What is the ruling on going out in the path of Allah with the Tabligh Jama'ah, and does the one who did not go out, or the one who went out and then stopped, commit a sin?

The questioner : What is the ruling on ijtihad, especially if going out in the path of Allah is considered ijtihad? This is the position of the Tabligh Jama'ah; they consider going out to be ijtihad.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide them. They have scholars who are mujtahids, but they are immersed in following a specific school of jurisprudence. This is the state of those who follow scholars without knowing their evidence: they exercise independent legal reasoning in matters where it is not permissible, and they follow scholars without knowing their evidence in matters where independent legal reasoning is obligatory.

The questioner : This is a question I am conveying in its original words, because it is from one of these people.

The Shaykh : Yes, and the one who conveys disbelief is not a disbeliever.

The questioner : A friend of ours, yes.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : What is the ruling on going out in the path of Allah with the Tabligh Jama'ah, and does the one who did not go out, or the one who went out and then stopped, commit a sin?

The Shaykh : May Allah help him.

The questioner : And can any scholar who denies this, meaning going out, give me a fatwa on the matter so that I can bequeath placing it in my grave to argue on my behalf with his fatwa before Allah on the Day of Resurrection? Or which is better, staying home or going out?

The Shaykh : Everything in the question that came in this speech is fine. However, demanding a written fatwa to place in one's shroud so that one has an argument on the Day of meeting his Lord—what if the scholar gave him a verbal fatwa and he held onto it? He would not be able to face Allah with it unless it is a written copy. May Allah will that it is not required to be printed.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Heh.

The questioner : The fatwa exists. What is your opinion on denying going out?

The Shaykh : Let us answer each point.

The questioner : I will read it to you a second time.

The Shaykh : No, not so you can read it; I want to look at it and give the answer. Yes. Regarding going out in the path of Allah with the Tabligh Jama'ah, we say: This going out in the path of Allah is a matter they call by a name other than its true name; they call it by a name other than its true name. When this going out is by a group who know nothing from the Book and the Sunnah, it is not called going out in the path of Allah among the Muslims. As for whether the one who did not go out commits a sin? Of course, the answer is understood that he may commit a sin if he went out. But as for committing a sin if he did not go out, he has followed the path of the first believers, and from this the answer is understood in the next part. Or the one who went out and then stopped: this was, meaning, he was directed in a manner contrary to the way of the Muslims, the first believers, and then he returned to the truth, so blessed is he. And can any scholar who denies this going out give me a fatwa on the matter so that I can bequeath placing it in my grave to argue on my behalf with his fatwa before Allah on the Day of Resurrection? We say: Yes, the scholar who knows the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the path of the believers can give you a fatwa that this going out is not from the path of the believers. But he cannot give you a written fatwa to place in your shroud, because this is from the religious innovations that the practice of the Muslims has not followed. Also, it is sufficient for the ignorant person who does not know to hear the answer from one he believes to be a scholar that this thing is not prescribed, and that will be his argument between him and his Lord. As a result of what has preceded, the answer is understood. So which is better, staying home or going out? We say: Staying home while seeking knowledge is better than this going out without knowledge.

The questioner : So what is the ruling on going out?

The Shaykh : A religious innovation.

The questioner : It is a religious innovation. What is the ruling on ijtihad? We return to the question, especially if we consider that going out in the path of Allah is ijtihad, and it is not ijtihad.

The Shaykh : Who considers going out in the path of Allah? Is he a mujtahid or one who follows scholars without knowing their evidence? If he is a mujtahid, we are ready to listen to him, hear his evidence, and discuss it with him. And in my knowledge, they have no mujtahids. If they truly had mujtahids, they would have directed their followers to follow the Book and the Sunnah in everything: in their ritual purity, in their prayer, in their sermons which they begin contrary to the Sunnah. Who among you remembers the formula? When one of the worshippers says, what do they say? "Did we succeed or not?"
The student : Our success and our salvation.

The Shaykh : And our salvation.
The student : By obeying the commands of Allah and following the way of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : Is this the Sunnah? The Sunnah is known to you: "All praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and the bad of our deeds." So it is clear from the title of the written text, Professor.