What is the ruling, O Shaykh, on writing the phrase "So-and-so ibn So-and-so al-Salafi" on my personal books? Is this considered self-praise?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : How are you, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah for the good. How are you?
The questioner : Praise be to Allah for the good. I am from the United Arab Emirates.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And may He bless you.
The questioner : May Allah greet you, O Shaykh. I have always been accustomed to writing in some of my books, for example, my name and my father's name followed by "al-Salafi." So when I give a book as a gift to one of my friends, I write "So-and-so ibn So-and-so al-Salafi." Is this permissible or not permissible? Is this considered self-praise? Some of the brothers told me that this is considered self-praise.
The Shaykh : We say to the one who told you that it is considered self-praise: I thank him on one hand, because he is not telling you that it is not permissible to affiliate yourself with the righteous predecessors. Because affiliation with the righteous predecessors is a virtue and an excellence. Therefore, he fears for you that you might praise yourself with this affiliation. So I say to you, and before you relayed to me the reasoning you conveyed to me, I wanted to answer you as follows.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So I say to you: if you say "So-and-so ibn So-and-so al-Salafi" to clarify your scholarly methodology, not to praise yourself in the eyes of people, then this is permissible. In fact, it is a good and recommended matter. Indeed, it may be obligatory in the present age, where the right and the wrong have become mixed, and the Rafidi, the Shi'i, the Zaydi, the Ibadi, the Khariji, and the Mu'tazili—each one, if you ask him, "What is your madhhab?"—says, "I am a Muslim." And the difference between this and that, and this and that, and so on. So if you affiliate yourself with the righteous predecessors to clarify your methodology in your worship of your Lord, then that is excellent. But if you affiliate yourself with this noble affiliation out of boasting, showing off, and self-praise, then the matter is as they told you.
The questioner : O our Shaykh, Allah knows that, by the Great Allah, I love the righteous predecessors. And I do not write this designation except because I love this designation.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I say to you: Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : If I write this, Satan might enter in. And I do not write it for self-praise, but merely for distinction. Is this permissible, if Allah wills?
The Shaykh : Did you not understand me? May Allah forgive you.
The questioner : I understood, O Shaykh. May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Alright, if I add to your knowledge now, I say to you: the one who told you this is self-praise—you say, as I told you last, "I do not praise myself with this affiliation; rather, out of my love for the righteous predecessors and my love for following their example, I have affiliated myself with them." And the complete speech that you should say to the one who criticizes you for this affiliation is the following. And I am presenting to you now a lesson that I hope you will memorize well. Are you ready?
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Listen to what I say to you: the one who said to you what you just told me—ask him, "What is your madhhab?" I think he will say to you: "Muslim." Tell him: today, it is not sufficient to say "Muslim," because all the misguided sects all call themselves "Muslim." So you must distinguish yourself, not out of pride, but as thanks to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for having guided you while others went astray. So what is your madhhab? He will say, for example, "My madhhab is the Book and the Sunnah." Did you understand up to here?
The questioner : Meaning, the Book and the Sunnah is not sufficient.
The Shaykh : Well done, but you have not answered me. Did you understand up to here?
The questioner : I understood, and praise be to Allah. All your cassettes, O Shaykh, are with us, and all praise is due to Allah.
The Shaykh : Alright, so take the answer from the cassette.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : How are you, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah for the good. How are you?
The questioner : Praise be to Allah for the good. I am from the United Arab Emirates.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And may He bless you.
The questioner : May Allah greet you, O Shaykh. I have always been accustomed to writing in some of my books, for example, my name and my father's name followed by "al-Salafi." So when I give a book as a gift to one of my friends, I write "So-and-so ibn So-and-so al-Salafi." Is this permissible or not permissible? Is this considered self-praise? Some of the brothers told me that this is considered self-praise.
The Shaykh : We say to the one who told you that it is considered self-praise: I thank him on one hand, because he is not telling you that it is not permissible to affiliate yourself with the righteous predecessors. Because affiliation with the righteous predecessors is a virtue and an excellence. Therefore, he fears for you that you might praise yourself with this affiliation. So I say to you, and before you relayed to me the reasoning you conveyed to me, I wanted to answer you as follows.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So I say to you: if you say "So-and-so ibn So-and-so al-Salafi" to clarify your scholarly methodology, not to praise yourself in the eyes of people, then this is permissible. In fact, it is a good and recommended matter. Indeed, it may be obligatory in the present age, where the right and the wrong have become mixed, and the Rafidi, the Shi'i, the Zaydi, the Ibadi, the Khariji, and the Mu'tazili—each one, if you ask him, "What is your madhhab?"—says, "I am a Muslim." And the difference between this and that, and this and that, and so on. So if you affiliate yourself with the righteous predecessors to clarify your methodology in your worship of your Lord, then that is excellent. But if you affiliate yourself with this noble affiliation out of boasting, showing off, and self-praise, then the matter is as they told you.
The questioner : O our Shaykh, Allah knows that, by the Great Allah, I love the righteous predecessors. And I do not write this designation except because I love this designation.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I say to you: Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : If I write this, Satan might enter in. And I do not write it for self-praise, but merely for distinction. Is this permissible, if Allah wills?
The Shaykh : Did you not understand me? May Allah forgive you.
The questioner : I understood, O Shaykh. May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Alright, if I add to your knowledge now, I say to you: the one who told you this is self-praise—you say, as I told you last, "I do not praise myself with this affiliation; rather, out of my love for the righteous predecessors and my love for following their example, I have affiliated myself with them." And the complete speech that you should say to the one who criticizes you for this affiliation is the following. And I am presenting to you now a lesson that I hope you will memorize well. Are you ready?
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Listen to what I say to you: the one who said to you what you just told me—ask him, "What is your madhhab?" I think he will say to you: "Muslim." Tell him: today, it is not sufficient to say "Muslim," because all the misguided sects all call themselves "Muslim." So you must distinguish yourself, not out of pride, but as thanks to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for having guided you while others went astray. So what is your madhhab? He will say, for example, "My madhhab is the Book and the Sunnah." Did you understand up to here?
The questioner : Meaning, the Book and the Sunnah is not sufficient.
The Shaykh : Well done, but you have not answered me. Did you understand up to here?
The questioner : I understood, and praise be to Allah. All your cassettes, O Shaykh, are with us, and all praise is due to Allah.
The Shaykh : Alright, so take the answer from the cassette.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.