Addressing a questioner, the Imaam said, “Because you are a student of knowledge like me …” and then the questioner responded, “No, I’m not like you …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 753.
See here for what the scholars said about him.
Questioner: … how can we celebrate eed, for example? I remind you, inshaa Allaah, of the hadith of the Abysinnians and the hadith of Aaishah when the Prophet ﷺ entered the room where she was and there were two girls there who were singing …
Al-Albaani: Yes, the first thing is that this expression, ‘Celebrating Eed,’ is not an Islamic one, there is no celebration/festival, and [secondly] this is something which has been added to Islaam—there is only ‘Eed’ as he ﷺ said to Abu Bakr in the story which you alluded to [in your question], “Leave them, O Abu Bakr! For every nation has an Eed and this is our Eed.”
So before anything the Muslims concern themselves with performing the Eed prayer in the musalla if they are able to, and if not then in the mosque …
As for those things which are permissible, then they are [the same things which are] permissible in all times and places, only that out of His Extensive Wisdom our Lord عز وجل allowed the beating of the daff alone, nothing else, during weddings and on the day of eed.
But this doesn’t mean that we hold celebrations/festivals as the Europeans do and as we have seen in public squares and general gatherings, where they bring music and horns and the likes, dancing and singing and … and … etc., none of that is from Islaam.
This allowance which the Prophet ﷺ made is an individual allowance, as you saw or read in the hadith of the two girls the Prophet didn’t celebrate, Abu Bakr didn’t celebrate, Umar didn’t celebrate, if it is that you want to use this word ‘celebrate.’
It was only that when a young girl wanted to beat the daff, and the daff alone, nothing else, it was then not allowed for the elders to refuse that. That is what happened, and this is what is endorsed and it is not allowed to refuse that—as for us building lofty mansions and palaces based on that, and celebrations and music and so on, then this is taking it to a level which is not legislated, as agreed upon by the scholars.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 322.
Questioner: Is someone who dies suddenly regarded as a martyr or not?
Al-Albaani: A martyr? Inshaa Allaah such a death will not be one of regret.
Questioner: What do you mean by a death of regret?
Al-Albaani: The situation differs from person to person. A sudden death with regards to someone who was ready to meet Allaah عز وجل and who had carried out the rights that were obligatory on him, whether those are the rights of Allaah like praying and fasting, or the rights of Allaah’s servants like zakaah, giving in charity and so on—if he had carried out all of these obligatory duties and didn’t have any debt and then died suddenly then there is nothing on him [in terms of regret]. But if he was an open sinner, or a criminal or was someone who fell short and then died a sudden death, then that is a death of regret, because he didn’t prepare for a death like that.
For this reason it is obligatory for a Muslim to always be prepared for that hour which could surprise him, and that is why he ﷺ said, “Whoever loves to meet Allaah, Allaah loves to meet him, and whoever hates to meet Allaah, Allaah hates to meet him.”
Any other questions?
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 322.
Al-Huwaini said, “And I won’t forget what happened to me with our Shaikh … Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah protect him and allow us to enjoy his presence, when as a gift I gave him [a book called], ‘Kitaab al-Ba’th’ by Ibn Abi Dawud. On its cover the publishers had printed, ‘Its hadiths have been checked by Shaikh al-Huwaini, as-Salafi.’
So he [i.e., al-Albaani] said to me, “What is this?’ as he pointed to the word, “Shaikh.”
So I excused myself telling him that it wasn’t of my doing, he criticised me for it …
… And it is enough that despite the testimony of famous scholars concurring to him [i.e., al-Albaani] being an Imaam in this field he only wrote his name on the cover of his books [without any titles such as Shaikh etc.], even though other people—whose statements alongside his are like the squeaking of a door or the buzzing of a fly—write on their books, “Written by the Imaam, the Haafidh, the Faqeeh, the One Versed in Usool, the Astute, the Mujtahid …” thinking that by doing so they are enumerating Allaah’s Blessings, but this is where one’s foot slips and delusions multiply.”
Badhlul-Ihsaan bi Taqreeb Sunan an-Nisaa’i, vol. 2, p. 11.
Shaikh Abu Ishaaq al-Huwaini said, “Every time I met him [i.e., Shaikh al-Albaani] I would kiss his hand and he would refuse, when he did so a lot I said to him:
‘We learnt from you in some of your research in As-Saheehah that kissing the hand of a scholar is permissible.’
So he said to me, ‘Have you ever seen a scholar with your own eyes?’
I said, ‘Yes. I’m looking at one right now.’
So he replied, ‘I am only a small student of knowledge. You and I are as that person said, ‘Indeed, in our land, the bugaath has become an eagle.’’” [In another post, the Shaikh used this same example and explained what it meant. Here is the quote, he said, “The reality which I feel from the depth of my soul is that when I hear such speech [i.e., praise] I remember the old proverb, well-known among writers, and it is, “Indeed, in our land, the bugaath becomes [like] an eagle,” “Indeed, in our land, the bugaath becomes [like] an eagle.”
Maybe the meaning of this speech or this proverb will be hidden from some people. The bugaath is a small bird of no value, so this small bird becomes an eagle in the eyes of the people due to their ignorance of the strength and hugeness of the [real] eagle. So this proverb applies to many of those who, [either] with truth and correctness, or with mistakes and falsehood, call to Islaam.” To see the complete post and more context go here.]
Kitaab Tanbeeh al-Haajid ilaa maa Waqa’a min an-Nadhr fee Kitaab al-Amaajid, p. 17.
And the Imaam said, “I am not the leader of a Jamaa’ah whatsoever—I am only a student of knowledge engaged in researching and verifying, the people of knowledge know the reality of what I’m saying.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 10.
The Imaam said, “… alhamdulillaah, but I will tell you something in addition to that too, the reality is that every beginner student of knowledge, and I used to be one—and maybe I still am—…”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 458.
The Imaam said, “… as will not be hidden from students of knowledge like us …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 341.
He said, “So, my brother, if some brothers from the people of hadith or those who follow the Salaf oppose someone like me, or, for example, Ibn Baaz—then this is not the criterion/gauge [by which we measure], the criterion is knowledge, whoever knowledge has reached has had the proof established against him.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 799.
Shaikh Esaam Moosa Haadi said, “Some brothers said to him, ‘O Shaikh of ours! There is a man by us who regards you as an enemy and speaks ill of you—should we boycott him?’
So our Shaikh replied, ‘Does he oppose Al-Albaani as a person or does he oppose the ’aqeedah which Al-Albaani holds and calls to? The ’aqeedah of the Book and the Sunnah? If he is showing enmity to the ’aqeedah of the Book and the Sunnah then one is to discuss [such issues] with him and he is to be shown patience. Thereafter if you see that it is beneficial and more advantageous to boycott him, then he is boycotted.
But if he is opposing Al-Albaani as a person whilst he agrees with us on the path of the Book and the Sunnah—then no [he is not to be boycotted].’”
Muhaddithul-Asr, Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani Kamaa ’Araftuhu, p. 94, of Esaam Moosaa Haadi.
He said, “And if you see that I have strayed or made a mistake you must advise me …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 82.
He said, “I am only a student of knowledge. Nothing else.”
And, “I am only, as I always and forever say, a student of knowledge.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 8.
Questioner: The supplication said upon completing the recitation of the Quraan, especially during taraawih, does it have any basis?
Al-Albaani: No, it has no basis.
Questioner: The supplication said when one finishes reciting the Quraan?
Al-Albaani: Upon completing the recitation of the Quraan … when a Muslim finishes [reciting all of it], it is a Sunnah for him to, or it is mustahab for him to supplicate and gather his family to do so.
As for when the Quraan is completed like this in the prayer, in the night prayer, then this long, extensive du’aa has no basis whatsoever.
Rihlatun-Noor, 19.
Also see Shaikh Uthaimeen’s answer on the same topic here.
Questioner: About the Du’aa al-Qunoot in the witr prayer, sending salaah on the Prophet ﷺ is not authentically established, ya’ni, mentioning salaah?
Al-Albaani: The additional part of the narration which is in Sunan an-Nisaa’i is not authentic, but later it became clear to me that some of the Imaams did it in the time of ’Umar ibn al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, without any criticism from anyone, and so I say it is legitimate.
[But] I still say, [that] because it hasn’t been established in the hadith [specific] about the Qunoot [that] there is a difference between what is negated and what is established: what is negated is that a mention of sending salaah on the Prophet ﷺ is established in the hadith about the qunoot which the Prophet ﷺ taught al-Hasan ibn Abi Taalib. And what is established is that some of the Imaams who used to lead the people in the night prayer in Ramadaan during the time of Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, [used to say it], so we said that that alone [i.e., the addition of the salaah] was permissible.
Questioner: Ya’ni, for example when a person says, “اللهم إني أسألك” (O Allaah! I ask You …)
Al-Albaani: “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت، وعافني فيمن …” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided, and pardon me among those whom …)
Questioner: “اللهم إني أسألك خير ما سألك منه عبدك ونبيك محمد ﷺ، وأعوذ بك من اشر ما استعاذ بك منه عبدك ونبيك محمد ﷺ” (O Allaah! I ask You for the good that Your slave and Prophet has asked You for, and I seek refuge with You from the evil which Your slave and Prophet sought refuge.), if a person says that in the qunoot, and supplicates with a lot of du’aas is that permissible for him or …
Al-Albaani: Such things have not been mentioned in the qunoot, the du’aa al-qunoot is only, “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided.) this is the qunoot of witr. [See the footnote at the end for the full du’aa al-qunoot the Shaikh is referring to, here he only quotes the first line for the sake of brevity].
Questioner: For example, [in] Ramadaan they read lots of du’aas.
Al-Albaani: Yes, and that has no basis unless a calamity has befallen the Muslims … as for what is to be read as a set routine then the du’aa al-qunoot is, “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided.), and it is not legislated to …
Questioner: Ya’ni, me, for example, at home after rukoo’ can’t I supplicate … after saying, “Sami’Allaahu liman hamidah,” for example, I say, “اللهم إني أسألك خير ما سألك منه محمد ﷺ” or for example I say, “اللهم صل على محمد وآل محمد” at the end of the qunoot, or I make a du’aa saying, “اللهم اجعل القرآن ربيع قلبي” (O Allaah! Make the Quraan the spring of my heart.) or something like that?
Al-Albaani: Nothing is legislated in the [du’aa] al-qunoot of witr except the du’aa al-qunoot which the Prophet ﷺ taught al-Hasan, in this du’aa it is permitted to send salaah on the Prophet ﷺ in accordance with some of the Salaf who were just mentioned, as for adding to this supplication by way of a desire to increase in making du’aa, then this is not legislated … saying unrestricted du’aas, we do not add to the teaching of the Prophet ﷺ.
Questioner: Ya’ni, is this a bid’ah or something of the sort?
Al-Albaani: Of course. Everything which is an addition to the teaching of the Prophet which doesn’t have an extenuating circumstance which permits us to make a supplication like we said concerning [the exception about] calamities, then it is an addition, and additions in matters of worship are innovations.
Questioner: Ya’ni, as you know, for example, in Ramadaan, all the mosques …
Al-Albaani: How can I not know? The Masjid al-Haraam spread this bid’ah in all countries, I know this. So it is not allowed to add anything except due to an extenuating circumstance.
Questioner: There are people whose supplication goes up to half an hour.
Al-Albaani: Yes, there is no doubt or uncertainty that that is an innovation, there is no doubt about it. And people follow what they become accustomed to, so we must return to the Sunnah.
Questioner: What, O Shaikh, what is the form [of the salaah that is said] after, “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided.), ya’ni, we want the complete form …
Al-Albaani: After the well-known qunoot1 [you can say]: “وصلى الله على محمد النبي الأمي وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم”, only.
Fataawaa Raabigh, 6.
1 Which is:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، إِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، [وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ]، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
“O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided, and strengthen me with those whom You have given strength. Take me to Your care with those whom You have taken to Your care. Bless me in what You have given me. Protect me from the evil You have ordained. Surely, You command and are not commanded, and none whom You have committed to Your care shall be humiliated [and none whom You have taken as an enemy shall taste glory]. You are Blessed, Our Lord, and Exalted.”
Al-Albaani: There is an issue which occurs frequently every Ramadaan, i.e., that when many mosque Imaams stand to lead the people in prayer they read from a mushaf directly. This must happen where you are as it does here?
Okay, so I say: is this legislated? As for me, then my answer is no. There are some noble scholars who permit it, saying that it is allowed, and their proof in that is an authentic narration which states that Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, used to have a servant who would lead her in prayer in Ramadaan who would recite from the mushaf, this is an authentic narration.
My answer to this is that this narration does not represent the general manhaj of the Salaf, it represents the opinion of the Mother of the Believers, the [noble] lady Aa’ishah—and she is one for whom it was not obligatory to go to the mosque to pray the obligatory prayers in congregation, let alone the night prayer which is supererogatory. Not only was it not obligatory for her, it was in fact more desirable for her to pray at home. So firstly, this, as I said, does not represent the salafi understanding in this issue in terms of the Salaf comprehensively, men, scholars, students of knowledge and so on. Secondly, this case was specific to Aa’ishah and her servant. So if someone were to say that, “In situations like this it is permitted,” we say that, “It is allowed in compliance with the Mother of the Believers.” As for it to be made a general sunnah for mosque Imaams who lead men in prayer in the mosques, then this is in opposition to what the Salaf were on … …
So the rule is that the Imaams of the mosques lead the people in prayer from what they have memorised, from memory … and in addition to that I say that opening the door to allow mosque Imaams to read from mushafs in the night prayer in Ramadaan leads to the cancellation of an established, legislated Sunnah from the Prophet ﷺ, which is his saying ﷺ, “Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quraan and make your voice melodious in reciting it, for by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, it is more inclined to escape from the breasts of men than a camel from its rope.”
“Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quraan,” means devote your attention to memorising and studying it, because if you don’t it will be lost and go.
So if it is said to mosque Imaams, “There is no need for you to memorise the Quraan … just open the mushaf and put it on a high table and read from it and turn its pages as you pray,” this is a practical dissuasion for them to refresh their knowledge of the Quraan which they had been ordered to do by the Prophet ﷺ.
Thus, this would be from the innovations [bid’ah] which oppose the Sunnah—not only an innovation—but rather an innovation which opposes the Sunnah, and opinion is united in battling against innovations which oppose the Sunnah, if only they knew.
For this reason I do not hold this situation which has now become widespread to be permissible, especially in the Masjid al-Haraam and other mosques around it, [i.e.,] where the Quraan is read from directly, from the noble mushaf.
Questioner: Sometimes a qaari will stand behind them [i.e., behind the Imaam] holding a mushaf so that if the Imaam makes a mistake [he can correct him], so does this have the same ruling?
Al-Albaani: Naturally it has the same ruling. In fact, this is one of the bad results of that practice.
Yes, one time I prayed, I think it was in Taaif, Allaah knows best, behind an Imaam who was reading from the Mushaf—look subhaanallaah, every time when talking about innovations I remember the narration [which says], “No innovation was ever made up except that a Sunnah was wiped out,”—what would this Imaam do? When he’d finish [reciting] and wanted to bow, he would put the mushaf under his armpit, picture that, how do you think his rukoo’ would be, his prostration? Like that of a woman according to some madhhabs. What led him to oppose this sunnah or sunnahs? It is the introduction of this innovation, “No innovation was ever made up except that a Sunnah was wiped out.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 544.
Questioner: During the night prayer is it allowed to read the Quraan from a copy of the mushaf?
Al-Albaani:
And all good is in following those who preceded us
All evil in the innovations of those who came after
Imagine yourselves right now praying the night prayer in the time of ’Umar, who would be leading you? Ubaiy ibn Ka’b.
Questioner: We don’t have an Ubaiy with us.
Al-Albaani: That’s why we must produce an Ubaiy.
Questioner: Until we do, what should we do?
Al-Albaani: Such a method [of holding and reading from the mushaf] will not bring about an Ubaiy or even half an Ubaiy, for this reason, I remind you of the famous hadith, “Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quraan, for by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, it is more inclined to escape than a camel from its rope,” keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quraan.
Those people who lead the prayers in the mosque [while reading] from a mushaf, and [I mean] no offense [here] and with respect for any Imaam who leads the people in prayer from a mushaf—I don’t say that these people are lazy [but] I say that at the very least they didn’t carry out this Prophetic order, “Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quraan.” What does, “keep refreshing,” mean? It is explained in the remainder of the hadith.
If a haafidh does not repeat what he has memorized from the Quraan day and night, it will escape from him just as a runaway camel does from its rope. It is well known amongst camel herders that parallels are coined about a camel’s disposition, such that you have sayings such as, ‘[So and so] is more spiteful than a camel,’ for camels are extremely spiteful, [likewise they are] greatly prone to escaping, even cutting their ropes no matter how strong they may be. That is why addressing the Arabs, camel herders, he ﷺ said, “it is more inclined to escape from the breasts of men than a camel from its rope.”
So if Muslims don’t give due care [to memorising the Quraan]—and this is a communal obligation, if some people carry it out others don’t need to—[if they don’t give due care] then they will be forced to read from the mushaf.
Were the Salaf as-Saalih like that? Of course not.
So, we must produce students who memorise the Quraan and recite it well, and who subsequently lead the people in prayer even if they are young children and those who pray behind them are old men, because priority is given to the one who has memorized it and not the scholar.
For this reason, many times I—and you can see that I am in my eighties now—will pray behind the youth, because they have memorized more of the Quraan than me, doing so as an implementation of his saying ﷺ, “The people should be lead by the one who is most well-versed in recitation of the Book of Allaah. If they are equal in recitation, then they should be led by the one who is most knowledgeable of the Sunnah. If they are equal in their knowledge of the Sunnah, then they should be led by the eldest.” Where was I [in this ranking]? In third place [i.e., the eldest]. “If they are equal in age, then they should be led by the one who emigrated first.”
So, the people should be lead by the one who is most well-versed in recitation of the Book of Allaah. So during taraaweeh the people must be lead by the one who is most well-versed in recitation of the Book of Allaah.
And when I say this I know that there could be young children who have memorised more than grown men, but these young children might not pray properly, [but] following this path and implementing this hadith is a legislated way to teach some of these children who have memorised the Quraan the [correct] method of praying, such that they pray it in congregation and lead the people in it, doing so proficiently as ordered by the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ.
In conclusion I remind you of the hadith of a young boy from the Companions whose name was ’Amr ibn Abi Salamah, his father Abu Salamah was one of the earliest people of the Ansaar to believe in Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ before he ﷺ migrated to Medinah. These Ansaar used to go to Makkah on ’Umrah in order to meet the Prophet ﷺ and to learn what new legislated rulings had been revealed to him. So one time his father travelled and then he and some of the elders from the Ansaar came back with a new ruling which the Prophet had taught them, which was to pray in congregation. Prior to that they would pray individually, so they came back with this new ruling, to pray in congregation, the Prophet having taught them this hadith, “The people should be lead by the one who is most well-versed in recitation of the Book of Allaah …”
[This young boy] ’Amr said, “So they looked around Medinah and didn’t find anyone more well-versed in the recitation of the Quraan than me, nor anyone who had memorised more than me,” and ’Amr’s age was between seven and nine, that’s what is mentioned in the narrations, i.e., at the most he was nine years old, so he said they put him forward to lead them in prayer—elderly, grown men with beards praying behind a young boy of nine years at the most.
And as is mentioned in the hadith he was wearing a mantle, i.e., a loincloth made out of a heavy, velvety material. When he would prostrate it would raise up above him, and the women were praying behind the men as is the Sunnah, and some of his ’awrah would show. And so this boy had barely given salaam from the prayer when a woman called out from behind the men, “Won’t you cover the buttocks of your reciter from us?” The boy went on to say, “So they bought a thawb for me, and I had never been so happy with anything before as I was with that thawb.”
Thus, we must give due care to memorizing the Quraan and copying our Salaf as-Saalih.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 694.
Questioner: Is it allowed for someone who is following the Imaam in prayer, especially in taraweeh, standing behind the Imaam obviously, [is it allowed for him] to hold the mushaf [while praying] behind the Imaam so that he can look at it?
Al-Albaani: No, no that is not from the Sunnah.
Questioner: If he does it, is his prayer valid [though]?
Al-Albaani: His prayer is valid.
Questioner: But in opposition to the Sunnah?
Al-Albaani: Yes.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 679.
Questioner: Okay, is it allowed for the du’aa al-qunoot … because in the sunnah it is reported as being before the rukoo’, if we do it after the rukoo’ that would be …
Al-Albaani: … that would be following ’Umar etc., but the sunnah is dearer to us.
Questioner: Yes, doing it before the rukoo’ is better?
Al-Albaani: Yes.
Questioner: Okay, if we added an [additional] supplication to the du’aa al-qunoot which has been reported [in the Sunnah], is it allowed? The du’aa al-qunoot well-known as, ‘Allaahummahdini fi man hadaita …,’ if I add other supplications to that of my own accord?
Al-Albaani: No, it’s not allowed, except rarely.
Questioner: Only rarely.
Al-Albaani: Yes.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 326.
Also see here.
The Albaani Site 