Advice for Students of Knowledge Preoccupied with Declaring Disbelief and Innovation

Question:
May Allah reward you. What is your advice for the students of knowledge who have become preoccupied with declaring people disbelievers (takfir) or innovators (tabdi'), and with tracking the mistakes of Sunni Salafi scholars and preachers, to the extent that they are distracted from knowledge? They claim in doing so that they are following the method of Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan and other scholars of knowledge?

Answer:
This is a trial (fitnah), may Allah protect us from it. Becoming preoccupied with the faults of people, and turning people away from scholars, students of knowledge, and preachers to Allah, is a trial. It is not permissible to act upon it, nor to follow those who act upon it. It is obligatory to advise one another among Muslims; religion is advice. It is obligatory to cooperate in righteousness and piety, and it is obligatory to act upon knowledge. As for becoming preoccupied with so-and-so and so-and-so, and turning people away, this is backbiting (ghibah). Backbiting is a major sin among the major sins, and it does not accomplish anything. It causes division and corruption. If we see an error or a deficiency in someone, we advise him, either by writing to him or by speaking to him. As for sitting and backbiting him, this is forbidden (haram). It leads to the division of Muslims and turning people away from students of knowledge. This action is never permissible. They have lied to us and to others, saying, "This is the method of so-and-so." No, we warn against this in our lectures and in our books. We warn against this method.