In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Allah [The Exalted] said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
ڪَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. [Surah As-Saff. Ayaat 2-3]
Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadi Al-Mad’khali [may Allah preserve him] said: “It has been reported in an authentic hadeeth -(in Saheeh Al Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim)- that “A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and thrown into the Fire, then his intestines will spill forth in the Fire and he will go around it as a donkey goes around a millstone. The people of Hell will gather around him and will say, ‘O So and so! What is the matter with you; did you not use to enjoin good and forbid evil?’ He will say, ‘Yes, I used to enjoin good, but did not do it; and I used to forbid evil and did it'”. [Al-Bukhaari 3267 & Muslim 2989]
Indeed, there may be someone worse than this man, for he (the one worse than the man mentioned in this Hadeeth) enjoins evil and forbids good, so what will be his situation?! Allah’s Refuge is sought! Therefore, the pursuit of knowledge should be for the sake of Allah as well as to act; otherwise, knowledge will be a source of evil, and one would be in one of two situations: either afflicted with the disease of ignorance, or in a situation where one is not benefitted from knowledge, but rather it becomes harmful. The knowledge Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] conveyed is beneficial in and of itself, but if a person does not act, it will be a cause of evil and harm for him and may bring harm to others (i.e. as mentioned in the above hadith)”. (1)
We ask Allah to include us among those who adhere to the truth, protect us from stating what we do not do, overlook our flaws, and include us among those who hasten to repentance when they sin or err Aameen.
While desperately attempting to conceal the reality of Muhammad Abdur Razzaaq [may Allah guide him] and belittle Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allah preserve him] without justification, Abu Makkah [may Allah guide him] remarked, “On the other hand, Waheed himself is not known to have taken time and study from Ulama except little, his recorded audio about his quest of knowledge is extremely lame and even had he actually spent as long as Muhammad has done, consistently studying with the Ulama he claimed in that audio and this current situation is how he turned out to be, then this is clearly a sign of lack of Tawfeeq in Talabul Ilm since not everyone who seeks it attains it!” [End of quote]
In the preceding statement, Abu Makkah emphasised two points: Shaikh Abu Khadeejah, in his opinion, has studied little and has not been granted Tawfeeq in his pursuit of knowledge, and that Muhammad has sat with scholars for a longer period of time than Shaikh Abu Khadeejah. Indeed, the only conclusion that can be derived from this is that Muhammad has excelled Shaikh Abu Khadeejah in the path of knowledge because, according to Abu Makkah, Shaikh Abu Khadeejah studied relatively little while Muhammad sat with scholars longer! However, he refrained from stating this explicitly because such a viewpoint would have necessitated specific proof from those qualified to judge between any two students of knowledge, so instead he desperately attempted to use as much negative language as possible to degrade Shaikh Abu Khadeejah and elevate his companion in the hope that the readers would reach the conclusion he desired.
Furthermore, even if a person has spent more time with scholars and accumulated more information, or has such and such certifications (see Appendix A), this does not inevitably imply that he has exceeded others or should be deemed more virtuous. Imaam al-Barbahaaree [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “And know, may Allaah have mercy upon you that knowledge is not in being able to narrate much and in having many books, rather the scholar is the one who follows the knowledge and the Sunnah, even if his knowledge and his books are limited, and whoever opposes the Book and the Sunnah, he is a proponent of Bidah, even if he narrates much and has many books”.
Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadi al-Madkhali [may Allah preserve him] stated: He (Al-Barbahaaree) sees that the abundance of books and knowledge is not a criterion for the required knowledge of Shariah. Knowledge is what benefits; even if this scholar has little knowledge and few books, he will benefit from his knowledge and it is benefited from in belief, methodology, and application. This is the knowledge that counts in the Sight of Allah- the knowledge He loves, loves, and praises its possessors. Allah said:
إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى ٱللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ٱلْعُلَمَٰٓؤُا۟ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ
It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah. [35:28]
Hence they (i.e. the scholars) said, “Knowledge is to fear Allah”. If one with a lot of knowledge does not fear Allah, then this is not a scholar and his knowledge has no value because it is a source of evil on him. The Qur’an is proof for or against you, so bad is the state of that scholar- I seek refuge in Allah – who is under the threat of punishment. The Quran is proof against you, the Sunnah is proof against you and knowledge is proof against you, and Allah’s refuge is sought. He may have many books, but he is misguided. He may have a lot of knowledge of the Arabic language, Tafseer, Hadith, and so on, but he is misguided. This is the knowledge that harms and does not benefit, and it is from this that we seek Allah’s protection, and Allah’s Messenger taught us to seek (Allah’s) protection against it. However, knowledge (in and of itself) is beneficial, so if there is a lot of knowledge and books, it is very good, and there are Imams who have abundant knowledge and many books. If the two are combined together: a lot of knowledge and many books, it is desirable; and if devoid of benefitting from this knowledge (i.e. due to misguidance or not acting upon it), then neither an abundance of books or knowledge is beneficial, for it is a source of evil on the person. This is why (Allah stated that) some Prophets said:
وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَىٰ مَآ أَنْهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ
I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. [11:88]
Allah said:
أَتَأْمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason? [2:44]
Allah said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
ڪَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. [Surah As-Saff. Ayaat 2-3]
There are people who are merely speakers and they are people who act, therefore, a Muslim must combine statements and deeds so that his actions confirm his statements. He calls to belief and believes, and calls to action and acts. This is beneficial knowledge, calling to the Sunnah and adhering to it, fighting Bidah and being serious about fighting it and being one of the people who is most distant from it. (2)
Imaam Ibn Al-Jawzi [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: “I met the Mashaayikh; their circumstances were different, and they differed in their levels of knowledge. And the most beneficial of them to me in companionship was the one who acted upon his knowledge, even though someone else was more knowledgeable than him.” (3)
Imaam Adh-Dhahabi [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “The affair of the Muhaddith of today is to pay attention to the six collections of hadith, the Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, and Sunan of Al-Bayhaqi, precisely memorise its texts and chains of transmissions, but one will not benefit from that until he fears his Lord and adheres to the hadith. So let the one who weeps do so for this knowledge of hadith, because indeed, pure Islam has returned as strange as it began. Therefore, let a person save his neck from the fire, and there is neither might nor power except with Allah. knowledge is not in the abundance of narration, but it is a light that Allah places into the heart. And the condition (for seeking it) is to adhere to it, fleeing from desires and bidah. May Allah grant you and us success (and the ability) to obey Him”. (4)
And one of the most scary examples about how desires misguide a person with knowledge is the story of that scholar among Bani Israa’eel mentioned in Surah Al-A’raaf Aayaat 175-176:
وَٱتۡلُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ نَبَأَ ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فَٱنسَلَخَ مِنۡهَا فَأَتۡبَعَهُ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَاوِينَ
وَلَوۡ شِئۡنَا لَرَفَعۡنَـٰهُ بِہَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُ ۥۤ أَخۡلَدَ إِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَٮٰهُۚ فَمَثَلُهُ ۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلۡڪَلۡبِ إِن تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡهِ يَلۡهَثۡ أَوۡ تَتۡرُڪۡهُ يَلۡهَثۚ ذَّٲلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَاۚ فَٱقۡصُصِ ٱلۡقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
And recite [O Muhammad] to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat [proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.], but he threw them away, so Shaitan [Satan] followed him up, and he became of those who went astray. And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So, his description is the description of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he [still] lolls his tongue out. Such is the description of the people who reject Our Ayat [proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.]. So, relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.
Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: Allah likened him to a dog because he was given knowledge of the Book and taught what was not given to others, but he abandoned it, followed his desires and preferred the Anger of Allah over the Pleasure of Allah, preferred the worldly life over the afterlife and preferred the created beings over the Creator. A dog is considered to be among the greediest animals, and due to this, it does not roam about except that its nose is placed on the ground, whilst sniffing greedily and eagerly. When it takes possession of a dead animal enough for a hundred dogs, it would not allow another dog to eat anything from it, except while growling and seeking to gain the upper hand due to eagerness, greed, and covetousness.
This person -the one who abandoned the verses of Allah and followed his desires- did so out of severe eagerness for worldly things and due to his heart being disconnected from Allah and the afterlife. He is extremely eager for worldly things and his eagerness is similar to the constant eagerness of a dog whether it is troubled or left alone. Mujaahid [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: “This is similar to the one given knowledge of the Book, but he does not act upon it”. Ibn Abbaas [may Allah be pleased with him] said, “If you direct him towards wisdom, he does not follow it, and if you leave him alone he is not guided towards good, just like the dog that lolls its tongue out whether it is taking a rest or driven away”.
Allah [The Most High] gave an example of the one who abandoned His Ayaat [proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc], saying that such a person is misguided, whether he is admonished or left alone, just like the dog that lolls its tongue out, whether driven away or left alone. This Ayah [i.e. Al-A’raaf 176] is similar to the saying of Allah [The Most High]: [وَإِن تَدۡعُوهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰ لَا يَتَّبِعُوڪُمۡۚ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ أَدَعَوۡتُمُوهُمۡ أَمۡ أَنتُمۡ صَـٰمِتُونَ – And if you call them to guidance, they follow you not. It is the same for you whether you call them, or you keep silent] [7:193]
Contemplate the wisdom and meanings in this parable!
*Allah [The Most High] said: [ءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُ ءَايَـٰتِنَا- To whom We gave Our Ayaat]; Allah informed us that He was the One Who gave this person knowledge of His Ayaat, for indeed it is a blessing and Allah is the One Who conferred it upon him. Allah attributed the source of this blessing to Himself. Then Allah said: [فَٱنسَلَخَ مِنۡهَا- But he threw them away]-Meaning: He left it in a manner similar to the manner in which a snake leaves its skin. And Allah did not say, ”We threw him away from it” because this person was the one who left it due to following his desires. Then Allah said: [فَأَتۡبَعَهُ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ- So shaytaan (satan) followed him up]- Meaning: shaytaan approached and pursued him, just as Allah stated about Pharaoh’s people: [فَأَتۡبَعُوهُم مُّشۡرِقِينَ- So they pursued them (i.e. Fir’awn and his hosts pursued Bani Israa’eel) at sunrise] [26: 60)].
*He [i.e. this person to whom Allah gave knowledge of the Book] used to be protected and guarded against Shaytaan through the Ayaat of Allah, but when he turned away from them, Shaytaan overwhelmed him just as a lion overwhelms its prey; [فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَاوِينَ- And he became of those who went astray]-Meaning: Those who act in opposition to the knowledge they possess and those who know the truth but act in opposition to it, just like the evil scholars.
*Then Allah said: [وَلَوۡ شِئۡنَا لَرَفَعۡنَـٰهُ بِہَا- And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith]; Allaah informed us that being elevated in His presence is not merely acquired through knowledge, for indeed this person was from the scholars; rather elevation is acquired through adherence to the truth, giving precedence to it and aiming to please Allah. Indeed, this person was among the most knowledgeable during his era, but he was neither elevated through his knowledge nor did he benefit from it. We seek Allah’s protection from the knowledge that does not benefit. Therefore, Allah informs us that He is the One Who will raise a servant if He wills-with the knowledge He bestows on them, otherwise, the servant will be degraded. The Rabb [i.e. Allah- The Creator, The All- Provider and in Whose Hand is the Dominion of everything] is the One alone Who degrades and raises [His servants], and indeed He degraded this person and did not raise him. [وَلَوۡ شِئۡنَا لَرَفَعۡنَـٰهُ بِہَا- And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith]- Meaning: Had we willed, We would have given him preference [over others], ennobled him, and raised his status and rank by way of the Ayaat we gave him. Ibn Abbaas [may Allah be pleased with him and his father] said, “Had Allah willed, He would have raised this person through the knowledge he (i.e. this person) possessed”.
*[ وَلَـٰكِنَّهُ ۥۤ أَخۡلَدَ إِلَى ٱلۡأَر-But he clung to the earth]; Muqaatil [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “He became pleased with the Dunya”. [وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَٮٰهُۚ- And followed his own vain desire]; Al-Kalbee [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “He pursued the lowly affairs and abandoned the lofty affairs”. Abu Rawqa [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “He chose the Dunyah over the Aakhirah”. Ataa [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “He wanted the Dunya and obeyed his shaytaan”. Ibn Zayd [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “He followed his desires by joining those who fought Musa [peace be upon him] and his people”.
*This is a description of an evil scholar who acts in opposition to the knowledge he possesses.
*He went astray after having knowledge. He intentionally chose disbelief over Imaan and not out of ignorance.
*He left Emaan in a manner that did not allow him to ever return to it again, for indeed he threw away the Aayaat of
Allaah completely just as a snake exits its skin. Had he been left with anything [of Imaan], he would not have been [considered] as one who exited from it completely.
*Shaytaan overwhelmed him and caught him as his prey.
*He [غوى-strayed] after being upon a state of [الرشد-the right course- well guided in affairs of the religion]. The word [الغي] means to be misguided in knowledge and intention, and it is more specified to corruption in knowledge and action, just as the word [الضلال] is more specified to corruption in knowledge and creed. When one of the two words is mentioned on its own, it includes the meaning of the other; but if mentioned together, then each of them takes its more specific meaning as mentioned above.
*Allah did not wish to raise him by way of knowledge and that was the cause of his destruction. And because he was not raised by way of knowledge [i.e. due to his own fault], it became a source of anxiety for him. It would have been better for him not to be a scholar and would have lessened the punishment he will receive.
*Allah informed us of this person’s wicked goal, for he gave preference to the most despicable [path] over the noblest [path].
*His choice [i.e. preferring evil] was not due to thoughts that crossed his mind and ideas he was unconscious of; rather it was due to [إخلاد إلى الأرض -clinging to the earth; following his desires constantly]. Az-Zujaaj said: The root of the words [خلد and أخلد] is [خلود], and it means to be constant in something and to remain upon something.
*He turned away from guidance and followed his vain desires. He made his vain desires a guide for himself and followed them. (5)
To conclude, we should ask Allah first and foremost to protect us from knowledge that is not beneficial.
اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ، وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَا يَخْشَعُ، وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لَا تَشْبَعُ، وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا
O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that does not fear (You), from a soul that is not satisfied, and the supplication that is not answered.
This is something that all of us, including Abu Makkah, should be continually aware of. The foremost consideration is given to the fear of Allah, striving to act on knowledge, and distancing from desires, rather than simply mentioning the number of years a person sits with scholars or gathers information, or seeking to belittle – without any justification – people who are well-known for their steadfastness upon the Salafi methodology and are known to scholars and upright senior students of knowledge – both in the east and the west (may Allah protect us and them). However, both Abu Makkah and Muhammad Abdur Razzaaq chose the path of error in the Fitna and arrogantly rejected the knowledge-based proofs against the Musaafiqah. Then Abu Makkah, who has shown little restraint in this situation, rushes to malign Shaikh Abu Khadeejah for no reason other than his desire to conceal the truth by disparaging anyone who dares speak the truth. However, everything he has said has demonstrated the repugnance of his orientation and his youthful impulsive bahaviour.
يُخاطِبُني السَفيهُ بِكُلِّ قُبحٍ
فَأَكرَهُ أَن أَكونَ لَهُ مُجيبا
يَزيدُ سَفاهَةً فَأَزيدُ حِلماً
كَعودٍ زادَهُ الإِحراقُ طيبا
“The fool addresses me with every repugnant (expression or attribute repugnant traits to me), but I hate to be a respondent, so he increase in foolishness and I increase in forbearance, just Oud increases in good smell when burnt”.
إذا لم يكن عون من الله للفتى
فأكثر ما يجني عليه اجتهاده
“If there is no help from Allah for the young man, then the thing that mostly brings him trouble (i.e. causes loss, disadvantage, or hurt) is his own striving”.
Read the original refutations against Abu Makkah and the Musaafiqah- done and dusted
Click to access Makkah_1.pdf
https://salafidawahmanchester.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Makkah2.pdf
https://abukhadeejah.com/muhammad-hadi-allegations-and-response-of-the-major-scholars/
http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/articles/uyryh-documents-and-resources-for-countering-and-exposing-the-musafiqah.cfm
To be continued…InShaaAllah
Appendix a:
https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2020/06/13/certificates-of-graduation-accompanied-with-misguidance-ignorance-and-corrupt-intentions-all-praise-be-to-allaah-our-salafi-teachers-in-the-maraakiz-are-free-from-this-sickness/
Ref 1: Marhaban Yaa Taalibal Ilm. Pages 270-271. Slightly paraphrased
Ref 2: Awnul Baaree Bi-bayaan Maa Tadammanahu Sharh As-Sunnah Lil-Imaam Al-Barbahaaree 2/688-689. slightly paraphrased
Ref 3: Saydul Khaatir. page 138
Ref 4: Siyar A’laam An-Nubulaa 3/313
Ref 5: An Excerpt from بدائع التفسير الجامع لما فسَّره الإمام ابن القيم الجوزية 1/426-431. slightly paraphrased
