Explanation of Ibn al-Qayyim’s phrase regarding not responding to the one who errs in public
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
One of the students is asking. He says: I read a phrase by the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim in his book *Al-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah*, and I hope the Shaykh will explain it. It is: “One of the subtleties of keen insight is that you do not respond to the one who has compounded his error in public, for his status will lead him to defend the error, and that is a second error. But you should be gentle in informing him of it in a place where no one else is aware of it.”
Answer:
Yes, without a doubt, people must be addressed according to their standing. One does not address a scholar with the language of an ignorant person, nor an ignorant person with the language of a scholar, nor an individual with the language of kings, nor kings with the language of individuals. Each is addressed in a manner befitting him, because this is more conducive to achieving the intended purpose.
Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said to Musa and Harun, and He sent them to the tyrannical Pharaoh who claimed lordship. He said: "So they came to him[Taha 20:44] And He said to Musa (peace be upon him): 'Say: Would you like to be purified? Say to Pharaoh [An-Nazi'at 79:18-19]?' This is how it is made clear to him. If it does not benefit him, then you have fulfilled the duty upon you. There will be another opinion from the people of knowledge and insight, which is not for the uneducated and the common people. Yes.
One of the students is asking. He says: I read a phrase by the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim in his book *Al-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah*, and I hope the Shaykh will explain it. It is: “One of the subtleties of keen insight is that you do not respond to the one who has compounded his error in public, for his status will lead him to defend the error, and that is a second error. But you should be gentle in informing him of it in a place where no one else is aware of it.”
Answer:
Yes, without a doubt, people must be addressed according to their standing. One does not address a scholar with the language of an ignorant person, nor an ignorant person with the language of a scholar, nor an individual with the language of kings, nor kings with the language of individuals. Each is addressed in a manner befitting him, because this is more conducive to achieving the intended purpose.
Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said to Musa and Harun, and He sent them to the tyrannical Pharaoh who claimed lordship. He said: "So they came to him
And speak to him with gentle speech that perhaps he may be reminded or fear [Allah]."
فَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَّيِّنًا لَّعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَىٰ(18) And say to him, 'Would you [be willing to] purify yourself (19) And let me guide you to your Lord so you would fear [Him]?'"
هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-069-ضوابط الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر|صالح الفوزان|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (46:30)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.