Questioner: Ahsanallaahu ilaikum, do
you have any blessed advice which you can direct to your sons and
brothers from the students of knowledge throughout the Islamic ummah?
Al-Fawzaan: Yes,
I advise you to fear Allaah, and to continue pursuing knowledge, doing
so eagerly, and to act according to what Allaah has taught you, and to
call to Allaah عز وجل, and to teach the people what you’ve learnt—and to
leave squabbling, that which has taken place amongst the students of
knowledge, hating [one another], cursing, setting people against each
other, until they split the ummah and split the students of
knowledge, [saying]: ‘Beware of so and so! Don’t sit with so and so!
Don’t read to so and so!’—this is not allowed.
If
so and so has a mistake, advise him one on one, as for you spreading it
amongst the people and warning against him whilst he is a scholar or a
student of knowledge or a righteous person who has made a mistake [then
no], such a mistake does not necessitate that it be spread, “Lo!
Those who love that slander be spread concerning those who believe,
theirs will be a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter.
Allaah knoweth and ye know not.” [Nur 24:19]
What
is obligatory is to sincerely advise one another, what is obligatory is
to love one another, especially the students of knowledge, especially
the scholars, to respect the scholars, and not to recommend against some
of them, and warn against them. This is the cause of many evils, the
cause of fighting and hatred, the cause of fitnah—steer clear of these things.
May Allaah reward you all with good.
Be as Allaah wanted you to be: “And indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so fear Me.” [Mu’minun 23:52] “And
be not like the ones who became divided and differed after the clear
proofs had come to them. For such there is an awful doom.” [Aali-Imran 3:105]
Aspire to bring about harmony. Seek to sincerely advise one another. Desire to co-operate in righteousness and piety.
Be
on your guard against those things which split the Muslims—especially
in this day and age. The Muslims are in need of unity, in need of
eliminating discord amongst themselves, in need of cooperating in
righteousness and piety. Don’t become a source of support for the enemy
in breaking up the Muslims and disuniting them.
If disunity occurs between the scholars and the students of knowledge, who’s left for the Ummah?
The
evil/damage [of such a predicament] isn’t on the masses, it comes back
on the students of knowledge, those who reconcile between people, those
who teach the people.
Leave these things, this wrangling, these altercations, these blameworthy characteristics.
“And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead?” [Hujuraat 49:12] “And obey not every worthless habitual oath-monger. Hinderer of good, transgressing, sinful.” [Al-Qalam 68:10-12]
Don’t obey these people, such that you will end up being an aid to the Devil in splitting the Ummah and weakening it.
Sincerely advise the one you find a flaw in—if [indeed] it is established [that he really did make it in the first place!]
Don’t believe rumours.
“O
you who have believed! If there comes to you a disobedient one with
information, verify it, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and
afterwards become regretful over what you have done.” [Hujuraat 49:6]
“O
you who have believed! When you go forth in the cause of Allaah,
investigate and do not say to one who gives you [a greeting of] peace, ‘You are not a believer.’” [Nisaa 4:94]
Allaah
جل وعلا encouraged the Muslims to unite, and for them to be united in
their word, and to cooperate and sincerely advise one another.
We’re
not saying leave the mistake, no. Correct the mistake, we say correct
the mistake, don’t leave the mistake, but correct it with legislated
means.
May Allaah give all the success to do that which He loves and is pleased with.
وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين