How to Make Libraries Beneficial
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
May Allah bless you and make you beneficial to the Muslims! This is the first point.And secondly: May Allah preserve you! You know that many people have been making a lot of noise about charitable libraries, and they do not know what their role is or what their output is. This matter may be hidden from them. Therefore, we, your brothers from the city of Ha'il, are conveying to you the greetings and peace of the brothers there to all of you.The Shaykh: Peace be upon you and upon them, and convey our peace to them.
The questioner: If Allah wills, your brothers at the Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab Charitable Library in the city of Ha'il, upon seeing that there are errors in the libraries, strove to correct the situation instead of destroying this entity or smashing it. They aimed to fix the errors within it and adjust the points of criticism. However, there are still people trying to destroy these libraries and confuse the minds of many young people. They may enter through other avenues, such as reaching out to the general public and their guardians, among others.And they are the ones who say: They want, for example, to change the system, or they want to distort the minds of the youth, or they want many other things that are not said, which are not hidden from you, may Allah preserve you. So we ask you first to advise these people;Because some of them said: Consult the Shaykh about this matter, as if he does not hear or read. Your guidance to them and to us as well, with what benefits us and benefits them, if Allah wills.
This is an important question, and in reality, the benefit or harm of libraries depends on two things: The first is the books placed in them; what are these books? Are they Salafi books based on the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community, or are they deviant intellectual books? If they are the former, then they are good libraries, but if they are the latter, then correction is necessary.
The second: Who are the people in charge of these libraries? What is their methodology? What is their worship? What are their morals? It is also necessary that those in charge of them be people who are trusted in knowledge, religion, character, and methodology. Because these libraries are a refuge for the youth, and a young person is like dough in the hands of the kneader; he takes the shape given to him. If the people of good make it easy for him, they guide him to the truth and direct him to what is in his interest in this world and the hereafter. May Allah make these libraries beneficial, and they will truly become a seed of good for the youth.And if the other one, meaning: If those in charge of them are deviant toward an unsound direction, then here lies the harm. Either the people in charge of them are changed, or the library is closed. Because the Islamic religion is built on obtaining benefits, whether pure or predominant, and on warding off harms, whether pure or predominant. And if there is a benefit and a harm in a thing, the predominant one is given priority.As Allah the Exalted said: [al-Baqarah: 219] For this reason, it was forbidden. And if the benefit is greater, it is taken, and the harm is included within the benefit. And just as this applies to actions, it also applies to the actor. Is the work of every person from the people of good purely good? No, it contains good and evil. But some people have more good, and some people have more evil. For this reason, it is not permissible to look at Muslims from the perspective of evil only, but from both perspectives, and we weigh and compare. And according to what appears, the action is taken.
So I see that if libraries are run by people of good who possess knowledge, trustworthiness, sound direction, and noble character, they are among the best of institutions, on the condition that the second matter is realized, which is the soundness of the books.
And it is known that if those in charge of the libraries are people of good, they will keep away from them books that are ideologically, doctrinally, or methodologically deviant.
This is what I want, and it is in general terms, regardless of the library in such-and-such a country or in such-and-such a country.
The questioner: If Allah wills, your brothers at the Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab Charitable Library in the city of Ha'il, upon seeing that there are errors in the libraries, strove to correct the situation instead of destroying this entity or smashing it. They aimed to fix the errors within it and adjust the points of criticism. However, there are still people trying to destroy these libraries and confuse the minds of many young people. They may enter through other avenues, such as reaching out to the general public and their guardians, among others.And they are the ones who say: They want, for example, to change the system, or they want to distort the minds of the youth, or they want many other things that are not said, which are not hidden from you, may Allah preserve you. So we ask you first to advise these people;Because some of them said: Consult the Shaykh about this matter, as if he does not hear or read. Your guidance to them and to us as well, with what benefits us and benefits them, if Allah wills.
This is an important question, and in reality, the benefit or harm of libraries depends on two things: The first is the books placed in them; what are these books? Are they Salafi books based on the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community, or are they deviant intellectual books? If they are the former, then they are good libraries, but if they are the latter, then correction is necessary.
The second: Who are the people in charge of these libraries? What is their methodology? What is their worship? What are their morals? It is also necessary that those in charge of them be people who are trusted in knowledge, religion, character, and methodology. Because these libraries are a refuge for the youth, and a young person is like dough in the hands of the kneader; he takes the shape given to him. If the people of good make it easy for him, they guide him to the truth and direct him to what is in his interest in this world and the hereafter. May Allah make these libraries beneficial, and they will truly become a seed of good for the youth.And if the other one, meaning: If those in charge of them are deviant toward an unsound direction, then here lies the harm. Either the people in charge of them are changed, or the library is closed. Because the Islamic religion is built on obtaining benefits, whether pure or predominant, and on warding off harms, whether pure or predominant. And if there is a benefit and a harm in a thing, the predominant one is given priority.As Allah the Exalted said:
They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit."
يَسْأَلونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِمَاSo I see that if libraries are run by people of good who possess knowledge, trustworthiness, sound direction, and noble character, they are among the best of institutions, on the condition that the second matter is realized, which is the soundness of the books.
And it is known that if those in charge of the libraries are people of good, they will keep away from them books that are ideologically, doctrinally, or methodologically deviant.
This is what I want, and it is in general terms, regardless of the library in such-and-such a country or in such-and-such a country.