against himself” (1). Rather, the prohibited case is when a person is pursued for property owed by someone else, although he is neither that person’s agent nor guarantor and holds none of his property, or when he is punished for the offense (2) of a relative or neighbor despite having committed no sin himself—neither by neglecting a duty nor by committing a prohibited act. This is what is impermissible.

In the present case, however, he is punished only for his own sin: he knows the whereabouts of the oppressor whose presence is required so that the right may be obtained, or the whereabouts of property to which the rights of those entitled have become attached, yet he refuses to provide the assistance and support required of him by the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. He may do so out of favoritism and partisan zeal for that oppressor, as people of disobedience sometimes act toward one another (3); or out of hostility and hatred toward the wronged party. Allah Most High says, “Do not let hatred for a people lead you to be unjust. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness” [Al-Mā’idah: 8]. Or he may do so by turning away from fulfilling his duty to Allah and upholding the justice that Allah Most High has commanded, or because of cowardice, weakness, and failure to support His religion—as do those who fail to support the religion of Allah, His Messenger, and His Book (4), and who, when told, “Go forth in the cause of Allah,” cling heavily to the earth.