The noble Shaykh Rabi‘ ibn Hadi al-Madkhali (hafidhahullah) was asked: “O’ Shaykh, what advice do you have for those who go to the gatherings of people of desires, attend their lectures and greet them to confirm what they say and debate them?”

Shaykh Rabi‘ (hafidhahullah) answered:

This person will likely end up becoming a Hizbi, either a Tablighi, Sufi, Rafidhi, Jahmi [etc.]. Certainly, these types of people will face punishment from Allah [and become misguided] because they contradict the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ and his directives, contradict the way of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) and endanger their religion.

Therefore, such individuals will likely go astray and join the evil partisan groups (ahzab):

— Ibn ‘Aqil (rahimahullah) was a mountain of intelligence and knowledge, the scholars advised him to not mix with the Mu‘tazilah, but he went to them and ended up becoming a Mu’tazili.

— Abu Dharr (rahimahullah), a student of al-Daraqutni (rahimahullah) who was an Imam of the Sunnah, heard a phrase that misled him, so he became an Ash‘ari.

— ‘Abdul-Razzaq [al-San‘ani] (rahimahullah) sat with Ja‘far ibn Sulayman al-Duba‘i who had inclinations towards Shiism, and he followed suit; he turned towards him and the poor man (miskeen) became from the Shia, although his adherence to Shiism was not extreme, we do not oppress him (by over exaggerating) but he fell into it and was influenced.

Therefore, whoever associates with the people of falsehood will inevitably be influenced whether he likes it or not. No matter what he claims for himself, he will inevitably be influenced because the truthful and trusted Messenger ﷺ warned and said:

إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَالْجَلِيسِ السَّوْءِ، كَحَامِلِ الْمِسْكِ وَنَافِخِ الْكِيرِ ؛ فَحَامِلُ الْمِسْكِ إِمَّا أَنْ يُحْذِيَكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَبْتَاعَ مِنْهُ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْهُ رِيحًا طَيِّبَةً،  وَنَافِخُ الْكِيرِ إِمَّا أَنْ يُحْرِقَ ثِيَابَكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَجِدَ رِيحًا خَبِيثَةً

“The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk and the blacksmith; as for the seller of musk, either he will give you a gift, or you will buy from him, or at least you will get a pleasant smell from him. And as for the blacksmith, either he will burn your clothes, or you will get an offensive smell from him.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

A righteous companion, Masha-Allah, presents three possible scenarios, all of which are positive. Firstly, he may give you a sample, saying, ‘Here, take this. Apply it on yourself.’ Alternatively, he might gift you a bottle of perfume, or you may purchase perfume from him. This interaction is beneficial, as you are not buying alcohol or any prohibited item; rather, you are purchasing something beautiful that Allah loves. It is encouraged to apply this before prayer and upon entering the Masjid. Therefore, you benefit from this encounter. Even encountering a pleasant fragrance from him is beneficial.

In contrast, an evil companion is like sitting with a blacksmith; they might accidentally burn your clothes or emit a foul smell that could potentially cause cancer or another type of illness, which we seek refuge from with Allah.

So, the bad companion will inevitably bring harm and evil upon you. The Prophet ﷺ  said:

الْمَرْءُ عَلَى دِينِ خَلِيلِهِ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ أَحَدُكُمْ مَنْ يُخَالِلُ

“A man follows the religion of his close friend; so each one of you should look to whom he befriends.” (Abu Dawud & al-Tirmidhi)

Allah (subhanahu wa ta‘ala) said:

﴾الْأَخِلَّاءُ يَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقِينَ﴿

“The close friends on that Day will be enemies to each other except the righteous.” (Surah al-Zukhruf 43:67) — People of desires and innovations are not among these righteous friends.

You have verses and hadiths warning you, yet you say: “No, I will go to them [and not be affected].” Who granted you immunity while the Messenger warned the Companions and the Salaf, who were like mountains, blocked their ears not wanting to hear the people of innovations?

If you go and visit them and attend their lectures, you will be affected by their sparks, smoke, and exhalation.

We have experienced much, we have tried a lot; for more than thirty years we have been trying. These arrogant individuals have gone astray and lost their way; their end is inevitable; they will be led astray, and we ask Allah for safety. No matter how intelligent he is, Allah will punish him. We say to him: “Your intelligence does not benefit you! You must take the necessary steps and means to protect this religion that Allah has given you and preserve it; this is a blessing that should not be played with.”

Presently, those you see among the Hizbis in these lands (Saudi Arabia), all of them were originally Salafi. They have all strayed because of mixing with, socializing with, reading, and listening to people of desires. Everyone you see now and is said about them so-and-so is a Hizbi, none of them have gone astray except by mixing with the Hizbis, they adopt this theory: ‘I will take the truth and leave the falsehood’, so they end up taking the falsehood and leaving the truth, and they become enemies of the truth, waging war against its people!

Source: Fatwas on Aqidah and Manhaj, Part 2