What is your opinion of the Salafi da'wah in Saudi Arabia and its ambiguity, and what do you say about their loyalty to a specific person?

The questioner : In the name of Allah, and praise is to Allah, and may the prayer and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. After that, there is, O Shaykh, an important question regarding the Salafi da'wah, which is the ambiguity of the Salafi da'wah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, such that it has formed into parties and groups that show loyalty to and hostility toward one another, where the loyalty and hostility are directed at that person. So what is your opinion, O Shaykh? I mean, merely because he is hostile to so-and-so, that group is hostile to this person, and merely because he is loyal to him, the group is likewise loyal to him. So what is your opinion, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : I say, after knowing that praise is to Allah, we praise Him and seek His help and seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the bad deeds of ours. Whomsoever Allah guides, there is no one who can misguide him, and whomsoever He misguides, there is no one who can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. As for what follows, we believe that the cause of this problem that has arisen in recent days goes back to what we always talk about when we say that the Muslim world cannot regain its honor, glory, strength, and immunity merely through the groupings and partisanship as they are...

Another questioner : Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The Shaykh : It is about distancing oneself from two things. The first thing is distancing oneself from the correct knowledge derived from the Book of Allah...

Another questioner : Peace be upon you

The Shaykh : ...and from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and from what our righteous predecessors were upon. These three pillars are what Islamic knowledge should be based on, derived from the Book and the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors. Then, and here is the crux of this answer, Muslims must be raised upon this purified Islam. Now, we always emphasize and talk about it: Have the Muslims returned? And pay attention to the necessity of returning to this correct methodology, for there is no other methodology: the Book and the Sunnah and what the righteous predecessors were upon. Have they returned to this and paid attention? But their return and the awakening they are calling for now is only like the awakening of a sleeper at the first moment of his waking, and he is still restless. Second, it is not yet time for those who have awakened to this correct methodology in the first stage of awakening to raise themselves, and I do not say others, it is not yet time for them to raise themselves upon this purified Islam, let alone to raise others, meaning let alone to be able to establish a nation raised upon this purified Islam. This is the problem. We have, and praise be to Allah, found in the entire Muslim world groups, even if they are scattered in various Islamic lands, groups that hold fast to what we call people to, from the Book and the Sunnah and upon what our righteous predecessors were upon, but they have not raised themselves upon this, let alone raise others. And therefore, the morals now are not Islamic; they are not Salafi morals. Hatred, envy, mutual dislike, and turning away from one another—these morals are not of Islam in any way. So if we find many groups upon the aforementioned methodology, but unfortunately they have not been raised with a correct Islamic upbringing, this is the cause. And therefore, I do not find it strange that there is such conflict and fanaticism. Every party, as Allah the Exalted said: But we must remind ourselves above all that it is not enough to correct our knowledge only, but we must also correct our behavior along with our knowledge, and we must rectify our morals with our behavior. And when such scientific and moral or behavioral reform is realized in the desired group, then the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). So on this basis, I advise every group and every faction that meets with us on a common word As long as we have agreed upon the word of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in His worship, we must also agree upon the morals that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. Indeed, as he said: This is the call of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); his call is not only scientific, but it is scientific and practical. And therefore, Allah the Exalted said, and with this verse I conclude the answer: So when we claim to belong to the Salaf and say we are Salafis, that does not mean we are Salafis in thought but Khulafis in morals and behavior. No, we must combine both matters and not be under the warning mentioned in the noble verse. And we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to guide us all to beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.

The questioner : Amen.