The Shaykh’s advice to the Salvation Front regarding their position on the Iraq crisis, and his advice to them to adhere to the methodology of purification and education.

The Shaykh : Returning to the beginning, I am still surprised how you believe that you have a million Salafis except for this type that you are complaining about. This means, in other words, do you believe that every one of this million, if asked the question the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the slave girl , would answer with her answer?The questioner : Many would answer with it; the majority would.

The Shaykh : You did not answer me; you got involved in politics.

The questioner : O Shaykh, I mean, I did not understand; I mean, the word "political."

The Shaykh : No, therefore you should not leave us without knowing our politics.

The questioner : O Shaykh, I know it well.

The Shaykh : How do you know it when you are now saying you did not understand how?

The questioner : It was a joke so that the mind would not wander too far.

The Shaykh : I said this million; you have millions, not a million. You have millions.

The questioner : I do not want to move based on the existing number, whether a million, ten million, or fifteen million; it is the prevailing characteristic.

The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, I took less than the prevailing number.

The questioner : Less than the prevailing number would give an answer in the sky.

The Shaykh : Less than the prevailing number; I told you you have millions, then you selected from them one million for jihad in the cause of Allah. So I did not speak about the millions; I spoke about those you selected. So I asked you: if every one of them were directed the Prophetic question to the slave girl, would he answer with her answer? You deviated from the answer without blame. You did not say yes without politics. You did not say yes.

The questioner : So, O Shaykh, understand politics and know the political and non-political style. And I have come to believe that no Salafi understands the religion correctly unless he is deeply rooted in politics.

The Shaykh : Okay.

The questioner : Because he distinguished between the two styles.

The Shaykh : Does every Salafi know politics? The important thing, may Allah reward you, is the religion and the advice. I ask you for two things: first, change the idea of sending mujahideen, because there is danger lurking beneath this for the Algerian people, not from their state, but from the other states the professor alluded to. And the second thing is to focus not on mobilization, but on education, because you said earlier that what matters to you is not the number. And this is our call. Therefore, a small number of those who understand the law of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is sufficient for you instead of a very large number. Because mobilizing people based on mere enthusiasm for Islam, without them understanding Islam, has led all Muslims, with their mobilizations and parties, into experiences where they gained nothing and did not succeed. Therefore, we advise you with truth and patience in teaching people, making them understand their religion, and educating them on this correct concept of Islam. I do not know if you have come across a tape whose topic is purification and education, or if you have heard of it. What is your opinion of these two words and what lies beneath them?

The questioner : The topic of purification and education; in any case, this is part of our methodology. We purify and we educate.

The Shaykh : That is what we want, but may Allah reward you. Applying this methodology requires, first, not one person, nor five, nor ten, for this large society you have. It requires hundreds of sincere scholars and callers. O my brother, sincere in their call to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Therefore, if you select from this great multitude a few individuals who learn Islam with its Salafi concept as you learn it, and educate themselves and their families on that, this would be the greatest jihad for the present situation. So, two pieces of advice, the first one.

The questioner : O Shaykh, is this on the basis of obligation, or just on the basis of advice?

The Shaykh : What did you hear from me? I think this question has no place in grammar.

The questioner : But it has a place in people’s understandings.

The Shaykh : How can one advise another? What is understood from that?

The questioner : Sometimes the advice may be on legal matters established by evidence, and this must be applied, meaning one must respond to it. And there are issues where there may be disagreement of opinion, so a person advises with what he sees.

The Shaykh : And we have done so, praise be to Allah. But now you have opened a door for me, or for you. What do you think, shall we enter it?

The questioner : With symbols and signals, because I am quick to understand, O Shaykh, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : If a person ordered you what you heard earlier, what would your position be? And I did not order you, and I will not order you with anything except advice. Will you answer me, or will the question be lost? I think so.
Al-Awaisha: If you were ordered what was advised.

The questioner : Yes, indeed.
Al-Awaisha: What would you do?

The Shaykh : How did you say?
Al-Awaisha: I told him, if a person ordered you what was advised.The Shaykh : What would you do?

The questioner : But this advice, in any case, is built on premises. If you see that there is a legal prohibition, it must be ended. And if there is no legal prohibition, it is possible, meaning we distinguish between advice and a point of view.

The Shaykh : May Allah have mercy on the questioner, may Allah have mercy on him.

The questioner : Fine, may Allah have mercy on him.
Abu Layla : Politics.

The Shaykh : He is not an expert in it.

The questioner : Absolutely not, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : He knows where he stands, but these politicians are in danger; it is not easy.

The questioner : We ask Allah for safety.

The Shaykh : So if a person ordered you what you heard of the advice, what is your position toward this one who orders?

The questioner : That I do not send, meaning volunteers, to Iraq.

The Shaykh : No, it was not like that, so you have the right not to record it. I did not say do not send to Iraq. I said do not send mujahideen. I said send material aid and doctors to treat the sick and the wounded, and so on. Because this does not provoke or create a problem between you and your state, and now allow me, between the states that have taken over our state, perhaps you will not force us to say "may Allah have mercy on the questioner" again.

The questioner : I have no answer, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : We took the answer and the other issue.

The questioner : I noticed, O Shaykh, in your youth, when you started seeking knowledge, did you ask the scholars and people of remembrance about every issue, or did you study and deduce based on the legal evidence, as you did in your book "Warning for the Prostrator"? Or is it that for every issue you want to write about or undertake, you must return to a living scholar from the scholars and ask him directly, without referring to the book? Or if you read in a book, you do not read in a book, meaning, is it possible that you can take the issue from your study and investigation of the case from many books?

The Shaykh : What I understood, but I reserve the right that your question is from the basics. Therefore, I entrust you with the answer. What is the answer?

The questioner : There is a detail.

The Shaykh : What is it?

The questioner : I think that if a person is a beginner, he must ask. And if a person has experience and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has given him a talent, and he has become familiar through much discussion and debate with that person, then perhaps if he feels that he has the ability to study some issues without referring to some scholars, he may do so. And Allah knows best.

The Shaykh : So, a good one entrusted. You returned to us when we told you that not everyone can be a mujtahid, nor can everyone be a follower, and so on. But what is the meaning of this question and this answer where you entrusted me to answer as I see fit regarding the previous question?

The questioner : No, I just wanted to know the inclination.The Shaykh : In taking up issues.

The Shaykh : Strange, until now I have not known his inclination.

The questioner : I knew it, but.

The Shaykh : How did you know it? And you wanted to know.

The questioner : I wanted it to be oral.

The Shaykh : Recorded, or just oral?

The questioner : Oral, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Fine, we return to the question, may Allah preserve him. Of course, it has not happened yet.

The questioner : It is as if he was sent from the grave.

The Shaykh : If an advisor advised you and said to you, focus on education and upbringing, and do not focus on the number?

The questioner : I will hear this and act upon it.

The Shaykh : It is not that. Say this was my advice. But the inquiry: if you were ordered, would you say this is your opinion, or this is the correct thing?

The questioner : I would do this.

The Shaykh : You deviated again.

The questioner : I did not deviate; I just wanted to reach it from another path.

The Shaykh : Allow me, may Allah reward you. What is the difference between advice, which I do not order you with, but which I present to you, and ordering you with this? Whether you say in the advice "I will act upon it," or you say in the order "I will act upon it," the answer is the same. While my question is two, clear? If you give one answer for the two questions, while the two questions are completely different, different by your own testimony and your detail, I must have an answer from you so that I can learn from you what I do not know from you. I am not like you, learning from me what you know about me, but wanting to understand it from me orally. It is not like that.

The questioner : If someone were to order me to direct my efforts toward education and upbringing, I would have to do so, because he is ordering me to do something that is a religious matter, and one must comply with such an order.

The Shaykh : I think you have also deviated.

The questioner : So this is my answer, the best and most precise one I can give.

The Shaykh : But you did not notice that I am saying: if I advise you about something without ordering you to do it, you act on that advice; and if I order you to do it, you do it. Meanwhile, you distinguish between advice and an order. May Allah reward you. We have learned this from you, so it is not correct for your answer to be the same for both cases, as they are different, are they not?

The questioner : So there is advice that one must act upon. Where is the problem?

The Shaykh : The problem is in politics.

The questioner : Where is the problem? With many people.

The Shaykh : What do you have to do with "many," Professor? May Allah reward you. That is the problem. You assume that everyone you speak with is among those people. What do you have to do with them? We are two brothers who love each other for the sake of Allah, and we hope to be in Paradise on thrones facing each other. What do we have to do with people? We want to deepen our understanding of the religion of Allah. You may have an opinion on a jurisprudential matter that I do not know, and "you have not been given of knowledge except a little." I am not saying this in humility, because I will say in return that I may have knowledge that you do not have. Do you remember the story of Khidr (peace be upon him) with Moses? Remember this fact. So now we are advising and discussing each other. What do we have to do with people? And many people... You, explain to me: after you distinguished between advice and an order, what is your position in this matter where you were advised but not ordered? If someone ordered you to do it, would you say, "This is a valid order"?

The questioner : So I must know the nature of the one giving the order.

The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, the nature of the order is before you.

The questioner : The nature of the one giving the order, not the order.

The Shaykh : Look, he has gone back to "people."

The questioner : O Shaykh, I actually do not want to speak much, and I do not want to enter into a discussion; I did not come for this, and this would require a longer session than this one.

The Shaykh : And that is what we want. We hope you will return to us soon. But the one who knows the value of time tries to answer with one answer and does not force the questioner to say, "May Allah have mercy on the question, and may Allah have mercy on the question." Professor, you are tying yourself up with yourself. Time is short, and the question is very clear. You were given advice: if you were ordered to do it, what is your position? What is the advice? Focus on education with purification, upbringing and purification, purification and upbringing, and so on. You say, "This is advice, I accept it, that is all." You accept the advice, and you have no choice but to accept it. But the question returns: if you were ordered to do this, would you argue about it, or would you say, "This is a valid order, and it is obligatory to focus on purification and upbringing before accumulation and gathering"?

The questioner : This has already been answered previously.

The Shaykh : Perhaps I forgot, and he?

The questioner : Meaning, I did not say it.

The Shaykh : What is it?

The questioner : It must be said that this is a valid order, and one must comply with it.

The Shaykh : No, I did not say "valid." I said "must." And this is the benefit of the recording. I agree with you that it is a "must." I said that. But if I said, "This is an order, it is valid, and it must be applied and implemented," then the conversation would take a different course.

The questioner : O Shaykh, let us not leave our matter in the realm of words. For me, when I say "must," I mean that this order is valid, so it is like an obligation.

The Shaykh : Like an obligation, or is it an obligation?

The questioner : It is an obligation. It is obligatory.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, Professor. "Indeed, speech is in the heart, and the tongue was made a sign of what is in the heart." That is how humans are. How do you know what is in my heart except by my tongue? And vice versa. How do I know what is in your heart except by your tongue? Therefore, we must be precise in our expression. May Allah reward you. Recently, one of our brothers called, and they call a lot from Algeria. What did he say?

The questioner : O Shaykh, why do they call so much from Algeria? What is the reason?

The Shaykh : The people of Makkah know its valleys best.

The questioner : Why? I know that perhaps other countries call, but why the intensity from Algeria? Why do they always call you? The people of Makkah know its valleys best.

The Shaykh : If this is not an answer, we will correct it.

The questioner : This is an answer, O Shaykh, but detailing the answer has many benefits, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Yes, and there will be details that do not cross your mind. We benefited from the Professor just now when he suspected that I exaggerated this number, and he wanted to dispel the suspicion by saying that the population of Algeria is twenty million.
Al-Awaisheh: Thirty million.

The Shaykh : Thirty million, or twenty? Thirty. So if it is one million or five million, that is a very small proportion compared to large numbers. I am now giving an explanatory answer, as you wished, first because they have the Salafi da'wah there, and, praise be to Allah, it is fertile ground and competitive. Second, the number here has its effect. After Algeria comes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after Saudi Arabia comes the United Arab Emirates, and then what about America, Australia, the Philippines, and so on. So there are two aspects here. The first aspect is what you meant: the people of Makkah know its valleys best, and the owner knows what is in it. The second aspect is the blessing of thirty million or more. Therefore, most of my days after the 'Isha' prayer are spent answering our Algerian brothers. In any case, May Allah reward you. I wanted to say that a person who wants what is in his heart should express it precisely. So, as I think, you have learned his saying (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Awaisheh: The order and the advice.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner : The Shaykh : Time. May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : All right, I will answer. There are two hadiths that I utilize, and I do not say "exploit," in order to alert people to be precise in their words, sentences, and expressions. One is and the other is . For this and that, and other things, there is no time now, as you hint at mentioning them. It is necessary, especially for scholars like you, that your expression fully reflects what is in your heart. To summarize, I repeat: I advise, I do not order, that you consider whether it is possible for you to send some Muslim youth, whether Salafi or otherwise, to those countries to defend them. This is not in the way of jihad, because that would lead, God forbid, to a problem that you are in no need of stirring up now. It is premature. The second thing is to constantly revolve around the meaning of purification and upbringing only. And with this, it is sufficient. Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.

The questioner : May Allah reward you. In the matter of precision in expression, I am held back only by shyness. And by Allah, it is a shyness that prevents me from expressing what is in my soul. But this is my nature: when I find someone older than me and more knowledgeable than me, I do not find a place to discuss with him, even in some cases, even if I see some things that do not reassure my soul. In fact, this is the driving reason.
Al-Halabi : O our Shaykh, with your permission, I will ask our brother.The Shaykh : A question, taking advantage of his presence, regarding Abbas Madani. There has been a lot of talk about his methodology and his vision, meaning his history, in brief.

The questioner : Do not record this... We ask Allah, the Exalted, that I may come soon, if Allah wills. I cannot specify a time.

The Shaykh : No, allow me. It is still politics.

The questioner : And we can also say that you come to Algeria so that you can see the atmosphere up close.

The Shaykh : I have reached an age of extreme old age.

The questioner : We will carry you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. We do not burden you, but you, praise be to Allah, are in the prime of your youth and vigor. In your time, I would set out and go and come, drive my car, and tour Syria east, west, north, and south, and so on. But, "Oh, if only youth would return one day, what have you promised us?"

The questioner : I cannot specify the time.

The Shaykh : I am not asking you for a specific time; I am asking you for a promise.

The questioner : I will tell you by phone that on such-and-such day I will come.

The Shaykh : That is more than what I asked for, but I asked for a promise.

The questioner : The promise of a free man is a debt.

The Shaykh : It is so, but you have not promised yet.

The questioner : I cannot do it now.

The Shaykh : He understands from the request for a promise a specific time. Professor, you are a jurist. When the speech is absolute, you took it as restricted. I did not restrict it.

The questioner : I took it as restricted due to my desire to meet you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Fine. I am satisfied with a little from you, and your "little" is not called "little." So, if Allah wills, on the promise.

The questioner: May Allah will it.

The Shaykh : If it does not work out for you, let me know. There is no harm.