Among the problems of the youth is their failure to consult regarding the matters of da'wah (calling to Islam) they undertake, due to their lack of gathering around the scholars. Is there a guiding word on this?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Noble Shaykh, among the problems of the youth is their failure to consult regarding the matters of da'wah (calling to Islam) they undertake, and this is due to their lack of gathering around the scholars. Is there a guiding word on this?
The Shaykh : Yes, I say that everything has a beginning and an end. The youth are in the beginning stage of their lives, their knowledge, and all their circumstances. They have not experienced life or the evidence as much as those older than them. Therefore, some of the youth, whom Allah has blessed with guidance and some knowledge, are lost in a way that causes them and their da'wah (calling to Islam) to fall. You find one who knows a little of the knowledge and thinks he has reached the goal and is more knowledgeable than the Imams. It was said to me that some of these people, whom Allah has given some knowledge, were questioned about an issue, and it was said to him, "Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Imam of the people of the Sunnah, says so and so." He said, "So what is Imam Ahmad? Is Imam Ahmad a Prophet? Imam Ahmad is a man, and I am a man." Yes, you are a man, but the man in the market who does not know al-Fatihah is also a man. Do you equate yourself with the man in the market who knows nothing but al-Fatihah? If you are a man, and Imam Ahmad is a man, and the man in the market who knows nothing but al-Fatihah is a man, then you are now a man between two men. Either you align yourself with the first, or you align yourself with the second. If you claim that you align with the first, we say to you, no, you align with the second, who knows nothing but al-Fatihah. Are all men equal? No, by Allah, they are not equal. Imam Ahmad, without doubt, is a man and is not infallible, but Imam Ahmad has knowledge, scrupulousness, mindfulness of Allah, and restraint from what is not legislated, which many people do not have. It would have been more fitting for this man to say, "Is this authentic from Imam Ahmad? If this is authentic from Imam Ahmad, then I will look into the matter, review myself, review my evidence, and review what I am in. And if it becomes clear to me from the saying of Allah and His Messenger that the saying of Imam Ahmad is weak, then at that time I will say: There is no infallibility for Imam Ahmad, and the proof is in whom? In the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. As for being answered with this confrontation: 'Imam Ahmad is a man, and I am a man,' this indicates self-admiration, and I seek refuge in Allah, we ask Allah for safety. It indicates disdain for the people of knowledge and the people of truth. Therefore, the young man should not have a sudden surge, because a sudden surge leads to a pitfall. A sudden surge leads to a pitfall. So it is not fitting for you to have a sudden surge. Be deliberate. What you do not grasp today, you will grasp tomorrow, if Allah wills. Tomorrow you will be an Imam and your saying will be a proof. Just be patient for a little. As for you wanting to jump over the walls without their doors, this is a mistake. So what I advise my brothers, whom Allah has blessed with some knowledge, is to be deliberate and not to rush into something that would describe them as anomalous. And I always repeat a rule for the students. I say: "If you see a hadith that contradicts the authentic, established hadiths that the Ummah has accepted, then pause. Do not accept it as valid." Because part of the authenticity of a hadith is that it is not anomalous. And this solitary hadith that is not in the well-known, relied-upon books of the Sunnah, if it contradicts what is in the well-known, relied-upon books of the Sunnah, we must pause regarding it. And we often encounter this thing and come across it. When we return to this hadith that the one who held onto it held onto, we find that it is weak even in the chain, regardless of the text. Regardless of the text. So if you find a hadith that is not in the well-known, relied-upon mother books among the Muslims, pause regarding it. I do not say reject it, because rejecting something without comprehensive knowledge, without encompassing it with knowledge, is a mistake. But I say pause, do not rush. Likewise, if you see an anomalous saying of some scholars that contradicts the saying of the majority, do not rush to adopt it, because the majority may have what this man does not have, and the man may have what the majority does not have. The truth is not exclusive to some people over others. But when you see that this saying is anomalous and contradicts the sayings of the majority of scholars, the important thing is that you be deliberate and look at the evidence of the majority, perhaps they have evidence that you do not know. And here is a point I point out, which in reality disturbs a person, that some people who claim a specific saying, you find they only present what proves this saying and do not look at the evidence of those who contradict them. Until I have found, by Allah, among eminent scholars, those who criticize the narrator if he narrates against their madhhab (school of jurisprudence), and they authenticate him if he narrates what supports their madhhab. This is very dangerous. The truth must be accepted. So I say, unfortunately, that some people present the evidence that supports what they have adopted and neglect the evidence of whom? The others who contradict them. Although it is well known that one cannot establish a saying in the face of the contradicting saying except with two conditions: Pay attention to them, it is also a rule of the rules of debate or disputation. One cannot establish a saying in the face of the contradicting saying except with two conditions:
The first condition: Proving the saying you have established by proving its evidence.
And the second condition: Answering the evidence of the one who contradicts you.
As for coming with what proves your saying and not answering the evidence of the one who contradicts you, this is a deficiency, and it is contrary to justice. Justice is that you come with what proves your saying and answer the evidence of the one who contradicts you, so that this saying is adopted and the doubt is removed. As for what the questioner mentioned about the youth not gathering around the scholars, this is a clear thing. I mean, the reality is not clear, it is a reality. There are some people who do not gather around the scholars, but we must say with justice, and there are some scholars who do not pay attention to the youth. So the reality is that the matter is mutual from both sides. Just as there are some of the youth who gather around the scholars, and some of the scholars who pay attention to the youth. The deficiency exists in this and that. There are some of the scholars who, when the young man or the novice asks him for evidence in the ruling of an issue, he gets angry and says, "What are you, asking me for evidence? You do not know your elbow from your wrist, yet you ask for evidence?!"
And I want to ask now about the elbow and the wrist, who among you knows it? ...But now no one knows it. All right, stand up for us, stand up. Raise your hand. Where is the elbow?
The wrist is this. Look, everyone. The elbow became a wrist. All right, where is the elbow? Rest. Subhan Allah. All right, the elbow is this. And this also, the elbow became a wrist. Rest. All right.
The student: These two bones.
The Shaykh : These two bones, between them. May Allah reward you with good.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, wrong, but you are closer. Rest. La ilaha illa Allah. A scholar who does not know his elbow from his wrist?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : I mean, as the brother said, rest. Yes, and in a poem I recited previously, I think it says:
"And the bone next to the thumb is the elbow, and what is next to the little finger is the wrist, and the wrist is what is in the middle."
The bone next to the thumb, this, this is called the elbow. And what is next to the little finger, this little finger, this is called the wrist. And the wrist is what is in the middle, what is between them.
"And the bone next to the thumb of the foot is called the ankle, so take hold of knowledge and beware of mistake."
It seems the poet knows that people are being killed in it. Beware of mistake. All right, who memorized the two verses? All right, oh Allah, give it to me, the two verses.
The student: And the bone next to the thumb is the elbow, and what is next to the little finger is the wrist, and the wrist is what is in the middle.
The Shaykh : All right, rest. The second verse?
And the bone next to the thumb of the foot is called the ankle, so take hold of knowledge and beware of mistake.
All right, I say that some people, I mean some scholars, get angry at the student of knowledge if he asks him for evidence. And the truth is that he should not be angry about that, but rather he should be happy about it, because the direction of the youth to asking for evidence indicates goodness and that they only want the truth. Because the rulings of the Shari'ah are not established except by evidence. So if you find this novice who seeks knowledge asking about the evidence, say, "Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), he asked for evidence in order to benefit." A person who builds a ruling on evidence benefits in two ways:
The first benefit: Reassurance, that he is reassured.
The second benefit is the argument, for there is no argument without evidence. This is why it is considered a blessing from Allah that a person builds his rulings upon evidence. However, one must be careful not to go too far and be deluded by himself, I mean the seeker of evidence, to the point of looking down on others, as I mentioned previously regarding this man who spoke in a way that indicated self-admiration and contempt for others.
The Shaykh : Yes, I say that everything has a beginning and an end. The youth are in the beginning stage of their lives, their knowledge, and all their circumstances. They have not experienced life or the evidence as much as those older than them. Therefore, some of the youth, whom Allah has blessed with guidance and some knowledge, are lost in a way that causes them and their da'wah (calling to Islam) to fall. You find one who knows a little of the knowledge and thinks he has reached the goal and is more knowledgeable than the Imams. It was said to me that some of these people, whom Allah has given some knowledge, were questioned about an issue, and it was said to him, "Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Imam of the people of the Sunnah, says so and so." He said, "So what is Imam Ahmad? Is Imam Ahmad a Prophet? Imam Ahmad is a man, and I am a man." Yes, you are a man, but the man in the market who does not know al-Fatihah is also a man. Do you equate yourself with the man in the market who knows nothing but al-Fatihah? If you are a man, and Imam Ahmad is a man, and the man in the market who knows nothing but al-Fatihah is a man, then you are now a man between two men. Either you align yourself with the first, or you align yourself with the second. If you claim that you align with the first, we say to you, no, you align with the second, who knows nothing but al-Fatihah. Are all men equal? No, by Allah, they are not equal. Imam Ahmad, without doubt, is a man and is not infallible, but Imam Ahmad has knowledge, scrupulousness, mindfulness of Allah, and restraint from what is not legislated, which many people do not have. It would have been more fitting for this man to say, "Is this authentic from Imam Ahmad? If this is authentic from Imam Ahmad, then I will look into the matter, review myself, review my evidence, and review what I am in. And if it becomes clear to me from the saying of Allah and His Messenger that the saying of Imam Ahmad is weak, then at that time I will say: There is no infallibility for Imam Ahmad, and the proof is in whom? In the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. As for being answered with this confrontation: 'Imam Ahmad is a man, and I am a man,' this indicates self-admiration, and I seek refuge in Allah, we ask Allah for safety. It indicates disdain for the people of knowledge and the people of truth. Therefore, the young man should not have a sudden surge, because a sudden surge leads to a pitfall. A sudden surge leads to a pitfall. So it is not fitting for you to have a sudden surge. Be deliberate. What you do not grasp today, you will grasp tomorrow, if Allah wills. Tomorrow you will be an Imam and your saying will be a proof. Just be patient for a little. As for you wanting to jump over the walls without their doors, this is a mistake. So what I advise my brothers, whom Allah has blessed with some knowledge, is to be deliberate and not to rush into something that would describe them as anomalous. And I always repeat a rule for the students. I say: "If you see a hadith that contradicts the authentic, established hadiths that the Ummah has accepted, then pause. Do not accept it as valid." Because part of the authenticity of a hadith is that it is not anomalous. And this solitary hadith that is not in the well-known, relied-upon books of the Sunnah, if it contradicts what is in the well-known, relied-upon books of the Sunnah, we must pause regarding it. And we often encounter this thing and come across it. When we return to this hadith that the one who held onto it held onto, we find that it is weak even in the chain, regardless of the text. Regardless of the text. So if you find a hadith that is not in the well-known, relied-upon mother books among the Muslims, pause regarding it. I do not say reject it, because rejecting something without comprehensive knowledge, without encompassing it with knowledge, is a mistake. But I say pause, do not rush. Likewise, if you see an anomalous saying of some scholars that contradicts the saying of the majority, do not rush to adopt it, because the majority may have what this man does not have, and the man may have what the majority does not have. The truth is not exclusive to some people over others. But when you see that this saying is anomalous and contradicts the sayings of the majority of scholars, the important thing is that you be deliberate and look at the evidence of the majority, perhaps they have evidence that you do not know. And here is a point I point out, which in reality disturbs a person, that some people who claim a specific saying, you find they only present what proves this saying and do not look at the evidence of those who contradict them. Until I have found, by Allah, among eminent scholars, those who criticize the narrator if he narrates against their madhhab (school of jurisprudence), and they authenticate him if he narrates what supports their madhhab. This is very dangerous. The truth must be accepted. So I say, unfortunately, that some people present the evidence that supports what they have adopted and neglect the evidence of whom? The others who contradict them. Although it is well known that one cannot establish a saying in the face of the contradicting saying except with two conditions: Pay attention to them, it is also a rule of the rules of debate or disputation. One cannot establish a saying in the face of the contradicting saying except with two conditions:
The first condition: Proving the saying you have established by proving its evidence.
And the second condition: Answering the evidence of the one who contradicts you.
As for coming with what proves your saying and not answering the evidence of the one who contradicts you, this is a deficiency, and it is contrary to justice. Justice is that you come with what proves your saying and answer the evidence of the one who contradicts you, so that this saying is adopted and the doubt is removed. As for what the questioner mentioned about the youth not gathering around the scholars, this is a clear thing. I mean, the reality is not clear, it is a reality. There are some people who do not gather around the scholars, but we must say with justice, and there are some scholars who do not pay attention to the youth. So the reality is that the matter is mutual from both sides. Just as there are some of the youth who gather around the scholars, and some of the scholars who pay attention to the youth. The deficiency exists in this and that. There are some of the scholars who, when the young man or the novice asks him for evidence in the ruling of an issue, he gets angry and says, "What are you, asking me for evidence? You do not know your elbow from your wrist, yet you ask for evidence?!"
And I want to ask now about the elbow and the wrist, who among you knows it? ...But now no one knows it. All right, stand up for us, stand up. Raise your hand. Where is the elbow?
The wrist is this. Look, everyone.
Wash your hands to the elbows
اغسلوا أيدكم إلى المرافقThe student: These two bones.
The Shaykh : These two bones, between them. May Allah reward you with good.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, wrong, but you are closer. Rest. La ilaha illa Allah. A scholar who does not know his elbow from his wrist?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : I mean, as the brother said, rest. Yes, and in a poem I recited previously, I think it says:
"And the bone next to the thumb is the elbow, and what is next to the little finger is the wrist, and the wrist is what is in the middle."
The bone next to the thumb, this, this is called the elbow. And what is next to the little finger, this little finger, this is called the wrist. And the wrist is what is in the middle, what is between them.
"And the bone next to the thumb of the foot is called the ankle, so take hold of knowledge and beware of mistake."
It seems the poet knows that people are being killed in it. Beware of mistake. All right, who memorized the two verses? All right, oh Allah, give it to me, the two verses.
The student: And the bone next to the thumb is the elbow, and what is next to the little finger is the wrist, and the wrist is what is in the middle.
The Shaykh : All right, rest. The second verse?
And the bone next to the thumb of the foot is called the ankle, so take hold of knowledge and beware of mistake.
All right, I say that some people, I mean some scholars, get angry at the student of knowledge if he asks him for evidence. And the truth is that he should not be angry about that, but rather he should be happy about it, because the direction of the youth to asking for evidence indicates goodness and that they only want the truth. Because the rulings of the Shari'ah are not established except by evidence. So if you find this novice who seeks knowledge asking about the evidence, say, "Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), he asked for evidence in order to benefit." A person who builds a ruling on evidence benefits in two ways:
The first benefit: Reassurance, that he is reassured.
The second benefit is the argument, for there is no argument without evidence. This is why it is considered a blessing from Allah that a person builds his rulings upon evidence. However, one must be careful not to go too far and be deluded by himself, I mean the seeker of evidence, to the point of looking down on others, as I mentioned previously regarding this man who spoke in a way that indicated self-admiration and contempt for others.