Al-Albaani on Vain, Conceited, Proud and Arrogant ‘Callers.’ Self-Appointed Grand-Muftis. Fatwā Issuers Based Upon Hollow Understanding they Conjure up Themselves. Harsh and Cruel in Their Methods, Driving People Away from Allaah’s Dīn, Misguided and Misguiding—and How a Caller is Supposed to Be
Questioner: We want the Shaikh, may Allaah reward him with good and bless his life, to advise us maybe Allaah ﷻ will …
Al-Albaani: Wallāhī, I don’t know what to advise you with, I need someone to advise me. But if I have no choice but to give you some advice then I advise [both] you and myself to fear Allaah, and then also to bear in mind things that branch off from the fear of Allaah ﷻ.
Like, firstly, that you seek knowledge sincerely for Allaah Alone, not wanting any reward or thanks or any job or position because of it, nor so that you can take the lead in gatherings [with people]—but only so that one can reach the rank that Allaah ﷻ singled out the scholars with when He said, ‘Allaah will elevate those of you who are faithful, and ˹raise˺ those gifted with knowledge in rank.’ [58:11]
And secondly that you avoid the pitfalls that some students of knowledge fall into, like how fast vanity and conceit/pride overpowers them such that they will go ahead and put themselves forward to give fatwās for themselves, nay, indeed to give fatwās for other people based upon what they think and without seeking the help of the people of knowledge, especially the Salaf aṣ-Ṣāliḥ who have passed on and who left this luminous inheritance for us to use to put an end to the darkness that has piled up throughout the ages, a pitch-black darkness I lived through.
So getting help from the statements and opinions of the Salaf helps us remove this darkness by going back to the understanding of the Book and the Sunnah, and the authentic Sunnah [at that].
I have lived during a time where I saw two contradictory things.
The first was where all the Muslims, the Shaikhs and the students, the layman and the elite were living in the cesspool of blind-following and not just blind-following their madhhabs but their fathers and forefathers. I lived through that time while calling [on people] to go back to the Book of Allaah and the ḥadīths of the Prophet ﷺ.
Here and there [scattered] in different Muslims countries, you will always find individuals who are the Strangers that the Prophet ﷺ described in some well-known ḥadīths, like, ‘Islaam started as something strange and will go back to being strange—so glad-tidings for the Strangers.’ In some narrations it is reported that he ﷺ was asked, ‘Who are the Strangers?’ He ﷺ said, ‘A few righteous people living among a people where the ones who disobey them outnumber those who listen to them.’ And in another narration, ‘They are the ones who fix what the people corrupted in my Sunnah after me.’
I lived during this time and then started to see the good effect of the daʿwah of these Strangers on the rank and file of the believing youth, such that we saw them take to the straight path in earnestness in many Muslim countries and [we saw them] eager to cling to the Book and the Sunnah whenever they did come across authentic ḥadīths.
But our happiness at this revival that we saw during these past years never lasted because we were suddenly confronted with an about-turn that happened to some of these young men in some countries which almost wiped out the effects of this good revival, and what was the reason for that?—And herein lies the lesson and the advice [I am giving you]—the reason for that was nothing but the fact that they were struck with vanity and arrogance because of the fact that they saw that they had gained some correct knowledge not only among the crowd of lost, Muslim youth but even among many of the Shaikhs of knowledge such that they felt as though through this revival they had outdone people of the ranks of Shaikhs and the people of knowledge spread out in the Islamic world.
So they never thanked Allaah ﷻ for granting them guidance to this authentic knowledge, nay, they were misled and became harsh and thought that they had knowledge to stand on so they started issuing immature fatwās that weren’t based on understanding the Book and the Sunnah. In fact, they were just unripe opinions which appeared to them to be knowledge that was taken from the Book and the Sunnah [but it wasn’t]—so they went astray and led many others astray.
And you won’t be unaware of the result that had in bringing about groups in some Islamic countries where they started philosophising and making takfīr of all other Muslim groups, now is not the time to delve into that [in detail], I’m just making a statement here to give advice and a reminder.
That is why I advise my brothers from Ahlus-Sunah and the Ahlul-Ḥadīth in all Muslim lands to have patience in seeking knowledge and not to be fooled by knowledge they might have picked up, rather they should follow the path and not rely just on their understanding or what they call their ‘ijtihād.’
I have heard from a lot of our brothers—brother what is this—one of them will have no qualms or concern in saying to you, ‘Brother, I did ijtihād [strove to come to an Islamic ruling/fatwā]!’ Okay! When you did this ‘ijtihād’ [of yours], what were the ḥadīths that you referred back to? What is the understanding that you came to? Who are the scholars that you relied on to come to this understanding that you’re [now] openly proclaiming?
[It’s all based on] nothing except that he [happened] to understand it in this [particular] way and thus became the Grand Muftī [al-Muftī al-Aʿdham].
And in my opinion the reason for all this is conceit and pride.
This is why in some books in the Islamic world today I find a very strange phenomenon—whereby you will see someone who used to be an enemy of ḥadīth now write a book on the science of ḥadīth, why? So that it will be said that he has written works on the science of ḥadīth. But if you were to [actually] go to this book which he wrote about the science of ḥadīth you will find that it is merely a collection of statements which he has gathered and collected from here and there and then made a book out of them.
What leads them to do this? It is the love of fame, and how true is that saying, ‘The love of fame will break ones back.’
For these reasons I advise my brothers to firstly, as I said, fear Allaah ﷻ and secondly to seek knowledge gradually. And thirdly to keep away from all moral values that are not Islamic, like not becoming fooled by the knowledge that they have been granted and not becoming vain. And that lastly they advise people with [and in a manner] that is best and that they distance themselves from cold/harsh and severe methods.
Because we all believe that when Allaah said, ‘Invite ˹all˺ to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner.’ [Naḥl:125], it is because the truth in and of itself is heavy on the people, heavy on mankind, that is why they become too haughty to accept it, except those whom Allaah wills.
So when you add another element or another load to the [already present] weightiness of the truth on the human soul, and [by that I mean] harshness in giving daʿwah, then that will repel people from the daʿwah instead of calling them to it.
And you all know the Prophet’s ﷺ statement [where he said], ‘Verily some of you drive others away [from Allaah’s Dīn]. Verily some of you drive others away [from Allaah’s Dīn]. Verily some of you drive others away [from Allaah’s Dīn],’ [see here for narrations mentioning this phrase].
In conclusion, I ask Allaah ﷻ not to make us people who drive others away [from His Dīn] but that He instead make us wise [callers] who act upon the Book and the Sunnah.
And we all ask for Allaah’s Forgiveness.
Was-Salāmu ʿalaikum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
Al-Hudā wan-Nūr, 100.
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