shunning him is a form of discretionary punishment. If he commits evil deeds openly, he is shunned openly; if he commits them secretly, he is shunned privately. Such shunning is on account of evil deeds, and forsaking evil deeds means abandoning what Allah has forbidden. As the Most High says:

“And shun defilement.”

The Most High also says:

“And leave them graciously.”

And He says:

“He has already revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allah’s verses being denied and ridiculed, you must not sit with them until they engage in a different conversation; otherwise, you would be like them.”

It has been reported concerning ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb that when his son ʿAbd al-Rahmān drank wine in Egypt, his brother took him to the governor of Egypt, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀs, to receive the prescribed flogging. He administered it privately, although floggings were normally carried out publicly. ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb sent word to ʿAmr reproaching him for this. ʿUmar did not recognize that flogging as sufficient: he summoned his son to Medina and administered the prescribed flogging publicly, not considering the obligation discharged by the first punishment. His son lived for some time afterward, then fell ill and died. He did not die from that flogging, nor did ʿUmar flog him after his death, as liars claim.

Regarding the words of the Most High:

“Do not let pity for the two overcome you in applying Allah’s law,”

and the remainder of the verse: the Most High forbids what Satan urges concerning punishments generally and sexual immorality particularly. For this matter revolves around affection, desire, and pity, which Satan makes appealing by inclining people’s hearts sympathetically towards those who commit sexual immorality and fostering compassion for them. Because of this affliction, many people fall into condoning sexual immorality and lacking protective jealousy when