Taking from one who does not declare al-Jahm ibn Safwan an innovator
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Our Shaykh. Some people assert that a person should take knowledge from anyone who has knowledge, even if a person has knowledge but does not declare al-Jahm ibn Safwan an innovator. They say, “I will leave aside not declaring him an innovator; I will leave aside not declaring him an innovator and take knowledge from him.” Is this assertion correct?
Answer:
It is not correct. Knowledge is not taken except from its people: those who are upright upon it and known for it. As for the one who promotes religious innovations (bid'ah) and belittles their status, knowledge is not taken from him.
Because he influences those who sit with him and those who learn from him, and he becomes lenient regarding the matter of religious innovations (bid'ah). If the matter reaches the point where al-Jahm ibn Safwan is not declared an innovator, then who is declared an innovator? Al-Jahm ibn Safwan was declared a disbeliever because he is a Jahmi. He says, “The Qur'an is created,” and “Allah does not speak.” He denied one of the attributes of Allah through denial and negation, so he described Allah with deficiency, may Allah protect us. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) criticized the polytheists for worshipping idols that do not speak to them:[Al-A'raf 7:148]? Those who took the calf as their god, Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said, “Did they not see that it does not speak to them?” And Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: [Maryam 19:42]? So, the one who says that al-Jahm is merely an innovator, or that he is not an innovator, is in reality promoting religious innovations (bid'ah) and belittling their status. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Our Shaykh. Some people assert that a person should take knowledge from anyone who has knowledge, even if a person has knowledge but does not declare al-Jahm ibn Safwan an innovator. They say, “I will leave aside not declaring him an innovator; I will leave aside not declaring him an innovator and take knowledge from him.” Is this assertion correct?
Answer:
It is not correct. Knowledge is not taken except from its people: those who are upright upon it and known for it. As for the one who promotes religious innovations (bid'ah) and belittles their status, knowledge is not taken from him.
Because he influences those who sit with him and those who learn from him, and he becomes lenient regarding the matter of religious innovations (bid'ah). If the matter reaches the point where al-Jahm ibn Safwan is not declared an innovator, then who is declared an innovator? Al-Jahm ibn Safwan was declared a disbeliever because he is a Jahmi. He says, “The Qur'an is created,” and “Allah does not speak.” He denied one of the attributes of Allah through denial and negation, so he described Allah with deficiency, may Allah protect us. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) criticized the polytheists for worshipping idols that do not speak to them:
Did they not see that it could neither speak to them
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّهُ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ[Mention] when he said to his father, "O my father, why do you worship that which does not hear and does not see and will not benefit you at all?
قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنكَ شَيْئًاThe presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
أهمية طلب العلم — alfawzan.live (42:30)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.