they were described in words that could apply to no one but them.

As for the view held by many Qur’anic commentators regarding the words of the Exalted: “And none has with him any favor that must be repaid—only seeking the Face of his Lord, the Most High—and he will surely be satisfied” (al-Layl 92:19-21), that this passage refers to Abu Bakr, that is not of the same order as the explicit text revealed about those three. We know of no other Companion who was praised by a Qur’anic statement in the manner those three were praised.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) boycotted them for forty nights, not speaking to them at all, and he told the people, “Do not speak to them,” so no one addressed them. When the forty nights were completed, he instructed them to stay away from their wives. The messenger whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent to Kaʿb ibn Mālik with that order arrived, and Kaʿb said to him, “Shall I divorce her—I am ready to do so—or what?” The messenger replied, “I do not know. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has merely commanded you to separate from your wife, and I do not know anything beyond that.” Consider the magnitude of this obedience in the midst of so severe a trial—one that scarcely even occurs to the heart—yet none is delivered from it except the one whom Allah protects.

In sum, if a boycott helps to reduce the sin or to bring about repentance, it is prescribed, either as obligatory or as recommended. If, however, it brings no benefit and only makes the sinner more defiant and more averse to righteous people, then do not boycott him; for whatever sins a Muslim may have, he is still a believer, though his faith is deficient.

The second right is visiting the sick: when a Muslim falls ill and is confined to his home, he has a right over his brothers that they visit him and remind him of what he ought to remember—repentance, making bequests, abundant remembrance of Allah, seeking forgiveness, and reciting the Quran.