The Shaykh Al-Albani’s request for a debate with Shaykh Taki al-Din al-Nabhani and his refusal.

The Shaykh : And the youth there in Damascus are eager for a meeting between me and this man.The Shaykh : So that they may know, I mean, the truth, because as you know, in every place some people are confused, wondering who is right and who is wrong. And I always say that I am ready to meet with anyone. I compare my situation in terms of benefit to a saw that goes up and down: if I meet with someone more knowledgeable than me, I benefit from him; if I meet with someone less knowledgeable than me, I benefit him. So I am the one who benefits in any case. And this is what they offered to Taki when he came later. The offer came from our brother Abu Hamdi al-Jazairi, do you know him?The Shaykh : His younger brother, whose name is Abd al-Rahman, used to attend my lessons frequently, and we considered him one of us and among us. But I later learned that he attends the circles of Taki al-Din. And of course, we do not warn against that, because we believe in the saying, "By its opposite, things become clear." So when I learned that he attends, I told him, if he attends, I will request an appointment with him. And indeed, my request was presented to him, but he excused himself, saying he did not have time. I rejected this excuse and said, I know from Taki al-Din’s news that he is very active in da'wah. He may be like me, or above me, or below me; the important thing is that he is active and that he meets even with ordinary people in order to call them to his party. So why does he excuse himself from meeting a person who is, at the very least, a student of knowledge? So I asked him to convey my response to his excuse. The answer came back that he would meet me and convince me in another occasion, if Allah wills, that he also does not have time. Days passed and days came, and I was surprised to see him at my shop for repairing watches. The shop was divided into two sections: the external section was my watch shop, and the internal section was a modest library, because first, I was a beginner in seeking knowledge, and second, I used to frequent the Zahiriyyah Library. I was surprised by his arrival, so I welcomed him and took him into the library. He thanked me and appreciated it, and I don't know what else, and so on. And I excused myself, saying my time is very, very tight, and the first opportunity that arises to meet you and benefit from your knowledge and your beautiful and sweet speech. He concluded his speech by saying that we hope that if you have observations on some of our questions, you will present them to us, and we will look at them with consideration. I answered him frankly, saying, Professor, this is not enough, because just as you want to benefit from what I have, I also, in return, want to benefit from what you have. And I entered into an experiment with you here. The point is, I entered into an experiment where I wrote a response to your article on the prohibition of renting land. And to this day, and years have passed, I do not know whether I am wrong or right. You have certainly benefited, and the benefit may have been that you confirmed your correctness and my error, or the opposite. But if it were the opposite, you would have confirmed my correctness by sending me the response. And therefore, I am not convinced merely by my writing my opinion on some issues where I have a viewpoint, so that you benefit, while I want a counterpart; I want to benefit. So he did not prolong the conversation with me, but said, in any case, I apologize, my time is tight, and the first opportunity that arises for me, I will hasten to meet you. That was the meaning of his words. And peace be upon you, and upon you peace as well. Days passed and days came, and I was insistent on the meeting. And then he sent, I mean, a young man from Tripoli of Syria, who was visibly affected by his da'wah and had some Islamic culture. He came to my shop, and we outlined the discussion. The first meeting we met, and the discussion went as a first discussion, which was not bad. We agreed on a second appointment, but the man who brought him to me, Abd al-Rahman al-Jazairi, did not come according to the appointment. Days passed, he did not come. What is the news? He said, by Allah, the intelligence caught up with him, so he returned to Tripoli. May it be well, if Allah wills. Again, days passed, and our brother Mahmoud Istanbuli, do you know him? You know him? He was one of our Salafi brothers there, the ones who attended our lessons. This man had... the important thing is, one day I was in the shop, the telephone rang. Peace be upon you, and upon you peace. Prepare yourself, may it be well, if Allah wills. He said, we have arranged a meeting for you with
Abu Malik: Yes.

The Shaykh : Taki al-Din, so get an appointment for us from him. Of course, Istanbuli says that I did not mention you. And indeed, he got an appointment from him and he agreed.The Shaykh : I think it was a Monday, and certainly after the 'Asr prayer, because we prayed 'Asr in the mosque there, up above. We went and prayed, and we sat. The worshippers dispersed, and we remained four or five. Among them was Professor Muzhir al-'Udmi (may Allah have mercy on him), who was the editor or head of the journal al-Tamaddun al-Islami, and the lawyer Muhammad Kamil al-Khatib, the secretary of the association. And there was also, at that time, among those sitting, a man who was... and upon you peace, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose name is Salah al-Din al-Shash. The important thing is, he did not prolong the waiting. And then one of the group, whose face was toward the door, sawThe Shaykh : him coming. So he stood up, they stood up, and I also stood up, as if I were the last of them.The Shaykh : Taki al-Din, from his reports, is very active in da'wah. He may be like me, or better than me, or less than me; the important thing is that he is active and that he meets even with ordinary people in order to call them to his party. So why does he make excuses about meeting a person who is, at the very least, a student of knowledge? I hope you will convey my reply to his excuse, or his apology. The answer came back that he is at another event and that, if Allah wills, he will meet me and convince me that he also does not have time. Days passed and days came, and I was surprised to see him while I was in my watch-repairing shop. The shop was divided into two sections: the outer section was my workshop, and the inner section was a modest library, because first I was a beginner in seeking knowledge, and second, I used to frequent the Zahiriyyah Library. I was surprised by his arrival, so I welcomed him and took him into the library. He expressed thanks and appreciation, and I do not know what else, and so on. I apologized, saying that my time is very, very tight, and that the first opportunity that arises for me to meet you and benefit from your knowledge and your beautiful, sweet speech will be taken. He concluded by saying that we hope that if you have observations on some of our questions, you will submit them to us, and we will look at them with consideration. I answered him frankly, saying, "Professor, this is not enough, because just as you want to benefit from what I have, I also, in return, want to benefit from what you have. I entered into an experience with you here. The point is, I entered into an experience with you; I wrote a response to your article on the prohibition of renting land, and to this day, and years have passed, I do not know whether I am wrong or right. You certainly benefited, and the benefit may have been that you confirmed your correctness and my error, or the reverse. But if it were the reverse, you would have confirmed my correctness by sending me the response. Therefore, I am not convinced merely by my writing my opinion on some issues where I have a viewpoint, so that you benefit, while I want a return; I want to benefit. He did not prolong the conversation with me, but said, 'In any case, I apologize; my time is tight, and the first opportunity that arises for me, I will hasten to meet you.' That was the meaning of his words. Peace be upon you, and upon you be peace as well. Days passed and days came, and I was keen on the meeting. Then he sent, I mean, a young man from Tripoli of Syria, who was visibly affected by his da'wah and had some knowledge of Islamic law. He came to my shop, and we outlined the discussion plan. Our first meeting took place, and the discussion proceeded as a first discussion, which was not bad. We agreed on a second appointment. The man who brought him to me, Abd al-Rahman al-Jazairi, did not come according to the appointment. Days passed and he did not come. What is the news? He said, 'By Allah, the intelligence services caught up with him, so he returned to Tripoli. May Allah do well, if Allah wills.' Days passed, and then our brother Mahmoud Istanbuli—you know him, don't you? He was one of our Salafi brothers there, attending our lessons. This man had a certain character. One day, I was in the shop, and the telephone rang. 'Peace be upon you,' he said, 'and upon you be peace. Prepare yourself. May Allah do well, if Allah wills. We have arranged a meeting for you with'The Shaykh : And upon you peace and Allah's mercy and blessings. Welcome.The Shaykh : By Allah, Shaykh, just let's get this audio recorder going so we can put our brother Abu Layli at ease.The Shaykh : I think it was a Monday, and certainly after the 'Asr prayer, because we prayed 'Asr in the mosque there, then we went and prayed and sat down. The worshippers dispersed, and we remained, four or five of us. Among them was Professor Muzhir al-'Udumi (may Allah have mercy on him), who was the editor or head of the journal al-Tamaddun al-Islami, and lawyer Muhammad Kamil al-Khatib, the secretary of the association. There was also, at that time, among those present, a man who was... and upon you be peace, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, named Salah al-Din al-Shash. In any case, he did not keep us waiting long, and when one of the group, whose face was toward the door, sawThe Shaykh : him coming, he stood up, they stood up, and I stood up as well, as if I were the last of them.The Shaykh : He was about to enter the mosque when he was surprised to see me. He said, 'Excuse me, I came to apologize.' They said, 'Professor, we have an appointment and are waiting for you,' and so on. He said, 'By Allah, a necessary matter arose, and I have no time. Peace be upon you,' and he left again. So my intention is that this condition, my brother, is very difficult to fulfill, and therefore the matter should not be taken as a primary condition.

Another questioner : Peace be upon you

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Welcome.

Another questioner : By Allah, Shaykh, just let us finish, is the audio recorder on, so that we can put our brother Abu Layla at ease?

The Shaykh : Yes, but I do not think you will succeed. This is correct; there is no debate about this.