Continuation of Ibrahim Shuqara's speech on purification, education, and methodology.

The questioner : I do not think that we, all of us in this gathering that now includes us, and in other gatherings we are accustomed to where we acquire much knowledge from our Shaykh, do not affirm to the entire world every day that the methodology of truth cannot but bear its fruits and yield its produce. I do not say that the fruits of this methodology or its produce come through greed for a matter in which many groups and numerous parties have been greedy; rather, I say it comes through the truth that our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought to the world, and our Shaykh pointed to it in his saying, as Allah the Exalted said: . This methodology stands on two great pillars or foundations, namely purification and education. I believe that the one who established this theory, or spoke of it, or at least revived it, had no one after the first centuries to credit for its revival except our Shaykh (may Allah preserve him). Purification and education in creed, Shari'ah, rulings, action, and conduct is what every Muslim should strive for. Therefore, my advice to my brothers in this gathering and in other gatherings consists of three matters. The first matter is that we should strive for knowledge with a striving that binds us to it with a firm bond that we do not break and that does not break from us, and we do not see salvation for our minds and hearts in anything other than it. As for the salvation of the minds, it is represented by thought, independent legal reasoning, and good reception, and taking from this knowledge to the extent that it raises the minds and educates them, enabling them to distinguish between the bad and the good, to repel falsehood with truth, and to elevate guidance to obliterate misguidance and deviation. Second, we should do good with this knowledge that we receive and strive for, and we should not disdain any part of the knowledge absolutely. Rather, we must seek out all its issues and know with certainty that one of us does not increase in seeking knowledge and striving for it except in a striving that drives him to another striving. For whenever he knows, and whenever he strives and rises, and thinks he has taken a share of knowledge, he realizes that he is still in a great deal of ignorance and lack of knowledge. Therefore, it was said in the past: "Whoever thinks he has become a scholar has increased in ignorance." Thus, we must strive for the seeking of knowledge with intense striving and seek it in its proper places from which we know much, much. There is no need to explain these books, these sources, and these correct scholarly methodologies on which we were raised and educated, and that is a favor from Allah that He grants to whom He wills. Undoubtedly, a person cannot be truly upright on the path, and be that person who belongs to this methodology, and consider himself that he is walking in the footsteps of the Chosen One (peace and blessings be upon him), and that he is a person who distinguishes him from people, or that something distinguishes him from people, making him apparent among them by his conduct, except this correct knowledge. From this, we know that we must learn, and I say learn and learn, and no one should think that if he has acquired some issues or read some books of exegesis, hadith, jurisprudence, Arabic, or otherwise, that he has acquired much knowledge. Knowledge does not end, and the scholar remains a scholar as long as he seeks knowledge. This is a matter we must affirm for ourselves, make it our habit, and make it part of our worship of our Lord, for the worship of Allah does not become upright except with knowledge and is not accepted except with knowledge. The conduct of each of us should be strictly regulated by what he learns. I am repeating and talking around some moral matters that, unfortunately, perhaps need at least constant reminder from us. The first thing we should learn from knowledge is to have good opinion of our Muslim brothers, not only those who are on our methodology, but also those who are on other methodologies, as long as we know that they do the truth, say the truth, and adhere to the truth. Another thing we should learn is that we should be lenient with one another in our private and public gatherings, and that our defense of ourselves is that we know our worth by the knowledge we received from these great, abundant books, especially what our Shaykh wrote for us and presented to us in creed, jurisprudence, men, rules of hadith transmission, and other high scholarly matters that no one can hitThe student : There is no goal that he has not achieved for himself through it, gaining much good. Another point that we should mention is that, since we are discussing these matters of morals and etiquette, the morals of the da'iyah (caller to Islam) will not be sound unless he guards himself against the honor of his brothers and allows himself to think well of them, at least regarding what he knows of their good belief and creed, and their adherence to the methodology as well. And let us forgive one another for the slip that one makes, so that his foot remains firm and does not slip, because just as others slip, he too slips, and just as he is exposed to the criticism and fault-finding of others, he too is subjected to the same treatment he has given others. The third matter, and the third issue, is that we call people with insight (basirah). Insight is not sufficient if it is merely knowledge; rather, knowledge and application must go together. For the da'iyah is not a caller by his tongue alone, but he is a caller by his conduct and his actions. If people see from him good conduct, committed action, and complete emulation of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and if he takes himself to all of this, then people will come to him and take from him, and Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) will bless his knowledge and his calling of people, and Allah will benefit people greatly through him. This is a matter that we should also strive for with the utmost effort. I advise my brothers with these three matters, and I advise myself with them before them, even though I know that I am among the first to fall short. But there is no harm in us reminding one another of the right that we are obligated to uphold or the error that we fall into, so that the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) among us is a present witness, as long as we move on the surface of the earth and as long as we believe in ourselves that we are upon the methodology of the truth, if Allah wills. And a final thing, my brothers, which I say frankly: speech is much and action is little. If action prevails or if it exceeds speech, then that is an indication of well-being and health. But if speech exceeds action, then it is the exact opposite. Therefore, silence should be where it is due, and speech should be where speech is due. We learned all of this from the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And we also learned it from that wisdom which says: "Whoever speaks much, his errors increase, and whoever his errors increase, his sins increase." Therefore, we must restrain our tongues with the bridle of the etiquette of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so that we may be, if Allah wills, callers with insight, and we know that, if Allah wills, we are upon this true methodology that we are upon by the permission of Allah the Exalted. I also say another thing in response to the words of our Shaykh: what we see among Muslims today of these ideological deviations that lead many of the young Muslims astray from the straight path and cause them to fall into such trials that burn with their fire and nearly consume them—I say that what is happening now in our Islamic world is undoubtedly caused by ignorance. Ignorance of what? Ignorance of the creed of Islam, which necessitates action with sincerity and truth, and in accordance with what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were upon after him. From here, we should advise our brothers as much as we are able, by correspondence, by writing, by conversation, by face-to-face speech, by tape, by book. We should advise our Muslim brothers; our effort, our speech, or our advice should not be confined to a specific group, but rather it should encompass the corners of the earth, and our goal should be all Muslims in every corner of the world. We should advise them to change this methodology completely and to follow the best path to it, which is the path of the Chosen One (peace and blessings be upon him). Whoever strays from this path has strayed from guidance, distanced himself from the truth, and deviated from the correct course. I ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) that we may always be worthy of the good opinion people have of us, and that He may make us among the callers who hold themselves to the etiquette of Islam, the creed of Islam, and the methodology of Islam. May Allah prolong the life of our Shaykh, may Allah reward him with good, so that Muslims may benefit from him as they have benefited from him for a long time, for many decades, as he stands in the service of this call. I do not think that any of us is unaware that the favor is from Allah, first and last, in the spread of this call. And we do not forget that the favor of Allah has bestowed upon us our Shaykh, may Allah reward him with good, so that Allah facilitated through his hand, his pen, his tongue, and his mind the spread of this knowledge in the horizons of the world. We ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to gather us always upon good, to guide us to what is in the rectification of our affairs in this world and the Hereafter, to keep us firm upon the truth, to bind us to the word of mindfulness of Allah, and to make us the most deserving of it and its people, if Allah wills. May Allah reward you with good, and may Allah reward our brother Ibrahim al-Hashimi for this question which our Shaykh discussed or answered with this great, wonderful, and sound answer, which I hope Allah will make a cause of good for us and for all Muslims. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good and do you good.