Among the storytellers who deviate from the methodology of the righteous Salaf is Shaykh Ahmad Kiftarou.
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The Shaykh : With storytellers like Shaykh Ahmad Kiftarou, if you attend his lesson, you will find the mosque filled to its capacity. What is the reason?
Because his speech is sweet and delightful, and he does not rebuke those around him for what they do. He is pleased with them, and they are pleased with him. This is the point: he extends his hand, and one hand is not enough, so he extends the other hand. This is how he acts. What I fear most—and I said this in Syria—is that a day will come when his followers cannot fit to offer their hands, and what I fear most is that he will extend his leg so they can catch up. If you had seen it, you would have seen something astonishing: they stand in a crowd, like us in Amman in the rush for the buses. You would find them standing shoulder to shoulder in a long line. A bus comes, and the bus fills up quickly. And so it is with this group, these people who are deluded by such a Shaykh: they stand in a row, and to catch up, they extend their hands, a row from here and a row from there. Is this the affair of a scholar?
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was not like that. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), as is established in the books of al-Shama'il, used to sit with his Companions without any special attire. A Bedouin would enter and not see a king, not see a ruler, not see a great prince, and not see people standing over his head in his service. He would wonder and ask: Where is Muhammad? I do not see this man who stirred the entire world with his true call. They would tell him: That is the one lying on his right side. This is a man whose appearance is simple and does not suggest the greatness by which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) honored him and blessed him.
Because his speech is sweet and delightful, and he does not rebuke those around him for what they do. He is pleased with them, and they are pleased with him. This is the point: he extends his hand, and one hand is not enough, so he extends the other hand. This is how he acts. What I fear most—and I said this in Syria—is that a day will come when his followers cannot fit to offer their hands, and what I fear most is that he will extend his leg so they can catch up. If you had seen it, you would have seen something astonishing: they stand in a crowd, like us in Amman in the rush for the buses. You would find them standing shoulder to shoulder in a long line. A bus comes, and the bus fills up quickly. And so it is with this group, these people who are deluded by such a Shaykh: they stand in a row, and to catch up, they extend their hands, a row from here and a row from there. Is this the affair of a scholar?
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was not like that. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), as is established in the books of al-Shama'il, used to sit with his Companions without any special attire. A Bedouin would enter and not see a king, not see a ruler, not see a great prince, and not see people standing over his head in his service. He would wonder and ask: Where is Muhammad? I do not see this man who stirred the entire world with his true call. They would tell him: That is the one lying on his right side. This is a man whose appearance is simple and does not suggest the greatness by which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) honored him and blessed him.