Clarity needed when defending, advising, or refuting
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
Ensure With Absolute Certainty and Honesty That The Person You Are Defending is Not The True Offender, Lest You Find Yourself Crafting Feeble Excuses and Twisting Reality On Their Behalf
Allah [The Most High] said:
إِنَّآ أَنزَلۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ لِتَحۡكُمَ بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِمَآ أَرَٮٰكَ ٱللَّهُۚ وَلَا تَكُن لِّلۡخَآٮِٕنِينَ خَصِيمً۬ا
Surely, We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the Book (this Qur’an) in truth that you might judge between men by that which Allah has shown you (i.e. has taught you through Divine Inspiration), so be not a pleader for the treacherous (or deceitful person)]. [An-Nisaa105]
Imam As-Sadi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
Do not argue for the one whose treachery is known, such as the one who either pursues what does not belong to him or one who rejects a right he must fulfil, whether he is aware of that or not. In this is proof that it is forbidden to argue based on falsehood and pleading (for) one who makes a false claim –in religious or worldly disputes. On the other hand, it is permissible to plead on behalf of someone -in a dispute- who is not known for oppression. [1]
[وَلَا تَكُنْ لِلْخَائِنِينَ خَصِيمًا – so be not a pleader for the treacherous (or deceitful person)]. Imam Muhammad Ibn Salih al-Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: From this (also) is that it is not permissible for lawyers to engage in the practice of law solely to champion the cause of their clients, rather than to uphold justice, which is often the case with many lawyers today. They may defend an individual in disputes not with the intention of achieving justice, but rather to secure a victory for their client in exchange for what has been agreed upon. [2]
Ensure – With Clarity – That People Fully Comprehend Your Intentions When Offering Advice, Leaving No Ambiguity That Might Suggest You Are Merely Searching For Faults, Disputing And Reproaching Without Substantiation and Seeking to Belittle Under The Guise of Genuine Advice
Imam Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated regarding one of the differences between advice and reproach: Advice and reproach share the commonality in that they are both a mention about a person regarding what he hates. They differ in that advice is aimed at pursuing the welbeing of Muslims as a whole or a specific individuals among them, or specifically the one being advised. As for reproach, it is solely intended for dispraise and blame, exposing evil and disseminating it, even if it is portrayed in the image of advice. [3]
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
The distinction between advice and reprimand (without right) is that advice is kind treatment towards the recipient with mercy, compassion, and protective jealousy for him. It is pure kindness that stems from mercy and tenderness, with the advisor seeking Allah’s Face and Pleasure, and kind treatment towards Allah’s creation. He approaches the task with utmost gentleness, enduring the harm and blame of the one being advised, while dealing with him in a manner akin to a knowledgeable and caring physician tending to a seriously ill patient. He endures the patient’s bad manners, ill-temper, and aversion, while being gentle in his pursuit to administer the remedy in every manner possible. This is the affair of the advisor. As for the one reprimanding (without right), he is a man whose aim is to reprimand, belittle, and dispraise the one he reprimands in the image of advice. He may say, “O you who have done such and such; O you who deserve dispraise and humiliation,” portrayed in the image of a compassionate advisor. A sign of this (behaviour) is that if he were to witness someone he loves and would show kindness engaging in similar or worse actions, he would neither confront nor say anything to him, and he would seek excuses for him. If overwhelmed, he might say, “Which one of us is guaranteed infallibility from error. The human being is prone to error? His (i.e. the person he seeks excuses for) good deeds outweigh his faults, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”. It is indeed perplexing how such is afforded to the one he loves and not for the one he hates. One of the distinctions between an advisor and a reprimander (without right) is that the advisor does not hold animosity towards you if you choose not to accept his advice. He says: “The reward (for the advice) may be attained from Allah whether he (the recipient) accepts or not”, and supplicates for you in your absence. Neither mentions your flaws nor exposes them to the people, while the one reprimanding (without right) is the opposite. [4]
Ensure that you diligently adhere to the proper etiquettes when addressing the errors of Ahlus Sunnah- Read article by Shaikh Abu Khadeejah, may Allah preserve him.
https://abukhadeejah.com/when-ahl-sunnah-refute-ahl-sunnah-they-do-so-with-good-manners-showing-him-his-errors-in-fiqh-or-understanding-and-ijtihad/
Stance Against Ahlul Bidah Must Be Unequivocal – Read article by Shaikh Abu Khadeejah, may Allah preserve him.
https://abukhadeejah.com/ahlus-sunnah-the-salafis-warn-from-associating-and-mixing-with-the-people-of-desires-the-innovators-by-ash-shaikh-al-allamah-rabee-al-madkhalee/
[1] An Excerpt from Tafsir As-Sadi
[2] Tafsir Surah An-Nisa. Ayah 32
[3] Al-Farq Bayna An-Nasiha Wat-Ta’yeer 227
[4] Ar-Ruh 257-258