Continuation of the discussion on whether scholars formed a bloc in the time of Ibn Taymiyyah. The Shaykh spoke in it about his own case and that of Ibn Taymiyyah.

The Shaykh : Therefore, the role you are seeking and asking of these people is also premature for those whom you think are scholars. I am not taking you far away; I cannot currently deliver a lecture. I am not forming a bloc with my peers, for example, among the students of knowledge, nor are we going beyond that. Why? Because I find myself compelled to work within a specific circle, which is serving the Sunnah and carrying out or verifying and applying a part of what we call purification. That part is purifying the Sunnah from what has entered it. I am an example of those scholars you are referring to and asking about: can they not gather and form a bloc? I say, first of all, about myself, the matter is as Allah the Exalted said: And I believe the others are like me in this, meaning each one has something that does not allow him to take a step toward the project I mentioned earlier, about which speech was made and discussion took place previously. Therefore, in my belief, this matter will not be realized until the Islamic societies are filled with dozens of mature scholars who have reached the point where, as they say in our region in Syria, "they have no work except leaning on the walls or putting one foot over the other." These people must work, but where are those who have completed their knowledge or their specialization, each of them, and then nothing remains for them except to carry out this bloc? The issue revolves around anticipating events, and this is a premature matter that is not attainable, whether it concerns individuals initially, or then the political or international society, or the like. Perhaps this is a clear answer to your question.

The questioner : And were there in the era of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) distinguished scholars who assisted him in what he undertook?

The Shaykh : How could there not be? Where are you from Ibn al-Qayyim, and where are you from Ibn 'Abd al-Hadi? There are many, and very many.

The questioner : So he was the scholar and those were his students, and the teacher and the student cooperated to continue the journey, is that not so?

The Shaykh : It is so, but where is Ibn Taymiyyah? May Allah reward you.

The questioner : And we have known you to be no less than those.

The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah

The questioner : And whoever imitates the people of goodness is one of them.

The Shaykh : O Allah, do not hold me accountable for what they say.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.

The questioner : O our Shaykh, by analogy.

The Shaykh : No, you are mistaken, my friends.

The questioner : O our Shaykh, by analogy, we see this matter clearly and distinctly for us.

The Shaykh : No, I tell you frankly, repent to Allah. You are exaggerating now.

The questioner : I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him.

The Shaykh : There is no power and no strength except by Allah.

The questioner : This is what I know.

The Shaykh : No, this is what you suppose and do not know. (laughs)

The questioner : This is the stronger supposition for us.

The Shaykh : No, Professor, there is a very big difference. Look, I will draw your attention a little. Ibn Taymiyyah, my friends.

The questioner : Please go ahead.

The Shaykh : They say in our region in Sham, "The eye is a ladle of speech." When I see you looking like this and like that, it means you are not with me. Pay attention to me.

The questioner : Good news.

The Shaykh : Ibn Taymiyyah lived in a scholarly society. We do not live in a scholarly society now. Ibn Taymiyyah completed himself through others; we complete ourselves by ourselves. And therefore we walk in our journey like a turtle, with extreme and very great slowness. Did I manage to express to you what is in my heart so that you understood my intent?

The questioner : I understood.

The Shaykh : Good. This must be kept in your minds. We are now students of knowledge, as you know, and it is criticized that we have no Shaykhs. This is a factual reality. But despite that, we are better than others because we have realized that we have no Shaykhs and therefore no knowledge, so we try to make up for this deficiency with our own effort. Where am I compared to Ibn Taymiyyah? Ibn Taymiyyah lived in a scholarly society, as we said, and connected with dozens of Shaykhs and attended their lessons. So my case and the case of Ibn Taymiyyah are approximately like that Andalusian Arab, what is his name, Faras? Who tried to invent the airplane?

The questioner : 'Abbas ibn Firnas.

The Shaykh : 'Abbas ibn Firnas. How his fate was destruction and death, not because he was the first to try to invent this airplane, but now the airplane has become a commonplace thing, and every day they refine it with many and very many arts. So the one who wants to make an airplane now is not like that 'Abbas. This one benefits from the exercises, the experiments, the professors, and the teachers who taught this science on their hands. This is like Ibn Taymiyyah and like 'Abbas in my view. So we want to rise now, but with extreme and very great slowness. If we had lived as Ibn Taymiyyah lived, perhaps we would have become scholars in every science and every art, and benefited from what we are now in the process of verifying from others. And without offense, you benefit from me. I am personally, to some extent, aware of whether this hadith is authentic or weak, and this is a Sunnah and this is an innovation.

Another questioner : Without effort and hardship.

The Shaykh : Yes, without effort and hardship. Well done. Ibn Taymiyyah also had dozens of Shaykhs. They mention in the biography of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), and I hope there is no exaggeration in that, that he had a thousand Shaykhs. This is not unlikely, because realistically we know from the book *Mujam al-Tabari al-Saghir* that he had more than a thousand Shaykhs. So think with me now about this.The student : The scholar, or this scholar who has a thousand Shaykhs, is not comparable, for example, at all, to this chick who has no Shaykh. Therefore, I hope you keep this reality in mind. Now we are building ourselves by ourselves, and we cannot offer to others what they hope for, because it is a premature matter. When there is in the Islamic society someone like Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn 'Abd al-Hadi, Ibn Rajab, Ibn Kathir, and so on, then what you hope for and wish for is said about them. Please.

The questioner : It is beautiful for a person to be humble.

The Shaykh : No, no.

The questioner : But nothing hides the truth.

The Shaykh : There is no power and no strength except by Allah.

The questioner : But the many Shaykhs who contributed to building the personality of al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) or Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), all of those had an active role in polishing and refining him and his output, is that not so?

The Shaykh : And so it is.

The questioner : But from the favor of Allah upon us, Allah enabled us to study their knowledge and be refined by their morals, and we followed the path they followed. In fact, the essence of their brains and their thought gathered for us, and it was worthy of us despite our little effort.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah

The questioner : That we have a role as they had a role in their era. And thank you.

The Shaykh : It should have been so, and I agree with you. Allah is the Helper.

Another questioner : Our situation is easier than the situation of our Shaykh. Our Shaykh has no Shaykh, and we have a Shaykh.

The Shaykh : We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to help us to carry out what is obligatory upon us.

The questioner: Amen.