycott Sins

If we don’t pray our five daily prayers,

If we don’t return to the Qur’aan and Sunnah,

If we don’t correct our aqeedah,

If we don’t fix our mistakes and turn back to Allaah,

then NO MATTER how many coffees and burgers and products and companies we boycott, NOTHING will change and Allaah’s Help and Victory will NOT come, UNLESS and UNTIL we CHANGE ourselves and become a BETTER and PRACTICING Muslim.

🍃Allaah says:

‎یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوۤا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ یَنصُرۡكُمۡ وَیُثَبِّتۡ أَقۡدَامَكُمۡ

“O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allaah, He will help you, and make your foothold firm.”

(Surah Muhammad:7)

🍃And Allaah says:

‎إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللّهُ فَلاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكِّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

“If Allaah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after Him? And upon Allaah let the believers rely.”

(Surah Aali Imraan:160)

🍃Shaykh al-Albaani said:

"If the Muslims desire Masjid al Agsa to be returned, let them change their corrupt Aqeedah and their bad manners.”

(Saheeh at Targheeb wat Tarheeb 1/487)

May Allaah bring relief to all our brothers and sisters in Islaam and give us victory.

And Allaah knows best.