'Ali Khushan read from the book of Salman (Chapter on Common Errors in Matters of Public Benefit and Harm) and the Shaykh’s commentary on it.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Among the common errors today regarding the topic of public benefit and harm
"And this rule regarding the conflict of benefits and harms is unknown to many people, so they fall into great errors, and perhaps they blame others for doing the best and most complete, and praise them for doing the lesser, due to the weakness of their insight, or their preference for what they perceive as safety and scrupulousness, due to the weakness of their jurisprudence. Otherwise, scrupulousness is not merely in leaving what is doubtful to be forbidden or disliked, but scrupulousness is also in doing what is doubtful to be recommended or obligatory. And among the errors that some of the religious and jurists of our time fall into is the following: First, that their preference for safety in themselves and fear of fitnah (trial) leads them to withdraw from the places of evil and stay away from them, despite their ability to visit them and rebuke their owners and change them, either by hand or by tongue. This is out of fear for themselves that something of the dregs or dust of these evils might reach them, or that something of their darkness and blackness might reach their hearts. The reality is that the strongest people in certainty, the most solid in religion, the broadest in knowledge, and the most steadfast, when they engage in calling to Allah among the polytheists, the People of the Book, or the open sinners, or the people of innovation, or the like, may not feel the spirit, the happiness of the heart, and the sweetness of faith that others feel who reside among the people of goodness, jurisprudence, and worship. And yet, the work and calling they perform may be far superior in stages to what those others perform, and they may have merit and goodness that those others do not have.
And bearing slight harm in order to obtain a greater benefit is a matter required by the Shari'ah and by reason. And what the one engaged in forbidding evil loses in terms of the comfort of the heart and its expansion due to his frequent seeing of evils and his distress and annoyance at them, and then the heart being affected by that and its radiance weakening, is considered a slight matter in comparison to the great benefit that corresponds to it, which is guiding the people, establishing the proof against them, commanding them to do what is right, forbidding them from what is wrong, and bearing the collective obligation on behalf of others. Indeed, these matters may be individual obligations upon him according to the previous details. And likewise what he fears for himself... "
The Shaykh : A moment, does this statement imply that it is permissible for the Muslim caller to burn himself in order to save others?
The questioner : No, he does not see it that way, but his words will clarify.
The Shaykh : ... ؟ .
The questioner : His words will come later that can... cover it all.
The Shaykh : We will wait to see.
The questioner :"And likewise what he fears for himself from its challenging him to the evils"
Abu Malik: In fact... I say that he should have, if he wanted to speak on this issue and adopt it, distinguished between... meaning, if the caller is sound, can he change, for example, an evil? Is it permissible for him to enter a place that is infested with evils and immorality, where evil circulates or is pursued... with strength and activity in order to command? And this is, of course, enjoining good and forbidding evil, which may result in a slight benefit being realized, or a harm may be realized upon him, and this harm may befall him and hinder him and prevent him from continuing the effort in enjoining good and forbidding evil... in this calling?
The questioner : He is now speaking about the topic of methods of change.
Abu Malik: He should have distinguished between one matter and another, meaning, for example, the matter that is agreed upon.
The questioner : The chapter on errors must be completed, and then one looks at what was presented and what was delayed, and where he fell short? So that we can complete the research... As for this sentence, we cannot judge based on it alone.
Abu Malik: Okay, okay.
The questioner : He says "And likewise what he fears for himself from its challenging him to the evils and calling him to them, despite what corresponds to that of faith and fear of Allah. As for the one who sees in himself a clear inclination to these evils—especially the evils related to desires, such as uncovering, tabarruj (display of adornment), and free mixing... and the like—and finds in himself a strong concern for them, then it is fitting for him to stay away from them seeking the safety of his soul from them. And in this matter, people differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls and forget that safety is also in standing against the people of evils, harassing them, and restraining them. It is obligatory upon the students of knowledge, the callers, and the jurists to perform enjoining good and forbidding evil on every level..."
The Shaykh : ... Does this phrase not confirm what I said earlier that it is permissible for a person to burn himself in order to save others?
The questioner : No, falling into evil.
The Shaykh : We thought... repeat it for us, let us stop at every sentence. What did he say about the scrupulous people he mentioned?
The questioner : He said, "And in this matter, people differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls."
The Shaykh : Often what...
The questioner : They differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls and forget that safety.
The Shaykh : Stop, is this a criticism or not?
The questioner : It is a criticism.
The Shaykh : So do they throw themselves [into harm] because of performing that obligation?
The questioner : He said that the one who is predominantly afraid to the extent that he...
The Shaykh : ... He spoke about these "and they forget", so he does not want to be like these people.
The questioner : He is now dealing with matters that are imagined, matters of predominant suspicion. The one who has a predominant suspicion should stay away, whereas in matters that are sometimes mere illusion.
The Shaykh : ... Is he speaking?
The questioner : About the people of reality.
The Shaykh : You say there are two categories, which category is he speaking about here?
The questioner : In any case, the scrupulous people are also two categories: a category in which there is weakness, and a category in which there is not...
The Shaykh : The question, may Allah bless you, which category is it, I mean? My dear, answer, but think about the question and answer it: does it mean one of the two categories?
The questioner : I mean, many of the scrupulous people who have strength, they forget the matter.
The Shaykh : Where is this statement that they have strength?
The questioner : He spoke first about the first group, as for the one who sees in himself a clear inclination to these evils.
The Shaykh : Seeing in himself a clear inclination, does this mean he has strength?
The questioner : No, weakness, this is little... it does not become...
The Shaykh : My brother, be patient, does this have strength or weakness, what does he say about him?
The questioner : About him, it is fitting for him to stay away from them seeking the safety of his soul, this is the one who is of the weak type... he has no room, so it is fitting for him to stay away from them seeking the safety of his soul from them. And in this matter, people differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls and forget that safety is also in standing against the people of evils and harassing them.
The Shaykh : ... And they prefer the safety of their souls... from which of these?
The questioner : This is from the implication of all his words, because I read some other words before, so I understood the whole content.
The Shaykh : Okay, what is the other statement?
The questioner : It is obligatory upon the students of knowledge, the callers, and the jurists to perform enjoining good and forbidding evil on every level and to rebuke the owners of deviations.
The Shaykh : ... Does he respond to what the professor said or not?
The questioner : There is more to come after this that will elaborate on the matter. It is obligatory for students of knowledge, callers to Allah, and those who study Islamic jurisprudence to carry out enjoining good and forbidding evil on every level, and to rebuke those with moral deviations and those with ideological deviations, such that every person does what he is able to do, and what is appropriate to his condition and the condition of the one he is rebuking. It is necessary to establish the proof against these and those, and against others from the people of evil, whether from the elite or from others, in order to remove the state of being a stranger from the Shari'ah, which came to establish good and command it, and to reject evil and forbid it. It is not possible to completely distance oneself from the deviants among the carriers of atheistic and secular ideas, and from the people of religious innovation and doctrinal deviations, and from the people of moral harms, on the pretext of fear of being influenced by them. Rather, whoever finds in himself some degree of scholarly competence and personal standing in this matter must perform the duty of enjoining and forbidding, conveying the message, and establishing the proof.
The gist of this means he finds in himself some degree of competence, and here he said, "such that every person does what he is able to do, and what is appropriate to his condition and the condition of the one he is rebuking," meaning according to his capacity. Second, among the errors as well is what is found among the masses of students of knowledge.
Abu Malik: ... If these are real examples, meaning ... in the previous speech.
The Shaykh : No, perhaps the answer is that the speech has not yet ended.
The questioner : There is a complete chapter that deals with the issue of change and entering the bars and other places and breaking them, and that this is not permissible ... He says, "And among the errors as well is what is found among the masses of students of knowledge and callers in this age: shying away from taking on tasks that involve public benefit, and shying away from stepping forward to teach or guide or lead, out of disdain for fame and status, and aversion to notoriety, and preferring obscurity and concealment and staying away from the spotlight. Some of them may cling to phrases attributed to some of the Salaf in this sense, which indicate their dislike of stepping forward, and their annoyance at people's exalting them, and their hatred of themselves. And perhaps he argues with the saying of Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani "I was mentioned, and I do not like to be mentioned", and the saying of al-Thawri "And if you see a man who has been mentioned in a town for recitation and worship, and has risen in it by name, and the voice has been stirred by him, and he has not left it, then do not hope for his good", and with the saying of some of them "I am not worthy of this; someone else will do it from among those whom Allah has given the ability, and it is injustice to the people for me to do this matter" ... and so on from the weak justifications and excuses that, if the one who uses them as a pretext were to account for himself with a true, frank, and sincere accounting, he would realize that they do not stand and are not valid, and he would be the first to criticize them.
The Shaykh : This speech has a continuation, Shaykh Ali?
Abu Malik: ... By Allah, this is serious speech, my brother Ali, and this is enough that ... the whole book ...
The questioner :"And the reality is that the people who are most ascetic regarding these matters are, in general, the most competent and qualified for them, despite the deficiency and shortcoming in them.
And if you leave the sincere ones who are ascetic regarding fame and status out of these arenas, you make them a fertile ground for every one who is not qualified for them from the carriers of terrestrial ideologies, and from those who display goodness while they are the opposite of it, and from the sheikhs of religious innovation and Sufism, and from the seekers of fame who are eager to gain the respect, praise, and commendation of people. And among the results of this is that those who represent religion in Islamic societies become of these deviant types, and that the people of knowledge, the Sunnah, and righteousness become distant from these arenas, sequestered in their homes and gatherings, hardly heard of by anyone. And this state may please them, and they may excuse themselves by saying that they are in a state of being strangers, and that this is the price of being a stranger! And that they are in a state of being strangers is a reality, but this is not the affair of the strangers, nor are these their characteristics. The successful stranger who is eager to be under the banner of the victorious group that carries out the command of Allah, his affair is jihad in every arena, speaking out with the truth, and working to remove this state of being a stranger from the religion and its laws and its people who hold fast to it, and his affair is not to prefer safety and participate in tightening the noose of being a stranger around himself, even if he does not feel it. And he has a role model in the first strangers, with whom the religion began on their hands, where the feeling of being a stranger did not increase them except steadfastness upon the truth, enthusiasm for it, patience with it, and jihad in it, until Allah achieved through their hands the most complete and perfect victory for this religion, and Allah removed the state of being a stranger from it through them, and their love for obscurity and aversion to fame did not prevent them from carrying out the call, jihad, and guidance, even if it resulted in them becoming famous and known against their will. And on this basis the speech of the Salaf is understood. As for us sitting and refraining from the places of explanation and conveying, and enjoining and forbidding, and guidance and calling, and then claiming that this is the state of being a stranger, this is from bad opinion and weak planning. Excusing oneself with incapacity and weakness and the shortcoming of tools and lack of competence are not real justifications for leaving the arena of calling and guidance and withdrawing from it, because among these withdrawers who excuse themselves with weakness and shortcoming are those who criticize many of those who are active in these fields, and mock them, and belittle them, and this is proof that they did not leave the arena for one who is more competent than them, and more capable, and more knowledgeable, and purer in intention, and straighter in conduct, but for one who is less, and weaker, and more ignorant, by their own admission. And often the devilish deterrents that entice to comfort and sitting are confused with the desire to deal with comfortable, quiet works, such as reading, research, and worship ... and the like, and these and that are confused with contempt for oneself and belittling and despising it, until these matters appear to their owner as a type of correct Salafi asceticism, and they are not of it in any way.
Rather, the one who follows and is eager for the good of his own self and the good of the Muslims, who is eager to remove the state of being a stranger from himself and from them, is the one who exerts what he has of knowledge and understanding and jurisprudence—even if it is little—without claiming what is not his, and he is the one who competes with the people of misguidance and religious innovation in leading and guiding Islamic societies, and he benefits from the opportune moments in that, with his intense eagerness for the safety of his self from attachment to the dunya, status, and position among people, and his jihad against that in that"
Another questioner: O our Shaykh, there is an observation: do you not see that this speech is the same, but in another form, as the argument that the Muslim Brotherhood and others use to enter the arenas of parliaments and democracies and the like?
The Shaykh : It is without a doubt, my brother, our brother Ali is ... more than us in saying: the speech has not yet ended, so we must look at the end of the article.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : My brother, but he is the one who read the topic before.
The questioner : I read it before, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : You read it? Then let us take his opinion; has the topic ended or not yet?
Another questioner: The speech ...
The questioner : No, he is in his speech ... I do not mean that his speech is entirely correct and that I have no criticism of it, but I say let us complete his speech, let us complete the paragraph, and then the speech will be.
The Shaykh : ... May Allah bless you, whenever we stop at ... its explanation will come later.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : ... And this ... if this ... it is the same that is repeated, so until when, meaning ...?
The questioner : ... A problem ... and his speech, meaning, Subhan Allah ...
Abu Malik: ... One question, the brother ... said: "And on this basis the speech of the Salaf is understood," good, this is a good thing ... on this basis that he understood it, but which Salaf are these? Who are they?
The questioner : He mentioned Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani ...
Abu Malik: It is a mention of speech... but how is it to be understood in light of... what he intended first? ... We said: It is the Salaf, as they say... so do you see whether... the Salaf in this matter, and have they... all understood it in one way without disagreement? ... Second, do you think that when the Salaf were... whether the Salaf who... due to the Prophethood or due to the Message, until... or after... the Message, when Islam began to weaken, strengthening at times and weakening at others until the end, do you think he can mention examples from historical reality regarding these time periods or these centuries, and what was in the early period or was... can he give an example or examples of what... the Salaf in the manner of...? Therefore, in truth... greatly, and may Allah forgive our brother and reward him with good for what he did well, if his intention was good, and I do not think it was anything but good, if Allah wills.
The questioner : In any case, I do not understand from him what our brother Shaykh Ali mentioned, that he wants by this the parliaments... I do not understand this, but I understand from him that every believer must perform the obligation of forbidding it, otherwise...
"And this rule regarding the conflict of benefits and harms is unknown to many people, so they fall into great errors, and perhaps they blame others for doing the best and most complete, and praise them for doing the lesser, due to the weakness of their insight, or their preference for what they perceive as safety and scrupulousness, due to the weakness of their jurisprudence. Otherwise, scrupulousness is not merely in leaving what is doubtful to be forbidden or disliked, but scrupulousness is also in doing what is doubtful to be recommended or obligatory. And among the errors that some of the religious and jurists of our time fall into is the following: First, that their preference for safety in themselves and fear of fitnah (trial) leads them to withdraw from the places of evil and stay away from them, despite their ability to visit them and rebuke their owners and change them, either by hand or by tongue. This is out of fear for themselves that something of the dregs or dust of these evils might reach them, or that something of their darkness and blackness might reach their hearts. The reality is that the strongest people in certainty, the most solid in religion, the broadest in knowledge, and the most steadfast, when they engage in calling to Allah among the polytheists, the People of the Book, or the open sinners, or the people of innovation, or the like, may not feel the spirit, the happiness of the heart, and the sweetness of faith that others feel who reside among the people of goodness, jurisprudence, and worship. And yet, the work and calling they perform may be far superior in stages to what those others perform, and they may have merit and goodness that those others do not have.
And bearing slight harm in order to obtain a greater benefit is a matter required by the Shari'ah and by reason. And what the one engaged in forbidding evil loses in terms of the comfort of the heart and its expansion due to his frequent seeing of evils and his distress and annoyance at them, and then the heart being affected by that and its radiance weakening, is considered a slight matter in comparison to the great benefit that corresponds to it, which is guiding the people, establishing the proof against them, commanding them to do what is right, forbidding them from what is wrong, and bearing the collective obligation on behalf of others. Indeed, these matters may be individual obligations upon him according to the previous details. And likewise what he fears for himself... "
The Shaykh : A moment, does this statement imply that it is permissible for the Muslim caller to burn himself in order to save others?
The questioner : No, he does not see it that way, but his words will clarify.
The Shaykh : ... ؟ .
The questioner : His words will come later that can... cover it all.
The Shaykh : We will wait to see.
The questioner :"And likewise what he fears for himself from its challenging him to the evils"
Abu Malik: In fact... I say that he should have, if he wanted to speak on this issue and adopt it, distinguished between... meaning, if the caller is sound, can he change, for example, an evil? Is it permissible for him to enter a place that is infested with evils and immorality, where evil circulates or is pursued... with strength and activity in order to command? And this is, of course, enjoining good and forbidding evil, which may result in a slight benefit being realized, or a harm may be realized upon him, and this harm may befall him and hinder him and prevent him from continuing the effort in enjoining good and forbidding evil... in this calling?
The questioner : He is now speaking about the topic of methods of change.
Abu Malik: He should have distinguished between one matter and another, meaning, for example, the matter that is agreed upon.
The questioner : The chapter on errors must be completed, and then one looks at what was presented and what was delayed, and where he fell short? So that we can complete the research... As for this sentence, we cannot judge based on it alone.
Abu Malik: Okay, okay.
The questioner : He says "And likewise what he fears for himself from its challenging him to the evils and calling him to them, despite what corresponds to that of faith and fear of Allah. As for the one who sees in himself a clear inclination to these evils—especially the evils related to desires, such as uncovering, tabarruj (display of adornment), and free mixing... and the like—and finds in himself a strong concern for them, then it is fitting for him to stay away from them seeking the safety of his soul from them. And in this matter, people differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls and forget that safety is also in standing against the people of evils, harassing them, and restraining them. It is obligatory upon the students of knowledge, the callers, and the jurists to perform enjoining good and forbidding evil on every level..."
The Shaykh : ... Does this phrase not confirm what I said earlier that it is permissible for a person to burn himself in order to save others?
The questioner : No, falling into evil.
The Shaykh : We thought... repeat it for us, let us stop at every sentence. What did he say about the scrupulous people he mentioned?
The questioner : He said, "And in this matter, people differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls."
The Shaykh : Often what...
The questioner : They differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls and forget that safety.
The Shaykh : Stop, is this a criticism or not?
The questioner : It is a criticism.
The Shaykh : So do they throw themselves [into harm] because of performing that obligation?
The questioner : He said that the one who is predominantly afraid to the extent that he...
The Shaykh : ... He spoke about these "and they forget", so he does not want to be like these people.
The questioner : He is now dealing with matters that are imagined, matters of predominant suspicion. The one who has a predominant suspicion should stay away, whereas in matters that are sometimes mere illusion.
The Shaykh : ... Is he speaking?
The questioner : About the people of reality.
The Shaykh : You say there are two categories, which category is he speaking about here?
The questioner : In any case, the scrupulous people are also two categories: a category in which there is weakness, and a category in which there is not...
The Shaykh : The question, may Allah bless you, which category is it, I mean? My dear, answer, but think about the question and answer it: does it mean one of the two categories?
The questioner : I mean, many of the scrupulous people who have strength, they forget the matter.
The Shaykh : Where is this statement that they have strength?
The questioner : He spoke first about the first group, as for the one who sees in himself a clear inclination to these evils.
The Shaykh : Seeing in himself a clear inclination, does this mean he has strength?
The questioner : No, weakness, this is little... it does not become...
The Shaykh : My brother, be patient, does this have strength or weakness, what does he say about him?
The questioner : About him, it is fitting for him to stay away from them seeking the safety of his soul, this is the one who is of the weak type... he has no room, so it is fitting for him to stay away from them seeking the safety of his soul from them. And in this matter, people differ greatly, and many of those who are predominantly righteous and scrupulous prefer the safety of their souls and forget that safety is also in standing against the people of evils and harassing them.
The Shaykh : ... And they prefer the safety of their souls... from which of these?
The questioner : This is from the implication of all his words, because I read some other words before, so I understood the whole content.
The Shaykh : Okay, what is the other statement?
The questioner : It is obligatory upon the students of knowledge, the callers, and the jurists to perform enjoining good and forbidding evil on every level and to rebuke the owners of deviations.
The Shaykh : ... Does he respond to what the professor said or not?
The questioner : There is more to come after this that will elaborate on the matter. It is obligatory for students of knowledge, callers to Allah, and those who study Islamic jurisprudence to carry out enjoining good and forbidding evil on every level, and to rebuke those with moral deviations and those with ideological deviations, such that every person does what he is able to do, and what is appropriate to his condition and the condition of the one he is rebuking. It is necessary to establish the proof against these and those, and against others from the people of evil, whether from the elite or from others, in order to remove the state of being a stranger from the Shari'ah, which came to establish good and command it, and to reject evil and forbid it. It is not possible to completely distance oneself from the deviants among the carriers of atheistic and secular ideas, and from the people of religious innovation and doctrinal deviations, and from the people of moral harms, on the pretext of fear of being influenced by them. Rather, whoever finds in himself some degree of scholarly competence and personal standing in this matter must perform the duty of enjoining and forbidding, conveying the message, and establishing the proof.
The gist of this means he finds in himself some degree of competence, and here he said, "such that every person does what he is able to do, and what is appropriate to his condition and the condition of the one he is rebuking," meaning according to his capacity. Second, among the errors as well is what is found among the masses of students of knowledge.
Abu Malik: ... If these are real examples, meaning ... in the previous speech.
The Shaykh : No, perhaps the answer is that the speech has not yet ended.
The questioner : There is a complete chapter that deals with the issue of change and entering the bars and other places and breaking them, and that this is not permissible ... He says, "And among the errors as well is what is found among the masses of students of knowledge and callers in this age: shying away from taking on tasks that involve public benefit, and shying away from stepping forward to teach or guide or lead, out of disdain for fame and status, and aversion to notoriety, and preferring obscurity and concealment and staying away from the spotlight. Some of them may cling to phrases attributed to some of the Salaf in this sense, which indicate their dislike of stepping forward, and their annoyance at people's exalting them, and their hatred of themselves. And perhaps he argues with the saying of Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani "I was mentioned, and I do not like to be mentioned", and the saying of al-Thawri "And if you see a man who has been mentioned in a town for recitation and worship, and has risen in it by name, and the voice has been stirred by him, and he has not left it, then do not hope for his good", and with the saying of some of them "I am not worthy of this; someone else will do it from among those whom Allah has given the ability, and it is injustice to the people for me to do this matter" ... and so on from the weak justifications and excuses that, if the one who uses them as a pretext were to account for himself with a true, frank, and sincere accounting, he would realize that they do not stand and are not valid, and he would be the first to criticize them.
The Shaykh : This speech has a continuation, Shaykh Ali?
Abu Malik: ... By Allah, this is serious speech, my brother Ali, and this is enough that ... the whole book ...
The questioner :"And the reality is that the people who are most ascetic regarding these matters are, in general, the most competent and qualified for them, despite the deficiency and shortcoming in them.
And if you leave the sincere ones who are ascetic regarding fame and status out of these arenas, you make them a fertile ground for every one who is not qualified for them from the carriers of terrestrial ideologies, and from those who display goodness while they are the opposite of it, and from the sheikhs of religious innovation and Sufism, and from the seekers of fame who are eager to gain the respect, praise, and commendation of people. And among the results of this is that those who represent religion in Islamic societies become of these deviant types, and that the people of knowledge, the Sunnah, and righteousness become distant from these arenas, sequestered in their homes and gatherings, hardly heard of by anyone. And this state may please them, and they may excuse themselves by saying that they are in a state of being strangers, and that this is the price of being a stranger! And that they are in a state of being strangers is a reality, but this is not the affair of the strangers, nor are these their characteristics. The successful stranger who is eager to be under the banner of the victorious group that carries out the command of Allah, his affair is jihad in every arena, speaking out with the truth, and working to remove this state of being a stranger from the religion and its laws and its people who hold fast to it, and his affair is not to prefer safety and participate in tightening the noose of being a stranger around himself, even if he does not feel it. And he has a role model in the first strangers, with whom the religion began on their hands, where the feeling of being a stranger did not increase them except steadfastness upon the truth, enthusiasm for it, patience with it, and jihad in it, until Allah achieved through their hands the most complete and perfect victory for this religion, and Allah removed the state of being a stranger from it through them, and their love for obscurity and aversion to fame did not prevent them from carrying out the call, jihad, and guidance, even if it resulted in them becoming famous and known against their will. And on this basis the speech of the Salaf is understood. As for us sitting and refraining from the places of explanation and conveying, and enjoining and forbidding, and guidance and calling, and then claiming that this is the state of being a stranger, this is from bad opinion and weak planning. Excusing oneself with incapacity and weakness and the shortcoming of tools and lack of competence are not real justifications for leaving the arena of calling and guidance and withdrawing from it, because among these withdrawers who excuse themselves with weakness and shortcoming are those who criticize many of those who are active in these fields, and mock them, and belittle them, and this is proof that they did not leave the arena for one who is more competent than them, and more capable, and more knowledgeable, and purer in intention, and straighter in conduct, but for one who is less, and weaker, and more ignorant, by their own admission. And often the devilish deterrents that entice to comfort and sitting are confused with the desire to deal with comfortable, quiet works, such as reading, research, and worship ... and the like, and these and that are confused with contempt for oneself and belittling and despising it, until these matters appear to their owner as a type of correct Salafi asceticism, and they are not of it in any way.
Rather, the one who follows and is eager for the good of his own self and the good of the Muslims, who is eager to remove the state of being a stranger from himself and from them, is the one who exerts what he has of knowledge and understanding and jurisprudence—even if it is little—without claiming what is not his, and he is the one who competes with the people of misguidance and religious innovation in leading and guiding Islamic societies, and he benefits from the opportune moments in that, with his intense eagerness for the safety of his self from attachment to the dunya, status, and position among people, and his jihad against that in that"
Another questioner: O our Shaykh, there is an observation: do you not see that this speech is the same, but in another form, as the argument that the Muslim Brotherhood and others use to enter the arenas of parliaments and democracies and the like?
The Shaykh : It is without a doubt, my brother, our brother Ali is ... more than us in saying: the speech has not yet ended, so we must look at the end of the article.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : My brother, but he is the one who read the topic before.
The questioner : I read it before, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : You read it? Then let us take his opinion; has the topic ended or not yet?
Another questioner: The speech ...
The questioner : No, he is in his speech ... I do not mean that his speech is entirely correct and that I have no criticism of it, but I say let us complete his speech, let us complete the paragraph, and then the speech will be.
The Shaykh : ... May Allah bless you, whenever we stop at ... its explanation will come later.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : ... And this ... if this ... it is the same that is repeated, so until when, meaning ...?
The questioner : ... A problem ... and his speech, meaning, Subhan Allah ...
Abu Malik: ... One question, the brother ... said: "And on this basis the speech of the Salaf is understood," good, this is a good thing ... on this basis that he understood it, but which Salaf are these? Who are they?
The questioner : He mentioned Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani ...
Abu Malik: It is a mention of speech... but how is it to be understood in light of... what he intended first? ... We said: It is the Salaf, as they say... so do you see whether... the Salaf in this matter, and have they... all understood it in one way without disagreement? ... Second, do you think that when the Salaf were... whether the Salaf who... due to the Prophethood or due to the Message, until... or after... the Message, when Islam began to weaken, strengthening at times and weakening at others until the end, do you think he can mention examples from historical reality regarding these time periods or these centuries, and what was in the early period or was... can he give an example or examples of what... the Salaf in the manner of...? Therefore, in truth... greatly, and may Allah forgive our brother and reward him with good for what he did well, if his intention was good, and I do not think it was anything but good, if Allah wills.
The questioner : In any case, I do not understand from him what our brother Shaykh Ali mentioned, that he wants by this the parliaments... I do not understand this, but I understand from him that every believer must perform the obligation of forbidding it, otherwise...