Classifying People and Falling into the Ranks of Preachers

The questioner : May Allah reward our Shaykh (may Allah honor him) with the best reward, and benefit us with what we have heard. The truth is that there are many and varied questions, and we will answer those we are able to address. We have received some questions from the female students who are listening to the lecture now. Your Eminence the Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, there are some sisters who have efforts in calling people to Allah. They believe that one of the most important means of da'wah (calling others to Islam) is falling into the ranks of some preachers and classifying people, and they believe that this is a religion by which they draw near to Allah the Exalted, and an obligatory duty of advising Allah, His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the general Muslim community. What is your guidance on this?

The Shaykh : In reality, this question should be answered regarding both men and women. I will assume it is from both men and women so that we can present the men's questions after this one, and then the women's questions. If it must be, then two questions for the men and one for the women, for the male has the same share as the female? This question that came in has been committed by both men and women?
Many people, indeed some people, have been afflicted with gossip and talking about people's conditions, sometimes with the truth and sometimes with falsehood, without deliberation and without verification. You find him fabricating a specific condition for a specific person, then he takes it, like your display, through backbiting, talebearing, and pursuing faults, while he turns away from their good deeds. This is preoccupation with what does not concern him. Rather, it is preoccupation with what harms. It is preoccupation with a deviation from what is more important.
The student of knowledge, male or female, should focus on what he is obligated to do, such as research and review, and occupying the heart with what is beneficial. As for classifying living or dead people, this is a waste of time and a deviation from every sin. My advice to my brothers and sisters is to occupy themselves with what concerns them and to leave what does not concern them. It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: let him be patient.
Then, as for those who classify people, if they classify the dead, we say that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . . Yes, if a false statement comes, it must be refuted whether from a living person or a dead one. But for us to pursue faults and take hold of slips without looking at the good deeds, this is an error, contrary to the Shari'ah standard.
Here is Allah the Exalted saying about the polytheists: . He refuted them in a part of their statement, and their error in a part, and they argued with two things: . And Allah commanded us to do that. So Allah remained silent regarding the refutation of their statement "We found our fathers upon it" because it is truth. And He refuted their statement "And Allah commanded us to do it." And thus it is obligatory for a person to accept the truth from whoever it may be, and to refute falsehood from whoever it may be, and not to make falsehood from his speech a means to disparage a person, especially when we know that the one who erred was known for the defense of the Sunnah, its protection, and its preservation.
Let us give an example of this: Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him), the author of Fath al-Bari, and al-Nawawi, the commentator of Muslim. There is no doubt that, like other people, they make mistakes and are correct. But they have a sincere standing in preserving the Shari'ah, protecting the Sunnah, and understanding based on the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So if he errs in something, do we erase all their good deeds with this error? It is certain that this is an error and a mistake. Rather, we say: We ask Allah to forgive them for what they erred in, and we ask Allah for reward for what they got right. And it delights me a word said by Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) in al-Qawa'id. He said: "Allah refuses infallibility to any book other than His Book. But the fair person is the one who forgives a little error of a person in much of his correctness." Yes, the males.