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

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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

The obligation of refuting the Mukhalif is not lifted from the scholar due to anticipation of harm unless it is harm he is not able to bear. Then (in this case), Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. The earth is not devoid of people of knowledge who will carry out refutation against the Mubtadi and the Mukhalif”. [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

[1] An Excerpt from “Al Ajwibah Al Mukhtasar Alaa As’ila Al-Ashrah” page 43-44