What is your opinion of the books of al-Ghazali?

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. And may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahim al-Tahan (may Allah preserve him), who mentioned a scholar who criticized a scholar and described him as misguided, saying, "O you who are..."The Shaykh : ...misguided. And this scholar, knowing that he is in Algeria, enriched the libraries with his books. So, is it possible to read his books and benefit from them and gain insight from them, or should they be rejected?

The Shaykh : I don't understand your question, my brother. Your language is a bit strange to me.The Shaykh : Who is he?

The questioner : 'Abd al-Rahim al-Tahan.

The Shaykh : 'Abd al-Hamid Sarhan!

The questioner : The other: 'Abd al-Rahim al-Tahan?

The Shaykh : 'Abd al-Rahim al-Tahan.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Is this the one who was in Saudi Arabia?

The questioner : The other: I repeated the news of our Shaykh.

The Shaykh : And now he is in the Emirates.

The questioner : The other: In the Emirates.

The Shaykh : Okay, let's look at the question. Yes.

The questioner : The other: He says, our Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahim al-Tahan, in some of his tapes, described a Shaykh as misguided and said that he is...The Shaykh : ...misguided. And this...The Shaykh : ...as the brother says, enriched the Islamic library in Algeria. So, what is the point? Do we read his books or not, or in this sense?

The Shaykh : Is that your question?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, why did he describe him as misguided?

The questioner : A Shaykh, for the sake of... and he made mistakes, he did this...The Shaykh ؟

The Shaykh: How.

The questioner : Did he commit many mistakes?

The Shaykh : No problem, give us one of the mistakes that al-Tahan claims he committed.

The questioner : Did he permit shaking hands with women? Did he listen to singing? Or something else?

The Shaykh : What is the enrichment you attributed to him? What is the most famous, for example, his letters or his researches with which he enriched the library? What are they?

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : I mean, you are saying, you are saying...

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : That this...The Shaykh : ...one described as misguided by al-Tahan enriched the Islamic library with his books, his researches, his letters!

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Do you know anything of these books?

The questioner : Shaykh, they are widely available there and within everyone's reach, correct.

The questioner : The other: Who is it? Who is it?

The questioner : The other: He means Muhammad al-Ghazali, and Allah knows best. Why are you confused?The Shaykh : Tell him the correct answer?

The questioner : The other: Do you mean al-Ghazali?

The questioner : Because he did not even mention his name.

The questioner : The other: He meant al-Ghazali.

The questioner : The other: Okay, he did not mention his name, so how is it if you know that he enriched the Islamic library!

The questioner : ...

The questioner : The other: I mean, he means al-Ghazali, as you two understood, that's it, hehehe.
The students: Heh heh

The Shaykh : He deserves this description!
The students: Hehe.

The Shaykh : If he means the al-Ghazali of the present era!

The questioner : The other: There is no one else.

The Shaykh : That is correct.

The questioner : The other: I mean, our Shaykh, if this brother completed this point, let him finish?

The Shaykh : Come on, in the name of Allah.

The questioner : I mean, our Shaykh, is it not possible to read their books?

The Shaykh : The books of al-Ghazali!

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : It is possible and not possible. For you, it is not possible. For others, it is possible. Because the one who should read the books of al-Ghazali should be a scholar of the Book and the Sunnah so that he does not deviate with al-Ghazali, who is deviant. Did you understand the answer, if Allah wills?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Because al-Ghazali was given eloquence, rhetoric, and clarity. His pen flows to the end to capture the hearts of the youth and their minds. And therefore, they are misguided by his misguidance. And if they are not on correct jurisprudence in Islam, they cannot deviate from his deviation. The answer is clear!

The questioner : May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : Yes, there is something.

The questioner : Shaykh, this brother, I don't know. Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. Record it for yourself, hehe.