[6] Scholars Know When to Speak Based On Their Ijtihad

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The door to criticising Al-Albani and others like him is open. By Allah, neither Al-Albani nor others among the carriers of the Sunnah are angered by criticism – (criticism) carried out with (good) etiquettes, honouring the scholars, and with no objective except to clarify the truth. This began in the era of the Companions and will not come to an end. Refer to the book by Hafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, “Al-Farq Bayna an-Nasihah wa at-Ta’yir”. There he explained and said:

Clarifying guidance and the truth must be done. Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib, Ibn Abbas, Tawus ibn Kaysan, and the companions of Ibn Abbas criticised others and were themselves criticised (i.e. on matters pertaining to knowledge of the Shariah), yet no one said, “This is an attack”. None says such a thing except ahlul ahwa.

So (if) we say: “No, do not criticise Al-Albani? Then what about his mistakes if they spread in the name of the religion? And likewise the mistakes of Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz, or the mistakes of Ibn Taymiyyah, or the mistakes of anyone else?! Any mistake must be shown to people as a mistake, regardless of the status of the person who made it. As we have said more than once, his error may be attributed to the religion ordained by Allah.

The main issue here is that scholars are criticised by other scholars. They clarify mistakes to the people, so that such mistakes are not attributed to the religion ordained by Allah. This is obligatory and we do not (merely) say that it is permissible; rather, it is obligatory to make the truth clear to people – distinguish between truth and falsehood. Criticism a matter a matter pertaining to forbidding evil. So, criticising Salafi individuals – the seniors – when they err, and clarifying their errors, this is related to enjoining good and forbidding evil. It is from the clarification that Allah has made obligatory, sincere advice that Allah has made obligatory and binding upon us.

Criticising mistakes and Bidʿah, while at the same time openly expressing respect for the people of the Sunnah and affirming that a scholar who performs ijtihād receives two rewards if he is correct and one reward if he is mistaken, this is what we practice (as part of the religion) with regards to our criticism of the people of the Sunnah, but not in the same manner regarding ahlul bidah. [1]

فالتاريخ القريب يشهد أن العلماء لم يكونوا على درجة واحدة من

الصبر في جميع القضايا، ولم يتركوا الانحرافات الكبرى دون بيان، بل كانوا يبادرون إلى الإنكار عند الحاجة، كل بحسب اجتهاده وتقديره للمصلحة والمفسدة، والأمثلة على ذلك كثيرة، وسنكتفي بعرض بعض الأمثلة فقط:

معلوم أن العلماء لم يصبروا على المصعفقة كثيراً؛ بل حذروا منهم لما عاثوا في الدعوة فساداً، كما أنهم لم يصبروا على هاني بن بريك لما أظهر نواياه الخارجية ضد ولاة الأمر في اليمن، وحتى في فتن سابقة كان بعض العلماء يحذرون من بعض المنحرفين، ويصبر عليهم آخرون.

فمسألة الصبر على المخالف مسألة اجتهادية تقديرية تختلف باختلاف الأحوال والأشخاص والآثار المترتبة، وليست قاعدة جامدة تُطبق في كل زمان ومكان دون نظر

Recent history testifies to the fact that scholars have not been upon the same level with regards to patience in all issues, nor have they overlooked great deviations without providing clarification. Instead, they took the initiative to denounce such deviations when necessary—each of them based on their Ijtihad and evaluation of the benefits and harms. The examples of this are many and we will suffice with some (as follows).

It is well known that the scholars did not patiently wait for an extended period with regards to the Mas‘afiqah; rather, they warned against them when they caused corruption in the Dawah.

Similarly, they did not patiently wait regarding Hani Bin Burayk when he manifested his Kharijite-like motives (intentions) against the rulers in Yemen. Even during earlier Fitan, some scholars warned against the deviants, while others were patient with them.

Thus, the subject with regards to exercising patience with the Mukhalif is a subject of Scholarly Ijtihad and evaluation that varies based on different circumstances, the individuals involved, and the potential effects, and it is not a fixed principle that is applied in every time period and place without examination…..

A Paraphrased Excerpt. Source: Shaikh Fawwaz al-Madkhali’s Telegram Channel

To be continued InShaaAllah

[1] An Excerpt from “Juhud Al-Allamah Rabee Al-Mad’khali Fee Nadq Shubuhat Al-Hizbiyyeen 103-104”. paraphrased