pre-occupied with personalities

20 year old advice from Al-Albaani on those pre-occupied with personalities (this person has issues / that praises innovators)

by Sajid Kayum on Monday, 11 June 2012 at 01:40 ·

Here is a 20 year old much needed advice that has still not been taken by some.

This note is meant to explain and understand the general and overall principle with regards to being pre-occupied with personalities; unnecessarily asking about them and then spreading the talk, "This person is an innovator … this person is misguided … this person has such and such an issue …this one has this and that … and this one praises the people of innovation … and this one says such and such …"

This note is NOT about salmaan al-awdah even though he is mentioned in the quotes below.

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 And this is the advice by the Muhaddith of Shaam, Al-Allamah Al-Salafee Al-Albaanee (rahimahullah) to a questioner about Salmaan (Al-Awdah)'s praising of Syed Qutb.

The Shaikh said,

"Look my brother, I Advice you and the other youth who have taken a wicked (Munharif) way as it appears to me and Allah knows best.

And do not waste your time in criticizing each other in saying, 'Such person is such' and 'such person said such' and 'such person said such'!

Because Firstly, this has nothing to do with knowledge!!

Secondly, This harbors malice in the hearts and brings about ill and hate in the hearts!!

It is upon you to seek the knowledge because by seeking knowledge, it will be revealed to you whether this talk that you are asking me about is true or false, and whether this person because he has so many mistakes deserves to be an innovator or not. What do we have to do with such indulgences in those matters?

I advice that you do not indulge in this matter because truly we complain now about the disunity among the Salafis and this unity, and Allah knows best, the main cause of it is the self which orders evil and it is not actually the difference of opinion. This is my advice.

I am asked a lot what is your opinion about such and such person, I immediately understand that the person who is asking is either for this person or against him, and sometimes the person who is being asked about is from amongst our brothers who might have deviated from the path so I advice the person who asks the question, what do you want with Zaid, Bakr and Umar (meaning this person or that person) be straight as you have been ordered.

Learn the knowledge and the knowledge make you distinguish what is right and what is wrong and who is correct and who is otherwise, then do not have hatred against your Muslim brother just because he made a mistake, even though he has deviated because he has deviated partially in one issue while he has not deviated in other issue so we as Hadeeth scholars we accept the Hadeeth of someone and then we say in his translation that he is a Murji, etc.

Of course, this is a weak point and we have a scale which we abide by and we do not give the weight to one deviation on lot of good deed and the biggest deed is the Shahadah."?

And the Shaikh continued, "this kind of split and Allah knows best, the greater cause in it is the nafs (self) because the self orders the evil."

[From tape 1/784 (1414 Rabee al-Aakhir) Sept 18, 1993] - Link The Salaf's Way of Dealing with Differences and their Unity