The Ruling on Promoting the Books of Sayyid Qutb and Teaching Students Anthems and Acting
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Question:
We are a group of students studying in the secondary stage, and in the final year we have a teacher who advises and recommends to the students to read the books of Sayyid Qutb, and he mentions their names to them in the classroom. He also started attacking and pouring out abuse against one of the sheikhs who refuted Sayyid, and he mentions his name to the students in the classrooms. He said, "This man has no concern other than Sayyid Qutb; he tracks his mistakes. And what did he do with the innovators who are around him? This is empty talk with no value. Why does he not advise the students to read the books of the righteous Salaf, which are more beneficial, better, and richer in knowledge and benefit? Why did he not advise the students to read the books of the people of knowledge, from the Imams and their followers, in which there is much good, if he were truly advising the students? As for specifically recommending the reading of only so-and-so's books, this indicates that he is a person of desire (hawa), meaning that you single out a person from the later or contemporary scholars and tell them to read his books; this indicates that you are a person of desire for this person. If your intention is that the students benefit, why do you not advise them to read the books of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, the sermons of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn al-Qayyim, the sermons of the Imam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and the sermons of the Imams of the Da'wah? They contain knowledge, they contain good, they contain knowledge of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and shirk (associating partners with Allah), knowledge of acts of worship, and knowledge of fiqh rulings, and he does not advise them with this. Yes. Or did he read the books of Sayyid, his books or others? This is widespread. What is the benefit? What is the benefit from the worshippers of al-Tahir? We benefit by knowing shirk, we benefit by knowing acts of worship, we benefit by knowing the rulings of transactions and fiqh, we benefit from this truth or these great types of knowledge. Yes, so the advisor recommends to the students the reading of books that are beneficial to them in their 'aqidah, in their worship, and in their transactions; this is the advisor. [Regarding] da'wah activities, including the upbringing of youth to guide them and make them upright through the following methods: teaching them public speaking and oratory, participating in cultural competitions, learning acting and Islamic anthems, reading purposeful books and magazines, and organizing trips and recreational visits. All of this is not of da'wah in any way. No, by Allah, it is among the means.
Answer:
If you taught them tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and taught them the rulings of taharah (ritual purity), the conditions of prayer and the pillars of prayer, the rulings of zakah (the obligatory alms), the rulings of fasting, the rulings of Hajj (the major pilgrimage), and matters of worship, and taught them the Shari'ah etiquettes, that would be different. But if you teach them anthems, teach them acting, and teach them trips, who benefits from this? Does their ignorance disappear? Do they know the rulings of worship, the rulings of tawhid, the rulings of transactions, and the rulings of fiqh? They do not know them from these matters. So if you are advising these students, you study for them the beneficial books of knowledge, explain them to them, and encourage them to act upon them; this is what is required, and this is the correct upbringing and education. As for trips, anthems, and these matters, they have not benefited people; they have not benefited them in any way.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
We are a group of students studying in the secondary stage, and in the final year we have a teacher who advises and recommends to the students to read the books of Sayyid Qutb, and he mentions their names to them in the classroom. He also started attacking and pouring out abuse against one of the sheikhs who refuted Sayyid, and he mentions his name to the students in the classrooms. He said, "This man has no concern other than Sayyid Qutb; he tracks his mistakes. And what did he do with the innovators who are around him? This is empty talk with no value. Why does he not advise the students to read the books of the righteous Salaf, which are more beneficial, better, and richer in knowledge and benefit? Why did he not advise the students to read the books of the people of knowledge, from the Imams and their followers, in which there is much good, if he were truly advising the students? As for specifically recommending the reading of only so-and-so's books, this indicates that he is a person of desire (hawa), meaning that you single out a person from the later or contemporary scholars and tell them to read his books; this indicates that you are a person of desire for this person. If your intention is that the students benefit, why do you not advise them to read the books of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, the sermons of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn al-Qayyim, the sermons of the Imam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and the sermons of the Imams of the Da'wah? They contain knowledge, they contain good, they contain knowledge of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and shirk (associating partners with Allah), knowledge of acts of worship, and knowledge of fiqh rulings, and he does not advise them with this. Yes. Or did he read the books of Sayyid, his books or others? This is widespread. What is the benefit? What is the benefit from the worshippers of al-Tahir? We benefit by knowing shirk, we benefit by knowing acts of worship, we benefit by knowing the rulings of transactions and fiqh, we benefit from this truth or these great types of knowledge. Yes, so the advisor recommends to the students the reading of books that are beneficial to them in their 'aqidah, in their worship, and in their transactions; this is the advisor. [Regarding] da'wah activities, including the upbringing of youth to guide them and make them upright through the following methods: teaching them public speaking and oratory, participating in cultural competitions, learning acting and Islamic anthems, reading purposeful books and magazines, and organizing trips and recreational visits. All of this is not of da'wah in any way. No, by Allah, it is among the means.
Answer:
If you taught them tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and taught them the rulings of taharah (ritual purity), the conditions of prayer and the pillars of prayer, the rulings of zakah (the obligatory alms), the rulings of fasting, the rulings of Hajj (the major pilgrimage), and matters of worship, and taught them the Shari'ah etiquettes, that would be different. But if you teach them anthems, teach them acting, and teach them trips, who benefits from this? Does their ignorance disappear? Do they know the rulings of worship, the rulings of tawhid, the rulings of transactions, and the rulings of fiqh? They do not know them from these matters. So if you are advising these students, you study for them the beneficial books of knowledge, explain them to them, and encourage them to act upon them; this is what is required, and this is the correct upbringing and education. As for trips, anthems, and these matters, they have not benefited people; they have not benefited them in any way.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Source
الفوزان - أسباب الفجوة بين كبار العلماء والصحوة (فتاوى) — archive.org (33:41)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.