A talk by Shaykh Al-Albani about his debates with those who oppose him, and his debate with "Abdullah al-Habashi."

The Shaykh : ... These are issues in the Banu Umayyah Mosque in Damascus, and after the congregational prayer. I was in Surat al-Falaq, and I assumed he was a man of good heart, a reasonable person who would not make such a request to someone... absolutely not... I mean, when would one make such a request? Only when he has probed him, known his ignorance, and known that his merchandise is shoddy; then he convinces himself that it is possible... this is a sign of filth and dirt, and this is what I realized in that same session. So I welcomed him, saying "welcome," but I have an opinion to present to you. He said: "Go ahead." I said to him: "You have not met with me, nor have I met with you, and it is possible that if we met, we would agree on some issues and differ on others. If we agree, that is our common goal. If we differ on everything—may Allah forbid—or on some things, and you insist that your request involves fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and something of... I mean, I am ready. What is your opinion? Shall we meet first?" He agreed quickly, which made me feel that this request was suggested to him by the clients around him, meaning the group of "Farfur." He agreed, and this indicates the goodness of his heart. Soon "Shu'ayb" or someone else—I no longer remember—asked for permission: "Go ahead; is there any objection to my being present?" I said to him: "From my side, I have no objection. Look at the Shaykh; naturally, the Shaykh will find it a 'push,' meaning one of his supporters. The Shaykh agreed. Who was present in the gathering? Our friend "Zuhayr."

The questioner : "Zuhayr al-Shawish."

The Shaykh : He knew that, by Allah, the group wanted... what would they say today? They would double up on us, meaning. He raised his hand: "What is your opinion? Shall I attend with you?" My answer did not change: I have no objection, but I am the Shaykh [The Shaykh laughs!]. The Shaykh, naturally, has no choice but to agree; it is not possible... and this was a clever move on my part; because he cannot truly engage in such battles. My brother "Munir"—may Allah have mercy on him—was present in the gathering. "Zuhayr" returned and said: "By Allah, I feel I may not be able to attend. What is your opinion? Shall Abu al-Abd—"Munir," I mean—attend?" I gave the same answer: "I have no objection, but I am the Shaykh!"... He agreed. In summary, we agreed on this: that the meeting would be private in our house, and the debate would be recorded, with each person writing his question and answer by hand.

Another questioner : Recorded in a notebook or...?

The Shaykh : No, no, just the answer. And the house at that time was in al-Jawaniyyah, do you know it?... By Allah, we met for the first meeting. In the second meeting, no one attended with the Shaykh. I attended, and my nephew attended—may Allah have mercy on him—and we began to write. It was perhaps three or four meetings. In the last meeting, the Shaykh did not attend. This is what I mean... and the story has a continuation. The next day, as is my custom, I went to the library, and I saw the Shaykh "al-Habashi" there. I said to him: "May you be well, if Allah wills, did you not come to us yesterday?" He said to me: "There, there." He meant he came to the lesson. It means the planning started anew, to stir up what? Problems...

The questioner : To stir up people's emotions.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : To stir up people's emotions.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : To stir up people's emotions.

The Shaykh : No, look, also; "stirring up people's emotions" is a phrase that would be said if my lesson were in the mosque. This is due to the simplicity of the man. My lesson, all those present are Salafis.

The questioner : Private, yes.

The Shaykh : I mean, if there were a pre-Islamic age of ignorance fervor, they would want to defend me. So how would he attend here? It is a simplicity of thought, I mean.

The questioner : He actually attended.

The Shaykh : After the lesson, he raised the topic there. We debated it, and it was the topic of ijma' (scholarly consensus); because I was among the preliminaries I had set in my mind and proposed to him, and he agreed. We know that they will immediately say that you are saying: "The addition after the adhan (the call to prayer) is a religious innovation, and this is contrary to the consensus of the Muslims." Immediately they argue with what? With ijma' (scholarly consensus). So I put number one: we must research the definition of ijma' (scholarly consensus) in the books of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence), what is it? So that when the occasion for arguing with ijma' (scholarly consensus) arises, where is the ijma' (scholarly consensus)? This is the consensus of the common people, not the consensus of the scholars of the Muslims!! And other things—I also planned and outlined points for research on them. And if, after all these sessions... he says: "You said: there is such and such an ijma' (scholarly consensus)." He says something, of course, after... contrary to what was recorded!! I said: "I did not say that." He said: "Yes, you did." I said to him: "Where are the papers?" He said: "I did not bring them to you." I said: "This is contrary to the agreement. First: you... the meeting we agreed upon is not to be among the people, so you did not attend there. Now you have come here to present papers that prove your claim against me." It became a bit of talk, like... "Abd al-Rahman al-Bani" intervened, a man of very noble character, and the matter ended with nothing. After that, he began to write a letter, perhaps you have seen it. What is its name?

The questioner : ... "The Thorough Pursuit" (al-Ta'qub al-Hathith).

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : ... He weakened what is valid of the hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds). So I looked into the letter and began to write a response in "Al-Tamaddun al-Islami" magazine. This response was later, in fact, separated into important scientific issues. I have not yet finished my response to his letter, and then he came out with a second letter. At that time, it became clear to me that this man does not want scientific research; there are people moving him and pushing him to respond to Shaykh Al-Albani. So at that time, I concluded my response, "The Response to the Thorough Pursuit," in which the summary is that we had not yet finished responding to his first letter when he came out with another letter; and this is contrary to the principles of debate!! And so I will suffice in responding to him with what has preceded, and we ask Allah—Mighty and Majestic—to guide everyone to what is correct.
And this is everything that happened between me and the Shaykh "Abdullah." After that, news reached me that he went to Lebanon, and with time, it appears he settled there, considering that, as the poet said:
"The sky is clear for you, so be white and yellow"
No one there opposes him, and the scholars of the Muslims, if there are scholars, do not care about the Salaf (the earliest generations) or the Khalaf (the later generations), I mean. Each one speaks as he is able, I mean. Their concern is their job, their livelihood, and so on. And then he comes out with very dangerous statements, declaring Ibn Taymiyyah a disbeliever and attributing to him ascribing a body to Allah, and he published a letter called "The Straight Path."

Another questioner : Yes, we have seen it.

The Shaykh : Yes, it is all based on the Ash'ari theological school.

Another questioner : He declares disbelievers, and he also declares the Shaykh... and he has declared you a disbeliever now.

The Shaykh : Is there something written, or is it a rumor?

The questioner : No, it is his own students. We met with the students.

Another questioner : Is there something written?

The questioner : No... the students, the students mentioned this.

Another questioner : The Shaykh is asking if there is something written?

The questioner : I do not know, by Allah, I do not know.

The Shaykh : Yes, Allah is the helper.

The questioner : ... He memorizes forty thousand hadiths (reports of the Prophet's words or deeds) with their chains of narration.

Another questioner : What is the proof for declaring someone a disbeliever, I mean?

The Shaykh : Liars!

The questioner: Allah is the Greatest!

Another questioner : The proof for declaring someone a disbeliever, well, one has to verify things according to his own way.

Another questioner : Just that?

Another questioner : This is what he mentioned about the Shaykh.

Another questioner : He said: The proof for declaring Ibn Taymiyyah a disbeliever is that he interpreted the verse: as meaning he spoke to him with the strength of two hundred people!! I said to him: If Ibn Taymiyyah said this. He said: I researched in the book "The Names and Attributes"...

The Shaykh : ... .

Another questioner : He, just yesterday, they are researching the meaning of the word "in," the letter "in."

Another questioner : I was the one who mentioned it to him.

The questioner : He tells me, first he says to me: "If you please, Shaykh?" I said to him: "Go ahead." He said: "What is the meaning of the letter 'in'?" I said: "It carries many meanings, among them, in... His saying—Glorified and Exalted is He—: ; will He crucify them...? ... Then he said: "Are there other meanings as well?" I said: "Go to the scholars of the Arabic language, and they in turn will give you the meaning of the letter 'in'."

Another questioner : He said: "I want to write questions for the Shaykh."

The questioner : ... I wrote a research paper on the letter "fa" (in), and after that it became better. I did not know that he wanted this meaning, but the next day when I was in the mosque, I saw him there. He said: "Peace be upon you." He usually does not greet me, and there is no prior acquaintance, so I returned the greeting. It seemed as if something was on his mind. I said: "I will not research with him unless he researches."

The Shaykh : Who is he?

The questioner : He researches the words of Allah, but he is ignorant ... .

The Shaykh : ... from where did he come from ... ?

Another questioner : "Al-Zarqa'." He was in Germany.

The Shaykh : Al-Zarqa'wi, do you mean?

Another questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Yes, and who did he contact?

Another questioner : The students.

The Shaykh : The students ... .

Another questioner : Those qualified for teaching.

The questioner : And he says: "He will go to his Shaykh to get new information about Shaykh Al-Albani and Ibn Taymiyyah, and about the meaning that Allah is in the sky."

Another questioner : We discussed the issue, and he said to me: "I want to write a letter to Shaykh al-Habashi." I said to him: "You write a letter? Let me write the issue for you." He said: "Okay." I said to him: "What is the linguistic meaning of the word 'sky'? What is the linguistic meaning of 'in'? Has the figurative interpretation (ta'wil) of the verses and attributes been reported from any of the righteous Salaf? And where was that reported? And what is the evidence for declaring each of Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Albani, Ibn Baz, Mahmoud ... and whoever is of their school of scholars a disbeliever?"

The questioner : Did you write it for him?

The questioner : I ... these four questions ... .

Another questioner : ... .

The questioner : He is very ignorant, even in prayer he has compounded ignorance.

Another questioner : ... he corrects us, he asks me: "What is your madhhab?" I said to him: "My madhhab is the madhhab of Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him)." He said: "How, for example, is the madhhab of al-Shafi'i and you move your finger like this?" I said to him: "The madhhab of Imam al-Shafi'i says: 'If the hadith is authentic, then it is my madhhab.'" He said: "Ha, you have started to ramble and turn around and you don't know ... ."

Another questioner : Do the Shafi'is say to move it?

Another questioner : Imam Malik says.

Another questioner : The Shafi'is and the Malikis.

Another questioner : The Hanbalis, the Hanbalis.

Another questioner : The Hanbalis by pointing, not by moving.

Another questioner : The Malikis.

The questioner : They say: moving it to the right or to the left.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : The Malikis, they say: moving it to the right or to the left.
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