Questioner: The questioner says: taking a compass on journeys in order to ascertain the direction of the Qiblah for those who don’t know the cardinal points?
Al-Albaani: It’s waajib.
As-Su’aalaat, vol. 2, p. 332.
“Ehsan Elahi Zaheer’s Shaikhs: The Shaikh, the ’Allaamah, Abu ’Abdullah Muhammad Ibrahim ibn Fadl al-Deen al-Jundalwi … [and] the Shaikh Abul-Barakaat Ahmad ibn Isma’il, [and] the Shaikh Muhammad Shareefullaah, [and] the Haafidh, the Muhaddith, ’Abdul-Wahhaab al-Barhimalwi, [and] His Eminence, the Shaikh, ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn ’Abdullah ibn Baaz, [and] the Shaikh, the ’Allaamah, ’Abdul-Muhsin ibn Hamad al-’Abbaad al-Badr, [and] the Shaikh, the ’Allaamah, the Imaam Muhammad al-Ameen ibn Muhammad al-Mukhtaar ash-Shanqiti, [and] the Shaikh ’Atiyyah ibn Muhammad Saalim, [and] the Shaikh, the ’Allaamah, ’the Muhaddith Hammaad al-Ansaari, [and] the Shaikh, the ’Allaamah, the Muhaddith Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani … Ehsan studied under him at the Islamic University of Madeenah, and Shaikh Ehsan used to love Shaikh al-Albaani and cherish him due to his excellence and because he was his teacher, and he had a debate with al-Albaani with manners and respect in some issues in which there was a difference of opinion and Shaikh al-Albaani used to praise Ehsan and his intelligence and al-Albaani said to ’Aabid, Shaikh Ehsan’s brother, ‘He was one of the intellectuals, and I will not forget the manners and politeness he afforded me …’ and he mentioned to him [i.e., to ’Aabid] that Ehsan travelled with him to London and he would massage Shaikh al-Albaani’s feet out of respect and esteem for him.”
Ash-Shaikh Ehsan Elahi Zaheer wa Juhuduhu fi Taqreer al-’Aqidah war-Radd ’alaa al-Firaq al-Mukhaalafah, vol. 1, pp. 73-74.
Questioner: What is your advice about people who slander Shaikh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, and warn against him? And what should our stance towards such an individual be?
Al-’Abbaad: That is the strangest thing, the fact that Shaikh al-Albaani is warned against, that a man who served the Sunnah is warned against, someone who spent his [entire] life examining and researching the hadiths of Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ, clarifying the authentic from what is not. What a person should do is supplicate for him, praise him, and benefit from his knowledge.
And the reality is that there are two people who someone working in the [field of] hadith cannot but refer back to, i.e., al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr and Shaikh al-Albaani. The benefit from al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr in those things connected to hadith is colossal, and the benefit from Shaikh al-Albaani in those things connected to hadith is colossal [too].
For this reason it means that the one who warns against Al-Albaani is warning against becoming acquainted with the truth and accessing the Sunnah, because what Al-Albaani did in connection to hadith was a preeminent service and complete diligence in [serving] the Sunnah, facilitating access to it and bringing it closer to comprehension for the students of knowledge.
So he is worthy of being complimented and supplicated for.
“My son, Shaikh Muhammad Zahraan ibn ’Abdullaah ’Aloosh told me that one of his friends, a youth, told him that Shaikh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani wanted to cause fitnah in the Al-Daqqaaq Jaami’ Mosque and that Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz al-Rifaa’i was able to stop him in his tracks, according to what this youth’s grandfather said. My son asked me about this incident, so I told him that:
‘I was there when it happened in 1956. We were in a lesson of our Shaikh and Muhaddith, al-Albaani, in Shaikh ’Abdur-Rahmaan al-Baani’s house [not al-Albaani, i.e., Shaikh Al-Albaani was giving a lecture in the house of another Shaikh called ’Abdur-Rahmaan al-Baani] in al-Midan. When he finished from his first dars, we left with the Shaikh to perform ’ishaa prayer in Jaami’ al-Daqqaaq, so the ’iqaamah for the prayer was given.
The Imaam was [a person called] Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz al-Rifaa’i, when he turned around to the worshippers to ask them to straighten their rows he caught a glimpse of our Shaikh al-Albaani standing in the first row to the right, about ten metres from him.
So Shaitaan overtook Shaikh al-Rifa’i and made him forget the remembrance of Allah, and he forgot the du’aa that was usually said before the prayer … and he shook as though the Devil had thrown a bucket of hot water on him, or like a thousand watt electrical current had struck him, so he started shouting angrily, ‘Get out! Get out! Get out!’ addressing these hard words at our Shaikh al-Albaani, expelling him from the mosque!
But our Shaikh replied to him with complete calm, saying, ‘I am in the House of Allaah, the Most High—I’m not in your house, and when I enter your house, throw me out [then]!’
So Shaikh al-Rifa’i’s rage and anger increased even more, and he shouted out [quoting the hadith], ‘My ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Fire—’ and he pointed with his hand at al-Albaani!
Some of the worshippers tried to calm the Shaikh [i.e., the Imaam] and others said, ‘Yaa Jamaa’ah, pray now and delay your fighting for after the prayer!’ So the Imaam prayed and we prayed behind him and it was a prayer like that of the one who performed his prayer badly!
After he gave salaam, the Imaam immediately turned and began shouting and screaming again and saying things. So we calmly left the mosque and left Shaikh Rifa’i to quench his desire.
A number of young guys met us, or Shaikh Rifa’i sent them to us, who wanted to fight us. We were about twenty youth in number and had circled our Shaikh al-Albaani, but then some of the noble people from that area who had intellect got involved and prevented the youth from al-Rifa’i’s group with wisdom and calming words, and it was over.
So who created that fitnah and stoked the fire? It was Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz al-Rifaa’i, may Allaah forgive us and him.’”
Questioner: What is your Eminence’s opinion about relying on what al-Albaani has authenticated?
The Imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah, Ibn Baaz: Shaikh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, is from the elite, from the scholars well-known for their integrity, sound ’aqidah, and diligence in authenticating hadiths and clarifying their status. He is a chief support/pillar in this regard, but he is not infallible, he may fall into a mistake in declaring some hadiths authentic or weak, just like any other scholar, every scholar is like that, having some mistakes, from the earliest scholars to those who came later.
The student of knowledge must look at what he has authenticated, or declared hasan or weak, if he is from the people of knowledge, from the people of this field, someone who knows hadiths and can take a look at their paths of narration and their narrators, such that if he finds that what the Shaikh has said is correct, then alhamdulillaah, and if not then he relies on the proofs that are clear to him which the people of knowledge in this field have followed. Because the people of knowledge established principles to authenticate hadiths and declare them weak, as for [… unclear …] the people of knowledge, he [i.e., al-Albaani] is a chief support/pillar in authenticating and declaring hadiths to be weak, because he is from the people of knowledge, he is from those who are [experts] in this field, he has studied for a long time and many years, we ask Allaah to give us and him success and a good ending.
Questioner: Ameen, O Allaah, and may Allaah reward you with good.
See here for a collection of statements that scholars made about Shaikh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him.
The Imaam said, “So a Muslim individual’s following a scholar, not going to anyone else except him, as though he is the Lord of the Worlds who has the right to legislate—no one from mankind has this right whatsoever, even the Prophet ﷺ would relate what was revealed to him from his Lord.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 101.
The Imaam said, “It is not allowed for us to take a specific person to be an Imaam and not benefit from the knowledge of others because the truth which Allaah تبارك وتعالى revealed to His Prophet ﷺ is not restricted to being found in one man after him ﷺ.
We do not believe about the Companions who succeeded him ﷺ what the Shee’ah believe about ’Ali ibn Abi Taalib, [i.e.,] that all of the knowledge which the Prophet ﷺ had in his chest was transferred to ’Ali, we do not believe this, for this reason they believed him to be infallible and held him to be like the Prophet ﷺ in terms of infallibility.
We say: the knowledge which was in the Prophet’s chest ﷺ was transferred to the Companions—not just one Companion—for this reason, whoever wants to gain knowledge or gain an abundant portion of it cannot do so from only one person, rather he must benefit from all of them, for if not, he will have forfeited a great deal of it.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 101.
“Shaikh Ibn Baaz interceded for Shaikh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, to remain in Jordan when they wanted to exile him, whereby he wrote a letter to the King of Jordan which contained advice and a mention of the rank of Shaikh Al-Albaani, so the person in authority there agreed to let the Shaikh stay in Jordan.”
Al-Imaam Ibn Baaz, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa ’Ibar, p. 51.
Questioner: Noble Shaikh, [the questioner was about to ask his question but forgets what he was going to say and so does what is common and sends salutations on the Prophet عليه السلام to help him remember what he has forgotten thinking this to be the Sunnah], Allaahumma salli ’alaa Rasoolillaah … alaihis-salaatu was-salaam …
Al-Albaani: [Quotes the aayah], “And remember your Lord when you forget … and remember your Lord when you forget …” [Kahf 18:24].
Questioner: Laa ilaaha illallaah.
Al-Albaani: … because the hadith about sending salaah on the Prophet عليه السلام to help a person remember what he has forgotten is weak, not authentic, whereas the Quranic aayah is forthright, “And remember your Lord when you forget …”
Questioner: You’ve spoken the truth, just sometimes a person does things which he is used to …
Al-Albaani: I say that you too have spoken the truth [in saying that a person does things that he is used to], but what should you do … [what] you and I should do is go back to the aayah ….
Questioner: Inshaa Allaah, with Allaah’s Permission …
The PDF: Maa Shaa Allaah About Me
Questioner: What is your Excellency’s opinion about … the Salafi da’wah in general, and specifically in Kuwait, Egypt and Saudi?
Al-Albaani: I say that unfortunately the Salafi Da’wah is now in disarray, and I attribute the cause of that to the hastiness of many of the Muslim youth to claim knowledge: so he will have the audacity to pass fatwas, and to declare things to be haram and halaal before he knows.
Some of them, as I have heard on numerous occasions, can’t even recite an aayah from the Quraan properly—even if the Noble Mushaf were [open] in front of them—let alone the fact that he will make many mistakes when [simply] reading a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. And so that proverb that is well-known in some countries is applicable to him:
إنه تزبب قبل أن يتحصرم
“He became a raisin before [even becoming] a sour grape.”
You know what الحصرم is, is this word used amongst you? When a grape starts out it becomes a green berry, this is what الحصرم is referring to, and it is very sour, so before he even reaches this stage of being a sour grape, he makes himself out to be a raisin.
Thus for many of these people to prop up their heads and be hasty in [both] claiming knowledge and writing when they haven’t even traversed half the way on the path to knowledge is what now unfortunately makes those who attribute themselves to the Salafi da’wah split into groups and factions.
And so there is no cure for this except for these Muslims to fear their Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, and for them to know that it is not for everyone who starts off seeking knowledge to take the lead in declaring fatwas about things being halaal and haram, or declaring hadiths to be authentic or weak except after a long lifetime, a lifetime in which he practices learning how fatwas are delivered and how [verdicts] are derived from the Book and the Sunnah.
And in this respect these callers or Salafis must comply with that third check which I mentioned before when speaking about beneficial knowledge and righteous actions, saying that beneficial knowledge must be according to the methodology of the Salaf as-Saalih.
So nowadays when many of the Islamic callers depart from this check, the third check which Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, indicated in his poetry when he said:
“Knowledge is, ‘Allaah said … His Messenger said …
The Companions said …’ and it is not hidden.”
Not paying heed to what our Salaf as-Saalih were upon makes the people go back, after having been united, to disunity which separates them as it had done with many Muslims before, turning them into groups and factions, each faction pleased with what it has. This is my opinion of the situation.
So if, as we hope, they are sincere they must cling to the correct knowledge-based principles, and that the person who has not reached the level of having correct knowledge does not have the audacity to … that he keeps himself out of sight from [delving into] that and he entrusts knowledge to the one who knows it [i.e., the scholars].
… in this regard [there] is a narration which has been reported in the books of hadith, I think it was ’Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abi Layla, may Allaah have mercy on him, who was one of the major scholars of the Salaf as-Saalih, he said, “In this mosque …” and maybe he was referring to the Prophet’s Mosque, “… I met …” and then he mentioned a [specific] number of Companions, I forget the number now, “… so when one of them would be asked …”
Interjection: Seventy.
Al-Albaani: Maybe it was. “I met seventy Companions in this mosque, when one of them would be asked a question or asked for a fatwa, he would wish that another one of the scholars from those Companions who were present would shoulder the responsibility for it,” and the reason for that was because they feared that they would make a mistake and thus [as a result] would cause other people to fall into making a mistake. So they would wish to not have to take this responsibility and that someone else would.
As for now, then the situation, most unfortunately, is the polar opposite.
And that is because of one reason, which is something I always mention: that this blooming which we now see for the Book and the Sunnah and the Salafi Da’wah is something new, this blossoming which they call an awakening has not been going on for a long time such that these people can reap the fruits of this awakening or blossoming in themselves, namely, by being nurtured on the foundations of the Book and the Sunnah and for them to then inundate, with this correct nurturing based upon the Book and the Sunnah, others who are around them, [calling] those closest [to them firstly] and then those after them.
So the cause is that the effects of this da’wah have not become apparent because it is new to this time in which we live, for this reason we find the situation to be the opposite of what ’Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abi Layla reported about those Companions who would be cautious of being asked questions and who would wish that someone else would be asked, and the only reason that would make them answer a question would be because they knew that it was not allowed for them to hide knowledge—but in the depths of their hearts they used to wish that someone else would bear that responsibility.
As for now, in many Salafi gatherings let alone non-Salafi ones, a person who it is assumed has more knowledge than other people present is asked a question, and all of a sudden you will see that so and so has started to speak even though he wasn’t asked, and so and so has started to speak even though he wasn’t asked—what makes these people do that?
It is the love of fame. It is self-centredness, “I am here,” i.e., “I have knowledge. Maa shaa Allaah about me.”
This shows that we have not had a Salafi tarbiyyah. We have grown up with Salafi knowledge, each according to his efforts and striving towards that knowledge, but as for tarbiyyah, then we have not yet acquired it as an Islamic, Salafi community …
… so we are now in an awakening in terms of knowledge but we are not in an awakening of correct upbringing [tarbiyyah]. That is why many times we find individuals, some callers, that can be benefitted from in terms of knowledge but not in manners—because he brought himself up on knowledge but was not in a righteous environment in which he was raised from childhood, and for this reason he lives carrying the manners which he inherited from that society in which he exists and in which he is found, and it is a society which without doubt is not an Islamic one, but he was able to, by himself or with the direction of some of the people of knowledge, follow the path of [obtaining] correct knowledge, but the effects of this knowledge are not seen in his manners, in his behaviour, in his actions.
The cause of this manifestation which we are talking about now is that we have not matured/fully developed in knowledge except a few individuals.
And secondly, individuals, even more so, have not been brought up according to a correct Islamic upbringing and that is why you will find that many of the beginners in seeking knowledge will prop themselves up as a head … the head of a Jamaa’ah or faction, and it is here that an old piece of wisdom which expresses this manifestation applies, it says, “The love of fame will break one’s back,” so the cause of [all of] this goes back to a lack of a correct upbringing on that correct knowledge.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 188.
The PDF: The Saplings.
Questioner: Virtuous, kind father, we would like you to explain to us what the correct methodology in the Salafi da’wah is, especially in this time in which tribulations have increased and knowledge has decreased, and what is the difference between organising …? We would like a clarification, may Allaah reward you with good.
Al-Albaani: Concerning da’wah, then none except the people of knowledge who maintain justice are to carry it out. As for what has become widespread in this time where lots of people who have been given an amount of knowledge that can hardly [even] be mentioned call themselves, ‘Callers to Allaah,’ then—and maybe you will find this surprising but I take the responsibility for what I [am about to] say—in my opinion this is one of the innovations of the present age.
It is from the innovations of this day and age that thousands of callers have spread out amongst the people who do not have knowledge of the Book nor the Sunnah or the narrations of the Salaf, in fact, [they do] not [even have knowledge concerning] the existent madhhabs that are blindly-followed today.
All they know are a few simple rulings and maybe some aayahs and some hadiths—which even someone from the people who has the least amount of knowledge can say—and then they prop themselves up as callers.
When they are then asked about a topic they are at a loss and are not able to answer, and they may go and answer based upon manifest ignorance, this is from the blights of the present day and age.
And it doesn’t stop at these sprouting youth, rather we may find old men who have not been given an abundant share of knowledge who have become famous as callers to what? To Islaam, but they [in fact] fight Islaam by fighting the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ without which a Muslim cannot understand Allaah’s Book, so how can someone who is ignorant of the knowledge of the Sunnah and who fights some of it, [who] at the very least [fights it] in ’aqeedah, [how can someone like that] be a caller to Islaam?
… likewise today there are callers who have not been given an abundant amount or a lot of knowledge of the Sunnah according to which the Noble Quraan can be explained correctly.
So what is one to say about people like these?
In fact, what are we to say about the present day saplings who have barely finished secondary school let alone obtained a more advanced certificate from … even a professor’s certificate … even in Sharee’ah … what are we to say about these people who have propped themselves up to call to Islaam?
And he ﷺ said as is reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Muslim, from the hadith of ’Abdullaah ibn ’Amr ibn al-’Aas, “Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people but He takes away knowledge by taking away the scholars, so that when no scholar remains, the people turn to the ignorant as their leaders. Then they are asked to deliver religious verdicts and they deliver them without knowledge—so they go astray [themselves], and lead others astray.”
… before everything, calling to Allaah must be done based upon knowledge:
وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلٗا مِّمَّن دَعَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَٰلِحٗا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ
“And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allaah and does righteous deeds and says, ‘I am one of the Muslims.’” [Fussilat 41:33]
If he is not a scholar who acts upon his knowledge then he will not be a righteous scholar, and someone who does not have something, as was said in the past, cannot give it.
So it is obligatory that the caller be a scholar, and this [too] is not enough, he must be a scholar of the Book and the Sunnah and not of some of the fiqh opinions of those who came later …
… this is the first thing, that he be a scholar, and secondly that he be a scholar of the Book and the Sunnah on the methodology of the Salaf as-Saalih. And lastly that he acts upon his knowledge, because even if calling to Allaah were done correctly one hundred per cent but is not coupled with that caller’s actions then it will not have the desired effect on the masses because people pay heed to following the actions of the people of knowledge and excellence more than they do their statements.
Rihlatun-Noor, 37.
The Imaam said, “There is no blessing in ignorance.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 715.
Continuing from the previous post.
“Doctor, this spirit which you summoned, is it of someone alive or dead?”
He said, “No, dead.”
I said, “Dead. How did you summon his soul when it is in one of two states, there being no third: it is either a happy soul [i.e., one going to Paradise] or a wretched one [i.e., going to Hell]. If it is a happy one, then by Allaah, there is no way it will ever come back into this world again because it is occupied with the pleasure it has in its grave,” and I mentioned some hadiths which showed that the grave is either one of the gardens of Paradise or a pit from Hell, “and if it is a wretched soul, then it is all the more so and a fortiori that it will not be able to leave the prison it is surrounded by [in the grave]—so how are you able to summon this soul? This is something impossible according to the Legislation.”
Secondly and lastly and here is the point, “Imagine that it is possible for you to summon this soul, how do you know that it [actually] is, for example, the soul of the doctor Ibn Sina, a Muslim with all his open and hidden faults, the scholars who know him say that he was a philosopher and had deviated in many tenets of Islamic creed or [how do you know that it might even be] al-Razi the doctor of old, for example? How do you know that it is not a disbeliever, someone who associates partners with Allaah? Just because it says to you, ‘I am the soul of so and so,’ you say aameen?
These days interactions with people, between countries … when a country wants to send its ambassador to another it sends him with certified, registered, sanctioned, stamped and signed documents, and other such things of the sort, so that the country to which that ambassador has been sent is satisfied that this really is the ambassador of an Islamic country and not a dajjaal playing games with it—and this is [the situation] with people dealing with each other—[and what you are talking about] is the world of the Unseen, how can you know that this really is Doctor So and So?”
He had no choice, after having been confuted and having had the evidence established against him, except to say, “The reality, O Ustaadh, is that this was a medical gathering. We also have a gathering of knowledge, if you want to debate with us in it then you are more than welcome.”
I didn’t believe that there was a gathering of knowledge, [but] I said to him, “When?”
He said, “Sunday.”
I said, “Inshaa Allaah, our meeting is on Sunday.”
Allaah so willed that [when] Sunday did come I was obliged to assist one of our brothers who worked at the Ministry of Education where there was an effort being made to correct some books about Islamic Upbringing, books about Islamic Education which had weak and fabricated hadiths in them and Hanafi concepts which went against the Sunnah, so one of them called me to cooperate with him in that, he was an employee of the Ministry but I was not, walhamdulillaah, but I have a little knowledge as you know, so I held that it was more deserving for me to meet up with this person rather than keep my promise [of meeting the medium]. But my companion who had [initially] taken me to him came to me on the appointed day, Sunday, at the Dhaahariyyah Library upon the basis that we were going to meet up and go, so I told him that the situation was such and such and that I couldn’t make it with him, [so I said to him], “You go to him, may Allaah reward you with good, and apologise to him and inshaa Allaah set up another meeting.”
So he went and was taken aback when he found that there was no-one whatsoever at the house on the agreed upon day, [the house was] dark, unlit, nothing inside.
The next day he came to me and told me what had happened, so I said to him, “This is a victory granted to us by Allaah. Go to him [again] next Sunday.”
[He did] and naturally he met him on that following Sunday [because the medium thought that they wouldn’t actually turn up the following Sunday too], [but before he went] I said to him, “Don’t tell him that the Shaikh [i.e., al-Albaani] didn’t come [the previous Sunday], leave that hidden,” [say to him], “I came according to the appointment and didn’t find you? Inshaa Allaah everything is ok, Dr. Haqqi Baik?”
He really said that to him and here is the point, my brothers, here take heed, O you with eyes [to see].
The medium said to him, “Go away! You brought a big, dangerous Wahhaabi to us—he doesn’t love the Prophet! May Allaah kill him!”
He said to him, “And how do you know that? That man is our friend and we attend his lessons which are always about, ‘Allaah said … Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said …’” and so on.
He [i.e., the medium] said, “After he [i.e., al-Albaani] left …” he summoned the soul of I don’t know who, I forget who he said it was, and he [i.e., the medium] asked the summoned soul about me and he [i.e., the summoned soul] gave him all these testimonials, “That this man is a Wahhaabi who doesn’t love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم …”
So I say that this is a proof that these people seek the help of the devils. There is no such thing as summoning the souls of the dead, that is impossible.
But the devils really do attend and inspire them with things, as the Lord of the Worlds said, “Devils among mankind and jinns, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or by way of deception).” [An’aam 6:112]
Therefore I say that if one of our brothers has been tested, and I [purposefully] say, ‘has been tested,’ [by having to recite over people who have been possessed], because truthfully, as news has reached me [about these things], it is a situation that is a trial and a test, for a woman who is possessed may come to him and he may see that it is beneficial for him to touch her or examine her arm or neck or or and so on [by touching her]—so the Devil can come in through such easy and supple ways to start off with, and then the issue starts to get bigger and bigger until the big fitnah happens, so if one of our brothers has been tested by, and I say [has been tested by] only reciting verses from Allaah’s Book or forms of seeking refuge established from Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم to take out the Jinn which has possessed that person, then this is, as he عليه السلام said, ‘Whoever amongst you is able to help his brother, then let him do so.’
As for asking [the Jinn], ‘What is your name? What is your religion? What is your job? Where do you live? Where is so and so? What helps against such and such an illness?’ and so on, then this comes under His Saying, the Most High, which I mentioned earlier, “And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the masculine among the Jinns, but they (i.e., the Jinns) increased them (mankind) in sin and disbelief.” [Jinn 72:6]
I ask Allaah for well-being and safety.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 455. [1/3/1046].
End.
Esaam Moosaa Haadi said, “I heard him say [about Muhammad Ameen ash-Shanqeeti], ‘When I would see him it would be as if I had seen the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, a man before whom were all the fields of knowledge, taking from them whatever he wished.’”
Muhaddithul-’Asr, p. 103.
The Imaam said, “I fear that our brothers will be raised to slander and find fault with everyone who differs with us in fiqh issues even though they are with us on the path of the Book and the Sunnah, and thus either go to extremes or fall short.”
Muḥaddithul-’Asr al-Imām Muḥammad Nāṣirud-Dīn al-Albaani Kamā ʿaraftuh, p. 87.
Continuing from the first post.
“Welcome, Doctor,” there was someone sitting next to him [who said this], in Syria they call him a makawlik, I don’t know what you call them here, i.e., an adulator, [i.e., the medium’s sidekick], he [i.e., the sidekick] said to him [i.e., the summoned soul of the Doctor], “Welcome Doctor …,” he was repeating the same as what the medium had said, [i.e., the medium would say something and then this sidekick would repeat the same thing the medium said to make it look even more impressive or authoritative etc., so addressing the summoned soul, he carried on saying] “… because may Allaah reward you with good … we … are indebted to your favours [upon us], and alhamdulillaah our customers are increasing and the reason is due to the success of these medical prescriptions [which you dictate to us],” and he carried on saying things of this sort, “… and now we have a small boy here whose name is so and so the son of so and so and he lives in such and such an area …” etc., “… and his age …” and here’s the anecdote, “… is seven months …” the boy’s mother who was holding him said, “No, Doctor, he’s nine years old, not seven,” the makawlik [sidekick] who was sitting next to the medium said to her, “‘Be quiet! Do you know better than the Doctor?!”
The point is the man [who was the husband of the woman who was holding the child] was sitting at a round table which had numbers and an upturned cup on it, and he had placed his finger on the cup and his wife was facing him, and truth be told his wife was fully covered, even her face, nothing of her could be seen, so we saw this cup moving, going here and there, right and left, and so on, we understood that this cup was going over the numbers, going once, twice, then stopping, and he [i.e., the medium] had a piece of paper which he was writing symbols on which only he could see, he would move the cup two or three times and so on, then he gave this prescription to the employee he had assigned to this woman, [who passed it on to the woman] and ma’as-Salaamah, [it was over].
It carried on like this for an hour, one patient entering and another leaving, after one hour the sitting was over, the lights were turned on, the people still there, and I was one of them, unfortunately they were saying, “May Allaah give you well-being O Doctor! May Allaah reward you with good!”
But I was about to burst with rage.
Especially because in those days I was a youth and light skinned and so signs of anger were easily visible on me—and he noticed. So he said, “What does the Ustaadh [i.e., he’s addressing Shaikh al-Albaani] think?”
[So I said], “Wallaahi, Yaa Ustaadh, O Doctor, Yaa so and so, [i.e., Shaikh al-Albaani is addressing him respectfully] I have two questions if you would allow me.”
He said, “Tafaddal.”
I said to him, “You started the gathering by saying, ‘Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu,’—who were you saying it to? The people were there … he said, “I returned the greeting of salaam to the Doctor.”
[I said], “Which doctor?”
He said, “The soul of the doctor that we summoned.”
I said, “He gave you salaam?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “How did you hear this salaam and we didn’t? Are the openings of your ears put together in a way different to other people?”
He said, “No. This is a secret of the trade. This is something you can’t understand until you enter this field.”
This is Sufi talk totally.
“Okay, and your friend,” naturally I couldn’t say to him on his face, ‘This one who was flattering you/your sidekick [as that would have been too rude to say to his face],’ he heard it along with you, when he [i.e., this friend of yours also] said to him [i.e., to the summoned soul], ‘Welcome, Doctor,’ [did he hear the salaam too?] …”
At any rate, I started debating with him based upon what one would call physiological aspects, but then I quickly switched to the second [type of] question which was concerning the Sharee’ah aspect [of all of this, so I said] …
The final post.
The PDF of the complete article:Al-Albaani and The Damascene Medium.
Questioner: Is it allowed for a person who recites over someone who has been possessed by a Jinn … after the Jinn becomes present in the sick person, is it [then] allowed for the person reciting to order the Jinn with some things, like asking for his help in finding the location of a treasure for example, or to dig out a treasure, or to find out whether another person is possessed or not, what is the ruling of the religion concerning this, may Allaah reward you with good?
Al-Albaani: It is not allowed, except for what was mentioned in the first part of the question, i.e., reciting the Quraan over someone possessed by a Jinn. As for seeking their help for those things mentioned or other things, then firstly this goes against the practical Sunnah which the Prophet عليه السلام and those who were guided by his guidance carried out, and secondly it goes against His Statement, the Most High:
“And there were men from mankind who sought refuge in men from the Jinn, so they [only] increased them in burden [i.e., sin].” [Jinn 72:6]
So seeking refuge or aid have the same meaning, it is not allowed for someone who has been put to test in this present time and has set himself up to remove Jinns from those who have been afflicted by possession … … to recite some aayahs, and some of the legislated forms of seeking refuge mentioned in the authentic Sunnah, this is allowed and everything else is misguidance.
And the Devil is more devilish than the Americans, the British and others … because they [i.e., the Muslims who try to seek help from the Jinn] seek aid from the devils of the Jinn, [i.e., one cannot even trust devilish humans to help so how much more dangerous is it with the devils from the Jinn], I mean that when the devils from mankind want to achieve some of their illegal goals, they offer some bait, i.e., a trap by which they catch their prey by offering them something they want and which their hearts incline to, this is what the devils from mankind do, so what do you think the case will be with the devils from Jinn-kind, about whom we know nothing except that they may present some remedies, which are [in fact], as I just said, traps which act to gradually pull in the person who is seeking their help.
For this reason, I do not hold it to be permissible for a Muslim to seek the aid of Jinns who give a person the false impression that he is a Muslim, a believer in Allaah and His Prophet, and who shows that he is righteous and that he wants to help his human Muslim brothers, this is a matter of the Unseen which it is not possible for a human Muslim to feel comfortable with.
And I know through experience, one of us will live with a human like himself for many years, and then all of a sudden after that it becomes clear that he is an open enemy, and that person is a human like him, someone whom he inclines towards, feels comfortable with and relies upon, but after a long time it became clear that all of this pretense was in order to achieve a goal he had, the other person was unaware of this goal—and this is between two people, their nature being one, their thinking one etc.,—so what do you think the case will be with a human seeking the help of a Jinn?
And even though there is not a lot of time, I will give you an example that happened with me and someone who thought that he could summon the souls [of dead people], the soul of Ibn Seereen for example, the soul of the doctor Ibn Seena, Ibn ’Arabi, and so on … a long story of which I will give you the summary.
[So] I was present at the sitting, the lights were put out with only a dim one remaining, and with difficulty you could just about see the person sitting next to you, and then the sitting started. After [a short while] it became clear to me that this medium [actually] regarded the sitting as a medical one, and indeed when I had come in I had found all four walls of the room full of customers … an old man, an aged lady, a woman holding a small child and so on—all of these people had come to be cured and treated by the spirit of the doctor which would be summoned by this medium [whose name was] Haqi Baik, this person is a medium there in Damascus. So the lights were turned off as I said, and the sitting of Haqi Baik Afandi started.
We heard a statement which we found strange, he said, “Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu …” the sitting was so quiet that if, as they say, you dropped a pin you’d hear it, so who was he saying this to?
You will come to know later on …
Click here for the second post.
Host: Alhamdulillaahi-rabbil-’aalameen, wa sallallaahu ’alaa Muhammad wa ’alaa Aalihi wa sallam, as for what follows. These are questions from some of those who are our brothers for Allaah’s Sake, we present them to [him who] is our brother for Allaah’s Sake, Muqbil ibn Haadee al-Waadi’i may Allaah protect him, we hope for answers to the questions from him with proofs from the Book and the Sunnah.
The questioner says that I have heard that your Eminence has studied some of the hadiths which our Shaikh, the virtuous one, Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani made mistakes in, in [his books] As-Saheehah and Ad-Da’eefah, so what are they and could you explain the mistakes?
Muqbil: A good brother, may Allaah the Most High protect him, had requested a written answer and I did not have time to do that, a verbal answer was easier for me, so the hadiths which we hold that the Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him—and he is regarded as the Imaam of his time in the science of hadith—was lenient in … and in my books and writings I resolve [and go with] what I hold to be the truth and I do not expose myself to clash with the Shaikh, may Allaah the Most High protect him—for verily, I am in awe of him—and let the one who is present [and has heard me say that I am in awe of him] inform the one who is absent [from this gathering and did not hear me say what I just did.]
But some letters came to me, a letter from [someone who is] a brother for Allaah’s Sake from Taif, where he objected against the Shaikh regarding some hadiths, and he requested that I write an introduction so I did, and a letter from al-Ahsaa from someone who is a brother for Allaah’s Sake requesting that I take a look at it and write an introduction so I did, and a letter from Egypt was sent to me, I had a look at those hadiths and I advised the good brother who wanted to scrutinise the hadiths which he held that Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him, had made a mistake in, so I advised him not to be concerned about that and that if he must do so then he should have a special notebook for this topic and every time he [happens to] came across a hadith he records it therein, as for him intentionally researching [these mistakes] then it will take him his whole lifetime—because Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him, is regarded as the most knowledgeable of his time in the science of hadith and he has exhausted more than fifty years of his life [in this field], so someone who is studying the hadiths he made mistakes in will have to exhaust a similar amount of time to that, or less or more.
And Shaikh Ismaa’eel al-Ansaari, may Allaah the Most High protect him, has some observations as regards the discussion concerning the forbiddance of gold for women, circular gold, and I hold that the truth [in this issue] is with Shaikh Ismaa’eel al-Ansaari, may Allaah the Most High protect him. As for knowledge of hadith—no-one can compare to Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani [in it]—nevertheless it has reached me that the Shaikh himself has taken up this issue and has written a book in which he has collected the hadiths which he had authenticated but which he then later discovered were weak or weak hadiths which he later discovered were authentic, some of my brothers for Allaah’s Sake told me about that, and I don’t know whether this book is ready for publishing, and the Muslims are in dire need of it …
… and when the Shaikh passes away, may Allaah the Most High protect him and I ask Allaah the Most Great to bless his life, you will see more criticisms, but [now] the people stand in awe of the Shaikh, and what did he do with Abu Ghuddah? And what did he do with al-Kataani? And what did he do with the Minister of Religious Endowments in Abu Dhabi who objected to him? What is correct is that he dissected him [with his answers] until the Minister of Religious Endowments [must’ve] wished he was dead if he had any life in his heart and [wished] that he had not objected to Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him.
Ijaabatus-Saa‘il ’alaa Ahammil-Masaa‘il, pp. 549-551.
Shaikh Muqbil, may Allaah have mercy on him, said about the following when most of them were alive, “As for Shaikh Badee’ud-Deen ar-Raashidi [d. 1996] then he is from our Shaikhs and I attended a dars or two or three of his, may Allaah the Most High protect him—and he is regarded as an Imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah, may Allaah reward him with good, and he hates blind-following and blind-followers and repels them.
And also likewise is the Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him, he is regarded as an Imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah, and we advise all of our brothers to obtain his books and benefit from them.
And likewise also is the Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, may Allaah the Most High protect him, he is regarded as one of the Imaams of Ahlus-Sunnah and a champion of the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم …
… as for ’Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Yahyaa al-Mu’allimi [d. 1966] then the likes of him are few in this time, and his books, if you read his book, ‘At-Tankeel bimaa fee Ta’neeb al-Kawthari minal-Abaateel,’ you will see a wonder of wonders as regards his patience and tolerance in his refutation of al-Kawthari, and some people have called him the Dhahabi of his time, so alhamdulillaah his books are beneficial and his style is easy.
Ehsan Elahi Zaheer [d. 1987] also, Allaah unleashed him on the Raafidah and on the Shee’ah and so he exposed them—and he is regarded as a champion of the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم … and … it is proper that these people should be asked about me and not me of them—because they are the Imaams of this time, may Allaah reward them with good.
And when we say so and so and so and so from these people [mentioned above], I do not mean that you blindly follow [taqleed] them—so do not blindly follow Badee’ud-Deen nor al-Albaani and nor Ibn Baaz and nor so and so and nor so and so, these people are our Imaams, but if we were going to blind follow them, then we would have blindly followed Abu Bakr and ’Umar and ’Uthmaan and whoever traversed upon their way …”
Ijaabatus-Saa‘il ’alaa Ahammil-Masaa‘il, p. 494.
The Imaam of Yemen, Muqbil ibn Haadi al-Waadi’i, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “… and likewise hadith, the most knowledgeable person found in this time [concerning hadith] is the Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him, indeed we advise all students of knowledge to get hold of his books and to benefit from them—any library that does not have the books of Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani is inadequate. So may Allaah reward him well on behalf of Islaam and the Muslims.”
Ijaabatus-Saa‘il ’alaa Ahammil-Masaa‘il, p. 559.
The Imaam of Yemen, Muqbil ibn Haadi al-Waadi’i, said about Al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on them both, “He has no peer in this era. And it should be known that Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him, has knowledge/learning [from what he has had access to] which no one else does, and reference works became available to him which no-one else had. Many a reference is not available to us, so we have to quote it from the books of Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, referencing it back to him. So may Allaah reward him well on behalf of [what he has done for] Islaam.”
Ijaabatus-Saa‘il ’alaa Ahammil-Masaa‘il, p. 567.
“We are not ‘Taymiyyoon.’”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 164.
The Imaam said, “Be cognizant of the fact that whether the dead can hear or not is an issue of the Unseen related to Barzakh which no one except Allaah عز وجل knows about, so it is not allowed to delve into it based upon qiyaas and opinions, rather, in affirming and negating, one halts at the text about it.”
And he said, “Coming to deductions based upon the intellect … has no place in any issue related to the Unseen.”
Tahqeeq al-Aayaat al-Bayyinaat fi ’Adm Samaa’ al-Amwaat, p. 37 and p. 60.
From al-Haartih ibn ’Ubaid: from Thaabit: from Anas, who said, “Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said to a man, ‘O so and so! Did you do that?’ He replied, ‘No, by the One besides whom none has the right to be worshipped!’—and the Prophet عليه السلام knew that he had [in fact] done it—so he said to him, ‘Verily, Allaah has forgiven you your lie due to your attestation to, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah.’’”
Al-Albaani said, “Al-Baihaqi said, ‘… what is intended is to show that even if a sin is great it does not mean that it necessitates the Fire as long as the [person’s] ’aqeedah is correct and he is someone for whom forgiveness has preceded [from Allaah]—and singling out a person in such a way [i.e., to say that a person has been forgiven as the Prophet did with that Companion] is not [allowed] for anyone [to do] after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.’”
As-Saheehah, 3064.
The Imaam said, “If the Muslims differ in ’aqeedah then they will differ in things less than ’aqeedah all the more so—differing in ’aqeedah is what causes harm, differing in subsidiary issues does not harm as long as a person sincerely tries to follow the truth wherever it is [found]. So [the fact that] the majority of Islamic callers in all Islamic countries today have left the importance of spreading the correct ’aqeedah amongst the people, this is a deficiency from all of the scholars, so importance must be given to this area …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 424.
[There are about three to four people addressing the Shaikh in this conversation.]
Questioner: What is the ruling concerning buying and selling with someone who trades in things forbidden in the legislation?
Someone Else: … what is the ruling concerning buying from someone who sells forbidden things …
Questioner: … carrying out transactions buying and selling with someone who trades in things forbidden in the legislation?
Al-Albaani: He trades in forbidden things … ya’ni, the person who wants to transact with him wants to buy some permissible things from him but he in fact also sells forbidden things, is that what you mean?
Questioner: Hmm.
Al-Albaani: Like he sells alcohol and also, for example, sells rice and dates? Correct?
Questioner: No.
Al-Albaani: Why no?
Someone Else: Drugs, O Shaikh …
Someone Else: Drugs …
Al-Albaani: Na’am?
Someone Else: Drugs …
Al-Albaani: He [i.e., the original questioner already] said transactions with something forbidden, from this it is beyond doubt that he holds them to be impermissible [i.e., so obviously it would include drugs, i.e., you haven’t brought any new information with your input].
Questioner: … forbidden … all he sells is drugs …
[They all start talking at once.]
Al-Albaani: Listen Yaa Jamaa’ah … I haven’t been able to understand one of you for me to now understand three of you …
[Talking amongst themselves asking the original questioner what he is trying to ask.]
Questioner: … what is the ruling concerning buying and selling with someone who trades in forbidden things …
Al-Albaani: May Allaah bless you, doing business with him in something haraam or halaal? Carrying out a transaction with this man who sells forbidden things … I for example … I want to carry out a transaction with him, to buy from him, will I be buying something halaal or haraam?
[Questioner hesitates again and they start laughing.]
Interjection: Shaikh, he means … sorry … this man deals in haraam things …
Al-Albaani: … I understood that.
Interjection: … he deals with him, he’s asking … what’s the ruling …
Al-Albaani: And what am I saying? What am I saying? And what are you explaining?
[They start laughing.]
Interjection: Yaa Shaikh …
Al-Albaani: Subhaanallaah, Yaa Akhi, there’s a man who sells alcohol …
Interjection: Yes.
Al-Albaani: … and dates …
Interjection: No, no, he doesn’t mean that he sells anything else, he means that all …
Interjection: … he means drugs, Yaa Shaikh …
Interjection: … Yaa Shaikh …
Interjection: … of his business is forbidden, so should he carry out transactions with him, he means that?
Al-Albaani: He means what, Yaa akhi?
Interjection: He means this trader who deals in drugs and alcohol …
Al-Albaani: He does business with him, what does he mean by “… does business/interacts with him?”
Interjection: He deals with him in some interactions …
Interjection: … [for example] get married …
Interjection: … yes, not that he does business with him …
[Talking all at once.]
Al-Albaani: Yaa akhi, what do you mean by, ‘does business/interacts with him?’ What does he mean?
Interjection: Ask him.
Al-Albaani: We did, and where did it get us?
[They start laughing.]
Interjection: Dealing with him in things like …
Interjection: … getting married and, and, and, and … divorce, [the question having now progressed to mean dealing with such a person in a social setting, then addressing the original questioner to clarify if he does mean this] dealing with him socially or in business?
Interjection: He buys forbidden things …
Interjection: Yaa Shaikh …
Interjection: and you … he comes and takes from you.
[They clarify the question a bit more from the original questioner, then finally having understood what he meant …]
Interjection: This [brother] will explain [the question] on his behalf, Yaa Shaikh … Shaikh, this [brother] will explain [the question] on his behalf …
Interjection: He’s saying that this man sells drugs and alcohol, and now you work in a store or something, and sell halaal things, then he comes and buys from you …
Interjection: … is it allowed for you to transact with him …
Interjection: … ya’ni, you’re not buying alcohol or anything from him …
Al-Albaani: Ya’ni, he’s buying from me?
Interjection: Yes, he’s buying from you.
Al-Albaani: So, he’s dealing with me and it’s not that I’m dealing with him …
[Laughing slightly because they have finally conveyed the question to the Shaikh.]
Is it like that?
[Laughing heard.]
If it’s like that: what is it that I sell, [something] haraam or halaal? If I sell something halaal to him then it’s halaal, and if I sell something haraam to him then it’s haraam, and if I sell something halaal to him which he will immediately use to help him do something haraam, then it’s not allowed for me to sell it to him, do you understand?
Interjection: Yes.
Interjection: Yaa Shaikh, a question, Yaa Shaikh …
Interjection: A question, Yaa Shaikh …
Interjection: Hold on …
Al-Albaani: Tafaddal.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 93, [2/9/545].
After mentioning a number of hadiths which encourage showing mercy to animals, the Imaam said, “Those are some of the narrations which I have come across until now, and they show the extent to which the first Muslims were affected by the directions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم concerning showing gentleness to animals, and in reality these narrations are only a few of many, a drop in the ocean. And in that is a clear clarification that Islaam is the one that set down for people the ideology of, ‘Treating animals with kindness,’ contrary to what some of those ignorant of Islaam think, i.e., that it was something set up by the European non-Muslims, it is, rather, from the manners which they took from the first Muslims, and they then expanded on it, organising it precisely, their countries embracing it, until showing gentleness to animals has become one of their merits today, such that the ignorant people think that it is something particular to them! What deceived them into [believing] as such is that one will hardly see this system implemented in any one of the Islamic countries, and they [i.e., the Muslims] were more deserving of it and worthy of it!
As-Saheehah, 1/1/69, [2/9/567].
The Albaani Site 