The Albaani Site

Questioner: Shaikh, that which is connected to this topic is that many of the youth slander the Shaikhs.

Al-Albaani: Correct.

Questioner: So what is your advice to these people?

Al-Albaani: Our brothers have already heard the answer to questions like this one, and it is that it is not permissible for these youth to defame/malign the people of knowledge who have a sure precedence of honour in knowledge due to, in the opinion of these youth, these scholars having made a mistake—bearing in mind that when these youth accuse those scholars of having made a mistake it is not based upon knowledge but rather emotions.

And so if the fatwa of such and such a scholar impresses them, on the other side you will find those who are zealous for the scholars who differ from that scholar, in fact, they [i.e., those youth on the other side] will also take the same stance in relation to the Shaikh whose fatwa and opinion they are impressed with [and so on].

For this reason we advise the youth not to meddle in such issues and not to slander, or speak evil of, or find fault with the scholars who they think have made a mistake.

It has reached us that some of them have reached the level where they passed the judgement of disbelief, and refuge is sought with Allaah, on some of the scholars who we respect, regard as being great and honour totally.

The reason for all of this is that the people, whether they are right or wrong, set off, as we just said, based upon emotions and not knowledge or reasoning, but rather upon ungovernable emotions—these people will be fanatical for such and such a fatwa and those others will be fanatical for a different fatwa which opposes the first and so on, and that is a cause to increase the burning amongst the people and the differing amongst the Muslims.

For this reason, we rebuke these youth even if, for example, they hold the same opinion as us [in a certain issue] from slandering the other scholars who have their own opinions and ijtihaad.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 511.