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QUESTIONS TO THE NOBLE SHAIKH MUHAMMAD BIN HAADI AL-MADKHALEE

REGARDING MADEENAH DOT COM AND IT’S STANCE TOWARDS SALAFI PUBLICATIONS, IN THE UK.

Dated: Sunday, 16th/J2/1431H (5th May 2010)

 A pivotal quote:

“So if they [Madeenah.Com and associates] do not return (to what is correct) and do not repent, then they are not to be put in front of the people, nor are they to be co-operated with, rather they are to be warned against – I say, in addition to that, they are warned against so that the people can beware of them, because if the people do not beware of them, they will fall into their snare, and go astray as a result of them.”

Our elder brother, Abul-Hasan Maalik Ibn Aadam, recently asked the noble Scholar about an American caller who was involved in the efforts of Madeenah(dot)Com to counter the da’wah of the brothers at Salafi Publications in Birmingham, UK. He also asks about the validity of the position that some of the noble callers in the US took towards those involved with Madeenah(dot)Com to not co-operate with them in da’wah and to not lecture alongside them in the lessons and yearly conferences until those involved in Madeenah(dot)Com recanted and repented from their campaign to wrongfully ascribe extremism and excessiveness to Salafi Publications.

The full question can be found on SunnahPublishing.Net

Abu al-Hasan Malik al-Akhdar (hafidhahullaah) asked:

“One of the brothers returned (here) recently after leaving the Islamic University in Madinah and began to participate in the field of da’wah in giving lessons and lectures. The problem is that when he was in the university, he used to speak against some of our Salafi brothers in America and Britain, specifically, the brothers at Maktabah Salafiyyah in Birmingham. And he accuses them and others from amongst the brothers with exaggeration and extremism in the subject of criticism of men and factions in the West.

Likewise, he was with the jamaa’ah (faction) in Madinah who took up a position against the Maktabah, and announced (and propagated) the likes of these affairs on the Internet on a website called Madeenah.Com.

So when we noticed his speech regarding our brothers about whom we know nothing except goodness, and spreading of the Sunnah in the West, and returning to the Scholars, we took a position that we will not cooperate (i.e. participate) with him in lessons and lectures, until he holds back from his speech, and rectifies what preceded from him. And we have not warned from him, and nor have we spoken about him openly, so the question O Shaykh is what is the correctness of this position of the brothers and what do you advise your sons, the du’aat (callers) in the West on this matter?”

Shaykh Muhammad bin Haadee (hafidhahullaah) answered on Sunday, 16th/J2/1431H (5th May 2010):

“I say, those whom the questioner has asked about, I know about them, I also know their problem, and to the well-informed (i.e. myself) have you come upon. And our brothers from al-Maktabah as-Salafiyyah in Birmingham, I know them fully (completely). I know them for more than 13 or 14 years, no, around 15 years (in fact). And I know them, and I know the soundness of their way, and their methodology which they are upon. And those whom you have mentioned (Madeenah.com), I know, some of them used to be with us (i.e. present with us) in al-Madinah, and in this topic [i.e. of da’wah to Allaah and refuting opposers], they amount to nothing when compared to our brothers at the Maktabah Salafiyyah. For our brothers in al-Maktabah as-Salafiyyah in Birmingham there is [in their da’wah] truthful striving and good, benificent deeds and many blessed and thanked for affairs, in disseminating the true, sound, Salafi Da’wah to people in all areas of the West, [all of] which is to be thanked for, and which is to be mentioned about them in goodness, for may Allaah reward them with goodness, and specifically the brothers, Abdul-Wahid Abu Khadeejah, and Dawud Burbank, and likewise the brother Bilal Abu Hakeem, and besides them from the Salafi brothers who are with them, co-operating with them in al-Maktabah as-Salafiyyah, from those whose names I have forgotten right now.As for those whom you have mentioned, then they have erred with the extremity of error. And I mentioned this to some of them when they were here, and I have given direction to some of them, and I explained to them in that regard, however, they refused that they should accept. So the likes of those, if they do not return (from their way), then it is not desirable for them to be put in front of the people (to teach, give lectures).As for al-Maktabah as-Salafiyyah and their speech regarding men, and their criticism of people in the West, then I do not know from them except goodness regarding this aspect. Rather, they ask us about everyone they know over there. So those about whom we know, we answer, and those whom we do not know, we ask them for documented [evidence] from him, from his speech (voice), which is translated when it is not in the Arabic language, or from his writings, which is translated when it is not in the Arabic language, and when it is in the Arabic language, they bring it to us with his (recorded) voice, and so on like this. And we pass judgement, and give verdict upon what we hear. And the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), “I am just a man, I pass judgement based upon what I hear” or as he (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said.The point here is that those who accuse the brothers with harshness (tashaddud) and exaggeration (ghuluww), and extremism (tatarruf), then they are in reality, erroneous. And some of them, and I say this with all truthfulness, are liars, transgressors. So we ask Allaah, the Sublime and Exalted, for guidance for the one who erred (amongst them), and we ask Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, for guidance for the one who lied and transgressed, and that He returns him to the way of truth and correctness, and if not, then may Allaah relieve us and relieve the Muslims of his evil, indeed He is Jawaad, Kareem.

As for what relates to criticising men in the West or the East, then criticism is a legislative methodology, by way of it is the Sunnah protected, and by way of it is the religion preserved, and by way it is the aqidah protected, and by it are Ahl us-Sunnah distinguished from the Ahl ul-Bid’ah, and thus Ahl us-Sunnah are given preponderance and their way is followed, and Ahl ul-Bid’ah are warned against and they are not sought, their way is warned against. And whoever rejects this, then he is an opposer of what the Righteous Salaf were upon in this topic. And these books of the Salaf are present. And criticism is a legislative methodology and criticism of men, factions and groups is from giving of advice for the sake of religion of Allaah, the Blessed and Exalted. Thus, it is vital to explain (in the likes of this topic), for this is from the giving of advice to the people so that they are not misguided in this subject, and it is dealt with appropriately in the various places (i.e. works, books), the Scholars of the Sunnah and Hadeeth have explained it, and the Imaams of Hadeeth they are the Imaams of this matter, even if the people defy this, and even if some of the people refuse this now, and begin to renounce (this matter), for the Imaams of Hadeeth, they are the Scholars of this discipline, they are the knights of this field, and the people return to them and they (constitute) that which is depended upon in (terms of) speech (in this subject).

And this position of yours is a correct position. So if they [Madeenah.Com and associates] do not return (to what is correct) and do not repent, then they are not to be put in front of the people, nor are they to be co-operated with, rather they are to be warned against, I say, in addition to that, they are warned against so that the people can beware of them, because if the people do not beware of them, they will fall into their snare, and go astray as a result of them. We ask Allaah for pardon and safety, and all praise is due to the Lord of the Worlds.”

Source: Salafitalk.net – http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=9&Topic=11241