Five Important Issues Regarding Jarḥ wa Ta dīl

Transcription

1

2 (حفظه الله ( al-miṣrī By Shaykh Abū Abd Al-A lā Khālid Bin Uthmān (حفظھ الله ( Shabana Translated by Abū Sa ad Muḥammad The Questions Q1. Should The Laymen Be Involved In Matters Of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl?... 2 Q.2 Is Advising A Condition Before Refuting?... 4 Q.3 Can The Students of Knowledge in The West Criticize Those Who Oppose Ahl as-sunnah?... 6 Q.4 Does Jarḥ wa Ta dīl Harden The Hearts?... 7 Q.5 Should A Person Only Take From The Scholars Who Have Died?... 8 info@mpubs.org Page 1

3 Q1. Should The Laymen Be Involved In Matters Of Jarḥ wa Ta deel? Question: Some of the Hizbīs have said that it is not befitting to involve the laymen in the affairs of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl. Is this true and to what extent does the laymen get involved in these affairs? Summary of Shaykh Khālid Uthmān s الله) (حفظه Answer: Verily Allāh وجل) (عز has preserved this حفظه ( al-madkhalī religion by the Imāms of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl, as our Shaykh al- Allāmah Rabī Ibn Hādī said: The Imāms of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl are here to preserve this religion As Muḥammad Ibn Sīrīn (الله from. ), who was from the Imāms of the Tābi īn said: Look to who you take your religion رحمه الله ( As has been mentioned in the previous lecture, when the fitnah happened amongst the Ṣaḥābah, the scholars of the time said: Name your men for us. So whoever is from Ahl as- Sunnah, you take from and whoever is Ahl al-bid ah, you leave off. And this does not just deal with matters of Ilm in the religion alone. Rather, it also deals with the laymen. To explain that further: In their daily lives when dealing with each other the people ask about who is good with what, so how about the religion of Allāh or what deals with matters of da wah? There is no doubt that whoever says such a statement - as stated in the question - unrestrictedly, he is wrong. And as we said, in their daily lives the laymen always have to ask about who is good for what, so how about the religion of Allāh? How about those who are answering regarding matters of the Sunnah? What is meant by that question - or whoever says this - he is trying to push the Science of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl away from the people or rather, he is trying to separate between the laymen and the religion of Allāh. info@mpubs.org Page 2

4 We tell him that the laymen have to ask the People of Knowledge if they are capable, as Allāh told us in the Qur ān: ف اس ا ل وا أ ھ ل الذ ك ر إ ن ك نت م لا ت ع ل م ون Ask the People of Dhikr if you do not know. 1 And our Prophet الله عليه وسلم) (صلى - as we explained in the previous lecture - has talked about many of the people of his time in matters of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl and made it a Sunnah to speak against men in matters of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl and he himself has warned about certain individuals. The laymen of the Ṣaḥābah at the time had taken what the Prophet الله عليه وسلم) (صلى said and relayed (it) to others and made sure that everyone knew about it. So whoever was from the laymen of the Ṣaḥābah like those who were from the A rāb (Bedouins), they were warned about the likes of Dhul Khuwaysirah, or the Munāfiqīn, or the people of misguidance, or the people of disbelief and other than them. So how is this that someone is saying that the laymen have no business in matters of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl? Yes, they have no business only in what deals with the details of the knowledge, which only the scholars can comprehend but whatever the scholars say to them and warn them against, they have to relay that as is; they deal with what the scholars have said. 1 Sūrah an-naḥl 16:43 info@mpubs.org Page 3

5 Q.2 Is Advising A Condition Before Refuting? Question: If a caller who ascribes to Salafiyyah opposed the methodology of Ahl as-sunnah openly, is it a condition that he be advised before refuting his errors? Summary of Shaykh Khālid Uthmān s الله) (حفظه Answer: The matter of it being a condition to advise a person before you declare him to be from the Ahl al-bid ah needs more explanation. If the person for example has said something against the religion of Allāh openly that has to do with the fundamentals of the religion of Allāh and Ahl as-sunnah, or the fundamentals of Manhaj and Aqīdah, then that is one category we have to deal with. For example, he falls into the matter (of saying) that the Qur ān is created or he falls into declaring Muslims to be kuffār, or he falls into agreeing with the Mu tazilah in their fundamentals of Philosophy, or he falls into what goes against the matters of Jihād in Islām, or he agrees with those who blow themselves up, or those who enter into demonstrations and protests or those who delve into matters of khurūj and going against Muslims rulers. So if a scholar of Salafiyyah or a well-known Student of Knowledge who knows of these matters comes and falls into any of these clear Salafī issues, then in that case he must be refuted because he went against one of the fundamentals of Ahl as-sunnah that any of the People of Knowledge are well aware of. The Shaykh was asked for more clarity and thus responded: My speech is very clear. Like in the books of Shaykh Rabī الله),(حفظه he said regarding the matter of it being a condition to establish the proof before you declare someone to be upon bid ah is not a condition at all and he divided the person into three categories. The first category of those who fall into a clear misguidance and opposition to one of the fundamentals of the Sunnah that no scholar or Student of Knowledge should be delving in, then there is no condition upon him to establish the proof info@mpubs.org Page 4

6 because it is already known among the People of Knowledge. Those who - for example - fall into well-known bid ah cannot be from Ahl as-sunnah; they must be from Ahl al-bid ah. The second category are those who claim to be from Ahl as-sunnah then they fall into a clear bid ah that is not hidden from any of the People of Knowledge whether the students, Shuyūkh or scholars, then he must be refuted without establishing a proof upon him. As for the third category - those who fall into matters that need to be closely looked at or fall into matters that are hidden from most people amongst the Students of Knowledge, in that case he must be advised expose him and declare him to be from Ahl al-bid ah because maybe he has been confused regarding that matter. info@mpubs.org Page 5

7 Q.3 Can The Students of Knowledge in The West Criticize Those Who Oppose Ahl as-sunnah? Question: Can the Students of Knowledge in the west who have studied with the Ulamā` and are well known to them criticize those who oppose the methodology of Ahl as-sunnah in the west? Summary of Shaykh Khālid Uthmān s الله) (حفظه Answer: If he means that he can refute those who go against Ahl as-sunnah or the religion of Allāh with the proofs from the Book and the Sunnah along with asking consultation of the scholars - Alḥamdulillāh the scholars are here and existing - then yes, he can do so. info@mpubs.org Page 6

8 Q.4 Does Jarḥ wa Ta dīl Harden The Hearts? Question: Do the affairs of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl harden the hearts? Summary of Shaykh Khālid Uthmān s الله) (حفظه Answer: Whoever says this statement is either ignorant and he must be taught about this part of the religion of Allāh, or he is an innovator who must be warned against. So as for Ahl al-bid ah, they say such statements because they are afraid that their bid ah will be exposed and that their misguidance and whatever they have done that is against the Sunnah of Allāh will be exposed. Whoever says that this knowledge (of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl) hardens the heart is only saying that to push the people away from the knowledge of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl, to push the people away from the Sunnah. This person is afraid that the People of Knowledge will expose his bid ah. And Ahl al-bid ah themselves have fallen into saying such a statement because they want to push the people away from knowing what the innovations that they have fallen into are. As Abū Ḥātim said: The sign of Ahl al-bid ah is to speak ill of Ahl al-athar. Likewise, Imām Aḥmad said in the introduction to one of his books: Verily, Allāh وتعالى) (سبحانه has legislated in this religion those who protect it from the deviation of those who go to extremes and from the lies of the nullifiers. So whoever says such a statement that this science will harden the hearts, he is speaking ill of the truth. Those who talk about men out of Jarḥ wa Ta dīl are upon the Sunnah. So how can that be from hardening the hearts if you are protecting the people from those who fall into wrongs in the religion of Allāh? info@mpubs.org Page 7

9 Q.5 Should A Person Only Take From The Scholars Who Have Died? Question: What is your advice to those who say that it is upon you to take from those who have died and do not take except from Shaykh Ibn Bāz, al-albānī, Ibn al- Uthaymīn or al-wādi ī. As for those who are still alive, do not feel safe that they may fall into fitnah. Or they might say: I read the books of knowledge and if anything is confusing for me I call the scholars and that is sufficient for me to be considered a Student of Knowledge. Summary of Shaykh Khālid Uthmān s الله) (حفظه Answer: In answering the first part of the question, the matter of taking from those who have died and not from those who are alive, how are you going to seek knowledge from those who have died? Is this something that a person who has intellect would say? For those who say for example to stay away from those are alive because they are not safe from fitnah, this is some of the statements that the people make in order to keep the people away from the Saved Sect or try to drop the scholars out of the sight of the laymen. And if that is the case, how about the statement of the Prophet الله عليه وسلم) :(صلى There will remain a group from my Ummah clear upon the truth. 2 Does this refer only to the People of Knowledge who have passed away, or the People of Knowledge who are also alive? When Allāh وتعالى) (سبحانه said: ف اس ا ل وا أ ه ل الذ ك ر إ ن ك نت م لا ت ع ل م ون Ask the People of Dhikr if you do not know. 3 Does this mean only those who have died or also those who are alive? And how are we going to ask those who have passed away? They are already dead; you cannot ask them about the 2 Al-Bukhārī in his book Al-I tiṣām 3 Sūrah an-naḥl 16:43 info@mpubs.org Page 8

10 knowledge. So again, this statement cannot be said by someone who has intellect. Someone who is sane cannot say such a statement. And keep in mind that the scholars have been preceded by Imāms like them who were upon clear belief and methodology. Like in our present day, from those who are still alive such as Shaykh al-fawzān الله),(حفظه Shaykh Muḥammad Ibn Hādī and other than them from the Shuyūkh, have been preceded by those who passed away (حفظه الله ( and those whom they took from. And Alḥamdulillāh they are upon clear belief and clear manhaj. May Allāh preserve them all. info@mpubs.org Page 9