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What is the ruling on saying "Alright, you know best" or "Do as you please" with the intention of ending an argument with an opponent, and will Allah hold one accountable for that? And is it permissible to adopt the opponent's point of view to expose its flaws, based on Abraham's saying: "This is my Lord"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Praiseworthy argumentation is that which aims to clarify and manifest the truth and to refute falsehood with a good approach. The Sharia has commanded it, and scholars have practiced it. Argumentation "in the best way" is used as one of the methods of Da'wah (invitation to Islam), as Allah Almighty says: "Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best." Abandoning the aforementioned argumentation is considered a defeat for the truth, unless the opponent insists on obstinacy and deviates from the discussion. In that case, it can be abandoned, unless there is a fear of the attendees being influenced. The intention behind argumentation must be to manifest the truth, seeking Allah's pleasure, and insults and reviling must be avoided. If the opponent makes a mistake, they should be guided gently without embarrassing them. If they insist on their error, the argumentation can be stopped, unless the error is one that is feared to become established among the listeners, in which case they should be alerted to what is correct. As for outwardly adopting the opponent's idea with the intention of refuting it, there is no harm in that, as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did in his discourse. However, truly adopting it is impermissible.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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