The Efforts of Al-ʿAllāmah ʿUbayd bn ʿAbdillāh Al-Jābirī In Defending Salafiyyah, Allāh’s Religion | Shaykh ʿAbdul-Ḥakīm Dahhās Al-Wahrānī Al-Jazāʾirī

Indeed, all praise is due to Allāh. We praise Him, we seek His aid, and we seek His forgiveness. And we seek Allāh’s refuge from the evils of our own souls and our evil deeds. Whomsoever Allāh guides, no one can misguide. And whomsoever He misguides, no one can guide. And I testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allāh alone, without any partners. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger.

﴾O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah.﴿ [Āl ʿImrān:102]

﴾O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.﴿ [An-Nisāʾ:1]

﴾O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).﴿ [Al-Aḥzāb:70-71]

To proceed:

Indeed, the most truthful of speech is the speech of Allāh. And the best of guidance is the guidance of Muḥammad ﷺ. And the worst of affairs are the newly invented matters. And every newly invented matter is an innovation. And every innovation is misguidance. And every misguidance is in the Fire.

To proceed:

I greet my brothers, the organizers of this blessed conference, in the beloved country of Nigeria—may Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, grant it safety and make it an outpost for the one whoever worships Allāh alone and follows the Sunnah.

These efforts, even though most people despise it, have a profound impact on those who attend and listen to them, and those who receive them later, because Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, made the Earth for His righteous slaves.

He, the Most High, said:

“And indeed We have written in Zabur (Psalms) [i.e. all the revealed Holy Books the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Quran] after (We have already written in) Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz (the Book, that is in the heaven with Allah), that My righteous slaves shall inherit the land (i.e. the land of Paradise).

Verily, in this (the Quran) there is a plain Message for people who worship Allah (i.e. the true, real believers of Islamic Monotheism who act practically on the Quran and the Sunnah legal ways of the Prophet ﷺ).” [Al-Anbiyāʾ: 105-106]

He, the Majestic and Most High, also said:

“Musa (Moses) said to his people: “Seek help in Allah and be patient. Verily, the earth is Allah’s. He gives it as a heritage to whom He will of His slaves, and the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqun (the pious).”” [Al-Aʿrāf: 128]

So, I comfort you, O noble brothers, that you should not become weak, nor be sad, and you will be superior. Because whoever solely worships Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, will be victorious over a thousand from the polytheists.

Imām Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allāh have mercy upon him, described the polytheists in his speech:

Do not fear their plenitude, for they are the riffraff of mankind # and its flies; are you afraid of flies?!

So, the people of Sunnah, even if they are few in every time and place, are the lamps of darkness.

So, it is upon you, O noble brothers, to make your deeds sincere for Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, and to find solace in the stories of the prophets, may they be extolled and granted peace—regarding their call, patience, manners, and vast hope in Allāh, the Blessed and Most High.

Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, says:

“And, verily, Our Word has gone forth of old for Our slaves, the Messengers, that they verily would be made triumphant. And that Our hosts, they verily would be the victors.” [Aṣ-Ṣāffāt: 171-173]

For the glory of the glorious, and for the lowliness of the lowly.

So, it is not proper for the Muslim to be sluggish regarding advancing towards spreading this call, Tawḥīd, and the Sunnah, and waging war against Shirk, for Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, is with those who are pious and do righteous deeds.

Indeed, our hearing about the existence of this group in the country of Nigeria, Africa, calls for happiness, joy, and great hope, that our call is victorious in every part of the world.

Just as he [i.e., the Prophet] ﷺ said: “There will not cease to be a group from my Ummah manifest upon the truth. They will not be harmed by those who oppose them, nor by those who forsake them.”

The opposers do not harm us, nor do the forsakers harm us. And, with Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, we are strong—aiding our religion and spreading the Sunnah of our Prophet ﷺ.

And Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, says:

“But if you remain patient and are pious, not the least harm will their cunning do to you. Surely, Allah surrounds all that they do.” [Āl ʿImrān: 120]

May Allāh reward you for organizing this blessed conference. And I ask Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, to make it [like] a raindrop after which rain will pour forth. After it [the conference], [I ask Allāh to make] lectures, lessons, meetings, and audios flow copiously.

May Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, write acceptance for it, just as He wrote acceptance for the call of the Imāms, may Allāh have mercy upon them, and that of the Companions before them, and that of the Prophets.

So, where are those who used to take the prophets as enemies? Where are those who used to take the Companions, the Tābiʿīn, and the Imāms as enemies?

Where are those who took Shaykh Al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy upon him, as an enemy? Where are those who took Imām Aḥmad as an enemy?

Where are those who took Shaykh Al-Islām Muḥammad bn ʿAbdil-Wahhāb as an enemy?

These are his lessons, lectures, and treatises being taught everywhere. And mercy is being sought for him. And those [enemies] do not have anyone who seeks mercy for them.

Just as Allāh, the Most High, said:

“If you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allah (for the reward, i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not.” [An-Nisāʾ: 104]

Our brief speech regarding this Imām, the great scholar, the Shaykh, the nurturer, the professor, the doctor, ʿUbayd Al-Jābirī Al-Ḥamdānī Al-Ḥarbī Al-Madanī. May Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, have mercy upon him.

He is an Imām (leading scholar), we believe him to be so, and Allāh is his Reckoner. Because, Imāmah (being an Imām) is not attained except by emulating the [past] Imāms. As Allāh, the Most High, said:

“And make us leaders for the Muttaqun (pious).” [Al-Furqān: 72]

Imām Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allāh, the Most High, have mercy upon him, said: “A man will not be an Imām until he emulates the Imāms before him.”

The condition of these Imāms, may Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, have mercy upon the dead and the living among them, points to a statement made by Shaykh Al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy upon him, in the sixth century.

He said to his enemies: “I give you respite for three years, for you to check my books and compare it with the books of the Salaf and the speech of the Imāms of the first three generations. So, if you find anything in opposition to the speech of the Imāms, I will accept what you say.”

Likewise, Shaykh Rabīʿ said: “Between us and you are the books of the Salaf.”

And this Imām, Shaykh ʿUbayd Al-Jābirī, as the far and near testify to, used to follow the footsteps of the Imāms totally. And his tongue does not cease to mention Tawḥīd and the Sunnah.

Despite him being blind and not able to see, he used to perceive and scrutinize everything that surrounds him. And whenever an individual comes to him with an information, he reads beyond the covers in his speech, so he knows whether he is a Sunnī Salafī, or he is a fabricator.

He passed away, may Allāh, the Most High, have mercy upon him, while the whole of the Ummah is in need of him—just as the condition of the Salaf was, as the Messenger ﷺ said:

“Indeed, Allāh does not take knowledge away by snatching it from the breasts of the scholars. However, he takes it away by taking the scholars away. Until, there is no scholar left [alive], the people then appoint ignoramuses as leaders; so, they are asked [about religious affairs] and they give verdicts without knowledge, so they go astray and lead others astray.”

That is how the people of the Sunnah are. That is how the scholars of Tawḥīd are. When they pass away, that hole is left unfilled, with the passing of night and day.

He, may Allāh have mercy upon him, mentions regarding his biography, name, and birth, as one of the Algerian Shaykhs had asked him about his autobiography, so he said:

“My name is ʿUbayd bn ʿAbdillāh bn Sulaymān Al-Ḥamdānī Al-Jābirī. And Al-Ḥamdān is a tribe from Banū Jābir. And Banū Jābir is one of the clans of Masrūḥ bn Ḥarb. And our places of living were initially at the Farʿ Valley and [the village of] Faqīr—especially as these are from the […] of the Prophet’s City. And it is located along the way to Makkah. There are about 150km between it and Madīnah—with a little bit more or less.

I was given birth to at the village of Faqīr, the Farʿ Valley, according to what is said, in the year 1357AH.”

He said, “I moved with my father, may Allāh have mercy upon him, to Maʿhad ad-Dahb in the year 1365AH. And in the year 1371AH, I began learning and studying in the government schools, and I spent three years there before returning to our village, Faqīr, the Farʿ Valley. And I think that was in the month of Shawwāl in the 1373AH.

And I think we settled down in Madīnah in the month of Muḥarram or Ṣafar, in the year 1374AH till date.

As Allāh, the Most High, destined, due to personal and family reasons, I stopped studying for a period of time.

Then, I started studying again in the year 1381AH and it was continuous, beginning from Dār Al-Ḥadīth in Madīnah, then Maʿhad Al-ʿIlmī in Madīnah, and the College of Sharīʿah in the Islamic University, and I graduated from it at beginning of the year 1392AH.

Afterwards, I began working at the Ministry of Education (‘Wizārah Al-Maʿārif’; now known as ‘Wizārah At-Tarbiyah Wa At-Taʿlīm’). And I moved to the university in the year 1404AH, specifically on Sunday, 28th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, and I was appointed as a teacher in the secondary institute and before that, I was in Markaz ad-Daʿwah in Madīnah.

In the year 1405AH, I dedicated myself to postgraduate studies, and all praise due to Allāh, my wish was actualized there, as I was appointed for the Master’s degree in the department of Tafsīr while I was still a teacher in the secondary institute. However, I dedicated myself to studying, and on the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, in the year 1409AH, I obtained a Master’s degree in Tafsīr.”

This is what has to do with his social and knowledge-related biography.

And the Shaykh had verified various books, majorly on Tafsīr and Ḥadīth, like his verification of the Tafsīr of Muḥammad bn Kaʿb Al-Quraẓī—a compilation and study.

He said, “I compiled it from about 20 books, because his Tafsīr did not cover the whole of the Qurʾān. It only covered some chapters. In fact, [he only said] a word regarding some chapters.”

So, I think about 400—more or less—were compiled.

And he had learnt from and was influenced by Shaykh Muḥammad Fallātah, who was the Director of Dār [al-Hadīth] at that time.

And he took knowledge and lessons from Shaykh Sayf Ar-Raḥmān bn Aḥmad Ad-Dahlawī, Shaykh ʿAmmār bn ʿAbdillāh Al-Maghribī, Shaykh Aḥmad Al-Jāwī, Shaykh […], Shaykh Ḥāmid bn Bakr Al-Kutbī, Shaykh Fallātah, and other than them.

And in the institute, he took knowledge from Shaykh ʿAwdah bn Ṭalq Al-Aḥmadī, Shaykh Dakhīlullāh bn Khalīfah Al-Ḥudhayfī, Shaykh ʿAbdur-Raḥmān bn ʿAbdillāh Al-ʿAjlān, and other than them.

Likewise, he took from Shaykh ʿAbdul-ʿAzīz bn Bāz, and he was greatly influenced by him.

So, he was living in the midst of knowledge and calling to Allāh, and he would be selected sometimes for going to the villages and cities, to deliver lessons there.

Most times, he would open his house in Madīnah, despite him not having his own house in Madīnah, except in the last five years [of his life]. Rather, he rented [an apartment], despite being a professor in the university. He did not want to receive charity from those who wanted to give [him], he only wanted chastity, may Allāh have mercy upon him, and he had that. So, him and his children used to move from house to house.

And the Shaykh had efforts in calling to Allāh, authoring, and teaching. Among them is that he would open his house every Thursday, the youths would come to him and he would be among them as if he was one of them. He would joke with them, ask about their affairs, ask about those that were absent from them, and he would call the attention of the one who errs nicely, and he would not waive something that opposes the Sunnah.

As I mentioned, he, may Allāh, the Most High, have mercy upon him, would refer to the youths steadfast upon the Sunnah as ‘the children of the Sunnah’.

From what I will be mentioning to my brothers in this lecture is that our house here in Wahran used to contain a group of female students who were studying books of Tawḥīd, and the books of Shaykh Muḥammad bn ʿAbdil-Wahhāb, may Allāh have mercy upon him, and those of Shaykh Al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy upon him.

They studied close to 30 treatises in our house, and that was under the guidance of Shaykh ʿUbayd Al-Jābirī, may Allāh, the Most High, have mercy upon him. He used to teach them some books for 15 minutes every Saturday and he would give them directives. They would ask him questions and he would answer them, may Allāh have mercy upon him, and would be patient upon them.

And from what should be noted, is that the call was from the Shaykh, himself, may Allāh have mercy upon him. He was the one that would call, and there was no connection through the internet during that time, it was only through direct phone call. So, he used to give them 15 minutes weekly.

So, I personally said to him, “The women have taken all your time,” just as the woman said to the Messenger ﷺ, “The men have taken all your time.”

So, I said, “Our Shaykh, the women have taken all your time. Can you give us a day in which we can call you?” He said, “I do not oppose that.”

And he, may Allāh have mercy upon him, would ask about the affairs of the Muslims—in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, America, and other than that—and he would pray for them, encourage them, deliver lectures through the phone, and sometimes, he would travel to the countries of Europe, just as he was concerned about the centres of Daʿwah in Birmingham, Britain.

He was like the affectionate father, rather he was the affectionate father whom the Salafīs and Sunnīs find that mercy and affection from.

All the youths used to be strengthened by his words, encouragements, and courage. And he used to inform about his writings and he would usually give a summary of the books he authored to students when they are with him. May Allāh have mercy upon him.

And I will mention to you, in accordance to the content of the topic, that which is the efforts of the Shaykh, may Allāh have mercy upon him, in aiding the Sunnah and the Salafī call; I will mention these books of the Shaykh, may Allāh have mercy upon him, to you. And this showcases what I’m pointing to.

He was, may Allāh have mercy upon him, a Mufassir (Qurʾān exegete), Faqīh (jurist), Uṣūlī, Sunnī, and a Muḥaddith (scholar of ḥadīth). Among his books are:

Itḥāf Ulī Al-Baṣar Fī At-Taʿlīq ʿAlá Risālah Al-Amr Bi Al-Maʿrūf Wa An-Nahy ʿAn Al-Munkar, by Shaykh Al-Islām Aḥmad bn ʿAbdil-Ḥalīm bn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy upon him.

And you will notice, O listener, that all [the titles of] his treatises came in a rhyme. And that is due to his paying attention to that; and he would seek the counsel of the specialists in publication, language, and titling, so he would bring out the title perfectly.

Among that is Itḥāf Al-ʿUqūl Bi Sharḥ Thalāthah Al-Uṣūl. And the explanation was recorded on tapes and was compiled by the virtuous Shaykh, Abū Al-Ḥārith Muḥammad bn Ghālib Al-ʿUmarī Al-Yamanī, who currently resides in Dubai, the Imām of Riyāḍ Aṣ-Ṣāliḥīn mosque; and he was from his most special students.

Likewise, from his books is Imdād Al-Qārī Bi Sharḥ Kitāb At-Tafsīr Min Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī.

Likewise, Inʿām Al-Bārī Bi Sharḥ Kitāb Al-Iʿtiṣām Min Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī.

Likewise, Tabṣīr Al-Khalaf Bi Sharḥ At-Ṭuḥaf Fī Madhhab As-Salaf.

And he used to have articles, treatises, booklets, and volumes. [Such as] Taḥdhīr Al-Adhkiyāʾ Min Tahajjumāt Al-Qarnī ʿAlá Al-ʿUlamāʾ.

Secondly, Tanbīh Al-Aṣḥab Ilá Mukhālafah Sharīṭ Baḥr Al-Ḥubb Li Aṣ-Ṣawāb Li Saḥibihi Ibrāhīm Ad-Duwaysh.

Thirdly, Taḥdhīr Ar-Rashīd Min Khaṭar Al-Kitāb Al-Mawsūm Mughnī Al-Murīd Li Shuruḥ Kitāb At-Tawḥīd Li ʿAbdil-Munʿim Ibrāhīm.

Fourthly, Taḥdhīr Dhawī Al-ʿIrfān Min Al-Wuqūʿ Fī Maṣāʾid Ash-Shayṭān.

Fifthly, At-Taqrīrāt Al-Masṭūrah Bi Al-Kashf ʿAn Suqūṭ Qiṣṣah Al-Maqbūrah.

Sixthly, At-Tawḍīḥ Al-Mubīn Bi Al-Kashf ʿAn Ijmālāt Li Ibn Al-Amīn.

Seventhly, Tanbīh Al-Faṭin Al-Kayyis Ilá Kashf Taʿaqqubāt Akhīnā Ash-Shaykh ʿAbdul-ʿAzīz Ar-Rayyis.

Eigthly, Taḥdhīr Al-Muḥibb Ar-Rafīq Min Suluk Bunayyāt Aṭ-Tarīq.

Likewise, At-Taqrīr Al-Aḥmad Bi Sharḥ Uṣūl As-Sunnah Li Al-Imām Al-ʿAllāmah Aḥmad.

Tanbīh Dhawī Al-ʿUqūl As-Salīmah Ilá Fawāʾid Mustanbaṭah Min Sittah Al-Uṣūl Al-ʿAẓīmah. And it is a collection of commentaries and benefits the Shaykh organized in his mosque, Masjid Al-Jābirī in Madīnah. It was transcribed from tapes and has been printed a number of times.

Likewise, Tanwīr Al-Mubtadī Bi Sharḥ Manẓūmah Al-Qawāʿid Al-Fiqhiyyah Li Ibn As-Saʿdī.

Likewise, Taysīr Al-Ilāh Bi Sharḥ Shurūṭ Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh. This is from the best treatises that we advise to be read and studied.

Likewise, Jināyah At-Tamayyuʿ ʿAlá Al-Manhaj As-Salafī.

And you will notice, O listener, that the Shaykh would defend the Sunnah, oppose Shirk, and defend Islām, and he would not fear the blame of the blamer regarding that.

Likewise, Zād Al-Muslim Sharḥ Mukhtaṣar Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim Li Al-Mundhirī, in three volumes.

Likewise, Aṭ-Ṭīb Al-Janī ʿAlá Sharḥ As-Sunnah Li Al-Imām Al-Muzanī.

Likewise, Ghirās Al-Jannah Fī Sharḥ Uṣūl As-Sunnah.

Likewise, Fatḥ Dhī Al-Jalāl Wa Al-Minnah Fī Sharḥ Uṣūl As-Sunnah Li Al-Ḥumaydī.

Likewise, Fatḥ Al-ʿAlī Al-Aʿlá Sharḥ Al-Qawāʿid Al-Muthlá.

Likewise, Fatḥ Al-Quddūs As-Salām Bi Sharḥ Nawāqiḍ Al-Islām.

Likewise, Qaṭʿ Al-Lujājah Bi Sharḥ Al-Muqaddimah Min Sunan Al-Imām Ibn Mājah.

Likewise, Al-Qawl Al-Mudabbaj Bi Dhikr Waṣāyā Fī Al-Manhaj. This book was initially a lecture delivered by His Eminence, may Allāh have mercy upon him, in Masjid Banī Salamah which is now referred to as Al-Qiblatayn.

Because the people have given Masjid Banī Salamah a name different from what the Messenger and the Companions, may Allāh be pleased with them, would call it.

Likewise, from that, Majmūʿ Ar-Rasāʾil Al-Jābiriyyah Fī Masāʾil ʿIlmiyyah Wafq Al-Kitāb Wa As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah. And it is a compilation of ten treatises, viz.:

Itḥāf Al-Bashar Bi Makānah Walī Al-Amr Fī Al-Kitāb Wa Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Khabar. And it is necessary to study and read this treatise due to what we see today of people’s deviation regarding the issue of governance, the leaders, politics, and revolt.

Likewise, Al-Qawl Al-Mudabbaj Bi Dhikr Waṣāyā Fī Al-Manhaj.

Thirdly, Al-Isʿāf Bi Īḍāḥ Mawqif Al-Ḥaqq Ḥāl Al-Ikhtilāf. And it is necessary to study and read this due to what we see that is going on of differing and splitting these days.

Fourthly, Imdād As-Salafī Bi Uṣūl Wa Qawāʿid Fī Al-Manhaj As-Salafī.

Fifthly, Imdād Ahl Al-Athar Bi Sharḥ Ḥadīth Ḥudhayfah Bn Al-Yamān; Innā Kunnā Fī Jāhiliyyah Wa Sharr.

Sixthly, Al-Ḥadd Al-Fāṣil Bayn Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Ahl Al-Bāṭil.

Seventhly, Ḍawābiṭ Muʿāmalah As-Sunnī Li Al-Bidʿī.

Eighthly, Aḍ-Ḍawābiṭ Fī Kayfiyyah Muʿāmalah Ahl As-Sunnah Li Ahl Al-Bāṭil.

Ninthly, Fiqh At-Taʿāmul Maʿ Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Ahl Al-Bāṭil.

Tenth, Nayl Al-Muná Bi Kashf Mafāsid Al-Maʿāzif Wa Al-Ghinā.

And it is a compilation of Al-Jābirī’s treatises regarding what you’ve heard.

Likewise, from Ar-Rasāʾil Al-Jābiriyyah Fī Masāʾil ʿIlmiyyah Wafq Al-Kitāb Wa As-Sunnah is:

Tabshīr Ahl Al-Ḥawbah Bi Āthār At-Tawbah.

Secondly, Sharḥ Ḥadīth; Ittaqi Allāh Ḥaythumā Kunt.

Thirdly, Ṣalāḥ Ākhir Hādhihi Al-Ummah Bi Ṣalāḥ Ākhirihā.

Fourthly, Marātib Jihād An-Nafs.

Fifthly, Min Asbāb Maḥabbah Allāh Li Al-ʿAbd.

Sixthly, Al-Bayān Al-Jalī Bi Sharḥ Ḥadīth Al-Walī. That is, “Whoever takes My ally as an enemy.”

Wa Naḍaʿ Al-Māwizīn Al-Qisṭ Li Yawm Al-Qiyāmah. This is a treatise.

Wa Min Āyātihi An Khalaqa Lakum Min Anfusikum Azwājan. A treatise.

Sharḥ Ḥadīth; Inna Ummatakum Hādhihi Jaʿala Allāh ʿĀfiyatahā Fī Awwalihā.

Tenthly, As-Sunnah Muʿarrafah Bi Al-Ijtimāʿ Wa Al-Bidʿah Muʿarrafah Bi Al-Furqah Wa Al-Ikhtilāf.

Eleventhly, Al-Īḍāḥ Wa Al-Bayān Fī Ṭārāʾiq Al-Ikhwān.

Twelfthly, Jināyah At-Tamayyuʿ ʿAlá Al-Manhaj As-Salafī

Thirteenthly, At-Tanbīhāt Bi Al-Kashf ʿAn Ḥaqīqah Al-Muẓāharāt.

And he has other explanations, like:

Sharḥ Al-Qawāʿid Al-Muthlá Fī Aṣ-Ṣifāt.

Sharḥ Muntaqá Ibn Al-Jārūd.

Sharḥ Kitāb At-Tawḥīd.

All these were published lately by Dār Al-Mīrāth An-Nabawī Al-Jazāʾiriyyah.

These are some of the greatest efforts of the Shaykh, may Allāh have mercy upon him.

Not to mention the conferences and lectures he used organise. And he would not decline an invitation sent to him.

And we once attend ed a conference in Maghrib, in Meknes with him, and he would teach after Fajr till midday. Then he would rest a bit after Ẓuhr and he would come after ʿAṣr and teach till around 10pm at night.

He used to sit with the youths and when they ask him about something, he would give them. And when they seek his advice, he advises them. And when they complain about something to him, he would convey it.

And he used to connect the scholars, preachers, and the students of knowledge, and he would rectify their issues.

He was an excellent brother, an excellent father, and an excellent scholar. May Allāh, the Most High, have mercy upon him.

His demise is a hole that cannot be filled. One of the people of knowledge said regarding His, the Majestic and Most High’s statement:

“See they not that We gradually reduce the land from its outlying borders.” [Ar-Raʿd: 41]

He said: “It is the death of the scholars.”

[He is] from this category; those who were Imāms, emulating the Imāms. You will not see any violation from them. And they are fewer than few. And if they were to be counted, the fingers of a single hand would be enough to count them all.

Undoubtedly, Allāh, the Exalted and Most High, did not neglect the Ummah. He [i.e., the Prophet] ﷺ had said: “Indeed, Allāh will raise at the beginning of every hundred years, one who will revive the religion of this Ummah for it.”

And this is from revival [of the religion]. The books you have seen. And Allāh had written acceptance for it, whereby most of it have been published and some of them are still being verified and prepared for publication.

He is from the senior scholars whom the people refer back to during tribulations and grave affairs, and they [i.e., these scholars] serve as protection, security, and safeguard for them [i.e., the people].

And we only find solace in the consolation of the Messenger ﷺ, which he consoled the one who is afflicted with an affliction in this Ummah with.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “[Whoever is afflicted by an affliction] should remember his affliction by [losing] me.” And this is the greatest affliction. That is, the death of the Prophet ﷺ.

So, we say: Shaykh ʿUbayd, may Allāh have mercy upon him, passed away when the people of the Sunnah as a whole are in need of him. However, our consolation is as the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever faces a great tribulation should remember his affliction by [losing] me.”

Because the death of the Prophet ﷺ is the greatest form of affliction with whoever ascribes to the Sunnah.

And Shaykh Al-Albānī, may Allāh have mercy upon him, had said regarding him [i.e., Shaykh ʿUbayd]: “ʿUbayd, his loyalty and disavowal is for Allāh.”

This is one of the greatest words of praise that can be possibly stated regarding a person who takes the position of teaching people.

It shows, firstly, the concern of Shaykh Rabīʿ used to have over the people, that the people speak based on desires, worldly gains, [love of] leadership, and personal interests.

He speaks against so-and-so… “So-and-so permits such-and-such,” “So-and-so issues such-and-such verdict,” and they do not refer back to the scholars who will issue them verdicts in accordance to the truth, because they fear they will be prevented from [following] desires due to their verdict.

These [scholars] would issue verdicts for Allāh, the Most High, and they are not afraid, nor do they give consideration to emotions. They only give consideration to the pleasure of Allāh, the Most High.

And how many audios and sittings have Allāh destined to be accepted by those whom He wants good for, so they took to them and Allāh used it as a protection for them from tribulations.

And whoever does not take to that, we have a consolation in the fact that many of the prophets will come on the Day of Resurrection without any follower.

So, we should not be deceived by the people of desires and the people of innovations, from the little ones who delved into matters of the religion without insight and opposed the scholars and were ungrateful for the [past] kindness [shown to them].

Even those I mentioned to you a while ago, from the female students whom the Shaykh would give private lessons every Saturday, from 2002 till years afterwards, except when he was ill or on a journey, he would give them 15 minutes; when his audios regarding these tribulations that are violently surging and have reached the whole world, it was said to some of the students that the Shaykh whom you used consider as a teacher and Imām, and was kind to you, said that it is not proper to stand with the little ones in these tribulations, rather it is imperative to stand with the senior scholars.

One of them said, “The Shaykh is blind. He does not know what surrounds him.”

And this is from wretchedness and deprivation. And refuge is sought in Allāh.

And these stances have a great impact on the one who takes them. Because whoever the truth becomes clear to and follows desires, out of fear of the people abandoning him and him losing his worldly interests, indeed, it is difficult for him to return to the truth, just as Allāh, the Most High, said:

“And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance), as they refused to believe therein for the first time, and We shall leave them in their trespass to wander blindly.” [Al-Anʿām: 110]

So, we ask Allāh, the Almighty, the Lord of the Supreme Throne, to accept from Shaykh ʿUbayd, may Allāh, the Most High, have mercy upon him, his efforts, books, lectures, lessons, and his guidance by way of counsel and explanation, and to make the books he wrote and left behind a flowing charity that will continue to give him rewards with the passing of night and day.

Likewise, we ask Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, to grant you, O brothers, organizers of this blessed conference, success, correctness, and guidance. And that He makes you keys to goodness and locks to evil. And that He makes you rightly-guided guides. And that He makes you from those who are grateful when given, who seek forgiveness when they sin, and exercise patience when afflicted.

I ask Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, to open lands [for Islām] through you, that he opens, through you, blind eyes, deaf ears, and covered hearts. And that He makes you harmonious and united upon Tawḥīd and Sunnah, sincere to Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, far away from every form of desires and love of fame.

“So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing) has touched the others.” [Āl ʿImrān: 140]

May Allāh reward you for your patience. And may Allāh replenish what you spent on this conference and lectures. And I ask Allāh, the Most High, to make the likes of the lectures continuous in your country, and to go on for many years and a long period, and that He writes for you, through them, guidance of the people.

This, may Allāh extol, grant peace to, and bless our Prophet, Muḥammad, his household, and his Companions altogether. And until Allāh assembles me with you in other meetings.

I leave you in the care of Allāh whom what is in His care is not lost.

Glory and praise be to You, O Allāh. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.

As-Salām ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh wa barakātuh.