Advice on the Position Regarding Fitnah (Trials)
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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: We hope that you, may Allah preserve you, will offer us advice. You are our sons, the students of knowledge and the general Muslim community, in these trials that leave the wise perplexed. What is our position regarding them?
Answer:
You have no power over the divine decree, nor do you have the ability to change it. So, you must keep away from the fitnah (trial) and not get involved in it. If you have knowledge, you clarify to people what they should do. You clarify it for them, you reassure them, and you advise them not to delve into these trials, because that accomplishes nothing. Rather, it only breeds resentment in hearts, causes hatred between people, and leads to argument and back-and-forth without any benefit. You have two duties: First, to keep away from the fitnah and not get involved in it. Second, to clarify the matter for those who have the ability to do so; they should explain to people what is obligatory upon them. The one who has no knowledge or understanding should remain silent. He should remain silent and not delve into anything he does not understand. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: We hope that you, may Allah preserve you, will offer us advice. You are our sons, the students of knowledge and the general Muslim community, in these trials that leave the wise perplexed. What is our position regarding them?
Answer:
You have no power over the divine decree, nor do you have the ability to change it. So, you must keep away from the fitnah (trial) and not get involved in it. If you have knowledge, you clarify to people what they should do. You clarify it for them, you reassure them, and you advise them not to delve into these trials, because that accomplishes nothing. Rather, it only breeds resentment in hearts, causes hatred between people, and leads to argument and back-and-forth without any benefit. You have two duties: First, to keep away from the fitnah and not get involved in it. Second, to clarify the matter for those who have the ability to do so; they should explain to people what is obligatory upon them. The one who has no knowledge or understanding should remain silent. He should remain silent and not delve into anything he does not understand. Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب المنتقى من أخبار المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم، بداية من باب ذكر تشهد ابن مسعود وغيره — islamhouse.com (1:00:58)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.