What is your opinion regarding the foreign stories circulating among the youth?
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The questioner : What is your opinion regarding the foreign stories circulating among the youth?
The Shaykh : My opinion regarding foreign stories in general is that we should, if I do not say it is obligatory for us, avoid them, because what is mentioned in the stories of the Salaf of this Ummah, the best of this Ummah, is sufficient in knowledge and guidance.
As for the stories mentioned about foreigners, most of them are poison, or rather, the majority of them are poison. They contain evil, corruption, and an attachment to these foreigners that necessitates diverting a person from his religion and from his righteous predecessors.
So my advice to all my Muslim brothers who wish to realize their faith is to avoid such stories and to be content with the stories of our ancestors, which are full of glory, honor, dignity, and sincere faith. Let them be content with them over everything else.
And let these people know that if our enemies among the foreigners see that their stories are circulating among us, they gain pride and elevation through that. They know that we are their followers and imitators, and that we follow their biographies, morals, and etiquette, thereby increasing their pride and superiority over us.
But if they know that we have abandoned them and cast them aside, and that we are content with what is beneficial from the stories of our ancestors and the best of our Ummah, they will know our assessment of their status in our eyes. I do not mean by this that we should turn away from all benefits and interests coming from the foreigners, such as studying what includes medical knowledge, industrial knowledge, or other beneficial sciences. Indeed, this is what the Shari'ah has brought, and there is no harm in utilizing the expertise of a disbeliever, even if he is a disbeliever. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he migrated from Makkah to al-Madinah, hired a man named 'Abdullah ibn Urayqit from Banu al-Dail to guide him on the road from Makkah to al-Madinah. So he utilized the expertise of a disbeliever, but it was a utilization that was beneficial to us and not harmful to us in our religion.
So if a person utilizes the expertise of disbelievers in what is beneficial, there is nothing wrong with it. There may be expertise among the disbelievers in such matters that we do not have, due to their dedication and specialization in them...
But I warn that when we benefit from their expertise and information, I warn against love and affection for them taking root in our hearts. Rather, we should benefit from their knowledge and expertise in a way that is devoid of love, loyalty, and affection, because loyalty to the enemies of Allah is contrary to the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:51] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Mujadila 58:22] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Mumtahanah 60:1].
The Shaykh : My opinion regarding foreign stories in general is that we should, if I do not say it is obligatory for us, avoid them, because what is mentioned in the stories of the Salaf of this Ummah, the best of this Ummah, is sufficient in knowledge and guidance.
As for the stories mentioned about foreigners, most of them are poison, or rather, the majority of them are poison. They contain evil, corruption, and an attachment to these foreigners that necessitates diverting a person from his religion and from his righteous predecessors.
So my advice to all my Muslim brothers who wish to realize their faith is to avoid such stories and to be content with the stories of our ancestors, which are full of glory, honor, dignity, and sincere faith. Let them be content with them over everything else.
And let these people know that if our enemies among the foreigners see that their stories are circulating among us, they gain pride and elevation through that. They know that we are their followers and imitators, and that we follow their biographies, morals, and etiquette, thereby increasing their pride and superiority over us.
But if they know that we have abandoned them and cast them aside, and that we are content with what is beneficial from the stories of our ancestors and the best of our Ummah, they will know our assessment of their status in our eyes. I do not mean by this that we should turn away from all benefits and interests coming from the foreigners, such as studying what includes medical knowledge, industrial knowledge, or other beneficial sciences. Indeed, this is what the Shari'ah has brought, and there is no harm in utilizing the expertise of a disbeliever, even if he is a disbeliever. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he migrated from Makkah to al-Madinah, hired a man named 'Abdullah ibn Urayqit from Banu al-Dail to guide him on the road from Makkah to al-Madinah. So he utilized the expertise of a disbeliever, but it was a utilization that was beneficial to us and not harmful to us in our religion.
So if a person utilizes the expertise of disbelievers in what is beneficial, there is nothing wrong with it. There may be expertise among the disbelievers in such matters that we do not have, due to their dedication and specialization in them...
But I warn that when we benefit from their expertise and information, I warn against love and affection for them taking root in our hearts. Rather, we should benefit from their knowledge and expertise in a way that is devoid of love, loyalty, and affection, because loyalty to the enemies of Allah is contrary to the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Allah the Exalted said: