In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy Mercy.
Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said:
All praise is due to Allaah, who in every age and interval between the Prophets, raises up a group from the people of knowledge, who call the misguided to guidance, patiently bear ill-treatment and harm. With the Book of Allaah they give life to the dead and with the Light of Allaah they give sight to the blind. How many a person killed by Iblees (the Devil) they have revived, how beautiful their effect has been upon the people, and how vile the people have been towards them! They remove from Allaah’s Book the alterations of those going beyond bounds, the false claims of the liars and the false interpretations of the ignoramus- those who uphold the banner of innovation and let loose the trials and discords, who oppose the Book and agree upon opposing the Book. They speak about Allaah and his Book without knowledge, argue about what is ambiguous in the Book and deceive the ignorant ones with such ambiguities. We seek refuge in Allaah from the trials of the misguided ones. [Ar-Radd Alal Jahmiyyah Waz-Zanaadiqah. p. 2]
So, let it be known to Muhammad Hijaab and all those who speak ill of the erudite Salafi Scholar Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan or any other upright scholar, that his wrongful actions can be summed up in the following poem:
The fool addresses me with every repugnant (expression etc), but I hate to be a respondent, so he increases in foolishness and I increase in forbearance, just as Oud increases in good smell when burnt.
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Imam Ibn Hajar said, “The Judge Jamaal Ad-Deen, Abu Abdillah Ar-Reemiy, the jurist, Ash-Shaafi’ee, was born in the year 710AH. He acquired knowledge of the religion from various Shaikhs in Yemen, studied hadith transmission under the jurist Ibraaheem Bin Umar Al-Alawi, and authored an explanation of At-Tanbeeh in almost 20 Volumes. He was a teacher, issued fatwas, and was highly sought after in Yemen. He gained widespread recognition and passed away in the year 791AH in Zabid. Jamaal Al-Misri Muhammad Bin Abee Bakr from Zabid informed me that he witnessed his death and his tongue became swollen and turned black. It was believed that this was a result of speaking ill of Shaikh Muhyiddin An-Nawawee”. (1)
So, let it be known to Muhammad Hijaab and all those who speak ill of the erudite Salafi Scholar Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan or any other upright scholar, that his wrongful actions can be summed up in the following poem:
The fool addresses me with every repugnant (expression etc), but I hate to be a respondent, so he increases in foolishness and I increase in forbearance, just as Oud increases in good smell when burnt.
To be continued…InShaaAllah
(1) Ad-Durar Al-Kaaminah 5/233
وقال ابنُ حَجَرٍ: (القاضي جمالُ الدِّينِ أبو عَبدِ اللهِ الريميُّ الفَقيهُ الشَّافِعيُّ، وُلِدَ سَنةَ عَشْرٍ وسَبْعِمائةٍ، وتفَقَّه على جماعةٍ مِن مشايخِ اليمَنِ، وسَمِعَ الحديثَ مِنَ الفَقيهِ إبراهيمَ بنِ عُمَر العَلَويِّ، وشَرَحَ التنبيهَ في نحوٍ مِن عِشرينَ مُجَلَّدًا، ودَرَّس وأفتى وكَثُرَت طَلَبتُه ببلادِ اليمَنِ، واشتَهَر ذِكْرُه وبَعُدَ صِيتُه، وكانت وفاتُه سنة 791 بزَبِيدٍ، أخبَرَني الجَمالُ المِصريُّ محمَّدُ بنُ أبي بَكرٍ بزَبِيدٍ أنَّه شاهَدَه عند وفاتِه وقد اندَلَعَ لِسانُه واسوَدَّ، فكانوا يَرَونَ أنَّ ذلك بسَبَبِ كَثرةِ وَقيعَتِه في الشَّيخِ مُحْيي الدِّينِ النَّوَويِّ رَحِمَه اللهُ تعالى
In The Name of Allah The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Malik Bin Deenaar (may Allah have mercy upon him) said, “It is enough evil for a man that he is not righteous yet he speaks ill of the righteous”. [Shu’ab Al-Iman 9/121]
So, let it be known to Muhammad Hijaab and all those who speak ill of the erudite Salafi Scholar Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan or any other upright scholar, that his wrongful actions can be summed up in the following poem:
The fool addresses me with every repugnant (expression etc), but I hate to be a respondent, so he increases in foolishness and I increase in forbearance, just as Oud increases in good smell when burnt.
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Imam Abu Haatim Ar-Raazee [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “A (clear) sign of Ahlul Bidah (the proponents of innovation in religious matters) is that they speak ill of Ahlul Athar (those who adhere to the authentic narrations of Prophet and his companions in creed, manners, and methodology)”. [1]
Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadi Al-Mad’khali [may Allah preserve him] mentioned regarding those who aim to undermine the righteous scholars of the Ummah: “The onset of this long-standing illness can be traced back to the rise of nationalism, western colonialism, and the destructive views of the Naasiriyyah and Ba’thiyyah, among others. The figureheads of these filthy dogmas went to great lengths to eradicate Islam from their path, which they could not accomplish except by undermining the Scholars. Subsequently, this malady spread among certain groups claiming affiliation with Islam, who actively work to discredit scholars by labeling them as puppets of the government, spies, or other derogatory terms. The purpose of all this is to undermine the scholars, particularly those following the Salafi methodology – the methodology that distinguishes the right from the wrong, the truth from the falsehood, the misguided from the deviated as they are. There is neither flattery nor Mudaahanah i.e. agreeing with an opponent and being content with their ways without trying to correct them, whilst saying, as long as an opponent remains silent about oneself, one will also remain silent about them]. This is because the inheritors of the Prophets, who are the righteous scholars presenting the truth, are fair and just. They support the religion ordained by Allah and propagate it in the global Muslim Community. They propagate justice, Ihsaan [i.e. everything that will perfect the creed, worship, and dealings of humankind and Jinn], and piety. They wage war against evil, immorality, polytheism, innovation in religious matters, and superstitious beliefs”. [2]
So, let it be known to Muhammad Hijaab and all those who speak ill of the erudite Salafi Scholar Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan or any other upright scholar, that his wrongful actions can be summed up in the following poem:
The fool addresses me with every repugnant (expression etc), but I hate to be a respondent, so he increases in foolishness and I increase in forbearance, just as Oud increases in good smell when burnt.
To be continued…InShaaAllah
[1] Aqeedah As-Salaf 105
[2] An Excerpt From “Marhaban Yaa Taalibal Ilm” pages 58-60
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said: “Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, for the prophets do not leave behind a dinar or a dirham for inheritance, but rather, they leave behind knowledge. So whoever takes hold of it, has acquired a large share (i.e. of inheritance)”. [(1)]
The anonymous writers at Wikipedia stated: “In 1966, when Ibn Baz was vice-president of the Islamic University of Medina, he wrote an article denouncing Riyadh University for teaching the “falsehood” that the earth rotates and orbits the sun. In his article, Ibn Baz claimed that the sun orbited the earth, and that “the earth is fixed and stable, spread out by God for mankind and made a bed and cradle for them, fixed down by mountains lest it shakes”. As a result of the publication of his first article, Ibn Baz was ridiculed by Egyptian journalists as an example of Saudi primitiveness, and King Faisal was reportedly so angered by the first article that he ordered the destruction of every unsold copy of the two papers that had published it. In 1982 Ibn Baz published a book, Al-adilla al-naqliyya wa al-ḥissiyya ʿala imkān al-ṣuʾūd ila al-kawākib wa ʾala jarayān al-shams wa al-qamar wa sukūn al-arḍ (“Treatise on the textual and rational proofs of the rotation of the sun and the motionlessness of the earth and the possibility of ascension to other planets”). In it, he republished the 1966 article, together with a second article on the same subject written later in 1966, and repeated his belief that the sun orbited the earth. In 1985, he changed his mind concerning the rotation of the earth (and, according to Lacey, ceased to assert its flatness), when Prince Sultan bin Salman returned home after a week aboard the space shuttle Discovery to tell him that he had seen the earth rotate”. [End of quote]
Response:
First of all, if the Imam did reprimand someone at Riyadh University for claiming that the earth rotates, then that was undoubtedly a justifiable rebuke against those who oppose what has been established based on divine texts.
Second, the Imam’s position that the sun rotates is a fact rather than a claim since everything stated in the divine revelation—the Qur’an and Sunnah—is an unquestionable fact and reality, not a statement of opinion. Read on the links:
Third, if it is true that Egyptian media made fun of the Imam, then it is not at all unusual for learned Salafi scholars to face scorn from ignorant people when they present real evidence. Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: “All praise is due to Allah, who in every age and interval between the Prophets, raises up a group from the people of knowledge, who call the misguided to guidance, patiently bear ill-treatment and harm. With the Book of Allah they give life to the dead and with the Light of Allah they give sight to the blind. How many a person killed by Iblees (the Devil) they have revived, how beautiful their effect has been upon the people, and how vile the people have been towards them! They remove from Allah’s Book the alterations of those going beyond bounds, the false claims of the liars, and the false interpretations of the ignoramus- those who uphold the banner of innovation and let loose the trials and discords, who oppose the Book and agree upon opposing the Book. They speak about Allah and his Book without knowledge, argue about what is ambiguous in the Book, and deceive the ignorant ones with such ambiguities. We seek refuge in Allah from the trials of the misguided ones”. [(2)]
Fourthly, if the cretins at Wikipedia are correct in their claim that King Faisal [may Allah have mercy upon him and enter him into Jannatul Firdaws] was angered by the Imam’s position, then indeed the upright Scholars are an example of how the rulers are treated in that they are not obeyed in anything that is contrary to the Shariah, but rather they are advised in private and have supplications made for them. No one is to be obeyed in disobedience to Allah, as Imam Al-Barbahaaree [may Allah have mercy upon him] stated, “From the Sunnah is that you do not help anyone in disobedience to Allah, whether they be parents or any of the creation. There is no obedience to a human in disobedience to Allah and no one is to be loved for that; rather all of that is to be hated for [the sake of Allah], the Blessed and Most High”. Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan [may Allah preserve him] stated: This is a fundamental principle from the fundamental principles of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’ah that has been derived from the statement of the (Prophet) that, “There is no obedience to the creation in disobedience to the Creator”. And he [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Obedience is only in that which is good”. So, whoever commands disobedience to Allah is not to be obeyed. He is not to be obeyed in disobedience, whether your father, mother, or from the closest of the people to you, or a Ruler or a King. He is not to be followed in disobedience. [(3)]
Regarding the statement that the Imam reaffirmed his position in 1982 that the sun rotates and the earth is stationary, it is true that the upright Scholars do not forsake any evidence in order to appease others or follow the crowd. As for the claim by the unknown writers and cretins at Wikipedia that “In 1985 the Imam changed his mind concerning the rotation of the earth (and, according to Lacey, ceased to assert its flatness) when Prince Sultan bin Salman returned home after a week aboard the space shuttle Discovery to tell him that he had seen the earth rotate”, then indeed, the burden of proof is on the claimant, and the cretins at Wikipedia must present a statement from the Imam for what they attribute to him because the only position known from the Imam till his death was that the earth does not move and that it is the sun and moon that rotate.
As for the statement of the Imam regarding the flatness of the earth, he himself stated as follows: “According to the scholars, the Earth is spherical. Ibn Hazm and a group of other (scholars) have transmitted that the scholars hold a consensus that it is spherical. Meaning: Some of it is joined together with some and rolled up like a ball. However, Allah spread out the top of it for us and placed on it firm mountains, animals, and seas out of mercy for us. This is why Allah says: [وَإِلَى الأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ – And at the earth, how it has been spread out (to facilitate habitation and travel)?] It is flat and visible to us (i.e. the top) so that people can live on it and be calm (without worry). The fact that it is spherical does not exclude that its surface is not flat because if a large, great thing is flat, it will have a wide back”. [(4)]
May Allah enter the Imam into Jannatul Firdaws! His remark is quite obvious for everyone to see. Them read Shaikh Abu Iyaad’s (may Allah preserve him) article on the link for more information about the statements of other Scholars regarding the shape of the earth. “Ibn Taymiyyah on the Shape of the Heaven and Earth and the Concept of Time and Related Issues:
If after reading Shaikh Abu Iyaad’s post in the aforementioned link you believe that the explanation offered by the other scholars is more persuasive or that the Imam’s position is incorrect, then you should know that every upright Mujtahid is rewarded for striving to reach the correct position, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “If a Mujtahid gives a verdict according to the best of his knowledge and his verdict is correct, he will receive a double reward, and if he gives a verdict according to the best of his knowledge and his verdict is wrong, even then he will get a reward”. [Bukhari Number 7352]
Finally, as for the debate that people have been able to reach the moon, listen here:
To be continued…InShaaAllah
[(1)]: Sunan At-Tirmidhee 2682
[(2)]: Ar-Radd Alal Jahmiyyah Waz-Zanaadiqah. page 2
[(3)]: An Excerpt from It-haaful Qaaree Bitta’liqaat Alaa Sharhis Sunnah Lil Imaam Barbahaaree. 2/297-299
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said: “Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, for the prophets do not leave behind a dinar or a dirham for inheritance, but rather, they leave behind knowledge. So whoever takes hold of it, has acquired a large share (i.e. of inheritance)”. [(1)]
The anonymous writers at Wikipedia stated: His obituary in The Independent said “His views and fatwas (religious rulings) were controversial, condemned by militants, liberals and progressives alike”. He was also criticised by hard line Salafi jihadists for supporting the decision to permit U.S. troops to be stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1991. [End of quote]
Response:
First, we have already established in this series that there is no benefit in saying that an affair is contentious while offering no solid knowledge-based proof to differentiate truth from untruth based on the Qur’an and Sunnah as understood by the Sahaabah.
Second, the mere usage of the word militant is enough to disprove the Imam’s opponents because there is no militancy in Islam; rather, the Khawaarij are the ones on the path of militancy. Visit the website prepared by Shaikh Abu Iyaad [may Allah protect him]: https://www.kharijites.com/kj/
Third, liberals and so-called progressives in our time are well-known for their misguidance and extreme immorality, so there is no need to go into detail about their affairs. Listen to Shaikh Abu Khadeejah’s clarification.
Fourth, cretins on Wikipedia and elsewhere are always keen to repeat that there is a group called Salafi Jihadists, despite the fact that it has already been robustly refuted by Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Alla preserve him].
Finally, the cretins at Wikipedia once again failed to provide any explanation regarding the Shariah position on admitting non-Muslim soldiers in Muslim countries, whether in Saudi Arabia or any other Muslim country; instead, they just stated that this was a point of contention. However, unlike the cretins and pseudo-researchers at Wikipedia, the Salafiyyoon provide detail and educate the Ummah. Read the article by Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allah preserve him]:
Indeed, merely being on the opposing side is insufficient because the misguided opponents—the liberals, so-called progressives, and militants—who are all following divergent pathways of Bidah and misguidance, have not offered any unambiguous knowledge-based proof.
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said: “Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, for the prophets do not leave behind a dinar or a dirham for inheritance, but rather, they leave behind knowledge. So whoever takes hold of it, has acquired a large share (i.e. of inheritance)”. [(1)]
The anonymous writers at Wikipedia stated, “Ibn Bāz was among the Muslim scholars who opposed regime change using violence. He called for obedience to the people in power unless they ordered something that went against God. During his career as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, he attempted to both legitimise the rule of the ruling family and to support calls for the reform of Islam in line with Salafi ideals. Many criticised him for supporting the Saudi government when, after the Persian Gulf War, it muzzled or imprisoned those regarded as too critical of the government, such as Safar al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda. His influence on the Salafi movement was large, and most of the current prominent judges and religious scholars in Saudi Arabia are his former students”. [End of quote]
First, the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] forbade rebellion against Muslim rulers, whether they be pious or sinful, so Imam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz’s [may Allah have mercy upon him] position on regime change is based on the sound Prophetic narrations. Therefore, there is no discussion of whether their rule is valid or not; rather, Muslims are instructed to consider all Muslim rule as legitimate, regardless of how such a Muslim ruler behaves, and rebellion is prohibited. Read articles by Shaikh Abu Iyaad and Shaikh abu Khadeejah [may Allah preserve him].
Second, regarding Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz’s revival efforts, his call was for the Ummah to return to Tawheed and that which the pious ancestors were on. During his lifetime, he was also supported in this endeavour by Imaam Al-Albaani, Imaam Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen, and other scholars. Read below.
As for those who criticised the Imaam for supporting the Saudi government to restrain the Qutubies, such as Safar al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda, these critics are either ignorant of the destructive methodology of these two callers to bidah or they are upon the same methodology as them. Read below.
As for the statement that “His (Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz) influence on the Salafi movement was large, and most of the current prominent judges and religious scholars in Saudi Arabia are his former students”, then indeed we remind these ignorant people that Salafiyyah is not a movement, rather, it is the methodology of the Salafus Saalih [the pious predecessors]. Read below.
http://www.salafis.com/authors/Abu.Iyaad.cfm
Finally, there is no doubt that Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz alongside Imaam Al-Albaani and Imaam Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen [may Allah have mercy upon them] had a great impact on the Ummah during their lifetime due to their piety and knowledge. Indeed, the positive outcomes of their knowledge and piety in the Ummah is well-known.
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Imam As-Sadi [may Allah have mercy upon him] stated:
The statement of many materialists (atheists) and those who blindly follow them is that “There should be freedom of thought, everyone should be free to hold the opinion he sees fit and the proposal he makes”. This has also manifested its great harm. Indeed, freedom of thought – giving everyone his freedom (i.e. based on desires) – has shown to be the very reason behind anarchy; rather that is its basis. Animals become better than them (i.e. humankind and Jinn) when they are given freedom in that which corrupts their morals and (sound) beliefs, thus their deeds become chaotic. This is the reality in every country where freedom has been let loose and not restricted by the divine legislated restrictions that conform with (sound) intellect because the souls command evil, incline towards arrogance and insolence, and approach every desire whether it harms individuals and groups or not. Just as giving one the freedom to do as he pleases unrestrictedly cannot remain because if everyone was left with his freedom that he can murder, injure or hit, or take the wealth of the people or violate their honour, the state of affairs would have been corrupted, the world would be in anarchy, chaos, disturbance and great harm will occur; likewise, the freedom of thought has brought evil, and from its filthy fruits is dispensing with religion and the Messengers [peace and blessings of Allah be upon them], rejecting what they brought and that which sound intellect indicates, such as the obligation of restraining and guarding oneself against the harmful affairs related to creed, morals and deeds. Among the outcomes of freedom of thought are the statements heard from the atheistic and vile newspapers that shake the hearts of the people of sound intellect, and indeed they have done great harm to the beliefs and morals; rather it has harmed governments, groups and individuals. As for the Islamic legislation, then indeed it – and praise be to Allāh – came to alert the intellects and urge towards (sound) reflection on those affairs that are useful for one to reflect on, such as the signs Allah has created in the creation and the signs conveyed in the divine revelation; pursues the sound paths of reflection and examining them, and thus it affirms the beneficial sciences and truthful understandings- urges towards every beautiful character, warns against every evil character and places a sound restriction on ideas, which if encroached will result in destructive things and various types of misguidance. If ideas are not restricted by sound intellects and religion – which Allāh has provided for the servants in which is the rectification of their affairs and perfection of their circumstances, then indeed they give birth to chaos and error, misguidance, misery, folly and insanity.
[An Excerpt from “Ad-Dalaa’il Al-Qur’aaniyyah”. page 22]
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, for the prophets do not leave behind a dinar or a dirham for inheritance, but rather, they leave behind knowledge. So whoever takes hold of it, has acquired a large share (i.e. of inheritance)”. [(1)]
The anonymous writers at Wikipedia stated, “In 1927 when he was sixteen, he started losing his eyesight after a serious infection in his eyes. By the time he was twenty, he had totally lost his sight and had become blind. At that time, Saudi Arabia lacked a modern university system. Ibn Baz received a traditional education in Islamic literature with Islamic scholars”. [End of quote]
First of all, the Salafus Saalih (pious predecessors), the best generations of this Ummah, did not receive their Islamic education from contemporary educational systems, despite the fact that they and their successors were the ones who established solid foundations of Islamic knowledge in numerous regions of the world before contemporary universities were established in the Ummah. The Masjid of the Messenger in Madeenah and many other Masaajid in the Islamic Ummah produced scholars far greater than Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz even though there were no modern universities in the Ummah at the time. Likewise, the Imaam himself – an Imam of knowledge and piety – is a manifest proof of the blessed traditional system of Shariah knowledge.
As a result, the lack of contemporary universities had no detrimental effects on the results of knowledge and scholarship; rather, the traditional system produced the greatest Erudite Scholars, whose knowledge has never been equalled. Imam Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali [may Allah have mercy upon him] stated, “There is not to be found in the statements of those who came after the Salaf (any) truth, except that it is found in their statements with a more concise wording and a shorter expression. There is not to be found in the statements of those who came after them (any) falsehood, except that there is in their statements that which clarifies its falsity, for the one who understands and contemplates [i.e. the one who understands the statements of the Salaf]. There are wonderful meanings found in their statements and precise observations, which those who came after them were neither guided to nor knew about. The one who does not take knowledge from their statements will miss all that goodness, alongside the numerous (affairs) of falsehood he will fall into due to following those who came after them [i.e. those who came after the Salaf]”. [(2)]
Likewise, it was the traditional systems that produced the likes of the great Mujaddideen, such as Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim, Imaam Muhammad Ibn Abdil Wahhaab, and others [may Allah have mercy upon them].
Second, when institutions of Shariah knowledge other than Masaajid were initially formed, the upright Scholars reminded seekers of knowledge that the purpose of learning is the purification of the soul, not simply the establishment of institutions, as Al-Allaamah Siddeeq Hasan Khan [may Allah have mercy upon him] stated, “The scholars unveiled what the drive behind this was and they spoke about it when the building of schools reached them at Baghdad, so they held gatherings of knowledge and said, ‘The possessors of lofty ambitions and the pure souls used to pre-occupy themselves with it (i.e. knowledge) – those whose intention behind knowledge was due to its nobility and the perfection (reached by way of it), therefore, they came to the scholars to benefit from them and their knowledge'”. [(3)]
Third, there is no doubt that modern university systems are beneficial and in some cases, they make learning easier for those who are blind or affected by severe visual impairment. All the beneficial methods that facilitate learning for the disabled enters into the Masaalih Mursalah. Read here: https://abukhadeejah.com/issues-which-arise-after-the-time-of-revelation-for-which-there-is-no-specific-text-al-masalih-al-mursalah-and-how-islam-is-applicable-in-every-age/
Finally, it should also be noted that University Shariah Certificates do not inevitably imply that a person has outperformed other students of knowledge who have sat in the company of scholars for many years. Click this link:
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, for the prophets do not leave behind a dinar or a dirham for inheritance, but rather, they leave behind knowledge. So whoever takes hold of it, has acquired a large share (i.e. of inheritance)”. [(1)]
The anonymous writers at Wikipedia stated that many of ibn Baz’s views and rulings are considered controversial (both inside and outside Saudi Arabia), including Saudi Arabia’s support for the Oslo Accords!
First, Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan [may Allah preserve him] stated regarding interaction with non-Muslims:
[a] Invite them to Islam – the religion Allah has ordained for all of humankind. Allah says:
“Invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur’an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better”.
Therefore, we invite them (to Islam) for their rectification and happiness in this life and the next.
[b] Make peace with them if they seek it. Allah says:
But if they incline to peace, you also incline to it, and (put your) trust in Allah. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower].
Make peace with them if the Muslims are in need of making peace, and when there is an overriding benefit for the Muslims in making peace, just as the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] made peace with the unbelievers at Hudaibiyyah. And by virtue of peace, diplomacy is (established) between them and the Muslims.
[c] Refrain from hostility against them without due right. Allah says:
Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity].
[d] Have permissible beneficial dealings with them- in trade, exchange of beneficial information and utilisation of the worldly sciences, and things that are of benefit in our lives.
[e] Fulfil contacts made with them, and honour the blood, wealth and rights of the Mu’aahideen (i.e. those non-Muslims who have a treaty with the Muslims) because it is binding upon them to (fulfil their covenants with the Muslims) and the Muslims are to (fulfil their covenants with them). Allah says:
So long, as they are true to you, stand you true to them].
And the ones forbidden to be killed are the Muslims and the Mu’aahid [i.e. the non-Muslims who have a treaty with the Muslims]. And indeed the Prophet said about the killing of a Mu’aahid, “Whoever kills a Mu’aahid will not even smell the fragrance of paradise and its fragrance can be smelled from the distance of forty years away”. [Bukhaari: No: 3166]
And whoever kills a Mu’aahid by mistake, it is as if he has killed a Muslim by mistake. He must pay blood money as expiation. Allah said:
And if he belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance, compensation (blood money – Diya) must be paid to his family, and a believing slave must be freed]. [(2)]
Finally, read Shaikh Abu Khadeejah’s (may Allah protect him) articles on peace treaties with the Jews in particular titled “Are Treaties With The Jews, the State of ‘Israel’ and other Non-Muslims Permitted? Is it Allegiance? Is it Apostasy?”
