The Elephant in the Room

Addressing the Cycle of Ineffective Leadership Rooted in Salafee Communities and its Birth of a Culture with no Accountability
Written by Shadeed Muhammad

Part 2

Also included in this essay

The Lost Protocols of Salafiyah

Expounding on some of the most Essential Etiquettes of Salafiyah that have been forgotten in recent times

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The high cost of this childishness to the community can be estimated only by taking into consideration the fact that this strife is all but endless. If it were a matter that developed now and then only to be forgotten by people directing their attention thereafter to more important things, it would not do much harm; but this confusion continues for a whole generation, vitiating the entire life of the people. ~ Carter G Woodson

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All praise is for Allah. We praise Him and seek His forgiveness. Whomever Allah guides there is none to lead him astray, and whomever He misguides, there is no guide for him. I openly testify to the fact that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah alone and I testify that Muhammad Ibn Abdullah is His final Messenger.

I dont think anyone would disagree that there has been a major paradigm shift unfortunately for the worse in Salafi communities that has caused Islam, as a whole, to be viewed in a very contemptible manner here in the West. And some of us may absolve ourselves of any responsibility, placing the blame on this one or that one, but the fact of the matter is that their fitnah doesnt just affect them, it affects everyone.

And fear a fitnah that wont just affect the wrongdoers from amongst you, and know that Allah is severe in punishment. (8:25) This is why enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil is such an integral part of our religion and one of the primary characteristics that Allah describes the Muslim community with distinguishing them from other nations. As a matter of fact, Allah called them the best of nations because of it, and not solely based upon the fact that their belief (i.e. Aqeedah) is correct:

You are the best of nations raised forth for mankind, you enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil and you believe in Allah (3:110) And while we condemn one another for dressing like the Kuffar (i.e. disbelievers), which is a very shallow and superficial way of viewing the issue of imitating the non-Muslims, we fail to see that we imitate them in other ways that are far more serious than this, which is not enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong within our own circles. Allah mentioned that this was the reason that the Jews were cursed by Prophet Dawud and Jesus the son of Maryam:

Cursed were those who disbelieved from the Children of Israel on the tongue of Dawud and Jesus the son of Maryam. That is because they were disobedient and were ever transgressing beyond bounds. They used not forbid one another Al Munkar (i.e. wrong, evil doing and sins) which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used to do. (5:78-79) Many of us have attended in the past and continue to do so today these pseudo educational seminars and lectures orchestrated by brothers who themselves lack the academic and religious
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wherewithal to change the condition of the people both spiritually and socially. We sit there for hours listening to brothers hash out their personal problems in a supposedly religious setting (i.e. the Masjid) while we have severe familial and religious issues going on within the four walls of our homes that never get addressed. And we may be guilty of something far worse than not enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil which is enjoining what is evil and preventing what is good. As this is the same behavior that Allah characterized condemned the hypocrites for when He said:

The hypocrites, male and female, are protectors and maintainers of one another. They enjoin what is evil and prevent what is good (9:67) The unfortunate thing is that the questions that are posed to the scholars that pass through these communities year after year are redundant, personal, juvenile and completely irrelevant to the dilemmas we are facing currently. Muslim children are adopting homosexuality as a lifestyle, there are incalculable amounts of brothers and sisters coming home from prison filtering into our communities with habits that are counterproductive to the structure of the Islamically oriented environment that we try to create. Many parents adopt poor Islamic parenting styles that are literally producing spiritually and socially inept children that will be sorely unprepared for the obstacles and pitfalls this society has prepared for them etc all the while we sit, lecture after lecture, being entertained at the expense of our deen and that of our children. Take a look around and see how many children are practicing Muslims today that came from Abu Muslimahs community Masjid Ahlus Sunnah in East Orange. There are brothers and sisters who had four and five children that came from that community and today none of them are practicing Muslims, evidenced by the expos they have succumbed to known as Facebook. May Allah help them and guide them. We sit there and watch the religion of our children deteriorate right in front of our eyes and make no attempt to salvage what is left of it by either relocating to a place that is more religiously conducive to their spiritual growth and development or changing the circles we frequent which would in turn help to change our priorities and the mindset that got us into this mess in the first place. To add insult to injury, we dont equip our children with the spiritual tools they need to survive in the urban environments where we reside, and when they fall victim to the pitfalls of Shaytan, which they never had a fighting chance to avoid in the first place, we blame them, demonize them and all but condemn them to the hell-fire. Muslim parents disown their children after they fall victim to zina or drugs or gangs, in order to protect their status in the community as reputable Salafis, and never take any responsibility for the part they played in the unfortunate condition of their children. However we still find time to attend these lectures at the expense of their religious well-being and we think that we will not be accountable for this on the Day of Judgment?! The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said:
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There is no servant who Allah makes him responsible over a people and he fails to fulfill that responsibility adequately except that he will not smell the fragrance of paradise. And in another narration collected by At Tabaraani on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Mughafal Radiyallahu anhu who said that the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) added:

And the fragrance of paradise can be smelled on the Day of the Judgment from the distance of seventy years. The same brothers and sisters who used to attend Abu Muslimahs Friday night backbiting sessions are now attending the same sessions held at Masjid Rahmah by brothers like; Hassan As Somali and Abu Khadeejah who came to America for a week and spent his whole time here backbiting myself, Tahir Wyatt and Muhammad Muneer (aka, Mufti). They have literally turned the Masjid into a launch pad for these brothers to plan and execute their attacks on other brothers at the expense of the community and ultimately at the expense of their children. Other individuals such as the self-proclaimed elder Abu Hassan Malik, who gave a lecture at Masjid Ikhwah in Brooklyn, New York and spent the whole lecture back biting me and Imam Siraj Wahaj (may Allah preserve him). Nonetheless, time and time again, the brothers and sisters continue to flock to these lectures at the expense of their deen. Brothers and sisters you will be questioned about your time and how you spent it on the Day of Judgment. After these lectures are over, do you walk away with your Iman (i.e. faith) replenished or increased? Do you walk away feeling like you are more religiously and spiritually capable of confronting the obstacles that stand in front of you as Muslims living in this society? Do you feel that you have amicable solutions that are relevant enough to help your children become more productive religiously and socially? These are the things that brothers and sisters need to question themselves about when they walk away from these lectures and stop looking for entertainment at the expense of their deen. However instead of constantly pointing out the problems, I want us to be a bit more solution oriented and provide amicable resolutions to this dilemma. It is imperative that we return to a number of things:

The First: Making the Book of Allah and the authentic Sunnah of His Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa
salam)

our primary point of reference in all matters of the religion:

...

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It is not befitting any believing male or female when Allah and His Messenger have decreed an affair that they have any choice in the matter (33:36) And the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

I have left you with two things, if you hold fast to them you will never go astray after me; the Book of Allah and my Sunnah. (Collected in Sunan At Tirmithi) This is an integral part of our salvation as a community. Today we pick and choose randomly from these two sources of guidance what conveniently suits our desires. There is no way that we would have allowed the things that have transpired in our communities for the past ten years to do so if every individual from amongst us had followed the tenets and principles outlined in these two sources of revelation.

The Second: The Methodology of the Salaf us Salih (i.e. Righteous Predecessors) in both
knowledge and action and holding this to be the standard of evidence (i.e. daleel) necessary for our success and religious prosperity. Allah says about the methodology of the Salaf starting with the Companions of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam):

...
So if you believe like they (i.e. the Companions) believe, then you will be rightly guided and if they turn away, then they do so while they are in opposition... (2:137) The reality of our situation is that we all have a lot of inadequacies as it relates to our adherence to these precepts. We are living in a time where multitudes of fitnah (i.e. trials and tribulations) ranging from financial to spiritual continuously strike at the very core of our communities our leadership. And with each blow it weakens the Iman (i.e. faith) of the community members and shatters any hope of optimism for an environment conducive enough for us to just practice Islam cohesively. The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) encouraged us:

Hasten to do righteous deeds before the times of fitan (i.e. trials and tribulations) emerge that will be as obscure as a dark night wherein a man will wake up a believer and go to sleep a disbeliever, and go to sleep a believer and wake up a disbeliever. He will sell his religion for a portion of this dunya (collected in Saheeh Muslim) And this is because a person of weak faith (i.e. Iman), when he is confronted with a host trials and tribulations, especially those who are new converts to Islam and have yet to acclimate themselves to the religion, they will completely consume him and distract him from exercising
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the due diligence necessary to build, strengthen and fortify his spiritual stamina, and eventually strip him of his religion altogether. Today many new converts to Islam are confronted with images of Muslims on various news channels portrayed as barbarian war mongers who have no sense of tolerance and whose depiction is completely inconsistent with the image of Islam that caused them to embrace the religion initially. Images that are so deplorable that it may cause one to reconsider his/her decision to embrace Islam altogether. This is coupled with the problems they are faced with in their personal lives whether with family members who cant seem to grasp why they embraced Islam to begin with or within their own social circles wherein they are constantly taunted and mocked for choosing Islam as a religion, only to turn to the one place where they are supposed to receive religious guidance and spiritual reassurance (i.e. the Masjid) and be bombarded with a slew of lectures and Friday khutbas about the deviance of this person and that person for almost four years strait. To add insult to injury, when the people complain or even leave the Masjid altogether because they feel that this behavior adds absolutely no value to their lives nor does it satisfy the spiritual grievances they accepted Islam to address initially, they are ridiculed and demonized and labeled as individuals who dont understand the minhaj. They are labeled deviants and supporters of Shadeed Muhammad or this one and that one, after they were the ones who chased them away! The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) scolded one of his companions for interfering with the worship of the Muslims in his community at the expense of satisfying his own personal ambition. Muath Ibn Jabal Radiyallahu anhu would pray Salat ul Isha with the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) and then go to a nearby Masjid and lead the prayer with the people of that neighborhood. On one occasion Muath prolonged the Isha prayer by reciting Surah Al Baqarah (the longest Surah in the Quran) and when one man could no longer stand in the prayer, he left the rank and prayed by himself. When the word got back to Muath that he did this, Muath called him a hypocrite (i.e. Munafiq). So not only did Muath (Radiyallahu anhu) interfere with his worship and chase him away from the Masjid (similar to the way that these brothers chase people away with the unnecessary harshness and constant back biting), but he also insulted him and accused him of hypocrisy (also similar to the way these brothers label anyone who abandons their ranks as deviants or supporters of this one and that one). So the man took his grievances to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam), and when the Prophet heard what happened his face become extremely red and he called for Muath and said to him:

Are you being a fitnah for the people Muath?!

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Consequently there are many detriments and disadvantages associated with interfering with the worship of the Muslims that has begun to manifest itself today. In recent times many of those who ascribe to the Methodology of the Salaf have seemingly succumbed to the ideology of the Murjia, whose beliefs are antithetic to that of the Khawarij. The Murjia, in short, assert that as long as they have true faith in their hearts, the gravity of their sins will not affect them in the least. They believe this because in their estimation actions have nothing to do with Iman (i.e. faith). However this belief is contrary to the belief of Ahlus Sunnah regarding Iman. Ahlus Sunnah believe that Iman is a testament of the tongue (i.e. Shahadah), a belief in the heart (i.e. Aqeedah) and actions on the limbs. It increases with obedience to Allah and decreases with obedience to Shaytan. There are a number of textual evidences from both the Quran and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) to substantiate this belief, however, I will restrict myself to one narration on the authority of Abu Dhar Radiyallahu anhu who said that the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

,
Iman (i.e. faith) has over sixty branches, the greatest (and in another narration: the highest) branch is the testimony that none deserves worship except Allah (i.e. La ilaha illalah) and the lowest branch is to remove something harmful from the road (e.g. action of the limbs) and modesty is a branch of Iman (collected Saheeh Muslim). With respect to those who ascribe to the Methodology of the Salaf, many have surrendered the circumstances that surround them and have failed to live up to or even maintain the high moral and religious standards the pious predecessors embodied and established for this Ummah. Many of the brothers and sisters enjoy the accolades associated with the ascription of Salafiyah and create a biased set of privileges and double standards for those who do so. And while they indulge in the luxury of such a lofty attribution they fail miserably at exhibiting the meritorious actions and endeavors carried out by those whom the ascription characterizes initiallyThe Righteous Predecessors. One of the Tabieen said: If one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah could be resurrected in the time that we are living in, he would not recognize anything of Islam except the direction that we pray (i.e. Qiblah). If this was the case with the second generation of Islam, a generation that Allah praised in His book and the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) himself praised in his Sunnah for their virtue and merit, then what do you think about individuals who come generations later claiming to be the vanguards of the Sunnah and the strongest representatives of Methodology of the Salaf, but are known to be some of the most ignorant and pervasive sinners amongst the people.
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We have to return to methodology of the Salaf in knowledge, statement and action. And this is what Shaykh Abdus Salam As Suhaymi (may Allah preserve him) was referring to when he wrote his monumental book titled: Kun Salafiyan ala Jaadah (i.e. Be a Serious Salafi). We have to let our speech be a reflection of the speech of the Salaf, and to let our behavior be a reflection of the behavior of the Salaf and to let the degree of our worship be a reflection of the worship of the Salaf, so we can escape the prohibition of imitating the Kuffar (i.e. disbelievers), which we continue to understand very ostensibly. Allah said to Bani Israeel in the Quran:

Do you enjoin on the people to do righteousness and forget to practice it yourselves, while you recite the scripture? Have you then no sense. (2:44) Allah praised the Sahabah Radiyallahu anhum because of the hard work and due diligence they exercised in setting the standards of this religion very high and not because they sufficed themselves with the luxury and convenience of simply accompanying the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam). Allah says:

Only those are believers who have truly believed in Allah and His Messenger and have never since doubted, but have striven with their wealth and their selves in the cause of Allah, these are the true believers. (49:15) Allah also says:

...
Those who were foremost in embracing Islam (i.e. the vanguards) from the Muhajiroon and the Ansar and those who followed them exactly in faith, Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Allah (9:100) Allah also says:

Indeed Allah has turned with favor towards the Prophet and the Muhajireen and the Ansar, those who followed him in the times of difficulty and distress (9:117) On the authority of Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu anhu who said that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

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If one of you were to spend the mountain of Uhud in gold it wouldnt amount to a handful of what they gave not even half. (Collected in Saheeh Al Bukhari) Rather Anas Radiyallahu anhu reported that a Bedouin came to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) and said: O Messenger of Allah, when will the hour be established? So the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said to him: And what have you done to prepare yourself for the hour? He said: I havent done much prayer or fasting but I love Allah and His Messenger So the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said to him:

A man will be with the one whom he loves. So Anas Radiyallahu anhu said, We were never as delighted as we were when we heard this because all of us love Allah and His Messenger and Abu Bakr and Umar, even though we dont do the deeds that they do. (Collected in Saheeh Muslim) Engaging in major sin openly while shouting from the rooftops that you Salafi is an oxymoron in the sense that the mere ascription of Salafiyah suggests that you represent and mirror a extraordinary and exemplary standard of religiosity reflecting the spiritual decorum of the Salaf in all facets of the religion. While engaging in major sins such as; zina (i.e. fornication/adultery) in all of its obvious and not so obvious manifestations suggests that you mirror and represent something totally different. Major sins such as; pre-marital courting and engaging in behaviors that even according to the standards of non-Muslims would be considered social deviance such as: oral sex with someone that is not your wife, which has unfortunately become a deplorable trend amongst many of the youth, as per a special class of Students of knowledge who are prone to rationalizing unethical behavior at the expense of their religious well-being and that of brothers and sisters who blindly follow them. Some boldly assert publicly that oral sex is not actually zina because it is not penetration. And the raw absurdity of this concept, in and of itself, all but undermines the high moral standards that Islam establishes for the healthiness of our communities as well as the values we try so diligently to instill in our children. This reminds me of a comment Ali Ibn Abi Talib made when the Khawarij would interrupt his khutbah and exclaim loudly there is no ruling except the ruling of Allah! to undermine his authority as the Khaleefah, A statement of truth, by which, falsehood is desired. Allah says in the Quran:

And dont come close to zina (i.e. fornication and adultery) for indeed it is an immoral and evil path. (17:32)
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Thus Allah instructed the believers not to come close to zina, and Im almost sure that oral sex is as close to zina as you can get. Another thing to consider here is that this behavior besides the fact that it is a complete mockery of the impeccable standards of morality that Islam all but symbolizesbears a resemblance to the behavior of the Jews, when Allah commanded them not to fish on the Sabbath. Allah says:

And ask them (O Muhammad) about a town that was by the sea when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday), when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day, and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial of them for they used to rebel. (7:163) So here Allah clearly instructed them not to fish on the Sabbath out of reverence for Him and as a test of their faith, but instead they went and put their nets in the water Friday night in order to catch the fish swimming upstream. And when they arrived on Sunday to pick up the nets, they had fish already caught from the previous day. Thus they escaped the initial prohibition of fishing on the Sabbath but still fished on the Sabbath. Consequently the behavior of these individuals resembles the behavior of the Jews in the sense that, every time they encounter something their desires are adverse to, they find a way around it, barely escaping its prohibition, but at the same time subjecting their religion and reputation to the scrutiny of the people they should be servicing (i.e. the laymen as they call them). The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) cautioned us against this type of behavior and linked the desire to engage in such immoral conduct with the sickness and corruption of the heart:

. .
Indeed the halal is clear and the haram is clear and between the two there are doubtful matters that most people have no knowledge about. Whoever avoids the doubtful matters safeguards his religion and reputation, and the one who falls into the doubtful matters, falls into the haram. Similar to a Sheppard who grazes his flock around the sanctuary of someone elses property, it is very likely that he will trespass therein. Every king has a sanctuary, and indeed the sanctuary of Allah is His prohibitions. In the body there is a lump of flesh, if it is healthy, the whole body will be healthy, but if it is corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt. Indeed that lump of flesh is the heart. (Collected Al Bukhari and Muslim)

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So while they aggressively pursue the issue of cautioning others from imitating the disbelievers in various redundant lectures wherein they basically preach to the choir (because everyone sitting in front of them have on thowbs and over garments), they obviously fail to see, due to their obscured vision from a disease known as GRI-Gross Religious Immaturity, the more substantial forms of imitating the Kuffarand in this case the Jews. They evade the commandments of Allah at the expense of their religion, reputation and the religious and social advancement of the communities they are responsible for. And as the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

Whoever imitates a people then he is of them.(Collected Sunan Abu Dawud) We have to avoid even more subtle forms of zina such as communicating with the opposite sex on various media outlets such as: Facebook, Twitter, Skype, chat rooms and E mails all of which continues to devalue the sacredness of marriage in Islam and is destroying the impeccable standards of morality and modesty that was once the hallmark of Salafi communities. In addition to this we have to avoid exhibiting irresponsible and negligent behavior regarding the maintenance of our spouses and the proper Islamic upbringing of our children, all of which is from the methodology of the Salaf. And we have to stop making a distinction between these two or else we resemble the Christians who adopted the concept of separation of church and state and because of such, their society is declining morally on a day-to-day basis. The reality of the situation is such that those who uphold the high moral and religious standards of this illustrious religion are even stranger today than they were yesterday even amongst Muslims. And the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) promised Tuba (i.e. a tree in paradise and/or paradise) for those who maintain, in the latter generations, the exalted and unparalleled standards of morality the religion of Islam emerged with initially that were foreign to a society of pagan Arabs who frowned at the mere idea of such impeccable values. The believers during that time were known as strangers, and when the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) was asked who the strangers would be during the latter generations he replied:

They will be a small group of righteous people amongst the vast majority of corrupt and evil people. The scholars who commented on this hadeeth explain that these are the people who maintain their religious decorum even though the times have changed and the affairs are incomprehensible and the vast majority of the people are corrupt and immoral, and the people of righteousness a the minority. Despite this dilemma, they remain steadfast upon what they know to be the truth from their religion and resolute about their worship to Allah and the other affairs of the deen, and these are the people Allah was referring to when He said:
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 ...
Indeed those who say. Allah is our Lord and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them saying, dont fear nor grieve and receive glad tidings of paradise which you have been promised (41:30) It is the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) and the methodology of the Salaf to be upright and to be religious. The statement that many make: Oh he commit sinsbut we all sin. or yes he has some (moral) issues but his Aqeedah (i.e. creed) and Minhaj (i.e. methodology) are strait., all but diminishes the impeccable standards of integrity, morality and spirituality our communities should be founded upon. It insinuates that this is all that matters and everything else is obsolete so as long as your Aqeedah and Minhaj are intact. When you consider the story of Prophet Yusuf (Alaihis Salam), you see a man who put his reputation and integrity before everything else. When he was being seduced by the wife of the Aziz, he supplicated to Allah:

O my Lord prison is more to my liking than the immorality they invite me to (12: 33) This is a prime example of what the scholars define as halawa tul Iman (i.e. sweetness of faith) that was mentioned by the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) when he said: Whoever possesses three qualities will taste, by such, the sweetness of Iman... And one of the three qualities was that the individual love Allah and His Messenger above anything else. The sweetness of Iman is a particular degree of faith (i.e. Iman) that an individual attains wherein he has the spiritual capacity to endure hardship and difficulty, instead of compromising his values, at the expense of maintaining his religion or religious values. Even when Prophet Yusuf was being sought after by the King to be released from prison, his level of integrity was so immaculate that he refused to leave the prison until his name was cleared! Allah says:

And the King said: Bring him (i.e. Yusuf) to me. But when the messenger came to Yusuf he said: Return to your lord (King) and ask him what happened to the women who cut their hands (i.e. the women who tried to seduce him) (12: 50) Thus the preservation of our honor and integrity is just as important as having the correct Aqeedah and Minhaj. Even Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyah (May Allah have mercy on him) in his monumental work Al Aqeedah Al Waasitiyah although a book that concentrates primarily on the Aqeedah of Ahlus Sunnah dedicated a section towards the end of the book that highlights the correct conduct and integrity of the Muslim, an indication that upright character is just as important as the accuracy and soundness of his Aqeedah.
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So the notion that as long as your Aqeedah and Minhaj is correct nothing else can harm you, is the quintessence of the Aqeedah of the Murjia, those who assert that as long as you truly believe, sins will not harm you in the least. The danger of this mentality is that it creates a false sense of optimism regarding the mercy of Allah because, although Allah is Most Merciful and Oft- Forgiving, He is also severe in punishment, as He says:

Inform My servants that I am truly Oft- Forgiving and most merciful but My torment is the most painful torment.(15-49-50) This mindset has also given birth to an appalling and contemptible form of spiritual ineptitude that retards the inherent zeal many have to do better religiously. It perpetuates the contention of those with low spiritual ambition to continue as they were prior to Islam without ever seeing the need to excel religiously or feeling awkward around those who actually are religious considering the fact that not being religious has been embraced as the norm.

Thirdly: Introspection was a mainstay in the lives of the companions of the Prophet (Sallallahu
alaihi wa salam),

whether it was self initiated like in the case of Hanthalah Radiyallahu anhu who, when Abu Bakr Radiyallahu anhu met him and inquired as to how he was doing, he replied by saying: Hanthalah is a hypocrite! So when Abu Bakr asked him why he had such a critical outlook of himself he replied: Because when we are with the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) he reminds us of paradise and he reminds us of the hell fire, as if we can see it with our own eyes. However when we leave out of his presence and go home to enjoy our wives and our children and we forget much of what he said look at the self-critique of this individual which emanated from a pure heart determined to refine his character and address his perceived inadequacy of not being able to maintain a consistent level of faith both in the presence of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) and outside of his presence. Some of us engage in behaviors today that would remove the yolk of Islam from around our necks, while the thought of being a hypocrite never crosses our minds. Today many brothers give themselves titles that are well beyond the boundaries of humility such as: so and so the noble brother or our noble brothers such and such etc. And Allah says about this:

Do you not see those who claim sanctity for themselves, nay but Allah sanctifies whom He wills (4:49) Allah also says:

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So ascribe not purity to yourselves for indeed Allah truly knows best who fears Him and keeps his duty to Him. (53:32) How do these brothers have the audacity to consider themselves noble when some of them are accused publicly of adultery? How do they consider themselves noble when some of them have fathered children from marriages that are nothing short of one night stands with vulnerable Muslim women who were blinded by the bling of their thowbs and the sweetness of their speech instead of the fear of Allah in their hearts and the impeccability of their characters? How do they consider themselves noble when, for the past four years, they have preoccupied Muslims in our communities who are in dire need of learning the basic fundamentals of the religion with their own personal sentiments about this one and that one. A despicable behavior that has given birth to incessant non-stop backbiting and gossiping clothed in irrelevant monologue and stitched with sophisticated ignorance, irrespective of the artificial titles they use to justify it i.e. halal backbiting or speaking about the innovator (i.e. Mubtadi) or advice (i.e. Naseehah). Consider for a moment that the reason Shaytan was able to convince Adam and his wife to eat from the forbidden tree is because he called the tree by another name, as Allah says:

So Shaytan whispered to him saying, O Adam shall I direct you to a tree that will give you eternal life and a kingdom that will never diminish? (20:120) So Shaytan called the tree by another name, when, in fact, it was the same tree Allah forbade them from initially when He said:

And remember when We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in paradise and eat both of you freely and with pleasure and delight of things therein from wherever you will but dont come close to this tree or you both will be from amongst the wrongdoers. (2:35) Thus calling something by another name does not change the reality of it. How can they consider themselves noble when many of them throw together random miscellaneous lectures that require no verses from the Quran and no Ahadeeth from the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) and no narrations from the Salaf, which paves the way for the blatant backbiting of another man on the mimbar on the Day of Jumuah. This methodology has become all too common today and is an indication that they lack the testicular fortitude to say what they deem necessary to the individual in person, as the religion instructs us to, and then have the audacity to record the lecture it and put on the internet and charge people to listen to it!

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How can they consider themselves noble knowing full well that it is because of individuals like them, people have developed a new found love for controversy and disorder far more than they love the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger and the harmony and peace they encourage between the Muslims in Islam?! And this is why Shaykh Waseeallah Abbas (may Allah preserve him) said: If Abu Khadeejah and Bilal Davis are going to be one of the speakers then dont attend because they will mislead the people away from Salafiyah.(Courtesy of www.Rawdah. org) How do they consider themselves to be noble when, in the event of their demise, they leave behind children to inherit the shameful reputations of their fathers displayed all over the internet (refer to www.protectmuslimsisters.com, www.Ayah.org etc.), as well as severe familial instability that exposes their severe lack of prioritization and the fact that they gave precedence to their global war on bidah (i.e. innovation) at the expense of the religious stability of their children. And last but not least, they leave a host of cds and tapes of lectures containing miscellaneous information about the religion all of which requires critical evaluation considering the academic limitations they were subjected to due to the lack of ambition for true knowledge and preoccupation with the accolades of being donned the vanguard of the Sunnah. Allah gave a very interesting parable for such an individual when he said:

And recite to them (O Muhammad) the story of the one whom We gave our signs to but he disregarded them, so Shaytan followed him up and he became of those who were Ghaween (i.e. astray). If We had willed we would have surely elevated him with Our signs but he clung heavily to the earth and followed his own vain desire (7:175-176) And I say to you, the reader, extracting the core concept found in the statement of Prophet Lut (Alaihi salam) when said to his people who were engaging in the deplorable act of homosexuality:

Isnt there a person of intellect amongst you?!(11:78) This, my noble brothers, is in no way, shape or form nobility, and the appalling condition of our communities is a direct reflection of this warped estimation of nobility. And what is even worse than this is the mindset of the people who have for years accepted this as the standard and will fight you tooth and nail to maintain it. Some, like Masjid Rahmah, will even go against what they acknowledge to be the truth, in a vain attempt to preserve the normalcy of absurdity and fruitlessness they were so accustomed to. The scholars have an expression they use to describe a situation like this which is:

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Look at how tonight resembles last night! It is my contention that many brothers and sisters suffer from an infectious disease called PTHS (i.e. Post Traumatic Hizbiyah Syndrome). It is a well-known fact that any traumatic situation the human being experiences requires a process of healing wherein they revisit the situation and pinpoint how they actually ended up there and come up with a decisive strategy to prevent this from happening again. This is something that our faith necessitates, just as the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

The believer does not get stung in the same hole twice.(Collected Al Bukhari and Muslim) Many of the brothers and sisters never went through this process, although Abu Uwais (May Allah have mercy on him and make his grave spacious) who would be distraught at the sight of their religious instability which fluctuates with the capriciousness of the wind tried to clarify and highlight the blatant hizbiyah that many of them came from during his time as the Imam there. Unfortunately many of the brothers and sisters adverse to sound knowledge did not attend the classes nor did they take heed to the clear warning signs that indicated they were still sick evidenced by the recent turn of events and some of the absurd comments that were spread on the internet via www. Authenticstatements.com that were nothing short of the same infectious disease of hizbiyah. They wrote: Upon receiving this information Shaykh Rabee' was extremely pleased (written on June 13th 2012) and in another article they sent out it read: and Shaykh Rabee was pleased with us. I want the brothers to read very carefully what Shaykh Salih Al Fowzan said about this type of behavior when he was asked about an individual who says I only take from/adhere to what Shaykh Rabee says. So Shaykh Salih Fowzan said This is the epitome of hizbiyah, even if it is to a Salafi scholar! With all due respect to Shaykh Rabee (May Allah preserve him), although we love him dearly, the truth is more beloved to us. Nonetheless what should have been stated is, And we hope that Allah is pleased with us. or And we desire, by our decision, the pleasure of Allah. etc. Where was the sincere search for the pleasure of Allah in their decision(s)? This comment would have been considered brazen blasphemy had it been made for anyone other than Shaykh Rabee, but this is the methodology of double standards that has become all too common with many of these individuals and is far from of the Minhaj of the Salaf they claim to follow and they will certainly be questioned by Allah about such misrepresentation of His religion, and as Allah says:

This is the truth and the truth I say (38:84)

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I conclude with this piece of advice to the brothers who currently administrate Masjid Rahmah: You all depleted your steadfastness (i.e. Thabat) in a matter of months. You contradicted a solid position that people respected you for tremendously for a position that is instable, unsound and completely based upon your desires (i.e. hawa), and has stripped the people of any inkling of admiration they had for you, including those whom you believe are your allies. This is the same behavior Allah admonished Bani Israeel for when He said:

Would you exchange that which is superior for that which is inferior (2:61) Allah also instructed us that when muster up the courage to take a strong stance against blatant wrongdoing and obvious transgression in the religion, that we should not paint ourselves as weak and feeble nor should we call for peace, for indeed Allah is with us when we are right and stand for what is right.

So be not weak and dont ask for peace while you have the upper hand (i.e. when you are in the right), Allah is with you and will never decrease the reward of your good deeds. (47:35) And understand that Allah will never bless any effort that is not done purely for His sake. The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) stated very clearly:

Whoever seeks to please Allah at the expense of angering the people, Allah will suffice him. And whoever seeks to please the people at the expense of angering of Allah, then Allah will leave him to fend for himself amongst the people. (Collected Ibn Hibban) You all found yourselves running from one thing but fell into something equally despicable in a futile and hopeless attempt to hold on to what in your estimation was the way things used to be out of absolute fear of change or due to a lack of desire for change altogether. I want to draw the readers attention to the fact that many of the brothers were some of the most loyal followers of Abu Muslimah. Those who held on to every word he uttered as if it were revelation from Allah. Some of the brothers would have even given their own lives for him including myself if the situation called for it. And some of them didnt detach themselves from Abu Muslimah until after the sun and the moon themselves finally testified to the blatant hizbiyah they were so blind to.

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The irony of it all is that many of those that left, even up until today, cannot pinpoint the hizbiyah they were subjected to all that time if their lives depended on it. And the fact of the matter is, many of the brothers were so ecstatic as new converts to Salafiyah that they indulged in the new ascription and the many doors and privileges that opened up for them, that they forgot the healing process that has to accompany such a transition. And as the years went by, they were introduced to scholar after scholar oddly enough by the same student of knowledge they publicly freed themselves from to appease a group of brothers who have neither the knowledge nor the concern for their community to warrant such an appalling and shameful concession brother Tahir Wyatt (May Allah preserve him and restore his honor)on the multitude of trips they made for Hajj and Umrah. But to no avail, they disregarded the sincere advice and instruction of just about every scholar they came in contact with, namely: Shaykh Khalid Ar Radaadi, Shaykh Salih As Suhaymee, Shaykh Ali Nasr Al Faqeehi and Shaykh Waseeallah Abbas etc just to name a few, in relation to having a broader perspective on Salafiyah and not to restrict it to one or two scholars. One of such gatherings I was privileged to attend in March of 2011 on a trip to make Umrah with Masjid Rahmah. Rather I remember the words of one of the scholars that night vividly when he said: The problem with you all (i.e. Salafees in the West) is that you have restricted Salafiyah to Shaykh Rabee. We love Shaykh Rabee, rather he is our Shaykh, but the fact of the matter is that Salafiyah was here before him and will be here after he is gone. Lo and behold! Exactly one year later and many of the brothers from Masjid Rahmah are knee deep in hizbiyah once again, clutching, in one hand, on to what is comfortable and familiar to them and, in the other hand, a vanishing community that never got the chance to heal properly. Remaining steadfast on the original position Masjid Rahmah took against Abu Hassan Malik, Abu Muhammad, Hassan As Somali and Abu Khadeejah would have required a level of sincere tolerance, patience with the harms they would inevitably receive as a result of their stance and a sincere desire for real change, all of which they were obviously not prepared to exercise. Thus they forfeited yet another opportunity from Allah to raise the bar of mediocrity and transcend the normality of nothingness they were so accustomed to. Allah mentions the situation of a people who failed to exude what they were instructed to and as a result forfeited many blessings:

If they had done what they were instructed to do, it would have been better for them and strengthened their faith and made them firm. And indeed We would have bestowed upon them a great reward and We would have guided them to the strait path (4:66) In these verses Allah cites a number of incentives that accompany doing the right thing by Him, instead of the shameless compromises and concessions that many succumb to as a result of their fear of the people, instead of their fear of Allah:
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The First: Khayriyah (i.e. the quality of being a religious overachiever), as Allah said, it would have been better for them The Second: Fortified faith, which leads to steadfastness in the tragedy of circumstances wherein most people succumb to compromise. The Third: A great reward from Allah. The Fourth: Guidance to the strait path and clear direction in all of their endeavors. It is natural for us as human beings to be intimidated by change, because change takes us into unfamiliar territory, however when we look at the companions of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) we see a group of men and women who were not afraid of change, and all of the attachments in the Dunya, whether emotional, financial, familial and/or otherwise, were not enough to impede or obstruct what they set out to accomplish. And until we begin to follow the blueprint that was drafted by the ink of their endeavors, we will remain in the sad state of affairs that has become an accepted norm to a people who the lowest depth of mediocrity is the pinnacle of their aspiration. Allah says:

Indeed Allah will not change the condition of a people until at first they change what is within themselves. (13:11) Going back to the issue of introspection for a moment, there was a form of Naseehah (i.e. advice) that existed amongst the Sahabah that inspired them to change certain qualities about themselves which emanated from a place of sincerity and love for one another. Like in the case of Abu Dhar Radiyallahu anhu when he said to Bilal Radiyallahu anhu: You are the son of a black woman. When Bilal made mention of this to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) he said to Abu Dhar: Did you insult him? and Abu Dhar responded in the affirmative. Then he asked him if he insulted his mother and he replied in the affirmative and so the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said: You are an individual who still has traits of Jahiliyah (i.e. pre-Islamic ignorance) in you. This was not merely reprimand as much as it was an encouragement to change this quality about himself. How could it not be when he (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) was the same one who said:

The best of you in Jahiliyah will be the best of you in Islam provided you get an understanding of the religion. (collected Saheeh Al Bukhari)

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I leave the reader with two passages from Ibn ul Qayyim Al Jawziyah Rahimahullah, one entitled The Mistake of the Scholar and the other The Impermissibility of Accepting the Ruling of a Scholar if the Individual is Uncomfortable with it I combined both passages and titled it:

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The Lost Protocols of Salafiyah

Expounding on some of the most Essential Etiquettes of Salafiyah that have been forgotten in recent times
Excerpts taken from Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyahs Ilam ul Muwaqqieen ar Rabbil Alameen

By Shadeeed Muhammad

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When the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah becomes apparent to someone, it is not permissible for him to abandon it for the statement of any individual. ~Imam Muhammad Ibn Idrees Ash Shafiee

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

All praise is for Allah, The Great (Al Kabeer), The Most Exalted (Al Muta Ali). May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His final Messenger, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, his family and companions.

Ibn ul Qayim Rahimahullah stated: The scholars who compile narrations of the Sunnah have combined textual evidences that correlate between the invalidity of Taqleed (i.e. blind following) and its nullification, and the clarification of the mistake of a scholar in order to highlight, by such, the dilemma of blind following. The scholar will err, and it inevitable that he does so because he is not infallible (i.e. Masoom), and therefore it is not permissible to accept or agree with everything he says or treat his statement like the one who is infallible (i.e. the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa salam). Blind following is something that every scholar on the face of the earth has condemned and considered Haram (i.e. impermissible) and has certainly criticized those who engage in it. And the fact of the matter is that this is the genesis of every fitnah (i.e. trial) that afflicts those who follow (the scholars) blindly. They follow the scholar in matters which he has clearly erred and those which he has not, making no distinction between the two, and because of this it is a guarantee that they will practice their religion in error. They will inevitably make halal (i.e. permissible) what Allah made haram, and make haram what Allah made halal. And as a result they undeniably legislate in the religion what has not been legislated because the one whom they follow unrestrictedly (i.e. the scholar) is not infallible and therefore subject to error.

The scholar will err, and it is imperative that he does so because he is not infallible (i.e. Masoom), and therefore it is not permissible to accept or agree to everything he says or treat his statement like the one who is infallible (i.e. the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa salam).
Imam Al Bayhaqi and others have mentioned on the authority of Katheer who narrated on his father who narrated on his grandfather who said that the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

Fear the mistake of the scholar and wait for his retraction. (Al Bayhaqi) He also mentioned a narration on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Umar Radiyallahu anhu who said that the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alaihi wa salam said:
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 :
Without a doubt the things I fear most for my Ummah are three: the mistake of a scholar, the argument of a hypocrite with the Quran and the abundance of worldly materials that will cause people to cut each others throats. (At Tabarani) And it should be understood that the fear of the mistake of the scholar is due to the fact that he will be followed blindly by others in it. If it were not for Taqleed (i.e. blind following), then there would be no reason to fear the mistake of a scholar for others. When the individual learns that a scholar has indeed erred, it s not permissible for him to continue following him by the consensus of the Muslims, as this would be considered following a mistake deliberately. However, he who is not aware that it is a mistake is excused, however both of them (i.e. the scholar and the follower) are negligent in what they have been commanded to do.

And the fact of the matter is that this is the genesis of every fitnah (i.e. trial) that afflicts those who follow (the scholars) blindly. They follow the scholar in matters which he has clearly erred and those which he has not, making absolutely no distinction between the two, and because of this, it is a guarantee that they will practice their religion in error.
Shabi Rahimahullah narrated that Umar Radiyallahu anhu said: No era is corrupted except by three things: misguided leaders, the argument of a hypocrite with the Quran while the Quran is the truth and the mistake of a scholar. It has already preceded that Muath Ibn Jabal Radiyallahu anhu would not sit during a gathering of knowledge except that he would say: Allah is fair in His judgment and those who doubt will be destroyed... And during these gatherings he would say: I caution you against the error of a scholar. Shaytan could possibly cause an error to be uttered on the tongue of a scholar in the same way that a hypocrite could possibly utter a statement of truth. So one of the students said to Muath, May Allah have mercy on you, how would I know if the scholar has actually uttered a statement of misguidance or if the hypocrite has uttered a statement of truth? So Muath said: Avoid the speech of the scholar that is ambiguous (i.e. out of the ordinary) wherein it would be said, what does this mean?... the type of speech that perhaps he may even retract. But take the truth when you hear it, for indeed there is light upon the truth.

When the individual learns that the scholar has indeed erred it s not permissible for him to continue following him by the consensus of the Muslims, as this would be considered following a mistake deliberately.

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Imam Al Baihaqi narrated on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Abbas Radiyallahu anhuma who said: Woe to those who follow the mistakes of the scholar. It was said to him, How is this? and he said: The scholar speaks from his own opinion, then hears the hadeeth of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) and abandons his previous position. In another narration he said: He (i.e. the scholar) hears from someone who is more knowledgeable about the Messenger of Allah (e.g. His Sunnah) than he is, and when he informs him of what is correct regarding the matter, he retracts, while those who followed his previous opinion continue to do so. Tameem Ad Dari Radiyallahu anhu said: Fear the mistake of a scholar. So Umar Radiyallahu anhu asked him: And what is the mistake of a scholar? So he replied: He makes a mistake in front of the people and they take his opinion. And perhaps the scholar repents while the people continue to follow his previous opinion. Shubah Rahimahullah narrated on the authority of Muath Ibn Jabal Radiyallahu who said: O you group of Arabs! How will you deal with three things: The materialistic life of this world wherein people would cut each others throats to attain a portion of it, the mistake of a scholar and the argument of a hypocrite with the Quran? The people were silent so he said: As for the scholar, even if he is rightly guided, dont blindly follow him in your religion. And if he is tested, dont give up hope that he will repent and be redirected, for the believer is tested and then he repents. As for the Quran, it shines like a beacon of light illuminating the path and it is not a secret to anyone. And what you know from the Quran, you should not ask anyone about, and that which you are in doubt about, then refer it to the scholars of the Quran (i.e. Mufassireen). As for the Dunya (i.e. the life of this world), whomever Allah places sufficiency in his heart, then he will be successful, and if not, then there is absolutely no benefit for him in what he possesses from the life of this world.

As for the scholar, even if he is rightly guided, dont blindly follow him in your religion. And if he is tested, dont give up hope that he will repent and be redirected, for the believer is tested and then he repents.
Translators Note: Food for thought: What if the scholars, for some unforeseen reason, were to change their views and opinions on the same individuals that we have boycotted, disrespected and posted so much over the years on the internet about. The same individuals that we center our conversations around (i.e. backbiting), the same individuals we have given Eid khutbah(s) about, the same individuals that we have mentioned by name in Jumuah khutbahs, and the same individuals that we obviously hate more than the Kuffar (i.e. non-Muslims)? Where does that leave us? We have broken bridges that irreparable. When the scholars differed there was a certain decorum that was observed that left room for the possibility of reconciliation. The sad thing about it all is that most of these individuals would continue with their unrestricted hatred instead of repenting and correcting a situation they could
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have avoided altogether had they been privy to the dangers and consequences of blind following from the beginning. Abu Umar said: the likeness of the mistake of a scholar is like that of a wrecked ship. If it sinks, then it takes many people along with it. Abu Umar said: If it is true that the scholar actually did err, it is not permissible to issue a ruling with his mistake or to take his opinion as part of the religion, especially if you dont know the angle from which he issued it. Abu Umar narrated on the authority of Ali Radiyallahu anhu who said: I warn you against relying on men, for indeed a man may do the deeds of the people of paradise then change, while Allah knows him best, and begin doing the deeds of the people of the hell-fire and die while he is from the people of the hell-fire. And a man may do the deeds of the people of the hell-fire and then change, while Allah knows him better, and then begin doing the deeds of the people of paradise and die while he is from the people of paradise. If it is a must that you follow someone, follow those who are dead (i.e. the Sahabah) and not those who are still alive (e.g. because their fate has not yet been established to us so as long as they are still alive). Abdullah Ibn Masud Radiyallahu anhu said: Do not blindly follow anyone in your deen (i.e. religion)! If he believes, you believe, and if he disbelieves, you disbelieve. No character is worthy of being followed if it is evil. Abu Umar narrated that it was reported that the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa salam said: The scholars will die off and the people will begin to take the ignorant as their leaders. They will ask them (questions about the religion) and they (i.e. the ignorant) will respond without knowledge, thus they go astray and lead others astray. (Al Bukhari) Abu Umar said: All of what has preceded was cited to negate and invalidate Taqleed (i.e. blind following), for the one who understands it and is guided to its correct application. He then mentioned a narration on the authority of Sufyan Ibn Uyanah Rahimahullah who said: Rabiah was reclining while his head was hung low and he was crying. So it was said to him: What is it that makes you cry? So he said: People sit in front of their scholars today like children

sit in front of those who have authority over them. Whatever the scholars prohibit them from, they abstain from it, and whatever the scholars command them to do, they do it. Abdullah Ibn Al Mutamr Rahimahullah said: There is no difference
between herded animals and a blind follower. Ibn ul Qayim Rahimahullah also stated: It is not permissible to act upon a mere ruling from a scholar if the individuals heart is not content with it and it wavers in his chest and he finds it difficultly accepting it. This is based upon the statement of the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alaihi wa salam (when Wabisah Radiyallahu anhu came to ask him about righteousness and sin), Ask yourself. Ask your heart. Righteousness is what your heart finds contentment with, while sin is what wavers in the heart, even if the people give you a ruling that it is permissible. (Ad Darimi).
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It is essential that the individual ask himself first and foremost. And he should not take the ruling of a scholar to be revelation from Allah, especially if he knows that the affair is contrary to the ruling he issued. Just the same, if the ruling of a (Muslim) judge was contradictory to the reality of the situation, it would not be of any benefit to him. As the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa salam said: If I rule in favor of someone, giving him the right of his brother, do not take it! For indeed I am only giving him a piece of the hell-fire (Al Bukhari and Muslim)

And he should not take the ruling of a scholar to be revelation from Allah, especially if he knows that the affair is contrary to the ruling he issued.
Translators Note: This is similar to the way that brothers and sisters accept any ruling of a scholar concerning an individual, knowing full well that the reality of the situation is the total opposite of which he has ruled. However we follow the ruling anyway because it is either consistent with our perverted desires (i.e. hawah) or due to fear (while Allah is more worthy of our fear) or because we believe that we are absolved of any responsibility/accountability by saying I am following the advice of the scholars., despite the fact that we know it is clearly inaccurate and erroneous. But the reality of the situation is that even if the Shaykh does rule against someone in error and we take it, he gets one reward (even if hes wrong), so as long as his intention was honestly seeking the truth, while we just as the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa salam said are only taking a piece of the hellfire!

If I rule in favor of someone, giving him the right of his brother, do not take it. For indeed I am giving him a piece of the hell-fire
The Mufti and the Qadhi (i.e. Muslim judge) are one in the same as it relates to this. And the

one who goes to a scholar for a verdict should not think that the mere ruling of that scholar makes the matter he inquired about permissible for him, especially if the individual knows that the reality of the situation is contrary to his ruling, and above all, if the ruling of the scholar wavers in his chest and he finds it difficult
for his heart to be content with it. Or he has reasonable doubt about its accuracy, or because of his ignorance of the issue. (Translators Note: This is similar to the way that rulings are passed on individuals that we know absolutely nothing about here in America such as Abu Hassan Al Marabi etc and we are literally forced to take a position against him solely on the basis that a particular Shaykh, who is more knowledgeable than we are on these issues or carries a title that undoubtedly certifies his ruling almost like revelation from Allah ruled against him.)

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And the one who goes to a scholar for a verdict should not think that the mere ruling of that scholar makes the matter he inquired about permissible for him, especially if the individual knows that the reality of the situation contrary to his ruling.
Or due to the ignorance of the scholar regarding the issue at hand, (Translators Note: This is similar to the way that some scholars callously answer the loaded questions of brothers like Abu Hassan Malik, Hassan As Somali and Abu Khadeejah, while they undoubtedly lack enough information to formulate an accurate ruling because they never give the other party an opportunity to speak on their behalf. This is coupled with the fact that there are an abundance of authentic texts prohibiting the ruling against someone until their side of the story is heard. ). Or due to the fact that the individual is aware of the scholars ardent love for issuing rulings (i.e. Fatawa). Translators Note: Notice how Abu Khadeejah, Abu Hassan Malik and Hassan As Somali go to the same three or four scholars every time they need a ruling on someone (and this seems to be the only time they do contact the scholars.). Namely: Shaykh Ubyad Al Jabiri, Shaykh Rabee, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Hadi and Ahmad Bazmool). The ironic thing about this is that there was a time when their call and claim to fame was sticking to the major scholars, and although they know that there are other Major Scholars out there whose academic endeavors, spiritual insight and religious opinions are deemed significantly relevant by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, scholars such as: Shaykh Salih Al Luhaydan, Shaykh Salih Al Fowzan, The Mufti Abdul Aziz Al Shaykh, Shaykh Salih As Suhaymee, Shaykh Abdul Muhsin Al Abbad, Shaykh Ali Nasr Al Faqihi etc., just to name a few. They NEVER EVER take any of their trivial grievances back to any of them. Does anyone of sound mind who can see what is going on ever ask why? The reason why is because these scholars dont get involved with these trivial issues that continue to fragment the Muslims. These scholars have and continue to speak about the people of innovation and deviance, albeit when they deem it necessary and appropriate, however, they dont make this the crux of their mission as scholars. And as Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz Rahimahullah described the Sahabah, They spoke based upon sound knowledge and they refrained from speaking based upon sound knowledge (not out of ignorance or timidity). Or because the ruling was not within the context of the Quran and the Sunnah, or because the scholar is known to issue rulings callously for the purpose of creating allowances that blatantly oppose the Quran and the Sunnah, or other than this from the many reasons that prevent people from trusting the rulings issued by him and feeling uncomfortable with them. So if, in fact, the ruling of a scholar of this caliber causes a lack of trust and contentment in the heart of an individual, then he should ask a second scholar and a third until he is tranquil with the ruling he receives (Translators Note: Not necessarily because the ruling coincides with his
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desires but because it contains all of the necessary elements that will produce tranquility in the heart of the believer.) And if he doesnt find anyone that he is comfortable with, then know that Allah will not burden a soul with more than it has the capacity to bear. The obligation, above all, is to fear Allah to the best of his ability. (Ilam ul Muwaqqieen ar Rabil Alameen) Lets list those issues again that cause an individual to be uncomfortable with the ruling of a scholar and to avoid accepting it:

1. If the ruling of the scholar wavers in his chest and he finds it difficult for his heart to be content with it. 2. He has reasonable doubt about the accuracy of the ruling. 3. His ignorance of the issue altogether 4. The ignorance of the scholar regarding the issue. 5. The individual is aware of the scholars ardent love for issuing rulings (i.e. Fatawa) 6. The ruling was not within the context of the Quran and the Sunnah 7. The scholar is known to issue rulings callously for the purpose of creating allowances that blatantly oppose the Quran and the Sunnah.
Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyah Rahimahullah said: It is not permissible for anyone to raise an individual for this Ummah, calling to his path while showing allegiance to anyone who agrees with him or enmity towards those who oppose him other than the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam). Nor it is permissible to raise someones speech showing allegiance to anyone who agrees with it and enmity towards anyone who opposes it, other than the speech of Allah and His Messenger and that which this Ummah has unanimously agreed upon. Rather this is the methodology (i.e. minhaj) of the People of

Innovation, those whose plight is to raise a particular individual or particular speech and spread it amongst the Ummah showing allegiance to it and to the ascription that manifests from it and showing enmity towards anyone who opposes it. (Majmoo Fatawah)

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Conclusion

I want to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize on behalf of these individuals to all of the brothers and sisters who, throughout the years, have been harmed by them. Those who have had their personal business exposed on the internet, those who have made mistakes and had them exploited publicly by these brothers in order to ascend the throne as the Chief Exploiting Officer of their pseudo Salafi dynasty that is nothing short of a cult. Brothers and sisters who have been bombarded with Eid khutbahs, Jumuah khutbahs and supposedly educational seminars that literally become platforms for them to perpetuate this culture of mediocrity and ignorance without the slightest fear of accountability before Allah. I apologize on their behalf and although our religion commands us to make excuses for our brothers in Islam, we have literally run out of excuses and its time for us to stop justifying the behavior of people who dont have the decency, shame and self-respect to cover their own faults because, in that case, we enable them to continue destroying our communities, and we have no one to blame except ourselves. I did not get any pleasure out of writing these articles, as a matter of fact, the mere composition of such absurdity was very painful and burdensome, considering the fact that I had to to revisit all of this foolishness in order to make the article more fluid, legible and relevant. It was also very time consuming, as the compilation of these pages took a lot of time away from myself, my family and the responsibility I owe to my community. I also did not write these pages out of Naseehah (i.e. Advice) to them, or to refute them, or to expose them, as that is their mission and what they do, but without being so politically correct, I wrote these pages simply out of being tired. Fed-up with all of their rhetoric, ignorance and oppression of others that has continued for years with complete impunity. In addition to this I, as well as others, still manage to use a great deal of discretion when dealing with them, even though they are not deserving of such an honorable gesture, considering the lack of mercy and discretion they have shown to the scores of people theyve attacked over the years who did not deserve it. And let me remind them of the statement of Allah:

Indeed those who harm the believing men and believing women undeservedly bear on themselves the crime of slander and plain sin. (33:58) But rest assured that when you open the door to speak about people, harming their families and children, this will not be taken lightly. Allah will most certainly expose you, which is a lesson I think Abu Hassan Malik and Anwar Wright understand better today more than anyone else. There is a principle in our religion that states:
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As you deal with others, so will you be dealt with. On another note, the scholars who used the science of Jarh wat Tadeel (i.e. the science of praising and/or disparaging narrators) did so with reluctance and out of complete necessity. This is because the science of Jarh wat Tadeel was such that it caused them to speak about their friends, relatives and contemporaries, and in some instances their own parents. A man came to one of the Salaf and asked him about the memory of his own father, and so he told him to go and ask someone else. So when the man insisted that he speak, the man was left with no other option and he said, The truth is, my father is daeef! (i.e. weak in his memory and therefore knowledge should not be taken from him). They did not embark upon this endeavor with enjoyment and for the purpose of uselessly exposing people, but out of the dire necessity of purifying and preserving the religion of Islam by distinguishing what is sound from what is flawed. None of these brothers have ever studied this science thoroughly enough to make them an authority on the subject. Out of all the five colleges on the University of Medinahs campus, this science is only taught in the College of Hadeeth for two semesters because it is an integral part of the core curriculum for students who specialize in hadeeth. Abu Hassan Malik, Abu Khadeejah, Hassan As Somali and the rest of the brothers who are hailed as authorities on this very delicate subject never went to the Islamic University of Medinah and have never studied this science under qualified scholars who testified to their proficiency in it (i.e. Ijazah). Life is too short brothers and sisters. We are going to look around and decades will have passed us by and we have absolutely nothing to show for it. If these brothers believe that this is their ticket to paradise, because they lack the spiritual zeal to attain it through more traditional methods of fasting, praying, sadaqah etc., they are sadly mistaken. Rather the people whom they have harmed will use their backs as the bridge over the hell-fire to walk across it safely into paradise. A man used to constantly backbite Imam Ahmad Rahimahullah and so he sent some sweets to his home and said to the man, This is the least thing that I can to for someone who has given me his good deeds on the Day of Judgment! The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said to his companions, Do you all know who the Muflis (i.e. poor/ bankrupt person) is? So they replied in the negative. So the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said: The muflis from my Ummah is the one who comes on the Day of Judgment with his fast, prayer and zakat (e.g. desiring his reward for performing these acts of worship). However, he (in the life of this world) insulted this person, and accused that person of fornication/adultery, took the wealth of this person unjustly, spilled the blood of that person and hit this person. So this person will be given some of his good deeds and that person will be given some of his good deeds, and when his good deeds are completely exhausted before he has finished satisfying the rights that are against him, he will take their bad deeds and then he will be thrown into the hell-fire. (Collected Saheeh Muslim)
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O Allah I implore you to make me of those who, if they are given, they are grateful, and if they are tested, they are patient and if they commit sin, they seek your forgiveness. For indeed you are the Granter of such success and Capable (i.e. Qadir) of all things. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Messenger, Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

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