The Albaani Site

Translation from the Works of the Reviver of this Century

Tag: debate

October 8, 2013

On The Difference Between the Dialogue that Takes Place Between Ahlus-Sunnah Among Themselves and the Speech Directed From Ahlus-Sunnah to the People of Innovation


 

Questioner: The first question, are there differences between the discussions that take place between Ahlus-Sunnah and the addresses that are directed from a Sunni to an innovator? And what are they?

Al-Albaani: Are there differences …

Questioner: Yes …

Al-Albaani: Are there differences between what goes on between Ahlus-Sunnah …

Questioner: … between the discussions that take place between Ahlus-Sunnah and the addresses that are directed at an innovator from a Sunni? And what are they?

Al-Albaani: Without doubt the differences may sometimes exist and the difference is clear between the dialogue and discussions that go on between Ahlus-Sunnah themselves and what goes on between Ahlus-Sunnah on one hand and the innovators on the other, [and] that is that the discussions, dialogues and refutations between Ahlus-Sunnah themselves are only done based upon statements of His, the Blessed and Most High, like:

“By time. Verily, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” [Asr 103:1-3]

So the starting point of any discussion or dialogue that goes on between Ahlus-Sunnah must spring forth from aayahs like this:

“… and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.”

And the issue should be likewise between Ahlus-Sunnah on one hand and those who oppose them in the Sunnah, and they are the innovators, on the other. But the method [employed] between Ahlus-Sunnah amongst themselves and between Ahlus-Sunnah on one hand and the innovators on the other may differ.

And that is because when a debate takes place between Ahlus-Sunnah themselves they are supposed to bear His Statement, the Most High, in mind, [a statement] which He characterised the Muslims in general with:

“… merciful among themselves …” [Fath 48:29]

As for when a debate takes place between these Muslims from Ahlus-Sunnah and the people of innovation then there may be some harshness and severity in the method [employed] which is appropriate to the persistence of the people of innovation in their innovations—this is the distinguishing factor between Ahlus-Sunnah among themselves on one hand and Ahlus-Sunnah when they debate or refute the people of innovations on the other.

But it is fitting that in both these [people] and those we take note of an issue [which is that] we do not vindicate one group over another with it, or slander one group instead of another, the reason for this being that [doing so] is a breach of the principle [laid down] in His Saying, the Blessed and Most High:

“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” [Nahl 16:125]

Thus many times when a Sunni responds to another Sunni it so happens that the wisdom [as mentioned in the aayah] was not stuck to in the rebuttal—in fact, that which is even more important than that is not adhered to which is what our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic indicated in His Statement, the Blessed and Most High:

“… and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just—be just, that is nearer to righteousness.” [Maa’idah 5:8]

So, many times what happens firstly is evil/bad methods are used when a Sunni refutes/responds to another—and even more than that: not observing trustworthiness and truthfulness in rebutting each other.

So unfortunately this occurred in the past and is becoming obvious now in this present time anew in a form which we had hoped we would not see occurring in the Sunni community, the one we call the Salafi community.

This is what has presented itself to me as an answer to this question.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 698. [2/6/274]

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May 14, 2011

Al-Albaani Debating with Takfeeri Youths for Three Nights and What Happened to Some of Them Later …


 

As-Sadhaan said, “Shaikh Baasim Faisal al-Jawaabirah, may Allaah the Most High protect him, said, ‘… I was a student at secondary school, and in those days I was part of a group of youths who would declare the Muslims to be disbelievers and would not pray in their mosques arguing that they were [from] a society of ignorance!

The people who would oppose us in Jordan would always threaten us with Shaikh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, [saying] that he was the only one who would be able to debate with us and convince us [of the Truth] and bring us back to the Straight Path. When Shaikh Naasir came to Jordan from Damascus he was told about a group of youths who declare the Muslims to be disbelievers and so he wanted to meet us. So he sent his son in law, Nidhaam Sakkajhaa, to us who informed us of the Shaikh’s desire to meet us.

We replied, ‘Whoever wants to meet us, then let him come to us, we won’t go to him!’ But [the person who was] our Shaikh in declaring people to be disbelievers [takfeer] told us that Shaikh Naasir was from the scholars of the Muslims who had excellence due to his knowledge and old age and that we had to go to him.

So we went to him in the house of his son in law, Nidhaam, just before ishaa prayer. One of us made the call to prayer and then we stood to pray and Shaikh Naasir said, ‘Shall we pray behind you or will you pray behind us?’ So our takfeeri Shaikh said, ‘We believe that you are a disbeliever!’ So Shaikh Naasir said, ‘As for me, then I hold that you have faith [i.e., that you are Muslims].’ Then our [takfeeri] Shaikh led us all in prayer [including Shaikh al-Albaani].

Then Shaikh Naasir sat down debating with us continually until late at night, most of it being with our Shaikh. As for us youth, we would stand and then sit, stretch out our legs and then lie down on our sides, as for Shaikh Naasir, he sat in the same position from the start of the gathering until its end, never once changing. Always debating with this [person], and this [person] and then that [person], I was amazed at his patience and fortitude. Then [when it ended] we promised to meet the next day. We went back to our houses gathering the evidences which, so we believed, proved [our stance] in declaring Muslims to be disbelievers [takfeer].

On the second day Shaikh Naasir came to the house of one of our brothers, and we had prepared the books and replies to his proofs. The debate continued from after ishaa [prayer] until morning prayer [fajr]. Then [when it ended] we promised to go to his house [the next day], and so we went there after ishaa on [this] the third day.

The discussion continued until the mu’addhin made the call to prayer for fajr, and we were continually debating mentioning many aayahs [from the Quraan] which apparently proved [our stance of] declaring Muslims to be disbelievers [takfeer], and likewise we would mention hadiths which [again], apparently, proved [the stance we had taken of] declaring those people who had committed major sins to be disbelievers. And Shaikh Naasir was like a towering mountain answering this proof, and [explaining] the objective of other proofs, and reconciling between those which on the surface seemed to be contradictory, quoting the sayings of the Salaf and Imaams who are relied upon from Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah.

And then after the call to prayer for fajr nearly all of us went with Shaikh Naasirud-Deen to the mosque to perform the morning prayer, after Shaikh Naasir had convinced us of the error and deviation from the [correct] methodology that we had been continuing upon.

We turned back from our takfeeri thinking, and all praise is due to Allaah.

Except for a small group [of us]—who ended up apostatising from Islaam a few years after that.

We ask Allaah for well-being.’”

Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Duroos, wa Mawaaqif, wa Ibar, of Abdul-Aziz ibn Muhammad Abdullaah as-Sadhaan, pp. 157-158.

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