The Shaykh’s statement that the foundation of da'wah is knowledge, which is what the Tabligh Jama'ah does not call people to
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : And so we say that the foundation of da'wah is knowledge; its foundation is knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah. I drew your attention to something I had hoped and wished for: instead of going around and around a matter on which there is no disagreement—such as visiting so-and-so, or saying, "Why don't you pray in the mosque?"—there is no disagreement on that. But I drew your attention to this Tabligh Jama'ah. It has been around for so many years; you know them better than I do. Their creed is not unified, their prayers are not unified, their acts of worship are not unified. So what is this Tabligh that you are conveying to people when you have not yet conveyed it to yourselves? "Begin with yourself and restrain it from its evil..." So if it is restrained, what then? If it is restrained, forget the rest of the poem. The point is, begin with yourself, as we said earlier to our friend, where is Abu Layla?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Begin with yourself, then with those you support. So what does the Tabligh Jama'ah convey if they themselves have not agreed on the creed?
The questioner : Shaykh, excuse me.
The Shaykh : Allow me a moment. After that, you spoke about these points. Do not bring us points on which there is no disagreement, and praise be to Allah, such as visiting the sick, the one who abandons prayer, enjoining good, and so on.
Their creed is not unified, their prayers are not unified, their fasting, their Hajj, and so on. Islam means the whole; if you wish to take it as a whole, I am with you. And if you wish to take from it the rules, principles, and important pillars of faith and Islam, I am also with you. To the best of my knowledge, the Tabligh Jama'ah does not concern itself with these aspects at all. In fact, many of them openly state, "We do not investigate creedal matters because we do not want to stir up disagreements among Muslims." Therefore, they also do not investigate correcting prayers and acts of worship according to the Sunnah, and so on.
So, one who lacks a thing cannot give it, my brother. They call people to Islam. What is Islam? Pray well, fast, give zakah, and so on. But if a questioner asks the da'i—not the general public walking with the da'i from the Tabligh Jama'ah—and says, "Please teach me how the Messenger of Allah used to pray," there is no answer. Why? Because from the very source from which they draw, it is not directed in its entirety to teaching oneself Islam first, based on the previous research into the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It may be bound by one madhhab, or it may have one method from the many methods that some Sufis speak of, saying without any hesitation, "The paths to Allah are as numerous as the breaths of the creatures." Perhaps this Shaykh has one path from these many paths, all of which the scholars unanimously testify did not exist in the three blessed centuries. How so? Allah the Exalted says:[Al-An'am 6:153] Which paths? Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 25:368 If the head of the da'wah, the one who planned the Tabligh Jama'ah, is himself bound by the Hanafi or Shafi'i madhhab or another, and is himself following one of these paths, what is this Islam to which they are calling people? Just prayer? We hear a lot and know this reality. Many people who were not praying started praying; we do not deny this. We know there are extreme Sufis in every land of Islam, especially in Syria, where I lived for many years. Sufi Shaykhs who eat the money of people and live off the pockets of their followers, yet many drunkards intoxicated with khamr were guided by them. This is not denied. They were not praying, but now they pray. But is this the intended goal? That a person be like him, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No, that is not the intended goal. The intended goal is that the Muslim calls with insight into his religion, as we said. And from where do we receive this? We said: either by himself, being a scholar who studies the Book and the Sunnah, or by receiving the Book and the Sunnah from one who is a scholar of them. We do not see this in the Tabligh Jama'ah. And I repeat and say: all these years, just like the Muslim Brotherhood, in this respect, their ideas are not unified. Just as there is a Salafi in the Brotherhood, there is a Sufi, there is a madhhab follower, and in some countries, there may also be a Shi'i. We know this from their long history. What Islam is this that they are calling to? So now, after I have clarified to you what is taken against them, I advise them: my brothers, instead of going out on this expedition, which first did not exist in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and second, which you organize in a way that has no basis in Islam—three days, forty days, I don't know, detailed things I do not remember now and which we have no part in—instead of this expedition that did not exist in the first, brightest era, sit, my brother, in the mosques and study the Book of Allah, either from yourselves if you are of the first category, or as we said: [An-Nahl 16:43] We often hear them open the lesson with a very beautiful word. I have not memorized it, of course, but you know it. What is the word that one says so that they do not leave the obligatory prayer to pray the Sunnah? They say, for example, a word similar to...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, you did well. Exactly, "... our success and following the Sunnah of our Messenger" But if you asked him, "What is the Sunnah in this prayer you just prayed?" He does not know. The point is, he sits after the prayer, opens *Riyad al-Salihin*, and what a good book it is. He reads two or three hadiths. He does not explain, clarify, or elucidate. He reads as he found it in the book, then the people leave, and they say in Syria: "Titi titi, just as you went, you came" What did you understand, my brother, from the hadith? The Shaykh did not explain it to us. Why did he not explain it? Because one who lacks a thing cannot give it, my brother.
And so, instead of wasting their time reading hadiths they do not understand, let one or two of the thousands among them specialize in knowledge: tafsir, hadith, language, and so on. Then gather the people around him and call them to Islam and to insight. As for this method, what does the Tabligh Jama'ah convey? Islam, good. What is the creed that the Muslim must believe in? Is it, for example, the Ash'ari, the Maturidi, or the creed of the people of hadith? As I told you earlier, each person is according to what he received, either from his father, mother, or grandfather, or from Al-Azhar, or the Islamic University, or so on, or he is completely empty-headed, having neither this nor that. What is the reason? First, it is not part of their system to teach their group the creed. It is not part of their system, it is not part of their curriculum.
Second, it is not part of their da'wah to teach people the difference between the Sunnah and bid'ah. The old Arab Muslim poet says: "I knew evil not for the sake of evil, but to avoid it; and he who does not know evil from good falls into it" This poetic wisdom is taken from the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him), who said about himself: "The people used to ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, and I used to ask him about evil, fearing that it might overtake me."
It is not denied, but as the poet also said: "Sa'd led them in, and Sa'd was wrapped up; *** This is not, O Sa'd, how camels are led in" You want to call to Islam? You want to know what Islam is, starting with faith? This hadith, some of the brothers may dislike it: A man came while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He was a man with intensely white clothes and intensely black hair, and no one recognized him until... what?
The questioner : And no trace of travel was seen on him
The Shaykh : And no trace of travel was seen on him until he sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), leaning his knees against his knees and placing his hands on his thighs. He said, "O Muhammad, inform me about faith." He said, "Faith is such and such." He said, "Inform me about Islam." "Islam is such and such," and so on.
"Faith in Allah." I have never heard one of these brothers explain the word "Faith in Allah." It could fill volumes. It is sufficient as a fact that the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah has a volume called *Kitab al-Iman*, and here are old books by hadith scholars like Ibn Abi Shaybah and Abu 'Ubaydah al-Qasim ibn Sallam, and others, all under the title *Kitab al-Iman*. What is faith? Faith in Allah.
The Muslims believe in Allah, the Christians believe in Allah, the Jews believe in Allah; everyone who is not a heretic or a materialist believes in Allah. However, each of these groups’ belief in Allah differs from the belief of the others. So what is this belief that is the first condition of faith? This topic is never studied. For example, this belief includes belief in the oneness of Allah’s essence (Mighty and Majestic), it includes belief in the oneness of Allah’s divinity such that none is worshipped but Him, and it includes the oneness of Allah in His attributes. The Tabligh group does not revolve around any of these things at all.
So, my brother, what is the Islam to which you are calling people? Just, my brother, if you don’t pray, come and pray. This is a word of truth with no problem, but where are you regarding His saying:Sahih al-Bukhari 6008 Sunan an-Nasa'i 3062Sahih (Darussalam) So our advice is that they should study jurisprudence. Not all of them are thousands and thousands, and they may be millions, no, tens or hundreds of them. These are the ones who guide them to follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). As for going out, only the people of knowledge go out, just as the Messenger (peace be upon him) guided us. As for Tabligh in general, every person conveys what he knows, but this Tabligh is not organized in this manner.
What do they want to do, a group of workers? The workers leave their families and children and go to Europe and America. My brother, sit in your own home and study the religion of Allah and learn as the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did.
We repeat that the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Who understood this fundamental principle better than us? Without a doubt, it is the Companions of the Messenger (peace be upon him), then those who follow them, then those who follow them.
My brothers... Fourteen centuries have passed since Islam. No matter what we say about the corruption of this time and the difference in methods, etc., we are today in the fourteenth century. In all these centuries, there was no group of people of knowledge who would go out like this, in the tens and hundreds, touring the lands in the cause of da'wah. Why did they not do this? Therefore, the people of knowledge say that all good is in following the Salaf, and all evil is in the innovation of the Khalaf.
No one disputes the path of da'wah, because Allah says, "And let there be from you a community." But the discussion becomes about the method of da'wah, the way of da'wah, and the matters introduced into it that were not in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The clearest of these is that one who has no knowledge goes out. Why does he go out? To learn, my brother. Sit in your house, the mosque is next to you, sit there and learn from the people of knowledge.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Begin with yourself, then with those you support. So what does the Tabligh Jama'ah convey if they themselves have not agreed on the creed?
The questioner : Shaykh, excuse me.
The Shaykh : Allow me a moment. After that, you spoke about these points. Do not bring us points on which there is no disagreement, and praise be to Allah, such as visiting the sick, the one who abandons prayer, enjoining good, and so on.
Their creed is not unified, their prayers are not unified, their fasting, their Hajj, and so on. Islam means the whole; if you wish to take it as a whole, I am with you. And if you wish to take from it the rules, principles, and important pillars of faith and Islam, I am also with you. To the best of my knowledge, the Tabligh Jama'ah does not concern itself with these aspects at all. In fact, many of them openly state, "We do not investigate creedal matters because we do not want to stir up disagreements among Muslims." Therefore, they also do not investigate correcting prayers and acts of worship according to the Sunnah, and so on.
So, one who lacks a thing cannot give it, my brother. They call people to Islam. What is Islam? Pray well, fast, give zakah, and so on. But if a questioner asks the da'i—not the general public walking with the da'i from the Tabligh Jama'ah—and says, "Please teach me how the Messenger of Allah used to pray," there is no answer. Why? Because from the very source from which they draw, it is not directed in its entirety to teaching oneself Islam first, based on the previous research into the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It may be bound by one madhhab, or it may have one method from the many methods that some Sufis speak of, saying without any hesitation, "The paths to Allah are as numerous as the breaths of the creatures." Perhaps this Shaykh has one path from these many paths, all of which the scholars unanimously testify did not exist in the three blessed centuries. How so? Allah the Exalted says:
And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways
وأن هذا صراطي مستقيما فاتبعوه ولا تتبعوا السبلSo you have strayed from His path
فتفرق بكم عن سبيلهIt is like the scholar who does not act upon his knowledge, like a lamp that lights the way for people but burns itself
مثل العالم الذي لا يعمل بعلمه كمثل المصباح يضيء للناس ويحرق نفسهSo ask the people of the message if you do not know.
فاسألوا أهل الذكر إن كنتم لا تعلمونThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, you did well. Exactly, "... our success and following the Sunnah of our Messenger" But if you asked him, "What is the Sunnah in this prayer you just prayed?" He does not know. The point is, he sits after the prayer, opens *Riyad al-Salihin*, and what a good book it is. He reads two or three hadiths. He does not explain, clarify, or elucidate. He reads as he found it in the book, then the people leave, and they say in Syria: "Titi titi, just as you went, you came" What did you understand, my brother, from the hadith? The Shaykh did not explain it to us. Why did he not explain it? Because one who lacks a thing cannot give it, my brother.
And so, instead of wasting their time reading hadiths they do not understand, let one or two of the thousands among them specialize in knowledge: tafsir, hadith, language, and so on. Then gather the people around him and call them to Islam and to insight. As for this method, what does the Tabligh Jama'ah convey? Islam, good. What is the creed that the Muslim must believe in? Is it, for example, the Ash'ari, the Maturidi, or the creed of the people of hadith? As I told you earlier, each person is according to what he received, either from his father, mother, or grandfather, or from Al-Azhar, or the Islamic University, or so on, or he is completely empty-headed, having neither this nor that. What is the reason? First, it is not part of their system to teach their group the creed. It is not part of their system, it is not part of their curriculum.
Second, it is not part of their da'wah to teach people the difference between the Sunnah and bid'ah. The old Arab Muslim poet says: "I knew evil not for the sake of evil, but to avoid it; and he who does not know evil from good falls into it" This poetic wisdom is taken from the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him), who said about himself: "The people used to ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, and I used to ask him about evil, fearing that it might overtake me."
It is not denied, but as the poet also said: "Sa'd led them in, and Sa'd was wrapped up; *** This is not, O Sa'd, how camels are led in" You want to call to Islam? You want to know what Islam is, starting with faith? This hadith, some of the brothers may dislike it: A man came while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He was a man with intensely white clothes and intensely black hair, and no one recognized him until... what?
The questioner : And no trace of travel was seen on him
The Shaykh : And no trace of travel was seen on him until he sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), leaning his knees against his knees and placing his hands on his thighs. He said, "O Muhammad, inform me about faith." He said, "Faith is such and such." He said, "Inform me about Islam." "Islam is such and such," and so on.
"Faith in Allah." I have never heard one of these brothers explain the word "Faith in Allah." It could fill volumes. It is sufficient as a fact that the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah has a volume called *Kitab al-Iman*, and here are old books by hadith scholars like Ibn Abi Shaybah and Abu 'Ubaydah al-Qasim ibn Sallam, and others, all under the title *Kitab al-Iman*. What is faith? Faith in Allah.
The Muslims believe in Allah, the Christians believe in Allah, the Jews believe in Allah; everyone who is not a heretic or a materialist believes in Allah. However, each of these groups’ belief in Allah differs from the belief of the others. So what is this belief that is the first condition of faith? This topic is never studied. For example, this belief includes belief in the oneness of Allah’s essence (Mighty and Majestic), it includes belief in the oneness of Allah’s divinity such that none is worshipped but Him, and it includes the oneness of Allah in His attributes. The Tabligh group does not revolve around any of these things at all.
So, my brother, what is the Islam to which you are calling people? Just, my brother, if you don’t pray, come and pray. This is a word of truth with no problem, but where are you regarding His saying:
offer your prayers in the way you saw me offering my prayers
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصليlearn your rituals (of Hajj) for I do not know whether I will perform Hajj again after this year.
خذوا عني مناسككم فإني لا أدري لعلي لا ألقاكم بعد عامي هذاWhat do they want to do, a group of workers? The workers leave their families and children and go to Europe and America. My brother, sit in your own home and study the religion of Allah and learn as the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did.
We repeat that the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Who understood this fundamental principle better than us? Without a doubt, it is the Companions of the Messenger (peace be upon him), then those who follow them, then those who follow them.
My brothers... Fourteen centuries have passed since Islam. No matter what we say about the corruption of this time and the difference in methods, etc., we are today in the fourteenth century. In all these centuries, there was no group of people of knowledge who would go out like this, in the tens and hundreds, touring the lands in the cause of da'wah. Why did they not do this? Therefore, the people of knowledge say that all good is in following the Salaf, and all evil is in the innovation of the Khalaf.
No one disputes the path of da'wah, because Allah says, "And let there be from you a community." But the discussion becomes about the method of da'wah, the way of da'wah, and the matters introduced into it that were not in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The clearest of these is that one who has no knowledge goes out. Why does he go out? To learn, my brother. Sit in your house, the mosque is next to you, sit there and learn from the people of knowledge.