Shaykh Muḥammad bin Hādī:

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAwn Artabān may Allah have mercy upon him said:

‘Those who sit with the innovators are more dangerous to us than the innovators.’

Why? Because the people of innovation have manifested their affair and displayed their condition, thus the people are cautious of them. But as for the person who manifest that he is Sunni and upon the ʿAqīdah of Ahl al-Sunnah, and upon the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah, while he sits with them (the innovators) this person is more dangerous to us than they are. Why? Because the deception and trickery from him is greater. He deceives the common person, he deceives the common people. They are deceived by him from two perspectives.

First: They sit with the people of innovation and thus the one who sees him siting with him says: ‘If there was something wrong with him so and so would not have sat with him because he is Sunni, and we know him.’ Thus they fall victim due to him.

Second: He himself is the one who pulls them away from Ahl al-Sunnah and the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah in opposing the people of innovation, until he brings them to them. This is because if he assists and defends them after he has sat with them and accompanied them, he becomes just like them upon their methodology; thus he pulls along those who are deceived by him from those who know him from being upon the Sunnah from long ago, thus they fall victim due to him.

And some of them have mentioned also, and this has been narrated as being from the narrations of the children of Isrāʾīl from Sulaymān peace be upon him, that he said:

لا تَحْكُمُوا عَلَى أَحَدٍ بِشَيْءٍ , حَتَّى تَنْظُرُوا مَنْ يُخَادِنُ

Do not pass judgment upon anyone until you look to see whom he has befriended.

Do not pass judgment on anyone until you look at his friend. Who is his friend? Thus when you see him you will know him by his friend. A person may hide what is inside of him. So he is quiet and does not display it. But his friend will expose him. Thus everything can be hidden except for companionship; as the Salaf have said. And I believe we mentioned this yesterday. Everything can be hidden except companionship. Where can he put his friend? Can he put him in his stomach? It is a must that he walks side by side with him; he has to walk with him.

So if the people see you with a Qadarī then you are like him. If they see you with a Jaḥmī then you are like him. If they see you with a Rāfiḍī then you are like him. It is not possible for you to get close to him except that the religion has lost value in your heart. Thus you begin to view that what he is upon will not bring about any harm until there comes a time when you are upon what he is upon.