Advice from Shaykh Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him).

The questioner: ... but we want fromThe Shaykh- May Allah reward him with good and bless his life - that you give us advice, perhaps Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will reward you?

The Shaykh: By Allah, I do not know what to advise you with; for my own self is in need of someone to advise it. But if I must offer you a piece of advice, I advise you, and myself first: to fear Allah, and then to some of what branches out from fearing Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). Among these is, first, that you seek knowledge purely for the face of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), not seeking behind it any reward or gratitude, nor a job or a position, nor taking the lead in gatherings, but only to reach the rank that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has prescribed for the scholars when He said: .
And second: to avoid the pitfalls in which some students of knowledge fall, among which is that arrogance and conceit quickly take hold of them, so one of them rushes to ride his head and issue fatwas for himself—and even for others—on whatever seems to him, without seeking the help of the specialized scholars from the righteous Salaf who have passed away and left us this bright heritage; so that we may use it to eliminate these darknesses that have accumulated over the ages, and we have lived in them in pitch darkness. Seeking the help of the sayings and opinions of the Salaf helps us with ... these darknesses when we return to understanding the Book and the authentic Sunnah; for I lived in a time when I realized two contradictory matters. The first matter is that all the Muslims, both common and specialized scholars and students, were living in the focus of taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) and following not only the schools of jurisprudence but also the fathers and grandfathers. I lived in this time while we were calling for a return to the Book of Allah and the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). We were here and there in various Islamic lands, and there were always and forever individuals who were the strangers described by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in some of the well-known hadiths, among which is: . It came in some narrations that he (peace be upon him) was asked: Who are the strangers? He said (peace be upon him): . And in another narration: .
We lived in that time, and then we began to see the good effect of the call of the stranger reformers among the ranks of the believing youth. We saw this youth standing firm on the straight path in many Islamic lands, and striving to hold fast to the Book and the Sunnah wherever it was authentic with them. But our joy with this awakening that we felt in these recent years did not last long before we were surprised by a reversal that occurred in some of this youth in some lands, which nearly destroyed the effects of this good awakening. And the cause of that—and here is the lesson and advice—is nothing but that arrogance and conceit struck them. And the cause of that is nothing but that arrogance and conceit struck them because it became clear to them that they had reached a certain level of correct knowledge, not only among the lost mass of Muslim youth, but even among many of the scholars of knowledge. They felt that they had surpassed the sheikhs of the scholars spread throughout the Islamic world with this awakening. So they did not thank Allah (Mighty and Majestic) when He guided them to this correct knowledge; rather, they became arrogant and severe, and thought they were on knowledge. So they began to issue hasty fatwas not based on deep understanding of the Book and the Sunnah, but rather immature opinions that appeared to them to be the knowledge taken from the Book and the Sunnah, so they went astray and led many astray.
It is not hidden from you what were the effects of that, namely the existence of groups in some Islamic lands who began to openly declare takfir (declaring someone a disbeliever) of all Muslim groups with philosophies that there is no room now to delve into. And we are only saying now a word in the way of advice and reminder. Therefore, I advise our brothers, the people of the Sunnah and the people of Hadith, in all lands of Islam to be patient in seeking knowledge and not to be deceived by what they have gained of knowledge. Rather, they should continue the path and not rely on their mere understandings or what they call their ijtihad (independent legal reasoning). And I have heard from many of our brothers, but with this, they say to you with complete simplicity and complete indifference: "My brother, when did I perform ijtihad?!" Well, when you performed ijtihad on this, what did you rely on? What are the hadiths you returned to? What are the concepts you understood? Who are the scholars you sought help from to understand these understandings that you are openly stating? Nothing, except that this understanding seemed to him, so he became the greatest mufti (a scholar who issues fatwas)!!
I believe the cause of this is arrogance and conceit. Therefore, I find in the Islamic world today a very strange phenomenon appearing in some writings. It has become so that one who was an enemy of Hadith writes on the science of Hadith. Why? So that it will be said: He has realized ... Hadith!! If you returned to what he wrote on the science of Hadith, you would find it to be a collection of quotes he gathered and collected from here and there and compiled into a book. What is the motive for this? The love of showing off. And true is the one who said: "The love of showing off cuts off showing off." Therefore, I advise our brothers first—as I said—to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and second, to continue in seeking knowledge, and second, to avoid every trait that is not Islam. Among this is that they should not be deceived by what they have been given of knowledge, and that arrogance should not overcome them. And that they advise people, finally , and avoid harsh and severe methods. For we all believe that when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: , that is only because the truth is heavy upon people, heavy upon human souls. Therefore, they are arrogant about accepting it except from whom Allah wills. So if the heaviness of the truth upon the human soul is joined with ... another heaviness, which is harshness in the call, that becomes a repelling of people from the call instead of calling them to it. And you may all know that the saying of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is: .
And in conclusion: I ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He not make us among those who repel, but rather that He make us wise, acting upon the Book and the Sunnah. We entrust you all to Allah, and peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

Those present : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.