Al-Huwayni’s Tour of Shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani’s Library.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : This upcoming tour was in the library of the Shaykh (may Allah preserve him), for he had invited me to lunch on Saturday, the twenty-third of Muharram, in the year 1407 of the Hijrah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), one day before my departure from Amman to Cairo. I asked him to let me visit his library and show me his projects and the efforts of the past years on his part, such as the forty volumes he had copied by hand from the Zahiriyyah. I saw in his old projects great diligence, activity, and perseverance. May Allah reward him with good and grant the Muslims the benefit of his long life.
The Shaykh : Please proceed.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. Do you like to see this? Look through it to get an idea of it.
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : This is years of effort in the Zahiriyyah Library, the manuscripts that I was...
The questioner : copying.
The Shaykh : I was copying, yes. Of course, later on, with time, there are appendices like this small paper.
The questioner : Yes, are they arranged alphabetically?
The Shaykh : They are arranged, meaning, alphabetically.
The questioner : Ah, yes.
The Shaykh : Look at this. This one was narrated by al-Khatib in...
The questioner : which was printed later.
The Shaykh : Finally, and it is old. For example, look at this...
The questioner : It is not read by Ibn Qutaybah in *Gharib al-Hadith*. Yes, how many years ago is this, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Thirty years.
The questioner : Thirty years! What Allah willed! "Ibn Asakir narrated it. I said, this is a weak chain of narration". Glory be to Allah, meaning you were adding notes and judging the grade, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : By chance, not always. The first thing is copying and transferring, but sometimes, as you see here, I have time or inclination. But look, there is nothing here, meaning in the benefits, and so on. And these are new additions. This one, for example, is old.
The questioner : Meaning the yellow one is old and the white one is new?
The Shaykh : These papers indicate our state of poverty, where we used to buy this paper from the grocers.
The questioner : By the kilo, meaning?
The Shaykh : By the kilo.
The questioner : By the kilo, yes.
The Shaykh : And I cut it. Look, one side is different from the other.
The questioner : Yes, glory be to Allah, one side is smooth and the other is rough.
The Shaykh : Yes, and look here!
The questioner : ... al-Tabarani.
The Shaykh : Al-Tabarani.
The questioner : The *Kabir*, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : The *Kabir*?
The Shaykh : Yes, the *Kabir*, of course. Always the *Kabir* without specification.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : Especially the scholar’s tax. Is this all, our Shaykh, the forty volumes?
The Shaykh : This is *Mu'jam al-Hadith*.
The questioner : *Mu'jam al-Hadith*?
The Shaykh : Yes, because it is numbered according to the hadiths of the *Mu'jam*.
I have a printed edition of *Al-Da'if*. This one is printed. This one is not printed yet.
The questioner : From one thousand five hundred and one to one thousand seven hundred and fifty?
The Shaykh : Yes, and this one. And jump one step to get to here.
The questioner : Is this *Al-Da'if*?
The Shaykh : Yes, up to here.
The questioner : This is the last thing. This is the last thing. Five thousand six hundred and fifty-one. The first one is five thousand six hundred and fifty-one?
The Shaykh : Up to!
The questioner : Up to, yes.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : Okay, and *Al-Sahih*, our Shaykh, is it the same?
The Shaykh : And these are the selected hadiths that come to mind and we ask about. But this is only the first volume, and there is a second volume, but it is not visible.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, did you do all of *Al-Da'if*, or only *Musnad al-Khulafa' al-Rashidin*?
The Shaykh : No. *Musnad al-Khulafa' al-Rashidin* is for me to continue, if it is facilitated for me, with the rest of the ten promised Paradise.
The questioner : Yes, but you have not published all of the selected ones?
The Shaykh : No, I have not published them, and they are not complete.
The questioner : And they are not complete?
The Shaykh : Yes, to this day it is not known where the rest are.
The questioner : And *Al-Sahih*, our Shaykh, is it like *Al-Da'if*?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the last thing, and this is the last thing.
The questioner : Did the idea of this library come from Shaykh Mahmud Shakir, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : This is old.
The questioner : Seven hundred and fifty-one.
The Shaykh : To?
The questioner : May Allah be with you, our Shaykh, and give you strength.
The Shaykh : From two thousand seven hundred and ninety-three.
The questioner : Ninety-three is the last thing in *Al-Sahih*, and praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Okay, our Shaykh, on this occasion, have you looked at this poor book, meaning?
The Shaykh : As you see, it is full, if Allah wills. As you see, I put it aside to review it from time to time.
The questioner: Okay, have you reviewed anything, our Shaykh, for printing and publication?
The Shaykh : Of course, I have reviewed it. In any case, I did not find anything to point to, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Yes, I do.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, there is nothing. I hope for you increased success.
The questioner : May Allah honor you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : In any case, your coming here was one hundred million percent selfish.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning, in truth, we also want to investigate your conditions there, and the condition of the Salafi da'wah and the Salafi youth. And it was never possible for us to benefit from you in any way. So perhaps that will be possible in another period, if Allah wills.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : It would be a rotation, as I did with you, I will do with you.
The questioner : I mean, I have nothing. I came to benefit, meaning.
The Shaykh : You have all good.
The questioner : May Allah honor you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Okay, is there something else?
The questioner : May Allah do you good, our Shaykh. I swear by Allah, I do not want to leave, meaning.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. You want to travel.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : People, please.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. I entrust you to Allah, whose trusts are not lost. Welcome, and greet all the brothers.
The questioner : If Allah wills, our Shaykh. I entrust you to Allah.
The Shaykh : And perhaps I will see you, if Allah wills, on another occasion.
The questioner : If Allah wills, our Shaykh. Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : In Allah’s safety, people.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And with this tape, the translation of Shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani ends, and also the twenty-five tapes that I recorded with him. That was on Saturday, the twenty-third of the month of Muharram, in the year 1407 of the Hijrah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), corresponding to the twenty-seventh of September, in the year 1986.
And praise be to Allah, first and last, outwardly and inwardly. Said by his tongue, Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni, the Athari. May Allah treat him with His hidden kindness.
The Shaykh : Please proceed.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. Do you like to see this? Look through it to get an idea of it.
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : This is years of effort in the Zahiriyyah Library, the manuscripts that I was...
The questioner : copying.
The Shaykh : I was copying, yes. Of course, later on, with time, there are appendices like this small paper.
The questioner : Yes, are they arranged alphabetically?
The Shaykh : They are arranged, meaning, alphabetically.
The questioner : Ah, yes.
The Shaykh : Look at this. This one was narrated by al-Khatib in...
The questioner : which was printed later.
The Shaykh : Finally, and it is old. For example, look at this...
The questioner : It is not read by Ibn Qutaybah in *Gharib al-Hadith*. Yes, how many years ago is this, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Thirty years.
The questioner : Thirty years! What Allah willed! "Ibn Asakir narrated it. I said, this is a weak chain of narration". Glory be to Allah, meaning you were adding notes and judging the grade, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : By chance, not always. The first thing is copying and transferring, but sometimes, as you see here, I have time or inclination. But look, there is nothing here, meaning in the benefits, and so on. And these are new additions. This one, for example, is old.
The questioner : Meaning the yellow one is old and the white one is new?
The Shaykh : These papers indicate our state of poverty, where we used to buy this paper from the grocers.
The questioner : By the kilo, meaning?
The Shaykh : By the kilo.
The questioner : By the kilo, yes.
The Shaykh : And I cut it. Look, one side is different from the other.
The questioner : Yes, glory be to Allah, one side is smooth and the other is rough.
The Shaykh : Yes, and look here!
The questioner : ... al-Tabarani.
The Shaykh : Al-Tabarani.
The questioner : The *Kabir*, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : The *Kabir*?
The Shaykh : Yes, the *Kabir*, of course. Always the *Kabir* without specification.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : Especially the scholar’s tax. Is this all, our Shaykh, the forty volumes?
The Shaykh : This is *Mu'jam al-Hadith*.
The questioner : *Mu'jam al-Hadith*?
The Shaykh : Yes, because it is numbered according to the hadiths of the *Mu'jam*.
I have a printed edition of *Al-Da'if*. This one is printed. This one is not printed yet.
The questioner : From one thousand five hundred and one to one thousand seven hundred and fifty?
The Shaykh : Yes, and this one. And jump one step to get to here.
The questioner : Is this *Al-Da'if*?
The Shaykh : Yes, up to here.
The questioner : This is the last thing. This is the last thing. Five thousand six hundred and fifty-one. The first one is five thousand six hundred and fifty-one?
The Shaykh : Up to!
The questioner : Up to, yes.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : Okay, and *Al-Sahih*, our Shaykh, is it the same?
The Shaykh : And these are the selected hadiths that come to mind and we ask about. But this is only the first volume, and there is a second volume, but it is not visible.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, did you do all of *Al-Da'if*, or only *Musnad al-Khulafa' al-Rashidin*?
The Shaykh : No. *Musnad al-Khulafa' al-Rashidin* is for me to continue, if it is facilitated for me, with the rest of the ten promised Paradise.
The questioner : Yes, but you have not published all of the selected ones?
The Shaykh : No, I have not published them, and they are not complete.
The questioner : And they are not complete?
The Shaykh : Yes, to this day it is not known where the rest are.
The questioner : And *Al-Sahih*, our Shaykh, is it like *Al-Da'if*?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the last thing, and this is the last thing.
The questioner : Did the idea of this library come from Shaykh Mahmud Shakir, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : This is old.
The questioner : Seven hundred and fifty-one.
The Shaykh : To?
The questioner : May Allah be with you, our Shaykh, and give you strength.
The Shaykh : From two thousand seven hundred and ninety-three.
The questioner : Ninety-three is the last thing in *Al-Sahih*, and praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Okay, our Shaykh, on this occasion, have you looked at this poor book, meaning?
The Shaykh : As you see, it is full, if Allah wills. As you see, I put it aside to review it from time to time.
The questioner: Okay, have you reviewed anything, our Shaykh, for printing and publication?
The Shaykh : Of course, I have reviewed it. In any case, I did not find anything to point to, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Yes, I do.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, there is nothing. I hope for you increased success.
The questioner : May Allah honor you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : In any case, your coming here was one hundred million percent selfish.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning, in truth, we also want to investigate your conditions there, and the condition of the Salafi da'wah and the Salafi youth. And it was never possible for us to benefit from you in any way. So perhaps that will be possible in another period, if Allah wills.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : It would be a rotation, as I did with you, I will do with you.
The questioner : I mean, I have nothing. I came to benefit, meaning.
The Shaykh : You have all good.
The questioner : May Allah honor you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Okay, is there something else?
The questioner : May Allah do you good, our Shaykh. I swear by Allah, I do not want to leave, meaning.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. You want to travel.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : People, please.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. I entrust you to Allah, whose trusts are not lost. Welcome, and greet all the brothers.
The questioner : If Allah wills, our Shaykh. I entrust you to Allah.
The Shaykh : And perhaps I will see you, if Allah wills, on another occasion.
The questioner : If Allah wills, our Shaykh. Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : In Allah’s safety, people.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And with this tape, the translation of Shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani ends, and also the twenty-five tapes that I recorded with him. That was on Saturday, the twenty-third of the month of Muharram, in the year 1407 of the Hijrah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), corresponding to the twenty-seventh of September, in the year 1986.
And praise be to Allah, first and last, outwardly and inwardly. Said by his tongue, Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni, the Athari. May Allah treat him with His hidden kindness.