A discussion on beginning the call to communities toward the oneness of Allah, and the difference between the Muslim community and the disbeliever community.
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The questioner : On what basis should one begin with people?
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : I mean, with what does one begin? With which point does one begin with people?
The Shaykh : With what the Messenger ... began.
The questioner : The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was found among people who were associating partners with Allah. You believe that people are not associating partners with Allah.
The Shaykh : How are they not associating partners with Allah?
The questioner : Muslims.
The Shaykh : Who told you that? You have returned now, Professor.
We have shirk in belief, and we have shirk in practice.
The questioner : Let me repeat the statement a second time.
The Shaykh: There is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : I want to begin from the point of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): La ilaha illa Allah (There is no deity but Allah).
The Shaykh : And this ...
The questioner : With people whose status in your view is what?
The Shaykh : Their status is that some are Muslim believers.
The questioner : For the most part.
The Shaykh : Allow me, I will explain to you.
The questioner: Go ahead.
Some are Muslim believers, some are Muslim disbelievers and hypocrites, and some are Muslims who do not understand what they are saying; rather, they say: "" like this ""[Az-Zukhruf 43:22] to the end of the verse. These are the people. So I call and clarify the reality of La ilaha illa Allah, and what contradicts it from the matters of shirk and idolatry. When I call, this speech will reach people like you who understand it—praise be to Allah—and you will help us in spreading this call. It will also reach people with less understanding than you, and it will reach people who have not understood anything of this at all. But my Lord, I am not tasked with uncovering the hearts of people to see what their level of understanding of La ilaha illa Allah is, but rather [Ash-Shuraa 42:48]. So I convey and begin from where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began. And the meaning of beginning from where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began is not that you do not teach them the prayer, or the zakah, or the other obligations.
The questioner : First.
The Shaykh : Nor the forbidden things.
The questioner : ... From what?
The Shaykh : I understood. First, I told you first, but this priority is not a specific priority in the sense of number one, where we begin with tawhid and leave everything else. For example, as it is said—as I say it is said—about "Hizb al-Tahrir." These people drone on about establishing what? Only the Muslim state. They do not care about correcting the creed, they do not care about correcting morals, nor Islamic education, nor so on.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Truly ...
The Shaykh : I say as it is said.
The questioner : As it is said.
The Shaykh : I am reserving my judgment.
The questioner: Go ahead.
The Shaykh : And I know that none of this matters to them, this ...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. As for the truth of the matter, I said as it is said. So the important thing is: are we like that? If we say we agree with you, and our call for thirty or forty years has been beginning with tawhid, but I do not want to begin with tawhid in the sense of leaving all other obligations aside. However, most of my attention is focused on the call to tawhid. So our group—for example—those who have known tawhid are done; they do not need me to drone on and repeat about it. But these who call to tawhid, you call them to tawhid, plus to the prayer, plus to the zakah.
The questioner : After tawhid.
The Shaykh : I understood. This "after" means how ... in it?
The questioner : The evidence for what you say.
The Shaykh : There is no need for evidence.
The questioner : No, the evidence ...
The Shaykh : I mean we need to define our speech, then you bring the evidence. You are saying: after what? After tawhid, the prayer. Explain to me and clarify what you mean by "after." Do you think—for example—that you call to tawhid only for ten years?
The questioner : It is not possible.
The Shaykh: That is my intention.
The questioner : Doing something other than this.
The Shaykh : That is my intention, my professor. So define your statement that the prayer is after tawhid. What do you mean by "after"? I interpret "after" as I mentioned to you: in terms of attention, the prayer is after tawhid. In terms of attention, the prayer is after tawhid, and so on. As for the temporal separation that I call people to tawhid only, it is like—as is also said about some of them—that we imagine ourselves now in the Meccan period, in the Meccan era. What did the Messenger (peace be upon him) call people to in the Meccan era? To tawhid and creed. There was no prayer, no purity, no zakah, no transactions, no so on. Are we like that too? As for me, I believe not.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : We agree. So your statement: "after." This "after" you want to explain to me. I explained it to you.
The questioner : After making them understand La ilaha illa Allah.
The Shaykh : ... From where, Professor?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I mean, did the Messenger take individuals, explain to them, and even when he was sure of them, move to a second stage?
The questioner : No, after teaching them La ilaha illa Allah.
The Shaykh: That is my intention.
The questioner : Yes?
Another questioner : Alone. You isolated ... tawhid alone.
The Shaykh : Who is alone?
The questioner : The one being called, I mean.
The Shaykh : We are talking about the caller, our brothers. We are talking about the caller. So the caller says, Professor: he begins with tawhid before everything.
The questioner : And does not do.
The Shaykh : And we are callers to this tawhid, and the praise is for Allah. But this does not mean leaving the other obligations and teaching them to people. I said this and stated it clearly. The Professor said: But this explanation is after tawhid. Then we asked for clarification, and he said: We teach him the obligation of tawhid, then we teach him what? The prayer.
The questioner : It may be ... the same ...
The Shaykh : Is this not correct?
The questioner : Why?
The Shaykh : This ... narrow view is not correct. I will tell you ... because we know that the call of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not individual. He may have had five or fifteen.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I say:[Al-Hijr 15:94] when this verse was revealed to him.
The questioner : After this?
The Shaykh : His call was; therefore I am telling you: we do not say we return to the Meccan era. No, we are tasked with Islam in its entirety, indivisible.
The questioner : Who is tasked?
The Shaykh : Please, I will clarify for you. The caller now calls Muslims to the most important thing; because the most important thing is tawhid. If it is correct, everything after it is correct. If it is corrupt, everything after it is corrupt. But I do not agree with temporal separation, even for a moment ... because the Messenger (peace be upon him) called people to tawhid, but he did not set his habit as the habit of each individual, like a school teacher—for example—with specific lessons, coming to give lesson number one and not moving from it until he moves to what? Number two, because he understood that they understood the first lesson. It was not like that the call of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
Another questioner : Or—for example—...
The Shaykh : Yes?
Another questioner : ... Or—for example—he made chapters. This is chapter one, chapter two, three.
The Shaykh : Yes; so the Messenger (peace be upon him) called, before everything, to tawhid, and established the cosmic and legal proofs, and so on. So it became clear among whom? Among these called ones, some of whom the speech of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) entered them faster than the wind, and some were of degrees, and some had a dimness in their understanding. Is that correct or not?
Another questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not set his habit as the habit of individuals. Who is the one who understood from him quickly, he gives him what? A new lesson. And who did not understand from him well, he lingers with him a bit. This detail is not mentioned. Is that correct or not?
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : I mean, with what does one begin? With which point does one begin with people?
The Shaykh : With what the Messenger ... began.
The questioner : The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was found among people who were associating partners with Allah. You believe that people are not associating partners with Allah.
The Shaykh : How are they not associating partners with Allah?
The questioner : Muslims.
The Shaykh : Who told you that? You have returned now, Professor.
We have shirk in belief, and we have shirk in practice.
The questioner : Let me repeat the statement a second time.
The Shaykh: There is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : I want to begin from the point of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): La ilaha illa Allah (There is no deity but Allah).
The Shaykh : And this ...
The questioner : With people whose status in your view is what?
The Shaykh : Their status is that some are Muslim believers.
The questioner : For the most part.
The Shaykh : Allow me, I will explain to you.
The questioner: Go ahead.
Some are Muslim believers, some are Muslim disbelievers and hypocrites, and some are Muslims who do not understand what they are saying; rather, they say: "" like this ""
we found our fathers upon a religion
وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍupon you is only [the duty of] notification
إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُThe questioner : First.
The Shaykh : Nor the forbidden things.
The questioner : ... From what?
The Shaykh : I understood. First, I told you first, but this priority is not a specific priority in the sense of number one, where we begin with tawhid and leave everything else. For example, as it is said—as I say it is said—about "Hizb al-Tahrir." These people drone on about establishing what? Only the Muslim state. They do not care about correcting the creed, they do not care about correcting morals, nor Islamic education, nor so on.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Truly ...
The Shaykh : I say as it is said.
The questioner : As it is said.
The Shaykh : I am reserving my judgment.
The questioner: Go ahead.
The Shaykh : And I know that none of this matters to them, this ...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. As for the truth of the matter, I said as it is said. So the important thing is: are we like that? If we say we agree with you, and our call for thirty or forty years has been beginning with tawhid, but I do not want to begin with tawhid in the sense of leaving all other obligations aside. However, most of my attention is focused on the call to tawhid. So our group—for example—those who have known tawhid are done; they do not need me to drone on and repeat about it. But these who call to tawhid, you call them to tawhid, plus to the prayer, plus to the zakah.
The questioner : After tawhid.
The Shaykh : I understood. This "after" means how ... in it?
The questioner : The evidence for what you say.
The Shaykh : There is no need for evidence.
The questioner : No, the evidence ...
The Shaykh : I mean we need to define our speech, then you bring the evidence. You are saying: after what? After tawhid, the prayer. Explain to me and clarify what you mean by "after." Do you think—for example—that you call to tawhid only for ten years?
The questioner : It is not possible.
The Shaykh: That is my intention.
The questioner : Doing something other than this.
The Shaykh : That is my intention, my professor. So define your statement that the prayer is after tawhid. What do you mean by "after"? I interpret "after" as I mentioned to you: in terms of attention, the prayer is after tawhid. In terms of attention, the prayer is after tawhid, and so on. As for the temporal separation that I call people to tawhid only, it is like—as is also said about some of them—that we imagine ourselves now in the Meccan period, in the Meccan era. What did the Messenger (peace be upon him) call people to in the Meccan era? To tawhid and creed. There was no prayer, no purity, no zakah, no transactions, no so on. Are we like that too? As for me, I believe not.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : We agree. So your statement: "after." This "after" you want to explain to me. I explained it to you.
The questioner : After making them understand La ilaha illa Allah.
The Shaykh : ... From where, Professor?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I mean, did the Messenger take individuals, explain to them, and even when he was sure of them, move to a second stage?
The questioner : No, after teaching them La ilaha illa Allah.
The Shaykh: That is my intention.
The questioner : Yes?
Another questioner : Alone. You isolated ... tawhid alone.
The Shaykh : Who is alone?
The questioner : The one being called, I mean.
The Shaykh : We are talking about the caller, our brothers. We are talking about the caller. So the caller says, Professor: he begins with tawhid before everything.
The questioner : And does not do.
The Shaykh : And we are callers to this tawhid, and the praise is for Allah. But this does not mean leaving the other obligations and teaching them to people. I said this and stated it clearly. The Professor said: But this explanation is after tawhid. Then we asked for clarification, and he said: We teach him the obligation of tawhid, then we teach him what? The prayer.
The questioner : It may be ... the same ...
The Shaykh : Is this not correct?
The questioner : Why?
The Shaykh : This ... narrow view is not correct. I will tell you ... because we know that the call of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not individual. He may have had five or fifteen.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I say:
Then declare what you are commanded
فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُThe questioner : After this?
The Shaykh : His call was; therefore I am telling you: we do not say we return to the Meccan era. No, we are tasked with Islam in its entirety, indivisible.
The questioner : Who is tasked?
The Shaykh : Please, I will clarify for you. The caller now calls Muslims to the most important thing; because the most important thing is tawhid. If it is correct, everything after it is correct. If it is corrupt, everything after it is corrupt. But I do not agree with temporal separation, even for a moment ... because the Messenger (peace be upon him) called people to tawhid, but he did not set his habit as the habit of each individual, like a school teacher—for example—with specific lessons, coming to give lesson number one and not moving from it until he moves to what? Number two, because he understood that they understood the first lesson. It was not like that the call of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
Another questioner : Or—for example—...
The Shaykh : Yes?
Another questioner : ... Or—for example—he made chapters. This is chapter one, chapter two, three.
The Shaykh : Yes; so the Messenger (peace be upon him) called, before everything, to tawhid, and established the cosmic and legal proofs, and so on. So it became clear among whom? Among these called ones, some of whom the speech of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) entered them faster than the wind, and some were of degrees, and some had a dimness in their understanding. Is that correct or not?
Another questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not set his habit as the habit of individuals. Who is the one who understood from him quickly, he gives him what? A new lesson. And who did not understand from him well, he lingers with him a bit. This detail is not mentioned. Is that correct or not?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.