BENEFIT 390: Being Present in Places of Evil While Claiming to Hate It in the Heart Is Not Enough!!

Allāh ﷻ said: ﴿وَقَدۡ نَزَّلَ عَلَیۡكُمۡ فِی ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ أَنۡ إِذَا سَمِعۡتُمۡ ءَایَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ یُكۡفَرُ بِهَا وَیُسۡتَهۡزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقۡعُدُوا۟ مَعَهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ یَخُوضُوا۟ فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیۡرِهِۦۤ إِنَّكُمۡ إِذࣰا مِّثۡلُهُمۡۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ جَامِعُ ٱلۡمُنَـٰفِقِینَ وَٱلۡكَـٰفِرِینَ فِی جَهَنَّمَ جَمِیعًا﴾ "He has already revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allāh’s revelations being denied or ridiculed, then do not sit in that company unless they engage in a different topic, or else you will be like them. Surely Allāh will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell." [Sūrah An-Nisāʾ: 140] Al-Qurṭubi rahimahullah mentioned in his Tafsir: "{Indeed, you would then be like them} This Āyah indicates the obligation to avoid those who engage in sinful acts when their wrongdoing becomes evident. Whoever does not distance themselves from such individuals has, in effect, approved of their actions. And approval of disbelief is itself disbelief, as Allāh, the Almighty, has said: {Indeed, you would then be like them}. Thus, anyone who sits in a gathering of sin and does not object to their wrongdoing is equally accountable. It is necessary to denounce them when they speak or act in disobedience. If one is unable to do so, THEY SHOULD LEAVE THE GATHERING to avoid being included in the condemnation of this Āyah. It has been reported that ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (may Allāh be pleased with him) once caught a group drinking alcohol. When he was informed that one of those present was fasting, he still subjected him to punishment and recited the Āyah: {Indeed, you would then be like them}. This demonstrates that approving of sin is itself a sin. Consequently, both the perpetrator and the one who consents to the wrongdoing are held accountable and may face collective destruction." [end quote] I heard Sheikh Yahya mention in some of his lessons that this Āyah also applies to reading harmful books and watching inappropriate clips. So it is not limited to physical gatherings.