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 evil 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 book of Allāh, the Most High. 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.
I welcome all our Mashāyikh (scholars) and students, both male and female, and I say to them: As-Salām ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh wa barakātuh. I ask Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, with His most beautiful names and loftiest attributes to grant me, you all, our scholars, our brothers, and our sisters, sincerity to His Noble Face, and following the Sunnah in all of our affairs, and that he accepts [our deeds] from us all. Indeed, He is the Munificent, the Most Generous.
Indeed, from the reasons of happiness, joy, being pleased with Allāh, gladness, and delight is that the like of these knowledge-based Salafī conferences are organized within this pleasant country, Nigeria—may Allāh protect it with Tawḥīd and Sunnah, and guide all its people to what contains goodness for them in this world and the hereafter.
And may Allāh, the Majestic and Most High, reward, firstly, the scholars participating in this conference—the conference of our Shaykh, Al-ʿAllāmah ʿUbayd bn ʿAbdillāh bn Sulaymān Al-Jābirī Al-Ḥamdānī, may Allāh have mercy on him, forgive him, and elevate his ranks, and that of all the Imāms (leading scholars) of the Sunnah and religion, in the ʿIlliyyīn (the highest part of Jannah). May Allāh reward him on our behalf and on behalf of Islām and the Sunnah. And I ask Allāh, the Majestic and Most High, to make this effort blessed, beneficial, fruitful, and delightful, by Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic’s permission. And that He makes it from the flowing good deeds of our Shaykh, may Allāh have mercy on him, that will be reaching him in his grave and will be enjoying thereof—by Allāh, the Blessed and Most High’s permission.
I thank the Mashāyikh participating from the Arab countries and the West. And at the head of them is our noble Shaykh, Abū ʿAbdir-Raḥmān ʿAbdul-Ghanī ʿUwaysāt Al-Jazāʾirī, and his brother, Shaykh Abū Aḥmad ʿAbdul-Ḥakīm Dahhās Al-Wahrānī Al-Jazāʾirī, and my brother, the noble Shaykh, Abū Sulaymān Fuʾād Az-Zintānī, from our beloved country, Libya.
Likewise, I thank those that will participate in this conference with enrichment and teaching, among our brothers, the Mashāyikh from the West, at the head of them is the noble Ustādh, Muṣṭafá George, and the noble Ustādh, Abū Muʿādh Taqwīm Aslam, and the noble Ustādh, Abū Mūsá, Raha Batts.
I ask Allāh, the Majestic and Most High, to bless them all and to inspire me and them with correctness, honesty, and speaking the truth.
The organizers of this conference, may Allāh reward them, have done well by giving it an excellent name: The First Conference Of Shaykh ʿUbayd Bn ʿAbdillāh Al-Jābirī, Nigeria. May Allāh, the Majestic and Most High, make it a precursor for many blessed taintless upcoming conferences, by the permission of Allāh, the Majestic and Mighty.
And they have themed this conference, with a very beautiful theme, which connects the succeeding Salafī with his preceding Salaf, the heads of this Ummah, the Companions of Allāh’s Messenger, may Allāh extol him and his household, and grant him peace, our righteous predecessors, may Allāh be pleased with them all. And at the head of them is our Prophet and Messenger, Muḥammad bn ʿAbdullāh Al-Hāshimī Al-Qurashī, may my Lord extol and grant him peace, whom Allāh sent as a mercy to all that exists.
﴿وَمَاۤ أَرۡسَلۡنَـٰكَ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةࣰ لِّلۡعَـٰلَمِینَ﴾
“And We have sent you (O Muhammad ﷺ) not but as a mercy for the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).” [Al-Anbiyāʾ: 107]
And they have selected, as I’ve mentioned, a tremendous theme—for the one who ponders on it: The Latter Part Of This Ummah Will Not Be Rectified Except By That Which Rectified Its First.
And it is a tremendous and common statement made by the Imāms of the Sunnah, at the head of them is Imām Mālik—the Imām of the Dār Al-Hijrah (Madīnah). May Allāh have mercy on him and forgive him and his brothers, the Imāms collectively.
And our brother, ʿAbdur-Raḥmān Al-Ghānī, and those with him among the organizers and administrators, may Allāh reward them, have requested that I open this conference with a word of reminder, and other than me is more deserving of and qualified for it. And I seek Allāh, the Majestic and Most High’s forgiveness and I repent to him.
However, due to the tightness of the Shaykhs’ schedule, I say:
Imām Al-Bukhārī, may Allāh, the Most High, have mercy on him, narrated in his Ṣaḥīḥ—likewise, Imām Muslim reported it, and other than them—Imām Al-Bukhārī, may Allāh have mercy on him, said:
“Al-Ḥumaydī, ʿAbdullāh bn Az-Zubayr narrated to us,” this is from the Shaykhs of Al-Bukhārī and he is not ʿAbdullāh bn Az-Zubayr, the Companion, so take note, may Allāh bless you all.
He said: “Al-Ḥumaydī, ʿAbdullāh bn Az-Zubayr narrated to us,”
And he is ʿAbdullāh bn Az-Zubayr bn ʿIsá Al-Qurashī Al-Asadī Al-Ḥumaydī Al-Makkī. His Kunyah is Abū Bakr. May Allāh have mercy on him.
“He said: Sufyān narrated to us,” and he is Ibn ʿUyaynah bn Abī ʿImrān, Maymūn Al-Hilālī. His Kunyah is Abū Muḥammad.
“He said: Yaḥyá bn Saʿīd Al-Anṣārī narrated to us,” and he is Yaḥyá bn Saʿīd bn Qays bn ʿAmr bn Sahl An-Najjārī, Abū Saʿīd Al-Anṣārī Al-Madanī, one of the Imāms of the Sunnah in his era. And all those we’ve mentioned [in this chain of narration] are Imāms.
“He said: Muḥammad bn Ibrāhīm At-Taymī informed me,” and he is Muḥammad bn Ibrāhīm bn Al-Ḥārith bn Khālid, Abū ʿAbdulillāh Al-Qurashī At-Taymī Al-Madanī.
“That he heard ʿAlqamah bn Waqqāṣ Al-Laythī,” and he is ʿAlqamah bn Waqqāṣ bn Miḥṣan Al-Laythī Al-Madanī. His Kunyah is Abū Yaḥyá.
“Say that: I heard ʿUmar bn Al-Khaṭṭāb,” and he is the leader of the believers, the second of the rightly-guided caliphs, ʿUmar bn Al-Khaṭṭāb bn Nufayl bn ʿAbdil-ʿUzzá bn Riyāḥ bn ʿAbdillāh bn Qurṭ, and his lineage is linked to ʿAdī bn Kaʿb bn Luʾaī bn Ghālib Al-Qurashī Al-ʿAdawī, Abū Ḥafṣ Al-Fārūq, may Allāh be pleased with him.
“On the mimbar say: I heard Allāh’s Messenger, may Allāh extol him and his household and grant them peace, say: ‘Actions are only by intentions, and for each person there is only that which he intended. So, whoever’s emigration was to attain a worldly possession, or for a woman he wants to marry, then his emigration is for that which he migrated for.’ ”
This is the wording of Imām Al-Bukhārī, may Allāh have mercy on him, in the first ḥadīth in his Ṣaḥīḥ.
He is reminding himself, may Allāh have mercy on him, of sincerity of religion for Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, and of [having] a good and pure intention in authoring this tremendous book, which became—with the favour, bounty, munificence, and generosity of Allāh—the greatest book in history, after the Book of Allāh, the Blessed and Most High. Then after it, the Ṣaḥīḥ of Imām Muslim.
And he [i.e., Imām Al-Bukhārī] had recorded this ḥadīth in his book in a number of places in his book. Whenever he completes a round in the authoring of this book, he records this ḥadīth [again], however, with another chain of narration—reminding himself of having good and pure intention for Allāh, the Majestic and Most High.
For, without this intention, Allāh will not accept all of our actions. And the second pillar [for the acceptance of deeds] is following the Messenger, may he be extolled and granted peace. They are the two pillars for the acceptance of deeds: Sincerity of religion for Allāh and [performing] deeds in accordance to the Sunnah of Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ—as our Lord, the Majestic and Most High, said:
﴿فَمَن كَانَ یَرۡجُوا۟ لِقَاۤءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلۡیَعۡمَلۡ عَمَلࣰا صَـٰلِحࣰا﴾
“So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness,” this is following the Sunnah.
﴿وَلَا یُشۡرِكۡ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦۤ أَحَدَۢا﴾
“And associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.” [Al-Kahf: 110] This is sincerity of deeds for Allāh.
I ask Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, to make my deeds, the deeds of the organizers of this conference, the deeds and statements of the Shaykhs and teachers participating it, and that of the male and female students as a whole, sincere solely for His Noble and Great Face, and in accordance to the Sunnah of His noble Prophet, may Allāh extol him and his household, and grant them peace.
Al-Bukhārī, may Allāh have mercy on him, repeated this ḥadīth in different places in his book—as I’ve mentioned to you—[using that to] renew [his] intention. And we must renew our intentions.
The basis with respect to man is forgetfulness and that he is heedless. However, there must be a reminder.
﴿وَذَكِّرۡ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ﴾
“And remind (by preaching the Quran, O Muhammad ﷺ) for verily, the reminding profits the believers.” [Adh-Dhāriyāt: 55]
He recorded it in the Book of Oaths and Vows, with his chain of narration to Qutaybah bn Saʿīd.
He said: “ʿAbdul-Wahhāb narrated to us the he heard Yaḥyá bn Saʿīd say; Muḥammad bn Ibrāhīm informed me that he heard ʿAlqamah bn Waqqāṣ Al-Laythī say; I heard ʿUmar bn Al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allāh be pleased with him, say; I heard Allāh’s Messenger, may Allāh extol him and grant him peace, say: ‘Actions are only by intention, and for each person there is only that which he intended. So, whoever’s emigration was to Allāh and His Messenger, then his emigration is to Allāh and His Messenger. And whoever’s emigration is to attain a worldly possession, or for a woman he wants to marry, then his emigration is for that which he migrated for.’ ”
This is the text of the ḥadīth in the second place. And he recorded it thirdly in the Book of Tricks, the Chapter on the Abandonment of Tricks, from the ḥadīth of Abū An-Nuʿmān, and he is Muḥammad bn Al-Faḍl As-Sadūsī, Abū An-Nuʿmān Al-Baṣrī, popularly known as ʿĀrim, he was given the nickname ʿĀrim, and he is from the Shaykhs of Al-Bukhārī, may Allāh have mercy on him.
He said: “Ḥammād bn Zayd narrated to us” the popular Imām, Ḥammād bn Zayd bn Dirham Al-Azdī Al-Jahḍamī, his Kunyah is Abū Ismāʿīl, Al-Baṣrī, “on the authority of ʿAlqamah bn Waqqāṣ, who said; I heard ʿUmar bn Al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allāh be pleased with him..” So, he mentioned a similar ḥadīth.
So, whenever there is an occasion, he, may Allāh have mercy on him, would remind himself of rectifying the intention for Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic.
And he, I mean Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad bn Ismāʿīl bn Ibrāhīm bn Al-Mughīrah bn Bardizbah Al-Bukhārī Al-Juʿfī—their Mawlá—may Allāh have mercy on him and forgive him, he was the one who used to say: “I did not include any ḥadīth in this Ṣaḥīḥ, except that I performed ablution for Allāh and observed two units of prayer, then I seek Allāh’s guidance regarding including it [i.e., the ḥadīth] in it [i.e., the Ṣaḥīḥ].”
Allāh is Greatest! Allāh is Greatest!! Allāh is Greatest!!! Look, may Allāh have mercy on me and you, at how they—i.e., our righteous predecessors, may Allāh be pleased with them, the people of ḥadīth and the narrations, and the people of understanding and insight, the saved sect, the victorious party, the Salafīs—used to pay attention to their intentions, for it to be for Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic.
And you all recall the narration of ʿUmar, may Allāh have mercy upon ʿUmar, and his nice supplication wherein he used to say: “O Allāh, make all of my deeds righteous, and make it sincerely for Your Face, and do not make any of it for anyone else.”
Shaykh Imām Muḥammad Amān bn ʿAlī Al-Jāmī, may Allāh have mercy on him and forgive him, said: “This is a tremendous supplication. It is imperative for the one who hears it to memorize it and supplicate to Allāh with it.” Or he said something similar, may Allāh have mercy on him.
He mentioned that in his explanation of Al-ʿAqīdah At-Tadmūriyyah. “This is a tremendous supplication. It is imperative for the one who hears it to memorize it and act upon it.” Or he said something similar, may Allāh have mercy on him.
And this is in line with the speech of Allāh, the Majestic and Most High, as you’ve heard:
﴿فَمَن كَانَ یَرۡجُوا۟ لِقَاۤءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلۡیَعۡمَلۡ عَمَلࣰا صَـٰلِحࣰا وَلَا یُشۡرِكۡ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦۤ أَحَدَۢا﴾
“So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.” [Al-Kahf: 110]
And Imām Al-Fuḍayl bn ʿIyāḍ, may Allāh have mercy on him, had said regarding His, the Majestic and Mighty’s speech:
﴿لِیَبۡلُوَكُمۡ أَیُّكُمۡ أَحۡسَنُ عَمَلࣰاۚ﴾
“That He may test you which of you is best in deed.” [Al-Mulk:2]
He said: “The most sincere of it and the most correct of it.” The best deed is the sincere and correct one.
They [i.e., his companions] said: “O Abū ʿAlī,” it is the Kunyah of Al-Fuḍayl bn ʿIyāḍ, “O Abū ʿAlī, what is the most sincere of it and most correct of it?” He said: “Indeed, if a deed is sincere and not correct, it is not accepted.” Allāh is Greatest! “And if it is correct and not sincere, it is not accepted, until it becomes sincere and correct. And the sincere [deed] is for it to be [done] for Allāh. And the correct [deed] is for it to be [done] in accordance to the Sunnah.” End of his speech, may Allāh have mercy on him.
I desired to remind myself and my beloved ones—the male students—and my sisters—the female students—of having the [good] intention for Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, in this tremendous deed, which there is no [deed] nobler than it. Seeking knowledge is from the greatest of deeds that brings one closer to Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic. Particularly what the organizers, may Allāh reward them, outlined of beautiful topics, for the lectures of this blessed conference—Allāh willing. They are all regarding Tawḥīd, following the Sunnah, honouring knowledge and the scholars, sticking to the scholars, and abandonment of tribulations and warning against it.
I ask Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, with His greatest name which when He is called upon with, He responds, and when He is asked with it, He gives, to accept from me, you, the Shaykhs, and the teachers as a whole, and to keep us firm upon Islām and the Sunnah, and to take our lives upon both, and to grant us beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds, and inviting [others] to both of them, and patience upon the harm therein.
And I ask Allāh, the Majestic and Most High, to reward the one who took it upon himself to travel from the neighbouring countries to Nigeria, such as Ghana and surrounding countries, for him to be present with his brothers in this conference. I ask Allāh to reward him with the best of rewards and to actualize his hopes.
And you all remember the ḥadīth of the noble Prophet ﷺ, on the encouragement and persuasion to seek knowledge, in his statement, may Allāh extol him and grant him peace: “Whoever treads a path, through which he searches for knowledge,” and in another narration, “Whoever treads a path, through which he seeks for knowledge, Allāh will ease through it,” and in another narration, “Allāh will ease for him, through it [i.e., this path of knowledge he treads], a path to Jannah. Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the student of knowledge, out of pleasure for what he does. Indeed, those in the heavens and the Earth, and the fish in the deep waters seek forgiveness for the scholar. Indeed, the virtue of the scholar over the devout worshipper is like that of the moon, on the night of the full moon, over the other stars. Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets. Indeed, the prophets did not leave behind dīnār or dirham as inheritance, rather, they left behind knowledge. So, whoever gets hold of it has gotten hold of an abundant portion.”
And the ḥadīth has been reported by the Imāms, the authors of the Sunan, Abū Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, it was also reported by Imām Aḥmad, may Allāh have mercy on him, in his Musnad, and it is an authentic and established ḥadīth.
I ask Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, to make me and you from those who seek this path—the path of knowledge and the scholars. And to grant me and you the bounties He granted His righteous slaves. Indeed, our Lord hears supplications.
And Allāh, the Most High, knows best. May Allāh extol, grant peace, and bless His slave and messenger, our Prophet, Muḥammad, his household, and Companions, abundantly.
And in conclusion of this word of reminder, I urge every male and female student in every part of the world, whether they are in their houses, libraries, the “….”, and so forth, to follow what will be broadcasted of pleasant words of reminders and important lectures in this conference, for them to benefit and benefit others.
I ask Allāh, the Majestic and Most High, to bless all. And to perfect the efforts with success in this world and the hereafter. Indeed, our Lord hears supplications.
May Allāh extol, grant peace, and bless His slave and messenger, our Prophet, Muḥammad, his household, and Companions, abundantly.
As-Salām ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh wa barakātuh.
