Reply to Critics

Allaah describes the believers in His Noble Book as making the following du’aa, “Our Lord, do not place in our hearts hatred toward the believers.” (59:10) Yet some of our brothers have been doing just the opposite: placing enmity in the hearts of the people against the believers. It is sad that conferences, which used to be gatherings of learning, imparting beneficial knowledge, spreading the Sunnah, and increasing our eemaan, have been turned into gatherings of character assassination and maligning scholars, students of knowledge, and du‘aat. So much so that the hearts of those who attend these conferences have become hardened with hatred toward many students of knowledge, who have dedicated their lives to spreading the correct ‘aqeedah and Sunnah, and who should in fact be loved for the sake of Allaah. Rather, we should advise one another and try to guide our brothers if we see them make mistakes or see them straying from the correct manhaj. We should not rejoice nor feel triumphant when we see our brothers fall or err; so as not be like those whom Allaah describes saying, “If some good comes to you it grieves them, while if some evil befalls you they rejoice at it.” (3:120) We should give one another the benefit of the doubt: Perhaps he has a shubhah (doubt or point of confusion) about such and such an issue, perhaps he does not know the proofs regarding such and such an issue, perhaps this mistake, in his view, was based on what he held to be knowledge, but rather it was statements of scholars taken out of context, etc. Allaah describes the believers as being harsh to the disbelievers, and merciful with the believers. (48:29) Now, it has been reversed. Some of these brothers in a recent lecture in the United States went so far as to say about me that I am worse than the Jews and Christians! May Allaah protect us from that which they ascribe us to. This state of random labeling and boycotting has become among the greatest fitnahs of our time, where Satan creates fitnah cloaked in an Islaamic garb. He disguised this fitnah under an honorable name, under the name of Truth, under the name of Salafiyyah. While the noble Salafee manhaj, the only way to attain success, is innocent of such behavior. The path of true guidance, i.e. Salafiyyah, was never intended to be an exclusive club, in which certain individuals can grant membership and confiscate it from whomsoever they please. This attitude is similar to the very hizbiyyah (factionalism) which our brothers are trying to fight.

I advise these brothers of ours to spend their time beneficially, learning the basics, studying Arabic, tajweed, the classic works of ‘aqeedah, such as al-‘Itisaam, al-Usool ath-Thalaathah, Kitaab at-Tawheed, al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah, al-‘Aqeedah at-Tahaawiyyah, etc. under scholars in the original Arabic. And, rather than trying to take some quotes here and there from great scholars like Shaykhs Nasirud-Deen al-Albaanee, Bin Baaz, ‘Uthaymeen, and Muqbil, may Allaah have mercy on them all, I recommend that they actually listen to and study their tapes. Al-hamdulillah, there are many commentaries of Shaykh ‘Uthaymeen on the various books of ‘aqeedah, and tafseers, etc and Silsilat al-Hudaa wan-Noor, the tapes of Shaykh al-Albaanee, rahimahullaah, are available in the hundreds for them to actually listen to from beginning to end.

Finally, I sincerely advise all my brothers and sisters to remember that we are all going to stand for account before Allaah and answer for every word we said (or wrote); and we should remember that injustice is a great sin indeed. Let us all (myself included) never forget that the source of guidance and light is Allaah, the Most Exalted, so we should sincerely pray to Him to guide us to the Truth, and regularly make the du’aa: allaahumma arinal haqqa haqqan warzuq nattibaa’u wa arinal baatila baatilan warzuq najtinaabuh O Allaah, show as the Truth as truth, and grant us the blessing of following it, and show as falsehood as falsehood, and grant us the blessing of staying away from it.

We should beg for Allaah’s divine guidance with our hearts free from diseases, such as envy, hatred, fear of not being accepted by people, or a desire to maintain a good reputation amongst some. I ask Allaah to expose the reality to those who sincerely desire the Truth.

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