On the Critique of the Tabligh Group and Their Methodology.
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The Shaykh : ... The hadith ends.
Do you see this group, whose methodology is "guidance"? They see a man—and how many are these men who do not know how to pray properly—who prays incorrectly; do they teach him as the Messenger (peace be upon him) taught that man? No. So is this guidance? This is misguidance. This is not guidance. I sincerely hope that they do as the Messenger (peace be upon him) did: whenever they see a person making a mistake in his prayer, even if it is a recommended practice, if it was a defect in the pillars that invalidates the prayer, or even if it is a recommended practice, they should correct the prayer of the one who erred regarding the recommended practice.
In "Sunan al-Nasa'i," with a valid chain, it is narrated that a man saw him praying standing in prayer and doing it like this! ... This is placing the left hand over the right hand, so when the Messenger (peace be upon him) came, he untied his left hand from the right and placed the right hand over the left. This is a correction of the prayer of the one who erred, even in the manner of the recommended practice. How are we going out in the path of Allah while we are contrary to the path of Allah the whole way along?! This is one hadith, followed by the second, and followed by hundreds and thousands, and they do not care about them. But what is it? "Guidance," and going out in the path of Allah! I wish it were truly in the path of Allah!
The questioner: In a teaching circle ... a teaching circle, they are studying—for example—the short surahs, do you see how? So they read—for example—Surat al-Fatihah and a number of the short surahs, so many people—for example—say ... so you correct and they correct each other ... .
The Shaykh: No, they do not correct.
The questioner: Second thing.
The Shaykh: They do not correct, my brother, I do not want, I want the first thing.
The questioner: ... the result.
The Shaykh: I want the first thing, meaning I will not—do not hold me to it—I will not memorize for you the first thing and the second thing and the third thing until I explain everything and see and so on.
First of all, they do not recite the Qur'an well. One who lacks a thing cannot give it.
The questioner: Correct.
The Shaykh: We do not want to teach people to memorize however they read, contrary to how it was revealed; no, they should learn to read Surat al-Fatihah only, by which is valid, what? The prayer, and they should not learn a single surah, not ... six surahs, not a surah, when they finish memorizing this noble surah, which is Surat al-Fatihah, by which the prayer is not valid except with it; let him learn[Al-Kawthar 108:1], [Al-Ikhlas 112:1]; there is no objection, then not just memorization, but memorization and recitation as it was revealed; so may Allah reward them with good. But by Allah, if they do not memorize and they memorized, let him sit in front of a reciter of the Qur'an to learn that in the short surahs there are dozens of errors. This is not teaching, my brother, and this is an inevitable legal consequence for everyone who contradicts the guidance of the Messenger (peace be upon him)!!
You have a case more precise than this ... I am telling you now: let them learn Surat al-Fatihah only, then let them learn Surat[Al-Ikhlas 112:1], [Al-Kawthar 108:1] and so on, but we have something greater than this, let them learn Surat al-Fatihah and its meaning, and the Companions did not move from one verse to another until they mastered it in understanding and practice. Today, Surat al-Fatihah says: [Al-Fatihah 1:5]; we know that in the Tabligh group and other than the Tabligh group, they call upon other than Allah in times of hardship, they associate partners with Allah while they do not know. So what did we benefit from teaching the Muslim Surat al-Fatihah to correct his prayer, but we did not correct his creed and his mind?! He did not benefit anything!! Therefore, we need to teach him Surat al-Fatihah and its meanings briefly, [Al-Fatihah 1:5] what does it mean? You alone, O Allah, we worship, and You alone we seek help, not other than You, but this is not enough, we need to make this student understand what is worship? Since إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ You alone we worship O Lord, we must know what worship is.
Most Muslims today, I do not take the Tabligh group; the Tabligh of party brothers, liberal, and so on, do not know tawhid (the oneness of Allah)—except whom Allah wills, and they are few—, they do not know what worship is. Today, in your wide and broad community of Muslims, how many and how many are those who swear by other than Allah?!
The questioner : My Shaykh...
The Shaykh: They do not know, they do not know that swearing by other than Allah is associating partners with Allah; because swearing by Allah is worship, swearing by Allah is worship, so when he leaves his Lord, he does not swear by Him; he swears by his father's head and his grandfather's, and we in Syria swear by their beards, even if they are all shaved off and have not a single hair!! He says to you: By the life of my beard, by the life of my father's head, and so on.
They do not understand إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ You alone we worship!! Meaning: You alone we worship first, this is the first pillar, they do not understand it. Second: what is worship, so that they do not worship with it other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? They do not understand that every worship that our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) commanded His servants to do; whether it was a command of obligation or a command of recommendation; if this worship is directed to a servant of Allah, he falls into shirk (associating partners with Allah).
So today, how many are those who swear by other than Allah! Do you see the Tabligh group and other than the Tabligh group, is it part of their call that if they see a group of them swearing by other than Allah, associating partners with Allah; they say to him: My brother—may Allah bless you—you say with us: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you say in Surat al-Fatihah إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ It is You we worship and You we ask for help.[Al-Fatihah 1:5], does this contradict?! You swear by other than Allah, this swearing by other than Allah is shirk; as he (peace be upon him) said: مَن حَلَفَ بغير الله فقد أشرك He who swears by anyone but Allah is polytheist.Sunan Abi Dawud 3251Sahih (Al-Albani), in a narration: فقد كفر He has committed disbelief, so I warn you, do they do this?! So what are they living for? The Messenger (peace be upon him), like all the prophets before him, their first call was أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ Worship Allah and avoid Taghut[An-Nahl 16:36], they did not call to prayer or fasting or zakah, the first thing they called to was: أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ Worship Allah and avoid Taghut[An-Nahl 16:36]; There is no god but Allah.
And Allah is the One to be sought for help, meaning, the research in this is very, very wide; and therefore, the protection from deviation to the right and to the left is that we hold fast to what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his noble Companions were upon.
Leave the turn to someone else, O professor.
Another questioner: But in the issue, O professor.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
... until you are at rest bowing, then raise your head until you are at rest standing, then prostrate until you are at rest prostrating, then raise your head until you are at rest sitting, then prostrate until you are at rest prostrating, then raise your head and do that in all your prayer, for if you do that, your prayer is complete, and if you diminish from it, you have diminished from your prayer
... حتى تطمئنَّ راكعًا ، ثم ارفع حتى تطمئنَّ قائمًا ، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئنَّ ساجدًا ، ثم ارفع حتى تطمئنَّ جالسًا ، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئنَّ ساجدًا ، ثم ارفع رأسك وافعَلْ ذلك في صلاتك كلها ، فإن أنت فعلت ذلك فقد تمَّت صلاتك ، وإن أنت أنقصت منها فقد أنقصت من صلاتكDo you see this group, whose methodology is "guidance"? They see a man—and how many are these men who do not know how to pray properly—who prays incorrectly; do they teach him as the Messenger (peace be upon him) taught that man? No. So is this guidance? This is misguidance. This is not guidance. I sincerely hope that they do as the Messenger (peace be upon him) did: whenever they see a person making a mistake in his prayer, even if it is a recommended practice, if it was a defect in the pillars that invalidates the prayer, or even if it is a recommended practice, they should correct the prayer of the one who erred regarding the recommended practice.
In "Sunan al-Nasa'i," with a valid chain, it is narrated that a man saw him praying standing in prayer and doing it like this! ... This is placing the left hand over the right hand, so when the Messenger (peace be upon him) came, he untied his left hand from the right and placed the right hand over the left. This is a correction of the prayer of the one who erred, even in the manner of the recommended practice. How are we going out in the path of Allah while we are contrary to the path of Allah the whole way along?! This is one hadith, followed by the second, and followed by hundreds and thousands, and they do not care about them. But what is it? "Guidance," and going out in the path of Allah! I wish it were truly in the path of Allah!
The questioner: In a teaching circle ... a teaching circle, they are studying—for example—the short surahs, do you see how? So they read—for example—Surat al-Fatihah and a number of the short surahs, so many people—for example—say ... so you correct and they correct each other ... .
The Shaykh: No, they do not correct.
The questioner: Second thing.
The Shaykh: They do not correct, my brother, I do not want, I want the first thing.
The questioner: ... the result.
The Shaykh: I want the first thing, meaning I will not—do not hold me to it—I will not memorize for you the first thing and the second thing and the third thing until I explain everything and see and so on.
First of all, they do not recite the Qur'an well. One who lacks a thing cannot give it.
The questioner: Correct.
The Shaykh: We do not want to teach people to memorize however they read, contrary to how it was revealed; no, they should learn to read Surat al-Fatihah only, by which is valid, what? The prayer, and they should not learn a single surah, not ... six surahs, not a surah, when they finish memorizing this noble surah, which is Surat al-Fatihah, by which the prayer is not valid except with it; let him learn
Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar.
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَSay, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌYou have a case more precise than this ... I am telling you now: let them learn Surat al-Fatihah only, then let them learn Surat
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌIndeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar.
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُMost Muslims today, I do not take the Tabligh group; the Tabligh of party brothers, liberal, and so on, do not know tawhid (the oneness of Allah)—except whom Allah wills, and they are few—, they do not know what worship is. Today, in your wide and broad community of Muslims, how many and how many are those who swear by other than Allah?!
The questioner : My Shaykh...
The Shaykh: They do not know, they do not know that swearing by other than Allah is associating partners with Allah; because swearing by Allah is worship, swearing by Allah is worship, so when he leaves his Lord, he does not swear by Him; he swears by his father's head and his grandfather's, and we in Syria swear by their beards, even if they are all shaved off and have not a single hair!! He says to you: By the life of my beard, by the life of my father's head, and so on.
They do not understand إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ You alone we worship!! Meaning: You alone we worship first, this is the first pillar, they do not understand it. Second: what is worship, so that they do not worship with it other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? They do not understand that every worship that our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) commanded His servants to do; whether it was a command of obligation or a command of recommendation; if this worship is directed to a servant of Allah, he falls into shirk (associating partners with Allah).
So today, how many are those who swear by other than Allah! Do you see the Tabligh group and other than the Tabligh group, is it part of their call that if they see a group of them swearing by other than Allah, associating partners with Allah; they say to him: My brother—may Allah bless you—you say with us: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you say in Surat al-Fatihah إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ It is You we worship and You we ask for help.[Al-Fatihah 1:5], does this contradict?! You swear by other than Allah, this swearing by other than Allah is shirk; as he (peace be upon him) said: مَن حَلَفَ بغير الله فقد أشرك He who swears by anyone but Allah is polytheist.Sunan Abi Dawud 3251Sahih (Al-Albani), in a narration: فقد كفر He has committed disbelief, so I warn you, do they do this?! So what are they living for? The Messenger (peace be upon him), like all the prophets before him, their first call was أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ Worship Allah and avoid Taghut[An-Nahl 16:36], they did not call to prayer or fasting or zakah, the first thing they called to was: أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ Worship Allah and avoid Taghut[An-Nahl 16:36]; There is no god but Allah.
And Allah is the One to be sought for help, meaning, the research in this is very, very wide; and therefore, the protection from deviation to the right and to the left is that we hold fast to what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his noble Companions were upon.
Leave the turn to someone else, O professor.
Another questioner: But in the issue, O professor.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.