Being Occupied with Tabdee’

The speaker: A man says, don't force me to do tabdee' (declaring someone to be an innovator in the religion), except if an ijmaa’ (scholarly consensus) declares a person to be a mobtadee’ (an innovator). Is this principle correct? The sheikh: I mean, instead of being occupied with tabdee' of so and so, one must occupy himself with ilm (Islamic knowledge) and leave tabdee' of this kind. Then again, what is this scholarly consensus that declares a certain person to be a mobtadee' (an innovator)? Being occupied with tabdee' and being a person whose main concern is tabdee' and speaking against people, harms the person doing it, and he will not benefit from it at all. Rather, a Muslim's concern should be to occupy himself with beneficial ilm (Islamic knowledge), and this should be his main concern. He shouldn’t occupy himself with people, speaking against them, declaring so and so to be an innovator, (saying) if you don’t declare so and so to be an innovator then you are like him, or we will leave you because you didn’t declare him to be an innovator. All this talk has no value at all. The reader: May Allah reward you with goodness. Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise; We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. We seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.