The Shaykh’s mention of the unjust decision taken by the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan to boycott the Shaykh’s gatherings.

The Shaykh : We lived in Syria for many years with the Muslim Brotherhood, calling them to the Book and the Sunnah, and we did not belong to them. Then Allah decreed that I migrate from Damascus to Amman, and I began to call there just as I had done in Damascus. I used to visit Jordan and call to Allah to the extent that moving from Damascus to Amman allowed. But when I settled and resided in Amman, I took on a much greater activity in da'wah than before. As a result of this, someone informed the authorities there about us—Allah knows best; we do not accuse a specific Sufi Shaykh, a madhhab follower, or a specific party. Allah knows best. But the outcome of that informing was that they returned me to Damascus against my will, in a manner that does not need detailing, under the surveillance of the intelligence services. Then, after about half a year, they allowed me to return to Amman, after I had built a house there and begun moving my library to it. May Allah be praised, they allowed me to return and reside there again, and I resumed my activity. What was the position of one of the parties there? They publicly announced the obligation to boycottThe Shaykh : Al-Albani, not just in his person, but everyone who carries his da'wah. So we would pass by people we used to greet and who used to greet us, and they would withdraw from us and turn away. Why? Because the order had been issued from the top leadership; they claimed that it was obligatory to boycott Al-Albani. This rule lasted for a full year, and among them were people...

The questioner : This is an emergency law, do not be angry.The student .

The Shaykh : Yes, I am not angry. Among these noble people who were affected by the decision of the committee there, or the administration, or whatever they call it, was the man by whom Allah benefited, I believe, greatly in Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah al-Azzam. This man’s case is strange. He was the only party member who was keen to attend my gatherings. He had a small notebook and a fine, soft, pleasant pen, like himself. Whenever he heard a benefit from Al-Albani, he recorded it. But when the decision was issued, he stopped greeting us. I met with him while I was leaving the mosque there. We said to him, "How is this, Doctor?" He said, in effect, "It is a summer cloud that will soon clear." We said, "Good." Months passed, may Allah will it, and he remained in this state of avoidance. As for individuals from the party, they used to attend our gatherings without permission from the top leadership, they claimed. And we would raise this issue: "What compelled your group to issue this unjust decision? And here you are now attending? If you believed this decision was just, you would not contradict it, but you feel it is unjust, and therefore you attend these gatherings." Finally, it came to the point that this decision, as they say, had its duration and effect, and the people who used to greet us returned to their greetings. Then I was surprised by the arrival of the late Dr., may Allah have mercy on him, to my son-in-law’s house. I was awake there. He and one of our Salafi brothers entered, greeted us, and sat down. He said, "We came to your house and knocked on the door, but we heard no answer. Then we went to so-and-so’s house and sat waiting, and we were told that you might have gone to your daughter’s, to your son-in-law’s. So here we are, coming to you." We said, "Welcome." He said, "I have questions, and I want you to be kind enough to answer them." I said to him, contrary to my custom, "For every question, a trip. For every question, a trip. That means, for every question you want to ask me, you come to my house. But that you take answers to all the questions in one session, no." He said, "Why?" I said, "Why did you issue this unjust, oppressive decision? What did I do to you? Other than that I call to the Book and the Sunnah?" He said, "You declared Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever." I said, "Are you listening to me? Did you hear me declare Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever?" He said, "No, but some of our young people reported that to us." I said, "Glory be to Allah, it is as if you have not read His saying, the Exalted: And I mentioned to him the other hadith: So you did not limit yourself to talking about Shaykh Al-Albani declaring Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever, but you built upon that the boycotting and severing of ties that contradicts the explicit Sunnah: And you, in particular, among all your group, since you used to attend my gatherings, know that I say it is not permissible to initiate declaring a Muslim a disbeliever except after establishing the proof. Did you not hear this from me repeatedly? He said, "Yes." I said, "Then how did you not defend me, and in my absence, when this unjust, oppressive decision was made? At least you could have said, 'By Allah, we must send someone to clarify with the Shaykh whether it is true that he declared Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever. That is one thing. And the second thing, how did you believe that I declare Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever when I mentioned him with good in some introductions? If he were a disbeliever in my view, I would not have mentioned him.' A long and very long discussion took place between me and him. The point is that the effect of partisanship is very clear in causing estrangement and severance between Muslims. And this is a new example, unfortunately, where the Salafis in some Islamic countries have become two factions, united by the da'wah and not divided by it. But when what is called today 'organization' entered the da'wah—that is, partisanship and clustering against everyone who does not belong to this cluster and party—if we believe our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, when He said: This party, even within the same group, in methodology and creed, divides betweenThe Shaykh : a teacher and his student, and divides between a student and his colleague. These are the effects, and as it was said long ago, "These are our effects that indicate us, so look at the effects after us."