A word on the speech of al-Suqaf, in which he mocks the Sunnah and denies the hadith (that Allah is in the sky . . . . . ).

The Shaykh : Thirdly, al-Suqaf, I seek refuge in Allah from this. This is a man, a man I fear may be an infiltrator, because I read a report in some newspapers or magazines that the Jews are currently sending individuals who speak Arabic, and the Arab cannot distinguish between him and the Jewish Arab, and that they are sowing discord among Muslims in the name of research and investigation. Have you seen this book of al-Suqaf, or al-Sukhaf, in which he commented on Ibn al-Jawzi's *Daf' Shubhat al-Tashbih*?

The questioner : No, I have not seen it.

The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
Al-Halabi : Our Shaykh, of course, his speech is strange. It is not from the book *Al-Tanaqudat* (The Contradictions), but rather to refute the doubt of likening [Allah to creation], for in it he demolishes the entire creed. He declares Ibn Taymiyyah a disbeliever and declares Mu'awiyah a disbeliever.

The questioner : Did you respond to him?
Al-Halabi : No, I did not respond. I responded to al-Suqaf, but only regarding *Al-Tanaqudat*. No, *Al-Tanaqudat*, and he has a book called *Qamus Shata'im al-Albani* (The Dictionary of Insults against Al-Albani), just two books. As for this book...The Shaykh : Now, may Allah reward him with good, meaning he demolished it, truly demolished it. He is a liar and a defaulter, truly.
I seek refuge in Allah.
Abu Layla : Our Shaykh, do you remember the evidence for the statement you just made regarding the Jews? Do you remember our brother Mazin put down his name as being from Nablus?

The Shaykh : Yes, he is from Nablus.
Abu Layla : Yes, he visited you here once.
Al-Halabi : Mazin Kamal.
Abu Layla : Mazin Kamal. I remember this, meaning the story of our brother Mazin, briefly for the brothers. How he mentioned the Jews. He told us once, of course, and the speech was directed to the Shaykh (may Allah preserve him), and we were sitting, my brother Ali and I. I was once present at the Hebrew University in Nablus, so I was in the department of Prophetic Hadith, sitting and reading some books for review, meaning to review some things. A Jew was sitting there, and in short, I got to know him. The Jew invited this brother Mazin to his home, so he went there. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was mentioned, or if he was invoked, this Jew would... if 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was mentioned, or Abu Bakr likewise. After sitting for a long session with him, this Jew was a professor, a Jewish professor, for 25 professors in the science of Prophetic Hadith, specifically.
Al-Halabi : Yes, this is one of the things our brother Mazin also mentioned, and one thing reminds one of another. Two truly strange matters. The first is that he says, "I have been researching *Zuhd* (Asceticism) by Hanad ibn al-Sari for 25 years, and this al-Hindi completed it in two years." Regarding our brother al-Fayrou'ay, that he authenticated the *Zuhd* of Hanad ibn al-Sari. So look, he says he has the advantage of 25 years of authenticating, working, and collecting manuscripts, and I do not know what? The second point is that this same person is named Shitser, if I recall correctly now, a Polish Jew, if I am right, and he is the dean, meaning all the doctors in Hadith there among the Jews, he said in the West Bank and such. So he said when...The Shaykh : Ahmad Shakir was authenticating *Al-Musnad*, he requested in the third volume the notes of scholars and those engaged in Hadith, so that it would enrich his work and he could benefit from them in the upcoming volumes. So he sent to him, among those he sent, this Jew sent him corrections. So what happens? This Jew tells our brother Mazin Kamal, he says, "I received a medal from...The Shaykh : ...Ahmad Shakir after I wrote him a letter containing criticism. He said, what is this medal? He said, he wrote to me: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. He said, I memorize it and keep his handwriting: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. As for what follows, your notes have reached me, and they are good scholarly notes that indicate experience and such. But I am sorry because you are a Jewish dog. He said this, and the medal itself confirms this statement.

The Shaykh : May Allah have mercy on him.
Al-Halabi : May Allah have mercy on him, the Exalted.
Abu Layla : The speech is about requesting, meaning requesting authentication and weakening in this time, and the judges, I do not remember any scholarly benefit.
Al-Halabi : No, he is a man, meaning he is known by his academic status. He does not know that, by Allah, what is halal and haram, or that this is a scholar or such. He speaks about...

The Shaykh : May Allah misguide him with knowledge.
Al-Halabi : Yes, he speaks about, meaning the ability in authentication and weakening and tracking, and it appears that he has experience in it. He says, "I have not seen anyone like...The Shaykh : ...Al-Albani in this and his precision and the like. And although this testimony does not concern us, we are in no need of it.

Another questioner : This is the speech of the Jew.
Al-Halabi : A Jew, yes. He is the dean, approximately, or such.

Another questioner : Is he present now?
Al-Halabi : He is present.
Abu Layla : Allah knows that he...
Al-Halabi : ...because he said he was very ill. This was about two years ago. Allah is the helper.

Another questioner : Is al-Suqaf residing here?

The Shaykh : Here, yes.

Another questioner : Is he old?
Al-Halabi : A young man, a young man.

The Shaykh : I think that this continuous effort to respond to the people of the Sunnah is not from him alone. There are people cooperating with him, I believe.
Al-Halabi : Our Shaykh, do you remember...

The Shaykh : Because it is absolutely not possible, this continuity...

Another questioner : Quickly...

The Shaykh : I tell you, it is absolutely not possible. Then, I do not think that at this age and at this first meeting when he came here on the basis that we would discuss tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) with him...
Al-Halabi : Eight or nine years ago. He came here and visited...The Shaykh : .

The Shaykh : Ah, meaning by phone with whom? With al-Suqaf, yes. We agreed by phone that he would come to my house here and we would discuss the topic of tawassul with him...
Al-Halabi : Nine years ago, this was the case, not now.

The Shaykh : Yes, the point is, he came, and guests came to me, so he refused to enter the research and said, "I want a private session." I said to him, "Why? If you have the truth, let the people know it, and if the truth is with me, let the people know it," and so on. He said, "I want a private session." Since that day, I have not met him except by chance, until about a few months ago. Here, a young American man named Noah, a young man. I also met him about a year ago in a gathering where we were with some of our brothers. He was asking scholarly questions, so I took an interest in him and ignored all the others and discussed with him, when I sensed his interest in knowledge. Then I wished to meet him, so I mediated through one of our brothers who knows him. I said, "My brother, set an appointment for me." I went and visited him in his house. He has a modest house like this. These people, you see, are content with a life of austerity that no Muslim would accept, except as Allah wills. The important thing is, in a very narrow entrance to a modest house consisting of a single room, which is the guest room, and behind it a dark room where his wife is. The important thing is, I entered and sat, and I was surprised to find al-Suqaf in front of me. I did not notice him until I found him standing. The important thing.

Another questioner : A question, Shaykh, a question off the topic.

The Shaykh : Please.

Another questioner : You said you met by chance, and as you know, some say "coincidence." Do you avoid this expression?

The Shaykh : I avoided it on the basis of "leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt," but I do not see anything wrong with it.

Another questioner: May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : Yes, the point is, and if the man was standing in front of me in respect, he claimed, so I said to him, "Sit." He said, "No, we respect scholars," and so on. I said, "You respect scholars and you did what you did. I have no conversation with you." And I turned to our brother Noah and began to answer his questions. One of his questions was, look, how this wicked one is taught from misguidance: "Is it true that Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is in the Fire, or is he among the people of the Fire?" I said, "I seek refuge in Allah from what you say." He said, "This is what he tells me." And I spoke to him about what is not hidden from you, that he is a Companion, and such, and these people...