Is it binding upon us to mention the good points of the one that we are warning against?

No. Do not mention their good points. Mention only the error that they have fallen into. It has not been entrusted to you to give them tazkiyah (commendation). That which is entrusted to you is to explain the error that they are upon so that they may repent from it, and so that others may take caution against it.

It has spread amongst the youth today that it is obligatory to counterbalance between the good and bad points when criticising and so they say: ‘When you criticise such and such person for an innovation and you expose his mistakes, it is necessary for you to mention his good points - and this is from the perspective of justice and fairness. So is this manhaj (methodology) in criticising correct? And is it necessary for me to mention the good points when criticising?

When the one who is being criticised is from Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah and his mistakes are in matters which do not relate to ʿaqīdah, then yes... his good points and exceptional [qualities] are mentioned. His mistakes and slips are overwhelmed by his aid for the Sunnah.

But when the one being criticised is from the People of Misguidance and the People of Deviation and from the People of Destructive and Adulterated Principles, then it is not permissible for us to mention their good points - when he has good points - because when we mention them, this deceives the people and makes them hold a good opinion about this strayer or about this innovator or deviant or biased partisan.

So then they accept the ideas of this strayer or this innovator or this biased partisan. And Allaah (جل وعلا) refuted the Disbelievers, the Criminals and the Hypocrites and did not mention any of their good points. And likewise the Scholars of the Salaf refute the Jahmiyyah and Muʿtazilah and the People of Misguidance and they never mention any of their good points. This is because their good deeds are impaired by their misguidance, disbelief, deviation and hypocrisy.

So it is not befitting that you refute a straying wanderer, innovator, deviant and then mention his good points and that you say he is a good man, he has this and that good point, but he made a mistake! We say to you: Your praise of him is stronger than his misguidance, because the people will hold on to your praise of him. So when you promote this straying innovator and you praise him then you have deceived the people and this opens up the door for accepting the ideas of those who lead others astray...

And the foundation for this doubt of counterbalancing between the good and bad points in criticising, one of the youth spoke by it and wrote a book on it. Then others received this with much joy.

I came across this book in which its author argues for the principle of counterbalancing and I also came across the work of Shaikh Rabīʿ bin Hādī al-Madkhalī and he refuted that book in which its author justifies the idea of counterbalancing with a complete refutation and explained what such words contain of error and promotion of falsehood and he explained the madhhab of the Salaf in refuting and that they used to refute people who lead others astray and that they did not praise them because if they had done that, this would have been contradictory.