Reminder to beloved Youth at Salaficentre: The Matter Is Not About the Personality of Ustaadh Musa
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
A Crucial Reminder to the Youth of Salaficentre (Manchester): The Matter Is Not About the Personality of Ustaadh Musa Richardson or Any Other Teacher; Rather, It Is About Upholding Principles and Standing Firmly Upon Justice and Truthfulness
Allāh, The Most High, said:
وَإِذَا قُلۡتُمۡ فَٱعۡدِلُواْ وَلَوۡ ڪَانَ ذَا قُرۡبَىٰۖ
And when you testify, be just, even if (it concerns) a near relative. [1]
When you testify by way of a statement to judge between people, differentiate between them in a discourse, and speak regarding matters and circumstances, be just in your speech, adhere to truthfulness regarding those you love and those you hate, be fair and do not conceal what needs to be made clear because it is forbidden and tantamount to injustice to divert (from justice and fairness) when speaking against the one you hate. [2]
Before beginning this article with a quote from Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy upon him, we want to clarify that neither Ustaadh Musa, may Allāh grant us and him success – nor anyone else mentioned in this article is being accused of Hizbiyyah. Instead, the information presented here is solely a reminder for our beloved youth, as it is our responsibility to offer clarifications to the youth of our Markaz (Salaficentre) so they can grasp these issues and remain vigilant, while seeking the aid of Allāh to adhere to the sound principles we have been taught for the past 30 in the Marakiz, Masajid, houses and conferences. To proceed: Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
ﻭﻟﻴﺲ ﻟﻠﻤﻌﻠﻤﻴﻦ ﺃﻥ ﻳﺤﺰﺑﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ
ﻭﻳﻔﻌﻠﻮﺍ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻠﻘﻲ ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ ﺍﻟﻌﺪﺍﻭﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺒﻐﻀﺎﺀ،
ﺑﻞ ﻳﻜﻮﻧﻮﻥ ﻣﺜﻞ ﺍﻷﺧﻮﺓ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﻌﺎﻭﻧﻴﻦ ﻋﻠﻰ
ﺍﻟﺒﺮ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻘﻮﻱ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻗﺎﻝ ﺗﻌﺈﻟﻰ
وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الإثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ
وليس لأحد منهم أن يأخذ على أحد عهداً بموافقته على كل ما يريده وموالاة من يواليه ومعاداة من يعاديه،بل من فعل هذا كان من جنس جنكز خان وأمثاله الذين يجعلون من وافقهم صديقاً واليا، ومن خالفهم عدوَّا باغيا، بل عليهم وعلى أتباعهم عهد الله ورسوله بأن يطيعوا الله ورسوله ويفعلوا ما أمر الله ورسوله ويحرموا ما حرم الله ورسوله ويرعوا حقوق المعلمين كما أمر الله ورسوله، فإن كان أستاذ أحد مظلوماً نصره، وإن كان ظالماً لم يعاونه على الظلم بل يمنعه منه كما ثبت في الصحيح أنه قال:
(انصر أخاك ظالماً أو مظلوماً. قيل: يا رسول الله: أنصره مظلوماً فكيف أنصره ظالماً؟. قال تمنعه من الظلم فذلك نصرك إياه).
وإذا وقع بين معلم ومعلم أو تلميذ وتلميذ أو معلم وتلميذ خصومة ومشاجرة لم يجز لأحد أن يعين أحدهما حتى يعلم الحق، فلا يعاونه بجهل ولا بهوى، بل ينظر في الأمر، فإذا تبين له الحق أعان المحق منهما على المبطل سواء كان المحق من أصحابه أو أصحاب غيره، وسواء كان المبطل من أصحابه أو أصحاب غيره، فيكون المقصود عبادة الله وحده وطاعة رسوله واتباع الحق والقيام بالقسط
قال تعالى
يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين بالقسط شهداء لله ولو على أنفسكم أو الوالدين والأقربين، إن يكن غنياً أو فقيراً فالله أولى بهما، فلا تتبعوا الهوى أن تعدلوا وإن تلووا أو تعرضوا فإن الله كان بما تعملون خبيراً
It not allowed for the teachers to initiate (illegal) partisanship between the people and do that which would cause enmity and hatred between them; but rather they should be brothers who cooperate upon righteousness and piety, as Allaah [The Exalted] said:
[وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ – Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa [virtue, righteousness and piety]; but do not help one another in sin and transgression]. [Surah Al-Maa’idah. Aayah 2]
It is not allowed for anyone of them to receive a pledge from anyone to be in agreement with him in everything he wants – having allegiance to the one he is allied to and enmity against the one he harbours enmity, and whoever does this is similar to Genghis Khan and his ilk (in this affair), who take as their loyal friends the one in agreement with them and the one who oppose them as a rebellious enemy; rather it is obligated on them and their followers (i.e. the teachers) to fulfil the covenant of Allaah and His Messenger by obeying Allaah and His Messenger, doing that which Allaah and His Messenger have commanded, declare unlawful that which Allaah and His Messenger have declared unlawful, and preserve the rights of the teachers in the manner commanded by Allaah and His Messenger. So, if one’s teacher is oppressed, he should help him; but if the teacher is the oppressor, he should not aid him in his act of oppression; rather he forbids him from it, as it has been established in the authentic books of hadith that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. People asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” The Prophet said, “By preventing him from oppressing others.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhaari 2444]
If an argument and dispute occurs between a teacher and another teacher, or between a student and another student, it is not permissible for anyone to help one of them until he knows the truth – neither to aid him based on ignorance nor desires; rather he he examines the affair, so if the truth becomes clear to him, he helps the one who deserves to be helped (due to him being upon the truth) against the one upon error – regardless whether the one who deserves to be helped is one of his companions or the companion of someone else, or whether the one upon error is one of his companions or the companion of someone else. Therefore, the aim is only to worship Allaah alone, obedience to Allaah’s Messenger, adherence to truth and establishment of justice. Allaah [The Exalted] said:
يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين بالقسط شهداء لله ولو على أنفسكم أو الوالدين والأقربين، إن يكن غنياً أو فقيراً فالله أولى بهما، فلا تتبعوا الهوى أن تعدلوا وإن تلووا أو تعرضوا فإن الله كان بما تعملون خبيراً
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah; even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. [[Surah An-Nisaa. Ayah 135] (1)
Al-Allaamah Abdur Rahmaan Bin Yahyah Al-Mu’allimee – may Allah have mercy upon him- said:
In this era of ours, you even see a woman who comes across an affair related to the religion – in which there is a difference of opinion between the mother of the believers Aa’isha and others amongst the companions [may Allaah be pleased with all of them], so she defends Aa’Isha’s position solely due to the fact that she is a woman like her. So, when she presumes and then claims that Aa’Isha is correct and those men who oppose her position are mistaken, then in this is an affirmation of Aa’Isha’s virtue over those men, which then becomes a virtue for women unrestrictedly and she receives some of that. And through this appears – to you – the underlying reasons behind the illegal partisanship of an Arab to an Arab, a Persian to a Persian, a Turk to a Turk and other than that. (2) [end of quote]
Contemplate the points mentioned above and let’s not divert our attention – in the least – from the fact that the Salafi, while seeking Allah’s guidance, keeps these principles in mind during every disagreement, regardless of whether the situation reaches what has been described above or not. It is important to repeat that Ustaadh Musa is not being accused of Hizbiyyah in this article; rather, we cite these principles to emphasise to our beloved youth that our relationships are to be founded on principles rather than mutual back-scratching.
However, some some people are making a big mistake concerning our relationships. This is not favouritism towards others at the expense of Ustaadh Musa Richardson. Consider our relationship with this individual: during the challenging times faced by Salaficentre due to administrative issues, a lack of lessons, and the community’s absence of a school, as well as weak connections with others outside of Manchester, we reached out to this person. He provided us with clear guidance from the scholars and mobilised other students of knowledge to assist us; some came in person while others gave us lessons via Paltalk. Ustaadh Abu Iyaad, hafidhahullah, was among those who delivered lessons through Paltalk. Can you guess who this person was? It was none other than Ustaadh Abu Khadeejah, hafidhahullah, who initiated this good, after the Tawfiq of Allah. Not only did he initiate this support, but he also visited us in person and was always available by phone, dedicating a lot of time to us. Let’s take it a bit further: ask who would enter the Salafi Bookstore from 2006 onwards and gently grasp his beard as a sign of affection; it was one of us from Manchester. Some other brothers in the Maktabah would look at us in astonishment due to this gesture. The bond we share goes beyond this, and while there are many other stories we could recount, they are not required here. But by Allah! If our Habeeb, Ustaadh Abu Khadeejah – may Allah protect him and us from harm – were to make Tabdee of anyone without evidence or claim that this or that Salafi is a plant without proof, we would be the first to openly demand evidence from him and would persist until he provides proof for scrutiny.
By Allah! We do not make any distinction among any of the students of knowledge when it comes to standing for justice, and no individual is too great in our eyes to evade accountability for unsubstantiated claims, regardless of how much we love or respect them. Therefore, do not be misled into thinking that anyone else—whether they are more prominent than Ustaadh Musa or Ustaadh Abu Khadeejah, or have stronger connections in the Muslim lands, or possess a large organisation backing them—can escape scrutiny when they make statements without evidence. Anyone who oversteps and persists, their status is relegated to the farthest recesses of our minds as we pursue justice without fear or favouritism. Furthermore, we are astonished by the conduct of those who introduced us to the book “Raf’ul Malaam An A’immah Al-A’laam,” which contains the proofs that escaped the illustrious Imams and the valid, and beautiful excuses made for them in that regard, yet their actions contradict this when asked to testify to the truth in certain matters of our time. Thus, this issue transcends Ustaadh Musa; it is fundamentally about upholding justice and not fearing anyone, rather, we – at Salaficentre – want wholesome relationships—as much as we can, with Allah’s guidance—based on Sidq, transparency, and mutual advice without self-serving interests and mutual back-scratching. This is what we have witnessed from truthful Salafiyyun for over three decades.
We therefore advise our beloved youth at Salaficentre to avoid the tweets of Ustaadh Musa Richardson – the endless online unproductive statements that do not bring any clarity. What he and others – who want to speak with impunity – are simply asked is the proof for the Tabdee against Ustaadh Abu Iyaad as well as the claim that he is a plant! They cannot produce any proof, thus, they want to turn the matter into a ping pong exchange. Discussions that constantly move from one topic to another without addressing these issues are an extreme waste of precious time, whether initiated by him or others. No one is worthy of your precious time and youthful energy except those who bring you clarity. Either block or mute him and his ilk. May Allah guide us all to Sidq, Adl, beneficial speech, and every other thing that is beloved to Allah. And Allāh knows best. We repeat once again: “Where is the proof for the Tabdee?”
[1] https://www.thenoblequran.com/q/#/search/6_152
[2] An Excerpt from Tafseer as-Sadi. Slightly paraphrased
[3] Majmoo Al-Fataawaa. 28/15-17. paraphrased]
[4] Aathaar Ash-Shaikh Abdur Rahmaan Bin Yahyah Al-Mu’allimee. Vol 11. Page 294]
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