The Shaykh’s mention of an incident that occurred with al-Sha'rawi in Jordan, which reveals the corruption of his belief.
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The Shaykh : When he came to Jordan, they took him in and began to follow him; wherever he went, they would trail behind him. One of our brothers, who is still alive and is from Nablus, told me exactly what I mentioned to you, expressing his admiration for the words of Shaykh al-Sha'rawi, his eloquence, his clarity, and the examples he gives, and so on. I said to him, "Good, have you tested him in terms of his belief?" He said, "No." Later, this same friend of ours told me, "I was with a friend in his car when he went to Shaykh al-Sha'rawi and attended his session. Then he took me with him in the car to drop him off at his place. I took the opportunity to ride with my friend and conducted the following conversation between him and al-Sha'rawi in order to test him in his belief. He said to him, 'Professor, I would like to clarify for you the saying of the Exalted in the Noble Qur'an, in more than one verse: [Taha 20:5] What is the meaning?'"
He said, "Istawa means to dominate." Our friend had some correct belief, so he began to discuss it with him, meaning he debated the Shaykh. Usually, people are not raised to do this; it is dangerous, and very dangerous, for a young man to debate an old Shaykh, because the custom has been, as it is also said:
"If Hudham speaks, believe them, *** For the truth is what Hudham says"
So how is it that he does not believe Hudham, but instead takes and gives and debates? This was too much for the Shaykh, but our friend endured it and directed to him a sensitive question, one that is sensitive for us, the people of the Salaf. When he interpreted the verse for him with that interpretation, which is a false interpretation as I will mention shortly, if Allah wills, he said to him, "All right, Professor, if someone were to ask you: Where is Allah?" He said, "I seek refuge in Allah. It is not permissible for a person to say, 'Where is Allah?' Allah is everywhere." At that moment, I knew that his belief was deviant from the Book and the Sunnah, so I no longer paid him the same attention I had before. This is a story that actually happened.
The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرحمن على العرش استوىHe said, "Istawa means to dominate." Our friend had some correct belief, so he began to discuss it with him, meaning he debated the Shaykh. Usually, people are not raised to do this; it is dangerous, and very dangerous, for a young man to debate an old Shaykh, because the custom has been, as it is also said:
"If Hudham speaks, believe them, *** For the truth is what Hudham says"
So how is it that he does not believe Hudham, but instead takes and gives and debates? This was too much for the Shaykh, but our friend endured it and directed to him a sensitive question, one that is sensitive for us, the people of the Salaf. When he interpreted the verse for him with that interpretation, which is a false interpretation as I will mention shortly, if Allah wills, he said to him, "All right, Professor, if someone were to ask you: Where is Allah?" He said, "I seek refuge in Allah. It is not permissible for a person to say, 'Where is Allah?' Allah is everywhere." At that moment, I knew that his belief was deviant from the Book and the Sunnah, so I no longer paid him the same attention I had before. This is a story that actually happened.