What is your comment on Shaykh Mubarak ibn Hadi al-Wadi'i describing Shaykh Muhammad Rashid Rida as misguided in his book (The Authentic Isnad of the Proofs of Prophethood)?

Al-Huwaini: I read yesterday, O our Shaykh, for the brother Mubarak ibn Hadi, in a book of his titled "The Authentic Isnad of the Causes of Revelation"... He said in the introduction, describingThe Shaykh : Muhammad Rashid Rida as misguided, meaning he said that he used to join Masonic lodges. He mentioned that they have harmed Islam today. He mentioned Muhammad Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, the Rafidi, andThe Shaykh : Muhammad 'Abduh, and said, "Muhammad Rashid Rida, and he is not like his predecessors in misguidance."

The Shaykh: Meaning they are more misguided.
Al-Huwayni: Yes.

The Shaykh: Or is he more misguided?
Al-Huwaini: No, they are more misguided than he is.

The Shaykh: May Allah forgive him; we certainly do not support joining any specific group if they are known for deviating from the Shari'ah; but we believe that the matter is open to independent legal reasoning (ijtihad); so I think that regarding Sayyid Rashid Rida, who has served Islam with a clear service, we believe that his joining the Masons was due to a mistaken independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) on his part, and not for personal gain as many people of no worth do; so attributing misguidance to him because he committed an error and misguidance, I think it is an undesirable exaggeration in labeling such a man as misguided, who in my belief has a favor upon many of the people of the Sunnah in this time due to his spreading of their methodology and calling to it in his well-known magazine "Al-Manar," until its influence reached many lands of the non-Arab Muslims; I see that this is an exaggeration in speech that should not come from a brother like this Mubarak; and in any case
"You seek a friend without a flaw, and does a stick burn without smoke?"
Yes.