Questioner:
What is said about the one who says I am neutral (i.e I have no stance) in this fitnah (tribulation) and he does not take the speech of al-’Allāmah Rabī’ and ’Ubayd and he does not refute it?
Shaykh Arafāt bn Ḥasan al-Muḥammadī:
This is an error. The scholars spoke and clarified after hearing from the sides. And they sat, advised, clarified and enjoined with coming together, then they said their statement. And this is a mistake, to say that Shaykh Rabī’ -may Allāh preserve him- did not listen to them and that he was hasty in that affair. This is a lie.
And we witnessed this fitnah from it’s beginning. Nothing came to Shaykh Rabī’ (about this fitnah) except that he reads it and ascertain and verifify (it’s authenticity), then advise (the accused) if it was a mistake. And he rejects it and defends (the accused) if it was a lie.
So this fitnah is apparent and clear, and all praise is due to Allāh. They dropped tens of scholars and students of knowledge, and they accused them of this lie; the fitnah of aṣ-Ṣa’faqah (being paupers in knowledge). And they have followers who are ignoramuses of the highest order and they do not call them Ṣa’āfiqah!
Why? Because they are their followers, so no problem. Even if it is some of the liars of yesterday, they used to say about ‘so and so’; ‘an evil person, a liar, he lies to the people’; and we heard this. And today, such a person has been brought close, and he dines with him, and he praises and recommends him, and he is better than the Ṣa’āfiqah. (This is) from what affirms that these people are employing the principle which they accuse others with; “Whoever agrees with them, he will be brought close even if he is a liar”, and this affirms it. If Abū Ayyūb al-Maghribī obeyed them in what they wanted and he agreed with what was in Kashf an-Niqāb, he would have been the believing servant of Allāh (i.e praiseworthy with them)! However, when he opposed them and he said this is not correct, and he called for a Mubāhalah (i.e for them to place the curse of Allāh on themselves, their wives and children), he became a fornicator, an immoral individual, from the most immoral of people with respect to the honour (of the people).
And then they claim that this (principle) applies to us, while in reality, it applies to them. The one who does not agree with them, this is his recompense. So, he took Abū Ayyūb as a witness, and Abū Ayyūb did not agree with them. Just like it’s said: “She accused me of her disease and sneaked off” (an Arabic proverb).
Their stance towards Muḥammad al-Imām is a disgraceful stance, a shameful stance. And Allāh knows what the chests conceal.
But as for the one who opposes them or advises them, then he is (considered) a lowly individual, even if he is a scholar, like Shaykh Rabī’ and Shaykh ’Ubayd. (They say): “Shaykh Rabī’ is weak, and in his old age, and surrounded by the Ṣa’āfiqah. There is no problem with this! Strike (him)! Strike Rabī’ and strike ’Ubayd. They have surrounded ’Ubayd, they have surrounded Rabī’!”
Mā shā Allāh! But he (i.e Dr. Muḥammad bn Hādī) has a good inner circle. Beware of speaking about his inner circle.
We say to these ones who are neutral (i.e those who have no stance); listen to the lecture aṣ-Ṣumāt or al-Khurūj min aṣ-Ṣumāt. It is enough in the clarification of this fitnah. A speech filled with insults, vilification, Qadhf (accusing a Muslim of fornication without producing four witnesses), and defamation, and accusation of the people of Sunnah of lies and betrayal; following the methodology of al-Ḥajūrī.
He (i.e Dr Muḥammad bn Hādī) accuses other than him of being evil upon the Da’wah, while he split the Da’wah all over the world.
This is how those whose hearts are attached to leadership, and they love leadership or they desire it and strive (to attain it), this is usually how their condition is.
If not, these are the scholars with you in Madīnah; in the past you would say the one one who does not visit Shaykh Rabī’ in Makkah is ‘this and that’ and fallen and inglorious! Or something similar. And today, he is in Madīnah, and with Shaykh Rabī’, yet he does not visit him, nor does he listen to his advise!
So, these crocodile tears won’t benefit these individuals. If they were truthful, they would have confronted us in the presence of Shaykh Rabī’ just as he sought, may Allāh preserve him, and this fitnah would have come to an end.
The affair used to be simple but now, they have grown intense in enmity, defamation, belying and dropping the people of the Sunnah. Tens have fallen! Everyone that opposes them, they accuse him of Ṣa’faqah (being a pauper in knowledge). Ṣu’fūq! Ignoramus! Whoever is like this, do not sit him!
Now, tens of names. A clarification containing the names of tens of students of knowledge will be presented to him, (he will say) “boycott them”!
Then afterwards, when he realized that the affair has become serious, and the Ummah has splitted, he says; what is this that has happened?! I only spoke against one or two individuals!
I seek Allāh’s refuge from this lie!
So, how will this issue be unclear to the students of knowledge?! And if it is unclear to them, is it not from the fundamentals of the people of the Sunnah to return to the major scholars? What is wrong with us that this confusion and disorderliness happens to us in every fitnah?
So, the affair is clear and plain. And we have sought to sit together with them in the presence of the scholars and they refused, dodged and declined. And Shaykh Rabī’ did a lot of that (saying); Sit together, unite. And they refused!
They were expecting something else, but unfortunately, affairs did not go how they expected it to be.
So, we ask for Allāh to guide them and return them (to the truth) and know the worth of the major scholars. At the moment, unfortunately, all the strikes are directed towards the scholars. This one says lāfāj (i.e brainwashed), this one says “he is brainwashed”, and that one says “he is surrounded by the Ṣa’āfiqah” and that one says “his inner circle is bad rather, it is the most evil of the Ummah upon the call of Shaykh Rabī’ and Shaykh ’Ubayd”!
Were you not the inner circle in the past? Why did you abandon Shaykh Rabī’? Why did you abandon him?! Because he asked you for proofs and you were unable to affirm it. Then you say “Shaykh did not listen to us!”
Lie! I swear by Allāh whom there is no one worthy of worship except Him, verily, Shaykh Rabī’ listens, reads, debates, advises and exercises patience and we all know all of this. But it is desires that changed these individuals. So, they began to affirm what they used to reject and reject what they used to affirm! This is misguidance in the real sense of it!
So, the one who has no stance, we say to him; what is your level of knowledge that you want to stay neutral? You are young in age and low in knowledge, and you might be low in knowledge and old in age. Follow the scholars. Because you will later declare your brothers as innovators. It will get to this point. The other side will not be pleased with you until you accuse these individuals with innovation and say they are to be joined with the people of desires.
Forty statements of defamation against students of knowledge! Accusations of betrayal, lies, ignorance and ascription of destructive sins to them. And they are asked for proofs, they say; we only spoke against two or three.
Look at the lie! And you will find that he spoke against tens of students of knowledge. Their numbers reached more than seventy rather, more than eighty. Here (in Madīnah), and in Algeria, and in Morocco, and in Yemen and other than that.
So, be with the major scholars. We know them and we witnessed the methodology they treaded in fairness and in looking into the proofs. And this is what we used to agree upon about Shaykh Rabī’.
What changed these individuals now? It is desires that changed them. Shaykh Rabī’ did not agree with them on what they want, so they started defaming (him and others) left and right and started striking (at him and others) left and right.
It is enough for you to listen to that lecture. And you will realize that this is not the methodology of the people of Sunnah. When he speaks against an individual, and he insults him, and defames him, and he calls him a liar, and humiliates him and drops him, he says; “I will later clarify the affair to you”, “I will later clarify the affair to you”!
And until now, he is yet to provide the clarification about the tens (he spoke against). It is only lies, by Allāh.
This is the methodology of al-Ḥajūrī that the scholars criticized. And they (the Muṣa’fiqah) also criticized it in the past. And now they tread on it and they drop everyone who opposes them. They strike everyone who criticizes them and he becomes joined with the Ṣa’āfiqah! He is joined with the Ṣa’āfiqah!
And an ignoramus will come, from the most remote part of the earth, he will come to a senior student of knowledge, known with virtue, the Sunnah, spreading of the Sunnah and Da’wah, and he strikes him as being a Ṣu’fūq, because you opposed ‘so and so’! Only that, nothing else!
What made Shaykh Rabī’ say, these individuals (you refer to as Ṣa’āfiqah) possess certificates? What does he intend by that? He intended that you accuse them of Ṣa’faqah (being paupers of knowledge) and you said they are not fit to carry the Da’wah or to teach, Exalted is Allāh! And the Shaykh knows them, they are his students. So he said: if the affair is like that, they possess certificates, they studied, they studied with the scholars, and studied in the universities, so how are they not able to teach al-Qawā’id al-Arba’ and al-Uṣūl ath-Thalāthah?! They organized a seminar in Madīnah, and the whole world stood against them!
Many of the brothers that are far from this fitnah, or are far from Madīnah, many realities are concealed from them, because they did not hear about it.
So, may Allāh guide them. And we ask Allāh guide them. And we say to them; do not be hasty!
Exalted is Allāh! Everytime a fitnah arrives, and we look towards this Imām, Shaykh Rabī’, and he works on it, and writes sincerely and you will see that Allāh aids him and grants him success. And he overcomes his adversaries at the end, because they possess bigotry and blind following and immorality. Why? Because the one who is bigoted to falsehood, his bigotry will drive him towards immorality.
And we will suffice with this. May Allāh guide all towards what He loves and is pleased with. And may Allāh raise the mention of Muḥammad, and his household and companions.
