The Innovation 000 Advice to the Tabligh Group. ?

The Shaykh : They openly state this, and we do not call to a creed, nor do we call to the Book or the Sunnah. Every person calls to his own school of thought. So, if you were given a book on the description of prayer, it did not come through the path of da'wah and tabligh. Does da'wah and tabligh adopt the description of prayer as a guide to what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was doing in this worship? No, everyone has his own taste and school of thought. You do not object to someone reading a book on prayer by so-and-so or a book on prayer by so-and-so, and so on. I want to say that the Sunnah must emanate from the Tabligh group, not that it is transferred to them from other groups. As long as they want to defend Islam, as long as they have this enthusiasm. You say that you are entering Islam anew and that you have been praying for two years. Fine, bring any person you believe has knowledge from the Tabligh group so you can see the truth of my words and be far from accusing me of what is not there, that I am accusing them. I know them from when I was in Sham, and I have gatherings with them, and I know them here, and they come and visit me, and they discuss with me, and so on. I am not far from them nor ignorant of them, so you want to say it is not permissible to accuse them. But you are accusing us of accusing. We are speaking about knowledge, and especially you say this is not permissible... in prayer, and you have now, so that the facts become clear to you. The truth is, any person from our brothers in the Tabligh group, suppose he is a leader in da'wah, meaning he has knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, and so on. Let us sit down for a brotherly discussion, "a simple carpet" as they say, and discuss the matter. And religion is advice, as you know, from his saying (peace and blessings be upon him).

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Doctor, who is it? Fine.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Correct. Correct. But what is the point of the discussion? It caught my attention that some of my brothers were with him, and his speech...The Shaykh : Correct, fine, what is the secret in your opinion?The Shaykh : Correct, and the Tabligh group, in the millions, they have no knowledge of this correct [matter]. This is a problem. Fine, the Tabligh group, in short, we thank them for their enthusiasm, and there is no thanks for their departure; this is good. The best thing said is that this enthusiasm must be coupled with knowledge. And as you heard in my first speech, Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said. Meaning, now, if we ask you, do the Tabligh group have someone who alerts them, and this alert comes from them, not like the prayer of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) which he took from others? They alert them: this hadith is authentic, this hadith is weak. Even the scholar from the Tabligh group should be clear in his religion. There is not one person from India to Sindh who has care. Why? Because the line is deviated from the straight line And then, the language of emotions, Professor, does not benefit scientific research at all. When you tell me, "I was not praying, I started praying thanks to them," I testify and sign a blank paper like you, dozens and hundreds of you. But those who are praying, what is their prayer? Is this prayer the prayer that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed? Or is the important thing to pray a prayer from these prayers? No, this is not the call of Islam. Any prayer, perhaps he prays a prayer that is not a prayer. How many fasters have no prayer? How many fasters have no fasting? And so on. And the hadith of the one whose prayer was defective, perhaps you remember it, and it is the one that is long, and it is in Sahih al-Bukhari. A man came to the mosque and the Messenger of Allah was sitting in a corner of it. He prayed, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: . The man returned.
The student : Three times.

The Shaykh : You did well. In the end, it becomes clear that the man does not know how to pray, so he says: . So how many pray who have no prayer? It is not our concern to take one who does not pray and move him from leaving prayer to a prayer that is not a prayer. No. We want to move him to a prayer that is acceptable to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). How do we know if this prayer is acceptable or not? From the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). If we do not study the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, we will not be guided. Therefore, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: - only two things - . So the one who wants to pray as the Messenger used to pray must know the Sunnah of the Messenger in his prayer. And the one who wants to perform Hajj as the Messenger performed Hajj must know the description of the Messenger's Hajj, and so on. And as for "put your hand out and walk with the people," this is not Islam. This is the custom of the people, as the common people say, "O people, follow the people." No, that is not how we were commanded. . And by Allah, it is enough for us to follow the good, as for the better, that requires people from above, very much. But the first of the rain is a drop, then it pours down. So we teach people the prayer that is valid, then we order them to do the things that if a Muslim neglects them, he has neglected in the prayer, for example, tranquility, prostration, and what is between them is a pillar of the pillars of prayer. But khushu' (humility) in prayer is not a pillar, but our Lord praised those who are humble etc. So we want a person to pray and not be told, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the one whose prayer was defective: . And after that, you tell him he must be humble in prayer, he must reflect on what he reads from the Book of Allah, and so on. In summary, my brother, we are speaking about knowledge, and no blame, and we are not accusing a Muslim, not Muslims, not millions of them, but we are speaking about insight, and religion is advice. Therefore, we say to them: Learn, then convey. As for the opposite, it is not permissible.

The questioner : We encourage this advice. We encourage these things, but it is not important that, for example... But the books exist and are many, but you, without blame, are an author. And I am not an author and I do not know, and this is the truth, but I can present it to scholars... For example, Abu al-Hasan al-Nadwi, before he was asked about da'wah, he went out in the path of Allah and expressed his opinion about da'wah. And Abu Bakr al-Jazairi was asked about da'wah and said this is a mobile school. Likewise, Sayyid Sabiq was asked about da'wah and answered with what he knows. But no matter how much I explain about da'wah, I cannot express its reality. We do not have great scholars, but as you mentioned, perhaps the leader of da'wah was, for example, Khidr, meaning, but praise be to Allah, by the grace of Allah, he did a great work, and the smallest person in da'wah is a speaker and has good information... In our departure, we saw the scholars in Pakistan, we saw... We call people to establish religion...

The questioner : My brother, may Allah bless you. I advised you with advice, and enthusiasm in da'wah does not benefit. Leave enthusiasm aside. Scientific research requires patience and calmness, and so on. When you say religion and call to it, does that not obligate you to understand the religion?

The Shaykh : Of course, but...

The Shaykh : Fine, how do you call and know that you do not know the authentic hadith from the weak one, and so on? When you want to give a lecture and do preaching and reminding, and so on, a hadith comes to your mind in order to advise people, and you say "The Messenger of Allah said," and you have not studied hadith and do not know its authentic from its weak. What is your status in this case?

The questioner : I say we have beginnings that we do not speak with weak hadith, and we do not memorize except strong hadith.

The Shaykh : My brother, I am not speaking about your person. I am speaking about the da'wah group extending from Sindh to India, and so on. These are the ones who are not alert to the authentic from the weak. You are speaking about yourself, and I told you previously that in the Tabligh group there are Salafis from our brothers from the people of hadith, just as in the Muslim Brotherhood there are Salafis among them. But these do not represent the da'wah, my brother. I am speaking about the da'wah, and you say whoever is not in the da'wah does not know it. How does he not know it? The da'wah is not a secret. The da'wah is based on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, as they recite before every lesson.

The questioner : Fine, where is this da'wah? We hear their lessons and we hear their sermons, we see deviated ideas from the Book and the Sunnah, and a deviated creed from the Book and the Sunnah. You now, as you said earlier, but they have... But they do not have tabligh and... The creed that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) brought,

The Shaykh : My brother, I am not speaking about you personally; I am speaking about the Dawah group that extends from Sindh to India and beyond. These are the ones who are not attentive to distinguishing the authentic from the weak. You are speaking about yourself, and I told you previously that among the Tabligh group there are Salafis from our brothers, the people of hadith. Just as there are Salafis among the Muslim Brotherhood, but these people do not represent the Dawah. My brother, I am speaking about the Dawah, and you say that whoever is not involved in the Dawah does not know it. How can he not know it? The Dawah is not a secret. The Dawah is established upon the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, as they recite before every lesson.
So where is this Dawah? We hear their lessons and we hear their sermons, and we see ideas that are deviant from the Book and the Sunnah, and a creed that is deviant from the Book and the Sunnah. You are now, as you said earlier, but they have... but they do not have the Tabligh and... the creed that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) brought.
The Shaykh: I mean, right now, you are a group—I don’t know, two, three, or four people from the Tabligh group. If a questioner asked you the question the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the maidservant: . If your answer is correct, does it stem from the call and Tabligh, or from another call? And if it is incorrect, how is it that you do not know the correct answer to this question? Did I make myself clear or not? Now, if I asked you, where is Allah? What is your answer?

The questioner : My answer is not going to give you the correct answer because this issue has not been mentioned to me. Do not mock me.

The Shaykh : No, may Allah guide you. I am laughing the worst kind of laugh; I am not crying. I am laughing. I am laughing now out of my frustration and my sorrow for the Muslims, that they work on others and forget themselves. Why do you have an answer? This is a matter of creed. The creed of where Allah is, and you have no answer. Why? You have no answer because you admit that you are two years old. What about a ten-year-old or a twenty-year-old? Do they have an answer or not? I say they do not have an answer, and if they do have an answer, it will be contrary to the Sunnah. You will tell me, “Do not accuse people.” I say, open up, please, speak. This is a creed. What is your answer to it? If it is correct, we will tell you where you got it from. From the Tabligh group? We will tell you that the Tabligh group does not investigate these issues. And if you do not have an answer, the problem is even greater. Why do you not know a creed that you are living with, while you are conveying the call of Islam, and you still do not know this creed and have not known its answer? This is not right.

The questioner : Okay, give us the answer about the maidservant.

The Shaykh : I will give you the answer, and it is obligatory for me to give the answer, but why do you not give us the answer?

The questioner : I can give you an answer, but you may not like it.

The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar. Why do you want to give me an answer that I like or one that I do not like? And we have been admonishing our old brother here since he entered the mosque and reached out to Allah the Exalted, that Allah has not written for you... So now you say, “I will give you an answer that you may not like.” What do you want from me? Whether I like it or not? I intend the face of Allah.

The questioner : I can say Allah...

The Shaykh : No, that is not an answer. That is not an answer to where Allah is. Do you know the hadith of the maidservant?

The questioner : No, I do not know it.

The Shaykh : Okay, this is it. Okay. Do your other brothers present know the answer to where Allah is? And where is Ahmad? I do not know... Please.

The questioner : As mentioned in the Noble Qur'an: ?

The Shaykh : Good, beautiful. What is the meaning of *istawa*?

The questioner : The highest thing.

The Shaykh : I mean, you know that the exegetes here say that some of them interpret *istawa* to mean *istawla* (to dominate) and some of them interpret *istawa* to mean *istala* (to rise above). So, may Allah reward you with good, when you brought the verse. This is an answer with no words; Allah said it and the matter is settled. But we need to see whether the evidence from this verse corresponds to any of the interpretations mentioned in the books of exegesis: *istawa* meaning *istawla* and *istawa* meaning *istala*.

The questioner : *Istala*.

The Shaykh : Very good. This is an answer that our brother here will take. It is a correct answer because, first, it is based on the verse and it relies on the correct interpretation. I am now asking you: did you receive this creed from the Tabligh group?

The questioner : No

The Shaykh : Did you see? This is our topic, my brother. Religion is sincere advice. The Tabligh group is on our heads and eyes, enthusiastic, and they call, and so on. But they call to things that those being called already know. All that is the case is that they need someone to motivate them and admonish them. But if you order someone to pray, is there a Muslim who denies the legitimacy of prayer? The worst one will say to you, “May Allah accept my repentance.” If you forbid him from drinking intoxicants, none of them will consider drinking intoxicants permissible, and so on. They are leaving... I told you, enjoining good and forbidding evil. But these people who want to perform the collective obligation, the *fard kifayah*, they must first perform the individual obligation, the *fard 'ayn*. It is an individual obligation for every Muslim to correct his creed. In Allah first, then in His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) second, and so on. So when I speak about a group I know well: if they have a correct creed or a correct worship, it does not stem from their call; they took it from others. And they are to be thanked for that, as individuals. You took it through righteousness. So you were guided to the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And this is taking the correct creed from other than the Tabligh group. So the rectification of the creed is a good thing, but this stems from other than the call of Tabligh. So we want these good deeds and these correct ideas to stem from the Tabligh group itself, and they should spread that to the whole world. But if they do not know, then one who lacks a thing cannot give it. I have made it clear to you, if Allah wills, that I do not accuse a person of what he does not have, and that I am keen for these groups to be callers to Islam on the basis of the mission of the Messenger (peace be upon him) to Mu'adh and others. When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said to him: Why? Here is the operative cause: it shows you how the matter differs. For the disbeliever, it is limited and sufficient for them until they become Muslims to say, “There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Until they become Muslims. But they do not thereby become believers, meaning saved with Allah Blessed and Exalted is He. How and why? The answer is that the two testimonies are a declaration of Islam, but this does not mean that they understood Islam, the first of which is faith. This takes time. With time, it will become clear to the Muslim community and the Muslim ruler that this disbeliever who said, “I testify that there is no deity but Allah,” said it out of hypocrisy, or said it out of fear of Islam, or fear of the *jizyah*... With time, it will become clear. So if you are calling a Muslim, the first thing you call him to is the testimony that there is no deity but Allah. But here the matter differs. This person is a witness to Allah; he prays and testifies in the prayer, standing for the prayer. But here your job now is to explain to him the testimony that there is no deity but Allah. For the disbeliever, you do not need the explanation because... I mean, if the expression is correct, we consider him like... The key is that he testifies that there is no deity but Allah. But if he wants to be saved on the Day of Meeting Allah Mighty and Majestic, and to be among the people of Paradise, this key, as some of the Salaf said, every key must have teeth; if it has no teeth, it does not open. So this key, “There is no deity but Allah,” must have teeth. What are its teeth? The completion of the pillars of faith and Islam, such as prayer and... and so on. But today, the Muslims, especially the non-Arabs, even the first Arabs to whom the Messenger (peace be upon him) was sent directly, and they were Quraysh, they understood the meaning of “There is no deity but Allah.” And therefore they disbelieved. The verse says: And likewise, Allah the Exalted said in the Noble Qur'an, they said: The understanding that the disbelievers understood from the verse “There is no deity but Allah”—they understood and disbelieved. The Muslims today, except for a few of them, have believed but have not understood.

The questioner : They did not understand as the disbelievers understood.

The Shaykh : Ah. May Allah reward you. I see the brother here understands, but this understanding is not from the Da'wah; this understanding is from outside the Da'wah. Muslims today do not understand the understanding of the disbelievers regarding "La ilaha illa Allah," but there is a difference between those and these. Those understood and disbelieved, and therefore they rejected As for the Muslims, they say: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I believe in Allah and His books and His messengers," and so on. But what is the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah"? Most of them today do not know the meaning. And if one is found among them who knows the meaning, he disbelieves in the meaning intellectually. These studies—I want the members of the Tabligh Jama'ah to be saturated with them, from their elders to their juniors, because this is related to 'aqidah (creed). Everything other than 'aqidah is easy, as it was said: Suppose a person is the most worshipful of people, the most God-fearing of people, but his 'aqidah is ruined and barren; it will not benefit him. And the one who killed ninety-nine people and died while testifying that there is no god but Allah is better than that person by thousands of times. These 'aqidahs are not just for the Tabligh Jama'ah; the masses of Muslims are lost regarding them. But who is held accountable? The one who raised the banner of the Da'wah is held accountable. And not here in Europe and America, but what are they calling people to? And what do I say? By Allah, I do not know. Glory be to Allah. This 'aqidah today—"La ilaha illa Allah"—its meaning in the Arabic language that the Arabs understood, and then some of them disbelieved in it... There is no worshipped entity with truth in existence except Allah... Most people, even some printed letters, wrote "There is no worshipped entity except Allah." This is disbelief, because the worshipped entities are very numerous. The entities worshipped besides Allah are numerous in reality, but all of these are false except the worship of Allah alone, who has no partner. So if we tell some Muslims to understand this correct meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah," meaning there is no worshipped entity with truth in existence except Allah, this is the meaning, this is a correct meaning, and this is what saves the Muslim from shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). But does everyone who understands this correct understanding remain a believer in it, not negating it with an action of his? How many negators there are! You find one who says "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," yet he worships other than Allah. Why does he worship other than Allah? Because he does not understand, my brother. What is worship?
The Shaykh : And so I keep repeating and lamenting that the Tabligh Jama'ah is ignoring all these studies. Why? Not as individuals, but the leadership is subject to the group to stay away from these issues. How can a Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah, in the correct meaning, suppose it is like this, and then disbelieve in this meaning practically? We said that he worships other than Allah. How can a Muslim imagine worshipping other than Allah? Millions of Muslims worship other than Allah, by the millions. Now, every worshipper, necessarily, even in the rak'ah of Witr, the single rak'ah, recites al-Fatihah in his prayer. And he says in al-Fatihah, "O Lord, " meaning, You alone we ask for help, there is no one other than You. What do you think of the millions of Muslims today who come with a meal for the sake ofThe Shaykh : 'Abd al-Qadir, whom they call al-Baz. And they come to al-Husayn and Zaynab in Egypt, they go there for what? "Maddad ya Sayyid Ahmad, Maddad ya Sayyid Badawi," and so on. Where is They did not understand what worship is, which he restricts to Allah when he says . He does not know that if he prostrates in reverence to a person, he has worshipped him besides Allah. He does not know this meaning at all. He does not know that if he makes a vow for Sayyidah Zaynab, or al-Khidr, or Shu'ayb, or I do not know what they have, he does not know that this slaughter is shirk with Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and disbelief in His worship. Why? Because he is not taught. He is illiterate, he cannot read or write. That is fine, but we said education is done in two ways: either if he is capable of understanding, from the Book and the Sunnah directly from the Book and the Sunnah, or Where are the people of dhikr? If you asked the people of dhikr this question today, they would not answer you with this detail, and they would not explain tawhid (the oneness of Allah) to you. And nothing in worship. Allah says in the Noble Qur'an, and we recite this verse, but most of us do not understand it, and consequently do not implement it: My prayer is understood. What is the meaning of my sacrifice? My slaughter. So I say, "I vowed the sacrifice for our master Shu'ayb, and this for Sayyidah Zaynab, and for 'Abd al-Qadir, and for al-Husayn," and so on. All of this is shirk with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because Allah coupled the sacrifices with the prayer, so He said: And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So take millions of Muslims who testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they pray and fast, and perhaps they stand in night prayer while people sleep, but their 'aqidah is ruined and barren. What is the benefit of the prayer when he has associated partners with Allah? Because the best is the testimony by which a Muslim enters Islam. We did not understand it. We accepted from the disbeliever that he enters Islam with the testimony that there is no god but Allah. But this Muslim is the son of a Muslim, the son of a Muslim; perhaps his grandfather was a Companion from the followers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). What is the benefit? He lived all these years and did not understand the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah"? And then if he understood it, he disbelieved in it practically. Why? Because he did not understand the worship by which none is worshipped but Allah. What is this worship? And how much you see now of swearing by other than Allah. By my fathers, at the slightest occasion, by my life, by my son's life, by my father's head, by my grandfather's head, and so on. And perhaps there is not one person who has not read the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): So this faith, which is the first pillar, when Jibril asked the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), "What is faith?" He said: "Faith is that you believe in Allah." So the first thing in believing in Allah is to believe in His oneness in His essence, in His worship, and in His attributes. Now today, millions of the Sufis believe that some of the shaykhs see the unseen. And we have in Syria, the poor students used to say: "I lovedThe Shaykh : because he revealed what was in my heart. And Allah said: The All-Knowing, what is in the breasts, Lord of the worlds. They associatedThe Shaykh : with the Lord of the worlds that he sees what is in his heart. He wanted to ask him a question andThe Shaykh : he answered him without him asking. This becomes a coincidence, but it does not mean thatThe Shaykh : he revealed what was in his heart. This is shirk with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). You have the poem of al-Busiri, which the great shaykhs in this country and others still put a glass of water in the middle and make a circle of dhikr and recite in it the poem of al-Busiri, and in it is explicit disbelief, which I say:
For from your generosity is the world and its neighbor, and from your knowledge is the knowledge of the Preserved Tablet and the Pen
The Shaykh : This is an address to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): "For from your generosity is the world and its neighbor, and from your knowledge..." The one who understands the Arabic language understands from this a partitive, meaning some of your knowledge, O Messenger of Allah, is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen. This is explicit disbelief. And yet... as it is said, an increase in... You seek blessing with this disbelief, putting a drink of water so that the blessings of this session dissolve in it. What is the session? Shirk with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). What is its cause, my brother? Is its cause that the Muslims are not Muslims? No, they are Muslims, because we say if he says "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," he becomes a Muslim. But many of these Muslims are deceived by their callers and oppressed by their scholars, because they do not explain to them the meaning of this good word, which is the key to entering Paradise, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: On the Day of Resurrection, if one had committed ninety-nine sins from the major sins, he would need to enter Paradise and be purified and be tormented as much as Allah wills, and then the testimony of "La ilaha illa Allah" saves him. But what testimony is this? First, its meaning must be understood, and second, it must not be understood in its meaning. Yes, it must be understood with a correct understanding and also implemented with a correct implementation. All these meanings, the Muslim ummah, the same as the Tabligh Jama'ah. The Muslim ummah needs to be taught this. After that, each individual calls to it according to what has reached him of knowledge. And Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. But we forget our own state and work on others. By Allah, this is what only a heedless person does, meaning a person at the lowest degree of heedlessness. Why? Start with yourself. The Shari'ah taught us this in the Qur'an and Sunnah... ... Learn and teach. They responded to it. They did not respond And the one who lacks something cannot give it. And this is a very long discussion. It is time for the 'Asr prayer. Let us go, O Abu 'Adnan. It is time, I think so.

The questioner : ... We pray and we go.

The Shaykh : No, we pray in the mosque, but look at the group of women. Do they pray with us in the mosque, or do we go back and take them?

The questioner : Give them the news that they will pray with us in the mosque.

The Shaykh : The thing I mentioned about how it diminishes the group of Da'wah, the knowledge, or the scholars, this exists, especially ... in Jordan. As for outside this country, praise be to Allah, we found many scholars. But in this country, there is a lack ... As for a second thing, it is their lack of focus on the word of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), which is this fundamental matter. They occupy themselves ... from nine o'clock in the morning until a quarter of an hour before the Zuhr prayer, practicing ... The beginning of these characteristics is certainty, which includes the good word. The good word is "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadun rasul Allah" (There is no deity but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), and its interpretation is "There is no true object of worship but Allah," as I mentioned, and there is no path that leads us to the pleasure of Allah except the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the first characteristic they practice with this going out. Then comes the second characteristic, which is prayer ...

The Shaykh : Excuse me, my brother, regarding prayer, they should focus on khushu' (humility) and khudu' (submission), but they should not focus on the characteristic of the prayer that is acceptable to Allah, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) used to say - until he said - This is if we add to urging people to khushu' and khudu' to Allah in prayer. Perfecting the prayer with its obligations and pillars, we will not have fulfilled the duty that is incumbent upon the people of knowledge. But the important thing is that they do not do this, my brother. One duty, like your story, is that he mentions these people, and it is not sufficient that he spends five, ten, or twenty minutes, more or less, on only one aspect related to prayer, which is khushu'. Rather, prayer must be taken as a whole. It is not necessary that this be taken from my book or from another book; they take from the books of the Sunnah, which are widespread. Yes, fine. You say that you found scholars there, but here there are no scholars. Fine, did you hear there about the study of tawhid and its types: tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes)? I do not think so.

The questioner : Because our sessions are one hour, meaning we might sit in the mosque for a day or two, then move on, and then we deliver the explanation for a period of one or two hours only.

The Shaykh : But I say, as for the principles of Da'wah, every Da'wah has its principles. For example, what are the principles of the Salafi Da'wah? Returning to the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Three things: the Book and the Sunnah, and on the methodology of the righteous Salaf. These are its principles as a foundation. Then the details come. You start from 'aqidah (creed) to how to eat and drink and so on. All of this is in the Sunnah. As for the principles of the Da'wah of Tabligh, I do not think they pay attention to tawhid with the detail I explained to you a part of, which is what saves the Muslim on the Day of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). This is not among the principles of the Da'wah of Tabligh, neither here nor there. The problem is not that we do not have many scholars here as you say, while there are many scholars there. That is not the problem. Now, I give you an example. Suppose a book on the description of the Prophet's prayer, or other than that which is on his methodology, was made mandatory for every individual of the Tabligh group, that they embody the description of prayer with this book. Do you not see with me that the Tabligh group has no difference between the Indian, the Pakistani, the Portuguese, the Muslim, and so on? They all go and will be on one prayer. Why? Because it was made mandatory for them to take, for example, prayer from this book, or as is the reality, for example, Riyad al-Saliheen. It was made mandatory for the Tabligh group to adopt all the hadiths of Riyad al-Saliheen with the correct understanding, even if briefly. This will result in a unity of thought among every individual of the Tabligh group. This thing does not exist. Therefore, this is one of the things for which the Tabligh group is advised to enter into a program. And I know ...

The questioner : This is a good thing.

The Shaykh : Yes, may Allah bless you. And I know that this is not only not included in the methodology, but they do not do it. I lived six years in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, and I saw the preachers in the Prophet's Mosque not focusing on tawhid, even though they are in the heartland of tawhid. There, for example, a person might be cautious with speech in some issues. For example, I give you an example: tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) by other than Allah. Do you see that tawassul by other than Allah leads many of the common people to shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)? Here, because the atmosphere is not a tawhid atmosphere like it is, for example, in Saudi Arabia, perhaps the caller, the preacher, the guide avoids speaking in such a topic. But there, from there, the call of tawhid emerged approximately in the recent time, as it was in the first time, the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him). And yet, they do not focus on these studies at all. Why? Because it is not included in their methodology. We want to add to the methodology of the Da'wah of Tabligh the care for what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) cared for throughout his blessed life in Makkah: For this 'aqidah to be established in the hearts, it needs years, especially with the non-Arabs, especially with the Arabs who have become non-Arabic in speech, and have distanced themselves from understanding Islam with a correct understanding. So, their lack of care for this aspect is, in reality, something that should be focused on in advising and reminding them of it.

The questioner : If Allah wills, the six characteristics they focus on during the going out: the word of tawhid, "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadun rasul Allah." And the second characteristic is prayer with submission and humility. And the third characteristic is knowledge with dhikr (the remembrance of Allah), and the dhikr that came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And the fourth characteristic is honoring the Muslims, so that it generates, on the model of the environment in which the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were, which was in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And the fifth characteristic is ikhlas (sincerity of intention), and this is the most important thing, that all these deeds be pure for Allah the Exalted. And the sixth characteristic, of course, is the call to Allah and going out in the path of Allah. These are the six characteristics they focus on during the going out.

The Shaykh : Fine, what is meant by knowledge? What did you say, knowledge and what?

The questioner : Knowledge with dhikr.

The Shaykh : What is meant by knowledge?

The questioner : The religion, that you know what Allah has upon us during the twenty-four hours.

The Shaykh : Ah

The questioner : What is required of us?

The Shaykh : Meaning, is 'aqidah not included in knowledge?

The questioner : Everything. 'Aqidah is the foundation. If there is no 'aqidah, what is the benefit?

The Shaykh : This is correct speech, but it does not stem from the methodology of the Da'wah. Meaning, now, do they teach knowledge? Do they teach 'aqidah? Do they teach tawhid with its three sections? No.

The questioner : No, they do not teach it, but if there is a general explanation, it is possible ...

The Shaykh : No, the general explanation is not sufficient, it is not sufficient ...

The questioner : If there are teaching circles.

Another questioner : What I understood, I can say it to see if I understood correctly.

The Shaykh : Please go ahead.

Another questioner : ... that the going out in the path of Da'wah requires that one learns and prepares himself well so that he can go out and teach people.

The Shaykh : Well done. Yes, let us return. Peace be upon you ...
Brothers in faith, this is a tape containing a recording of two scholarly sessions, which includes the answer to some important questions and advice directed to the Tabligh group.

The Shaykh : Praise is to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the badness of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no one who can mislead him, and whom He misleads, there is no one who can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. As for what follows, the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.
Perhaps the brothers present all know from the indication of this hadith and its like, which is established in the books of the Sunnah with sound chains of narration back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), such as the hadith of Aisha and the hadith of al-'Arba' ibn Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave us a sermon that made our hearts tremble and our eyes weep, so we said: These hadiths confirm what I think you understand and believe, namely that innovation in religion is entirely misguidance. I mean in religion, because the condemned innovation is specific to religion. As for matters of this world, some of it is praiseworthy and some is blameworthy. According to this, if an innovator opposes the Shari'ah, he is blameworthy, and if he does not oppose the Shari'ah, it is at least permissible. Among the best things quoted on this occasion is a word from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), for he established a very important rule derived from those hadiths and additional texts indicating that the original ruling for things is permissibility. This is a principle of jurisprudence. He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "The original ruling in religion is prohibition except for a text, and the original ruling in worldly matters is permissibility except for a text." He means that every innovation in religion is prohibited, while an innovation in worldly matters is permissible unless it opposes a text, as we mentioned. Then, it should be noted that his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) means that every act of worship that occurred after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is misguidance, even if many people think it is good and rightly so. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Every innovation is misguidance, even if people see it as good." This is because considering something good in religion means that the one who considers it good has equated himself with the Lord of the Worlds, to whom no one besides Him has the right to legislate except what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) wills. For this reason, Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Whoever considers something good has legislated. Whoever considers something good has legislated." And how does this person who considers something good know that what he has considered good with his mind and thought only, without deriving it from the Book of his Lord or the Sunnah of his Prophet, is a good matter? From where does he have the knowledge that this is a good matter? Therefore, our position, all of us, regarding every innovation in religion must be to refrain from it, due to the authentic hadiths mentioned previously.

The questioner : A questioner asks: What are the deviations of the Tablighi Jama'ah, and what is the remedy for them?

The Shaykh : The remedy is knowledge. And as we always advise them, instead of going out on this excursion that has no basis in the Sunnah, which they have made a followed practice, they should sit in the mosques and learn hadith, fiqh, and the recitation of the Qur'an as it was revealed. In fact, many of those who speak among them—this is a bad practice they have established among people—encourage them to speak, so they do not recite the verse properly, let alone recite the Prophetic hadith properly or interpret the verse and hadith correctly. The description that applies to them in the science of hadith terminology is that a student of knowledge must learn the Arabic language so that when he reads a Prophetic hadith, he does not misunderstand it or break its structure, and he reads it as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) pronounced it. Otherwise, he falls under the generality of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) . Even the book is in front of them, and he reads the book but does not recite what is in the book properly, and the book is marked with fathah, kasrah, and dammah. Despite this, those we hear in many mosques do not recite the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) properly, let alone interpret it properly, let alone explain the rulings and fiqh contained in it, which the listeners sitting with him greatly need. This fiqh is derived from the Sunnah. Therefore, the remedy for these people is to return to the scholarly circles in the mosques that we mentioned earlier, and to ask a scholar of recitations, a scholar of tajwid, a scholar of hadith, a scholar of fiqh, and a scholar of tafsir. They should learn, and then, if one of them feels that he is in a position and capable of calling people, it is obligatory for him to call people. They call themselves the Jama'ah al-Da'wah, the Da'wah of Islam, the Tablighi Jama'ah, the Tabligh of Islam. This Islam must be understood by this messenger so that he can convey it properly; otherwise, one who lacks a thing cannot give it. This is a known fact. Therefore, we advise them because we find many of them sincere and active in da'wah, but what was said in the past applies to them:
"Sadd led the camels, and Sadd was wrapped in his cloak. This is not how, O Sadd, you lead the camels."
This is not how, O group, the da'wah to Islam should be. The da'wah to Islam requires scholars, scholars of capability, especially if they leave these lands for the lands of disbelief and misguidance in Europe and America. There, they face problems and doubts that never occurred to them in the Islamic lands. From where will they bring the answers? One who lacks a thing cannot give it. I believe that if these people of the Tablighi Jama'ah want to be true messengers of Islam, it is not enough for them to be students of knowledge; rather, they must be scholars and must be mujtahids. Mujtahids means they derive the rulings of the Shari'ah from the Book and the Sunnah. Why? Because they go to lands where the customs, traditions, problems, and morals are different from what we have. From where will they bring the answer? They have no answer. In fact, one of them may get involved and think he has some knowledge, so he issues a fatwa just as those Companions issued a fatwa to that wounded man, and they killed him. They issued a fatwa without knowledge, so they went astray and led others astray, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the agreed-upon hadith . This is a reality today: many people issue fatwas without knowledge, so they go astray and lead others astray. Therefore, those who want to set out for da'wah, I say, I repeat what I said earlier: it is not enough for them to be students of knowledge; they must be scholars who derive rulings from the Book and the Sunnah. Otherwise, they will not be able to convey Islam, especially in those lands. And I conclude those answers because now the tooth will be busy, and when the tooth is busy, the lesson is cancelled.