Robust, Credible, Detailed And Unambiguous Inherited Clarifications On Al-Jarh Wat-Tadeel

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Question: What is incumbent upon the common Salafi regarding the callers to Islam about whom scholars have differed in declaring them trustworthy or disparaging them, whether they know their mistakes or do not know?

The Shaikh: I say to the Salafi men and women: whoever hears this discourse from me and whoever it reaches through those who prepared these questions and presented them to us. I say:

I advise you—if you do love sincere advisers—not to accept any audio cassette or book except from someone whom you know to be upon the Sunnah, witnessed and testified for him, well-known for it, and opposition to that is not manifest from him. This is a consistent principle during his lifetime and after his death. So, whoever dies while, as far as we know, being upon the Sunnah, then he – based on what we hold – is upon it. And we ask Allah to keep him steadfast upon it in the Hereafter (i.e. blessed with safety during death, safe in the grave and on the Day of Judgement) just as He kept him steadfast upon it during his life. Āmīn. This is the first point.

Secondly: If the affair of a person—whose books and recordings have become well known, and his reputation has spread—is unclear to you, then ask those who have experience regarding him and know his condition, for indeed, neither is the Sunnah nor are its people hidden. A man’s deeds are his recommendation, which are in accordance with the Sunnah, testify for him, bear witness for him regarding that, and the people mention (and remember) him through them during his life and after his death.

No one conceals himself behind the Sunnah and deceives people by it until they gather around him, become attached to him, rely upon him, and accept everything that proceeds from him, except that Allah, Glorified be He, free from all imperfections, the Most High, (eventually), tears away his covering, reveals [للخاصة والعامة – to both the people of status and the common people] what used to be concealed, and what used to be harboured of deception, obfuscation, plotting, and trickery. Allah prepares virtuous men—astute, wise, possessors of firmness and strength in knowledge and clarification, highly skilled and capable of distinguishing authentic knowledge from falsehood, people of knowledge, intelligence and sound judgement, possessors of deep understanding and insight—through whom He uncovers for them the reality of that one who plays games with the truth, the obfuscator and deceiver.

Therefore, when the true condition of such a person becomes clear to you—a person whose reputation has spread far and wide, who has become prominent and well-known, pointed to by others as an authority—you must be warned about him, as long as the people of knowledge and Īmān—those who adhere to the Sunnah—have warned against him.

They will unveil for you with proof, and there is no hindrance in unveiling the condition of that person against whom a scholar or scholars have issued a warning with etiquettes and a good approach, for indeed that scholar will say to you: “I saw such-and-such in him; in the book of so-and-so this or that; similarly in the audio cassette of so-and-so” – clear proofs that unveil for you what he used to conceal, and that that one whose reputation has spread far and wide—whose speech has become pleasing and readily accepted—is hiding from matters of Bidʿah and schemes that which (is far greater) than what he makes apparent from the Sunnah.

And a third matter: whoever is aware of a mistake and it becomes clear to him, it is not permissible for him to blindly follow a scholar to whom that matter remains hidden. I have already mentioned to you that the ijtihādaat of the scholars are not infallible; thus, it is not permissible to adopt them as an (unquestionable or absolute) methodology. [Paraphrased]

Your feedback is welcomed to improve this translation and point out mistakes. Jazaakumullahu Khayran

To be continued…InShaAllah