What is your guidance regarding someone who despises the Companion Ma'iz — may Allah be pleased with him — for having committed an immoral act?

The tongue must be guarded from backbiting and slandering Muslims in general. This obligation is emphasized even more if the one spoken about is a Companion, and the demand for a sound heart towards them becomes even stronger. Ma'iz ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, had the punishment of stoning carried out upon him. Punishments are expiations for those who undergo them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded seeking forgiveness for him and spoke well of him, testifying to his tremendous repentance, saying that if it were divided among an entire nation, it would suffice them. Therefore, slandering him or hating him contradicts the guidance of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Whatever the sins of the Companions may have been, they possess a status and a precedence that no one else can attain. So, whoever slanders Ma'iz must repent, supplicate for him, and praise him.