Painful Memories About Some of Those Who Set Ablaze the Flames of Transgression and False Tabdi

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “The over-stringent ones are destroyed”.

Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The over-stringent ones are those who look too deeply (into affairs) and are excessive- those who exceed the Hudood (prescribed legislated Shariah boundaries) in their statements and actions”. [1]

Falih Al-Harbi

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

Falih had been rushing into (unjustified) elimination and declaring people Mubtadi’ah, so some youth asked him for proofs, but the proofs sought from him were not found with him. Then he resorted to the invention of a principle by removing Tabdi from the principles of the Imams of Al-Jarh Wat- Tadeel, and differentiated between the narrators of hadeeth and (when) declaring a person a Mubtadi.

He held that it is right to ask about the reasons for criticising (or disparaging) the narrators, (but) as for those about whom he holds that they are Mubtadi’ah, it is not right to ask about the reasons behind disparaging them and declaring them Mubtadi’ah, even if they are from the best of the Salafis; rather the one who asks regarding the reasons why they are declared Mubtadi’ah is declared a Mubtadi (as well).

This premise led him to say that the scholars must be blindly followed and not asked for proof. Who did he ask to blindly follow the scholars? Indeed, they are the intelligent students of knowledge, but rather the teachers and amongst them are some who have reached the level of doctorate, and not common people; and that the one who does not blindly follow the scholars has indeed undermined the message of the Messengers and the books, or has belied the Qur’an, the Sunnah and Islam.

He and his followers thought that he was the only Imam, the protector and protector of the religion. He pushed (incited) them and they pushed (incited) him, and thus he inflicted the heads of Ahlus Sunnah – the strong and the weak amongst them – with false Tabdee and unjust rulings.

Whoever does not blindly follow him, even if he holds a doctorate degree in Islamic Shariah, is considered a denier of the Qur’an, the Sunnah and Islam. The one who does not blindly follow him in his false opinion, even if he was a teacher, is judged to be one of the callers at the gates of Hell, and that he has destroyed the messages of the Messengers and the books that were revealed to them. This – in addition to insulting, attacks and warning – are matters that are neither approved by Shariah nor (sound) reasoning.

These – despite the fact that my advice to him was accompanied with kindness and contained only some of his mistakes – are matters that should motivate a sane and just person to return to the truth. We did not see anything from Falih except false denunciations, false interpretations, war, mobilisation, and seeking help through supporters amongst those whose identities were unknown – those hiding behind the curtains. At first, he found nothing from the scholars except advice, then denunciation of these matters. [2]

Fawzi Al-Bahrayni

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

“Indeed, the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah – such as Abdullah Ibn Ahmad, Al-Khallaal, Al-Aajuree, Al-Laalikaa’ee, Ibn Battah and other than them – have clarified the methodology of Ahlus Sunnah regarding Imaan with a profound clarification. And that according to Ahlus Sunnah, it (i.e. Imaan) is “Speech, action and belief- increases with obedience to Allah and decreases with disobedience”. We worship Allah with what they say (i.e. this definition), we say it, believed in it from our early age (in pursuit) of knowledge, affirmed in our authorships, lessons and gatherings, and establish loyalty and disavowal based on that.

Then the sinful liars, the spiteful ones and plotters against Ahlus Sunnah came to fight on behalf of the people of desires, and they attacked us with various immoral attacks. One of those attacks is that they (falsely) accuse us of being Murji’ah, and they laid down false and unjust principles for that, with which they fight us. Whenever we destroy them, they repeated them without shame or shyness.

Their statement: “Imaan is speech and action, increases and decreases, and it decreases until nothing remains of it”, in their view is that whoever does not mention the addition “until nothing remains of it” is a Murji.

They made it obligatory on the people, wage war against Ahlus Sunnah and declare them Mubtadi’ah due to it, whilst these Aghmaar (inexperienced ones, ignoramuses, devoid of sound judgement etc) do not know that this Tabdee would apply to the righteous predecessors who did not constantly mention this addition, even if some of them did so.

They declared me a Mubtadi, pass the judgement of Irjaa against me and threw it on me a lot in a number of their statements, especially in the statements of Fawzi Al-Bahraini, even though I have mentioned this (additional) statement (related to the definition of Imaan) and repeated it before the birth of the old and new Haddadi (sect).

However, I do not always adhere to its mention, because the Sahabah and the Tabi’een did not say it, and because there is no evidence to obligate that it should be said. The majority of the (pious) predecessors did not say it, neither did those who said it always said it, nor made it obligatory on others, despite the fact that I do say it sometimes. The following are my statements regarding that….then the Shaikh, may Allah grant him Jannah Al-Firdaws, gave references in pages 61-63 regarding where he has stated this addition in his authorships and lessons.

I (Abdullah Jallow) will suffice with one InShaAllah as follows:

The Shaikh quoted a hadeeth explained in 1406AH under the titled “Striving Against Those Who Deviate From The Right Path”: Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet said, “Never a Prophet had been sent before me by Allah to his nation, except that he had – among his people – disciples and companions who followed his ways and obeyed his command. Then there came after them their successors who said whatever they did not practise, and practised whatever they were not commanded to do. He who strove against them with his hand was a believer, he who strove against them with his tongue was a believer, and he who strove against them with his heart was a believer and beyond that there is no faith even to the extent of a mustard seed”. [Saheeh Muslim Hadeeth 50]

Then the Shaikh said, “I explained this hadeeth and stated in page 44 [i.e. in Mudhakkirah Al-Hadeeth An-Nabawiyyah]: ‘And there remained – in every nation – sincere scholars who fulfilled the requirements of their religion- striving and defending the teachings of their Prophets, everyone according to his strength and level of Imaan; the one who strove by way of the tongue (i.e. speech), the one who strove by way of his hand, and the one who strove by way of his heart and that is the weakest of Imaan. And there is nothing of Imaan besides that”. [3]

The Shaikh, may Allah have mercy upon him, also said:

It is important to note that some overexcited youth may study the books of the predecessors, but not proficient in applying what is sound from the narrations, thus, they apply them in other than their appropriate place.

Therefore, it is essential to consult scholars on how to implement them because if one embarks upon applying some things incorrectly, he may harm himself, harm Islam and the Muslims. This issue occurred in the past, as some overexcited youth among the new and old Haddadiyyah focused on narrations (of the predecessors), while not memorising (and understanding) the Quran. They focused on the narrations of the predecessors, while among the narrations of predecessors, there are those that are authentic and those that are unauthentic. When they (predecessors) hold a consensus on a matter, it is obligatory to accept it; however, in cases of disagreement, their statements must be referred back to the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. If a particular statement is not reliably attributed to so and so, it should not be accepted, and if it is reliably attributed to him, (but) contradicts (what is sound), it should be rejected. This is how these matters should be. They require Fiqh (sound understanding).

The Haddadiyyah used to memorise the narrations of the predecessors, and Ahlus Sunnah were the first people they wage a war against, attacking them through their hysterical reading (of those narrations), turned against the scholars and sought to topple them one after the other until targeting (Shaikh Al-Islam) Ibn Taymiyyah.

This trend has resurfaced through attacks against scholars and attempting to topple them while clinging to various narrations, some of which are authentic and others not, without grasping their intended meanings. [4] [end of quotes]

We ask Allah:

اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي
وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ
وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ

O Allah! Rectify my religion for me, which is the safeguard of my affairs; rectify my worldly [affairs], wherein is my livelihood; and rectify my Afterlife to which is my return; and make life for me [as a means of] increase in every good and make death for me as a rest from every evil. [Saheeh Muslim Number: 2720] [5]

[1] Saheeh Muslim Nunber 2670. Sharh Saheeh Muslim. Vol 16. page 180]

[2] Al-Majmoo Al-Waadih Fee Raddi Manhaj Wa Usool Faalih. Pages 123-125. Slightly paraphrased]

[3] Kashf Akaadheeb Wa Tahreefaat Wa Khayaanaat Fawzi Al-Bahrayni. pages 59-60. slightly paraphrased]

[4] Marhaban Yaa Talib Al-Ilm 459-460

[5]https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2020/12/29/o-allaah-rectify-my-religion-for-me-which-the-safeguard-of-my-affairs-a-tremendous-supplication/