Question asked
As-salãm Alaikum.
May Allãh be good to you, virtuous Shaykh.
If we used to know a man upon the Sunnah, then the major scholars declared him to be an innovator afterwards, and then one of the brothers notified us that the man has clarified what the scholars held him for, is it from fairness that the student of knowledge listens to his defence of himself and reads what his students have written in defence of him?
May Allãh reward you with goodness.
Shaykh ʿAlī Al-Ḥudhayfī (may Allāh preserve him)
When our senior scholars, from the likes of our Shaykh, Shaykh Rabīʿ, Shaykh ʿUbayd, may Allāh have mercy upon him and forgive him, Shaykh Muqbil, Shaykh Aḥmad An-Najmī, Shaykh Zayd bn Muḥammad Al-Madkhalī, and the likes of these the firmly established mountains from the senior scholars, when they declare an individual to be an innovator, do not exhaust yourself by reading his speech afterwards.
Because, majorly, he will mention some doubts and arguments.
And he will not [be able to] defend himself because they have listened to his defense for himself.
And till now, I do not know anyone whom our scholars declared an innovator oppressively.
Especially, if they [i.e., the scholars] are from the aforementioned senior scholars. I do not know that they declared him an innovator oppressively.
And they always check his proofs and listen to him, and when they see that he is given to argumentation, has turned away from the truth, and is obstinate, they declare him an innovator afterwards.
May Allāh bless you. So, I advise that you do not read his doubts because he will bring arguments and waste your time.
Shaykh Nizār bn Hāshim As-Sūdānī (may Allāh preserve him)
As long as the scholars, may Allāh reward them, have declared him an innovator and warned against him, the affair has come to an end.
The defense of that deviant for himself is not listened to, nor is the defense of the one who ascribes or is partisan to him, because this opposes the methodology of Islām, the methodology of the Salaf, towards the people of desires, innovations, and opposition. And it will open great doors of evil upon the Ummah and the students of knowledge especially, with the most dangerous [of these doors] being opposing the people of knowledge and their stance towards the people of innovations, such as not listening to them, reading their books, and entering into their doubts. And thence—if Allāh does not grant [him] safety—he deviates, goes astray, and falls into the party of the opposer and his innovations.
And the opposer’s defense for himself does not benefit him if he does not return to the truth, listen to the speech of the scholars, retract his errors, and repent with a sincere legislative repentance.
That is because Allāh has blinded the insight of every opposer, hence, he thinks he is upon the truth and what is correct.
Iblīs (Satan) justified his opposition to the commandment of Allāh, the Most High, and he justified it with arrogance, haughtiness, doubts, and corrupt analogies. Likewise, every opposer is arrogant and obstinate.
Due to that, Allāh, the Most High, said:
﴾فَأَعۡرِضۡ عَن مَّن تَوَلَّىٰ عَن ذِكۡرِنَا وَلَمۡ یُرِدۡ إِلَّا ٱلۡحَیَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡیَا﴿
“Therefore withdraw (O Muhammad ﷺ) from him who turns away from Our Reminder (this Quran).” [An-Najm: 29]
And He said:
﴾وَأَعۡرِضۡ عَنِ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِینَ﴿
“And turn away from the foolish.” [Al-Aʿrāf: 199]
Likewise:
﴾وَلَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ أَغۡفَلۡنَا قَلۡبَهُۥ عَن ذِكۡرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمۡرُهُۥ فُرُطࣰا﴿
“And obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.” [Al-Kahf: 28]
So, what is obligatory is [taking] serious caution from this satanic path, particularly since certain people have emerged in the world today, from the Satans among mankind, who want to spread amidst the people, the methodologies of the Jahmiyyah, Muʿtazilah, Ḥulūliyyah, and the Khawārij—those whom the people of knowledge clarified their deviation and misguidance, so their misguidance, danger, and ignorance became plain like the Sun in the sky, and [it also became clear] that they are enemies of Islām and the Muslims—with the claim that they are historical sects, so he defends them and spreads their sayings and corrupt beliefs, so that it can be widespread afresh. May Allāh suffice [us] of his and their evil.
And this is the actual corruption and causing mischief on the land. And these people are those whom Allāh said regarding:
﴾وَلَا تُفۡسِدُوا۟ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بَعۡدَ إِصۡلَـٰحِهَا﴿
“And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order.” [Al-Aʿrāf: 56]
﴾وَإِذَا قِیلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُوا۟ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قَالُوۤا۟ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ أَلَاۤ إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا یَشۡعُرُونَ﴿
“And when it is said to them: “Make not mischief on the earth,” they say: “We are only peacemakers.” Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not.” [Al-Baqarah: 11-12]
We ask Allāh to grant all well-being.
Shaykh Mishtāq bn Ḥāmid (may Allāh preserve him)
Wa ʿalaykum as-Salām wa raḥmatullāh wa barakātuh.
If the scholars had spoken against him with the truth, then his defense for himself is not listened to. He only has to either establish otherwise or repent to Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic.
Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAbdul-Jabbār (may Allāh preserve him)
Wa ʿalaykum as-Salām wa raḥmatullāh.
If you mean that is it [permissible] for us to listen to the defense of an individual that has been declared an innovator by the scholars for himself, No. That is not [permissible] for us. Because it is not permissible to listen to an innovator or what is written in defense of an innovator. And it is not permissible to listen to an innovator, even if it came as a defense for himself. And it is not permissible to listen to or read from the one who defends him.
