Ahlus Sunnah Do Not Speak Ill of The Scholars of Ahlus Sunnah- By Shaikh Ali Al-Hudhaifi

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Shaikh Ali Hudaifi, may Allāh preserve him, stated:

All praise and thanks be to Allah, Lord of the entire existence. And I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner, the Protector of the righteous; and I testify that our Prophet Muhammad is His servant and Messenger—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. To proceed:

Indeed, Ahlus Sunnah do not speak ill of the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama‘ah due to their lofty status, elevated ranks, numerous and unquestionable virtues transmitted in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the narrations of the Salaf, and due to their great and tremendous efforts in spreading knowledge, calling to the path of Allah, and defence of the religion. This is the great foundation that does not change in the sight of Ahlus Sunnah.

As for myself, I love the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah. I defend them, spread their virtues, their knowledge, urge (people) towards their books and fatwas, and adherence to their path, whether they are from the early scholars, the middle generations, or the later ones. Among these later scholars are: His Eminence Shaikh Abdul Azeez Ibn Baz, Shaikh al-Albani, Shaikh Ibn Uthaymin, our Shaikh Rabee al-Madkhali, Shaikh Ṣaliḥ al-Fawzan, our Shaykh Muqbil al-Wadiʿi, Shaikh Ṣaliḥ al-Luḥaydan, Shaikh Abdul Azeez Aal Ash-Shaikh, Shaikh Ubayd al-Jabiri, and others from the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah, may Allah have mercy upon all of them, forgive them, and elevate their ranks.

For many years, I have defended Ahlul Hadith in general, and I—through lecture and writings—have defended the scholars of Tawhid. I have defended a group of scholars—both in lectures and writing—among them Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah; and among them Al-Hafidh An-Nawawi- rebutting those who make Tabdee of him. And I have defended the reviver, Shaikh Muhammad ibn Abdil Wahhab, and other than them.

And I have defended contemporary scholars- Shaikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy upon him, Shaikh al-Albani, may Allah have mercy upon him, Shaikh al-Jami, may Allah have mercy upon him, our Shaikh, Shaikh Rabee, may Allah have mercy upon him, our Shaikh Muqbil al-Wadi‘i, may Allah have mercy upon him, our Shaikh Ubaid al-Jabiri, may Allah have mercy upon him, and our Shaikh al-Wassabi, may Allah have mercy upon him. I defended them and others among the scholars, and some of them I defended many times. I have followed this methodology for more than thirty years, all praise and thanks is due to Allah, and I ask Him, the Most High, to grant me steadfastness upon Tawheed, the Sunnah, and the methodology of the pious predecessors until I meet Him.

When the opponents of Ahlus al-Sunnah speak ill against the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah, indeed, they speak ill against them for various reasons: either they speak ill against them due to the characteristic of theirs as carriers of the Salafi methodology—carrying, clarifying, supporting, and spreading it—or because, indeed, they have inherited hatred for the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah from other haters, so they make gestures about them (in mockery and belittlement) and back-biting them (with slander in their absence), or speaking ill against them because, in their view, the scholars hold no value, or for other such reasons.

As for the one who engages one of the scholars in discussion because he has made a mistake in an issue of knowledge, or seeks from the scholar to clarify some of his statements, or seeks from him to treat him fairly in some matter, and what is similar, it is not permissible to say that he is speaking ill against the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah, for indeed he making a request based on truth.

And indeed, there occurred differing between some scholars of Ahlul Hadith, and from the proofs regarding this is the subject of al-Aqran (contemporaries), which is a matter that is well-known and much publicised, and no one applied to the other person arguing against him the narrations that censure speaking ill against Ahlul Hadith. There occurred some differing among some contemporary scholars. Shaikh al-Albani responded to (or refuted) Shaikh Ibn Baz on the issue of placing the hands back on the chest after rising from Ruku, and he said—if I recall correctly—“A Bidah of the Arabian peninsula”. [Footnote a] Shaikh al-Albani strongly responded (or refuted) the Council of Senior Scholars during the Gulf crisis. Shaikh Abdul Azeez Ibn Baz said about his Shaikh- Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Aala Ash-Shaykh- “He is a scholar, not a prophet”. Shaikh An-Najmi responded (or refuted) Shaikh al-Abbad on the subject of the book “Rifqan Ahlus Sunnah”. Shaikh Muqbil al-Wadi‘i responded (or refuted) Shaikh al-Albani on the issue of elections and other than that. Shaikh al-Albani responded (or refuted) Shaikh at-Tuwayjiri on several issues. Shaikh al-Jami responded (or refuted) Shaikh al-Albani during the Second Gulf Crisis regarding the issue of seeking help from unbelievers. Shaikh al-Fawzan responded (or refuted) Shaikh al-Albani and has statements on that. The examples are many, and none considered—in the likes of these matters—as speaking ill against the scholars. May Allah have mercy upon all the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah, forgive them, and elevate their ranks.

A scholar may make a mistake in relation to a right owed to a layperson in matters such as buying, selling, leasing, loans, guarantees, or similar transactions, thus, the layperson may hate him and speak about him. Is this layperson described as hating the scholars or that he is speaking ill against the scholars solely because he wants his rightful due? We have seen some of the Mashayikh who possess knowledge, commendations, and certifications in Qur’an and Hadith, yet they make mistakes in relation to the rights of some of the laypeople. So the laypeople speak about them and demand their rights. When he (i.e. the layperson) is given his rightful due, he remains silent. No one says that these laypeople are those who speak ill against scholars of Ahlus Sunnah. In brief: Indeed, if a man is seeking (requesting something) from a Shaikh based on truth—seeking the cessation of an injustice which he is able to stop, or to clarify matters, especially when people are asking him for an explanation (clarification), it is not permissible to consider someone who is requesting based on truth as one who is speaking ill against the scholars. 

Finally, I say: Indeed, I do not speak ill against any of the Mashayikh of Ahlus Sunnah, as portrayed by some people, and those who fabricate (lies) against me that I indeed speak ill against the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah, circulate this false accusation, or disseminates it about me, or he knows me and does not verify it, then I do not pardon him, and he is my opponent on the Day of Judgment in Allah’s presence. And I remind him of the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him: “Whoever says about a believer what is not in him, Allah will make him drink from the foul discharge of the people of Hell”.

And I advise all the brothers to read the book: “The Methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah Wal Jama‘ah in Criticising Narrators, Books, and Groups” by our Shaikh, Shaykh Rabee ibn Hadi, may Allah have mercy on him, forgive him, and elevate his rank. It is an upright and great book.

وصلى الله وسلم وبارك على عبده ورسوله

Ali al-Hudhaifi al-‘Adani
24 / Shawwal / 1447 AH

Arabic Text On This Link:

Shaikh_Ali_Hudhaifi

Paraphrased

Footnote a: https://youtu.be/ZYw4_msM3co?si=ZcOAfK5uCpkMOmDW