Part 2: O Faris Al-Hammadi! The time has arrived for your deceitful and absurd statements to be unveiled for all to see!
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Allah, The Most High, said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٲمِينَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ شُہَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَوِ ٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَۚ إِن يَكُنۡ غَنِيًّا أَوۡ فَقِيرً۬ا فَٱللَّهُ أَوۡلَىٰ بِہِمَاۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعۡدِلُواْۚ وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا
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. [An-Nisaa.135]
وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا
And if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
Allah, Glorified be He and free is He from all imperfections, mentions two reasons that will inevitably lead to the concealment of truth, then He warned against them and issued a threat: the first of them is distortion and the second is to turn away from giving truthful witness. That is because when a proof that supports the truth is manifested and the one who wants to repel it finds no way of doing so, he refrains from mentioning it and thus becomes a silent devil, and sometimes he distorts it. Distortion is of two types -distorting words and meanings. Distorting words occur when one utters a word in a context in which it does not establish the truth – either adding to the word, omitting something from it, or substituting it with something else to the extent that the listener is made to believe something, whilst something else is intended, just as the Yahood [i.e. those Yahood who disbelieved in the Prophet and hated him in Madeenah] used to distort words when giving Salaam to the Prophet [i.e. saying As-Saamu Alayka (death be upon you), instead of saying Assalaamu alaykum)]. This is one type of distortion. The second type of distortion is related to meanings – distorting the wording, giving it an interpretation that is not intended by the one who uttered it and pretending not to know its unintended meaning; or dropping other meanings intended by it. Allah, The Exalted, says: [وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا – and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do]. [1]
In his lamentable display of sophistry, Faris seeks to sidestep the core issues, striving to present himself as a paragon of balance, all in a bid to obscure the truth surrounding the issue of Dr Muhammad Bin Hadi. The duplicitous Faris stated that the young man who sought his guidance on acquiring knowledge from Muhammad Bin Hadi could not speak Arabic. Then Faris concluded his tweet with the remark: “This is a calamity.”
To begin with, which “calamity” was the duplicitous Faris alluding to? No calamity he mentions can eclipse the paramount issue that demands our full focus in this subject matter: the repercussions of the false Tabdee committed by Dr. Muhammad Bin Hadi. If Dr. Muhammad Ibn Haadi had merely labeled those senior Salafi students of knowledge as Ahlul Bidah, it would have been alarming enough to consider his stance perilous. [a] Yet, he has escalated the situation by issuing Tabdee against them, which is far more dangerous. Let us quote a few statements of the scholars regarding this matter.
Allah, The Most High, said: [ أَفَمَن زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَآهُ حَسَنًا – Is he, then, to whom the evil of his deeds made fair seeming so that he considers it as good (equal to one who is rightly guided)?] [Surah Faatir; Ayah 8] Sa’eed Bin Jubair, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, “This was revealed concerning the people of bidah and desires”. [2]
Allah,The Most High, said: [وَلَا تَرۡكَنُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ فَتَمَسَّكُمُ ٱلنَّارُ -And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you]. [Surah Hud: Ayah 113]
Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Haadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah protect him, said: The word [ظلم –wrong] can (mean) disbelief; it can mean Bidah and it can be [فسوق i.e. sinful, immoral behaviour] because (ظلم) can apply to all (i.e. in different contexts). Therefore, we refrain from inclining towards the evildoers, the people of Bidah, the Kuffaar, the Ilmaaniyyoon, and other than them. We protect ourselves, our Aqeedah, the Imaan, and sound religion which Allah has bestowed on us”. [3]
Ahmad Ibn Sinaan Al-Qattaan, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, “There is no Mubtadi in the world except that he hates Ahlul Hadeeth, and when a man innovates (in the religion), the sweetness of hadeeth is removed from his heart”. [4]
Ibnul Jawzi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said that Abul Wafaa Ibn Aqeel Al-Faqee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, our Shaikh Abul Fadl Al-Hamdani, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, “The Mubtadi’ah (innovators in religious affairs) in Islam and the fabricators of Hadeeth are worse than the Mulhiddoon [i.e. the heretics] because the heretics aim to corrupt Islam from the outside, whilst these (people) want to corrupt it from within. They [i.e. the innovators and the fabricators of hadeeth] are similar to the people of a country who try to corrupt its state of affairs and the heretics are similar to those who lay a siege from the outside, so the ones from within [i.e. the innovators and fabricators of hadeeth] open the fortress. Therefore, they are more harmful to Islam than those who do not (ascribe) themselves to it outwardly”. [5]
Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “The pious predecessors named Ahlul Bidah Wal Furqah [i.e the people of Bidah and Splitting]- those who oppose the Book and the Sunnah- Ahlul Ahwaa because they accept what they love and reject what they hate based on their desires without guidance from Allah”. [6]
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said, “Do not sit with the people of desires; for indeed it causes sickness of the heart”. [7]
Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, “Beware of writing down (knowledge) from one of the people of desires, be it a little or a lot”. [8]
Sa’eed Ibn Amr Al-Bardha’ee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: I witnessed when Abu Zur’ah, may Allah have mercy upon him, was asked about Haarith Al-Muhaasibee and his books, so he said to the questioner: “Beware of these books; they are books of bidah and misguidance”. [9]
Sallaam Ibn Abee Mutee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: A man from the people of desires said to Ayyoub As-Sakhtiyaanee, “O Abaa-Bakr! I want to ask you about some statement”, so Ayyoub walked away and started gesturing with his finger, saying, “Not even half a statement”. [10]
The above statements of the scholars contain the descriptions and treatments that a Mubtadi deserves based on the gravity of his misguidance; thus, one must question how Dr. Muhammad Bin Hadi can pass judgment of Tabdee against those senior students without an iota of evidence! His declaration of Tabdee appears to stem from impulsiveness, oppression, and conjecture, prompting senior scholars like Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Hadi al-Mad’khali, may Allah preserve him, and Al-Allaamah Ubaid Bin Abdillaah al-Jaabiri, may Allah have mercy upon him, to counter his exaggerations. Consequently, one must ponder why Faris resorts to sophistry and diversion under the guise of unity to evade the correct stance obligated to all of us regarding this important matter. The situation surrounding Dr. Muhammad Bin Haadi is unequivocal; he has openly contravened what is permissible and engaged in manifestly unlawful actions by issuing Tabdee without evidence. Similarly, Faris’s duplicity becomes evident whenever he seeks to divert from the clear stance regarding this matter, especially since Dr. Muhammad has stubbornly maintained his stance on this Tabdee without retracting it. For further insights, one may explore the following links concerning this affair: Al-Allaamah Rabiʿ’s appeal to Shaykh Muḥammad bin Hādī for a justification of his tabdīʿ of Salafī students and shaykhs, along with a request to specifically identify the prominent scholars he accused of being “affected” and “destroyed” by the “Ṣaʿāfiqah” – a month has elapsed with no response. This reminder highlights Shaykh Rabiʿ’s inquiry into Shaykh Muḥammad bin Hādī’s tabdīʿ of Salafī students and shaykhs, seeking clarity on the major scholars he implicated, yet a month passed without an answer. Read below:
https://twitter.com/AbuIyaadSP/status/1018974451269033986/photo/1
https://twitter.com/AbuIyaadSP/status/1018974451269033986/photo/1
Indeed, we warn duplicitous Faris lest he falls into what Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Haadi al-Mad’khali observed about certain dangerous individuals: “There is one who approaches two disputing parties, leading them astray without prioritising the truth. He has a new doctrine that he perceives as balanced, yet it is falsehood and sophistry”. [11]
Therefore, it is of utmost importance to illuminate the perilous ramifications of Ibn Hadi’s erroneous Tabdee and to guide individuals back to the scholars and students of knowledge who have meticulously produced rebuttals in both the East and the West. This is the expectation placed upon Faris, should he be sincere, rather than indulging in rhetoric and sophistry. Such elucidation is what Faris ought to provide if he wishes to avert the calamity stemming from Dr. Muhammad’s misguided Tabdee. We remind him that he has not only spoken untruths but has also neglected to clarify essential matters, thus he is cautioned to avoid the fate of those who embody the traits of the the vocal and silent devils. Imam Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, may Allah’s mercy be upon him, addressed this issue as follows:
Indeed, this (i.e. speaking and silent devil) has been stated by some of the pious predecessors, not as a saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, but as a viewpoint of certain learned individuals. They expressed that “the one who remains silent about the truth is a mute devil, while the one who speaks falsehood is a speaking devil.” Therefore, those who propagate falsehood and advocate for it are considered among the speaking devils. A person who remains silent about the truth when they have the ability to speak, who does not promote what is right or discourage what is wrong, and who fails to change what needs to be changed while having the ability to do so, is referred to as a mute devil, a type of human devil. It is the duty of a believer to denounce falsehood and advocate for what is right. If one has the ability to do this, it is obligatory, as Allah says:
وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining good and forbidding evil. And it is they who are the successful. [3:104]
وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ [التوبة
The believers, men and women, are Auliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin good and forbid evil. [9:71]
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, stated: When people witness wrongdoing and do not take action to change it, they risk facing Allah’s punishment”. He said: “If anyone sees something wrong, they should change it with their hand; if they are unable, then with their tongue; and if they cannot do even that, then with their heart, which is the weakest form of faith”. This is recorded in the authentic collection of Imam Muslim.
This illustrates the obligation of denouncing evil according to one’s ability: first with action, then with speech, and finally with the heart. A person who remains silent about wrongdoing while having the ability to act is akin to a mute devil. [12]
So, we wait for Faris to forsake his sophistry and unequivocally reject the erroneous Tabdee that Muhammad Bin Hadi has proclaimed against certain senior Salafi students.
As for Faris’s statement that the 19 year old enquirer could not speak Arabic, this reminds us of the mid-90s when some of the Hizbiyyoon and Mu’mayyi’ah in Manchester would often seek to belittle us, saying: “Preoccupy yourselves with what is beneficial. Maintain silence, for it is others who have elucidated the Rudud for you. Preoccupy yourself in the study of the Arabic language to form your own independent conclusions”. This psychological tactic was employed to diminish the significance of our inquiries in English, even after we had shared the comprehensive Manhaj articles produced by Shaikh Abu Talhah, may Allah have mercy upon him, and Shaikh Abu Iyaad – at www.salafipublications.com– which detailed the refutations against the hizbiyyoon and Mu’mayy’iah.
What was the true intention behind Faris’s mention of the 19-year-old’s inability to speak Arabic? Was he suggesting that the inquirer ought to master the Arabic language before engaging in such discussions? Or was it an attempt to highlight the inquirer’s lack of foundational knowledge? Did Faris aim to illustrate that those who present well-founded, evidence-based arguments regarding Muhammad Bin Hadi’s situation are merely squandering the time of this young individual? Alternatively, could it be that Faris’s comment stemmed from a momentary lapse or was it a calculated act of deceit, reminiscent of those who are cloaked in their own insecurities while claiming that they are prioritising more important matters? We understood various issues concerning Manhaj in English from the articles at www.salafipublications.com, and by the grace of Allah, we successfully distanced ourselves from numerous obstinate individuals who clung to falsehood in the mid-90s, even before we could comprehend a single sentence in Arabic besides reciting the Qur’an.
Therefore, do not allow yourself to be misled by this deceiver, who, rather than addressing the core aspects of the discourse, resorts to presenting ambiguous matters to distract or lay the groundwork for his futile attempts to undermine the proofs that would reveal the sound stances against the Musafiqah. It is imperative that young individuals, regardless of their proficiency in Arabic, are cautioned against the proponents of Bidah, the advocates of Tamyee, and those who exaggerate in their rulings of Tabdee, such as Muhammad Bin Hadi. It is essential to keep the youth informed whenever the situation demands. Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Haadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah preserve him, stated: “The people extensively read books that contained deviant viewpoints, and the libraries were decaying and being filled with misguidance and Bidah. Nonetheless, they refrained from speaking in this manner (those who object when one seeks to acquaint himself with refutation to be upon clarity about groups and individuals). However, as people started to (follow) the teachings of Allah’s Book and the Sunnah based on the methodology of the Pious Predecessors and discovered books that warned them against Bidah and misguidance, they said, “Do not busy yourselves on these matters, do not neglect knowledge”. These refutations are part of acquiring knowledge. By Allah! To be acquainted with guidance (and distinguishing) it from misguidance, recognising good and (distinguishing it) from evil, are knowledge that will safeguard a person, as Hudhaifah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘The people used to ask the Messenger about the good, but I used to ask him about the evil out of fear of falling into it’. The books of the proponents of Bidah and misguidance should be made known through the books that debunk them. Many young people were ruined when deprived of the likes of these books that protect them. These books offer a shield of protection for the youth. [13]
To be continued InShaAllah
This series is presented by a member of the Masjid Committee, Abdullah Jallow, yet it reflects the unified position of the entire committee against this duplicitous individual. Abdullah’s name is cited to ensure accountability for the content being shared.
[1] An Excerpt from ‘Badaa’i At-Tafseer Al-Jaami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim. Vol 1. Page 300-303
[2] Tafseer Al-Baghawi 3/689]
[3] An Excerpt from (الذريعة إلى بيان مقاصد كتاب الشريعة. 1/192-193. Slightly paraphrased]
[4] Aqeedatus Salaf 102
[5] Quoted by Shaikh Rabee (may Allaah preserve him) in his Book titled: Al-Mahajjah Al-Baydaa Fee Himaayati As-Sunnati Al-Gharraa’i Min Zallaati Alhlil Akh’taa Wa Zayghi Ahlil Ahwaa’ page: 47
[6] An Excerpt from Majmoo Al-Fataawaa 4/189-190
[7] Reported by Imaam Al-Aajuree in Ash-Sharee-ah: 1/453]
[8] Siyar 11/231
[9] Al-Meezaan 2/165
[10] Reported by Imaam Al-Aajuree in Ash-Sharee-ah 1/440]
[11]دحر إفتراءات p191
[13] An Excerpt from “Juhoodul Allaamah Rabee Al-Madkhali Fee Naqdi Shubuhaatil Hizbiyyeen. page 80-81
