The Shaykh spoke about al-Tabatawi and al-Ghazali.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : The most famous and dangerous person to appear in this field, unfortunately, is this Egyptian mufti, al-Tabatawi, who issued a fatwa declaring riba (usury or interest) permissible in banks, savings funds, and the like. This man did not say this...
The questioner : Ali al-Tabatawi?
The Shaykh : No, no, the Egyptian al-Tabatawi. I am speaking of the Egyptian mufti. Al-Tabatawi is not a mufti, although he too, I mean, may issue some fatwas. On Saudi radio, unfortunately, he contradicts the Sunnah and the correct Sunnah in them. For example, he permits a woman to wear a wig if by doing so she pleases her husband, even if it angers her Lord, and he says there is no harm in that. This is because he does not believe in His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): He permits himself to contradict this hadith, even for a weak report established from some of the Companions or not established. The criterion for him, which is a calamity for many people today, is that they claim to prioritize ease for people, or that the maslahah (public benefit) requires it. And attached to this is the contemporary al-Ghazali, this contemporary Muhammad al-Ghazali. I think you have all heard of his book...?
The questioner : This is his book, and I wanted to ask you what your opinion of it is?
The Shaykh : You have received the answer. Yes, this is a man of arbitrary judgment with no principles and no references. He is not a Salafi, because a Salafi returns to the Book and the Sunnah and follows the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Nor is he a Khalafi, I say, because a Khalafi is committed to a specific school of jurisprudence, and he is not committed. Sometimes you see him with the Hanafis, sometimes with the Shafi'is. Wherever he is, he follows his desires, as the poet said. I may not know if I remember the verse completely: "And I am but from Ghaziyah; if she errs, I err." And I don't know what?
The questioner : "And if Ghaziyah is guided, I am guided."
The Shaykh : He is the one who remembers the verse. Good.
The questioner : "And I am but from Ghaziyah; if she errs, I err."
The Shaykh : If she errs, yes.
The questioner : "And if Ghaziyah is guided, I am guided."
The Shaykh : If she is guided, that is it. So he is not with these, nor with those, whether on guidance or on misguidance.
The questioner : Our Shaykh Mubarak in Yemen and...The Shaykh : ... ؟
The Shaykh : Yes, he is one of the good young students who is following the methodologies. I referred to these people when I spoke about the awakening.
The questioner : Likewise, include them.The Shaykh : Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq, the Kuwaiti?
The Shaykh : Ah, Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq is among the good young students.
The questioner : Mustafa al-Zarqa, is he a mujtahid (a scholar qualified to derive rulings)?
The Shaykh : But those who are experienced in knowledge, as time passes, it becomes clear to a person what he was mistaken about before, as we have mentioned, and it is not far from your memory, for example, regarding al-Rawd al-Nadhir.
The questioner : The Shaykh : Is Mustafa al-Zarqa considered among the mujtahids?
The Shaykh : Absolutely not. He is of the type of al-Ghazali and al-Qaradawi and their like.
The questioner : What did you call them? The people of taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) or what?
The Shaykh : Taqlid, yes. These people take from every school of jurisprudence, not following the evidence. For example, we mentioned earlier the Syrian al-Tabatawi, Ali al-Tabatawi, our Syrian companion, a son of our country. He was an enemy of the Salafi da'wah (calling others to Islam) in Syria because it calls for following the Book and the Sunnah.
The questioner : He said in many of...
The Shaykh : Listen, he had a high position in the Sharia court in Syria.
The questioner : Head of a court.
The Shaykh : So he was among those who worked to change some of the rulings in personal status laws that were governed based on the Hanafi school, and he is Hanafi in his school. Among these rulings is that divorce with the phrase "three times" takes effect as three divorces, as personal status laws state, and as the four schools of jurisprudence state. So...The Shaykh : Ali al-Tabatawi went against the four schools of jurisprudence when he adopted the law that preceded him in Egyptian law, which is that divorce with the phrase "three times" is a single divorce. So he did not return to the Sunnah; he returned to maslahah (public benefit) when he found, by virtue of his position, that many petitioners were divorcing in a state of anger or revolution, saying "I divorce you three times." He found that these problems could not be resolved except according to the school of Ibn Taymiyyah, so he adopted the school of Ibn Taymiyyah, not because the Sharia evidence was with him, but because maslahah required it, and so on. But when it was written for the man to go to Saudi Arabia, there was undoubtedly friction between him and the Saudi scholars. And undoubtedly the scholars of Saudi Arabia, even if they were mostly Hanbalis, their understanding was closer to the Sunnah. Then they do not have the fanaticism for the school as a whole as exists in other countries. In fact, the least student among them has the willingness to return to the hadith, but he is not a mujtahid, nor is he close to that. So...The Shaykh : Ali al-Tabatawi became somewhat moderate there, but not completely, because his moderation came in his old age, in the end of his life. So he still, in many cases, issues fatwas and presents and proposes some opinions that he has held since he was a judge there. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And beware of this. This is a word that perhaps Allah will make beneficial, if Allah wills.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Let's go.
The questioner : Ali al-Tabatawi?
The Shaykh : No, no, the Egyptian al-Tabatawi. I am speaking of the Egyptian mufti. Al-Tabatawi is not a mufti, although he too, I mean, may issue some fatwas. On Saudi radio, unfortunately, he contradicts the Sunnah and the correct Sunnah in them. For example, he permits a woman to wear a wig if by doing so she pleases her husband, even if it angers her Lord, and he says there is no harm in that. This is because he does not believe in His saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Cursed by Allah are the women who pluck their eyebrows, and those who have them plucked, and the women who tattoo, and those who have themselves tattooed.
لعن الله النامصات والمتنمصات والواشمات والمستوشماتThe questioner : This is his book, and I wanted to ask you what your opinion of it is?
The Shaykh : You have received the answer. Yes, this is a man of arbitrary judgment with no principles and no references. He is not a Salafi, because a Salafi returns to the Book and the Sunnah and follows the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Nor is he a Khalafi, I say, because a Khalafi is committed to a specific school of jurisprudence, and he is not committed. Sometimes you see him with the Hanafis, sometimes with the Shafi'is. Wherever he is, he follows his desires, as the poet said. I may not know if I remember the verse completely: "And I am but from Ghaziyah; if she errs, I err." And I don't know what?
The questioner : "And if Ghaziyah is guided, I am guided."
The Shaykh : He is the one who remembers the verse. Good.
The questioner : "And I am but from Ghaziyah; if she errs, I err."
The Shaykh : If she errs, yes.
The questioner : "And if Ghaziyah is guided, I am guided."
The Shaykh : If she is guided, that is it. So he is not with these, nor with those, whether on guidance or on misguidance.
The questioner : Our Shaykh Mubarak in Yemen and...The Shaykh : ... ؟
The Shaykh : Yes, he is one of the good young students who is following the methodologies. I referred to these people when I spoke about the awakening.
The questioner : Likewise, include them.The Shaykh : Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq, the Kuwaiti?
The Shaykh : Ah, Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq is among the good young students.
The questioner : Mustafa al-Zarqa, is he a mujtahid (a scholar qualified to derive rulings)?
The Shaykh : But those who are experienced in knowledge, as time passes, it becomes clear to a person what he was mistaken about before, as we have mentioned, and it is not far from your memory, for example, regarding al-Rawd al-Nadhir.
The questioner : The Shaykh : Is Mustafa al-Zarqa considered among the mujtahids?
The Shaykh : Absolutely not. He is of the type of al-Ghazali and al-Qaradawi and their like.
The questioner : What did you call them? The people of taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) or what?
The Shaykh : Taqlid, yes. These people take from every school of jurisprudence, not following the evidence. For example, we mentioned earlier the Syrian al-Tabatawi, Ali al-Tabatawi, our Syrian companion, a son of our country. He was an enemy of the Salafi da'wah (calling others to Islam) in Syria because it calls for following the Book and the Sunnah.
The questioner : He said in many of...
The Shaykh : Listen, he had a high position in the Sharia court in Syria.
The questioner : Head of a court.
The Shaykh : So he was among those who worked to change some of the rulings in personal status laws that were governed based on the Hanafi school, and he is Hanafi in his school. Among these rulings is that divorce with the phrase "three times" takes effect as three divorces, as personal status laws state, and as the four schools of jurisprudence state. So...The Shaykh : Ali al-Tabatawi went against the four schools of jurisprudence when he adopted the law that preceded him in Egyptian law, which is that divorce with the phrase "three times" is a single divorce. So he did not return to the Sunnah; he returned to maslahah (public benefit) when he found, by virtue of his position, that many petitioners were divorcing in a state of anger or revolution, saying "I divorce you three times." He found that these problems could not be resolved except according to the school of Ibn Taymiyyah, so he adopted the school of Ibn Taymiyyah, not because the Sharia evidence was with him, but because maslahah required it, and so on. But when it was written for the man to go to Saudi Arabia, there was undoubtedly friction between him and the Saudi scholars. And undoubtedly the scholars of Saudi Arabia, even if they were mostly Hanbalis, their understanding was closer to the Sunnah. Then they do not have the fanaticism for the school as a whole as exists in other countries. In fact, the least student among them has the willingness to return to the hadith, but he is not a mujtahid, nor is he close to that. So...The Shaykh : Ali al-Tabatawi became somewhat moderate there, but not completely, because his moderation came in his old age, in the end of his life. So he still, in many cases, issues fatwas and presents and proposes some opinions that he has held since he was a judge there. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And beware of this. This is a word that perhaps Allah will make beneficial, if Allah wills.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Let's go.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.