What is the ruling on traveling with the Tabligh group, and are they part of the Muslim community?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : Your Eminence, I am experiencing mental distress regarding this issue. There is nothing to it, Shaykh, except that they are the people of the call.
The Shaykh : The call.
The questioner : The people of the call.
The Shaykh : The call or the Tabligh.
The questioner : Those who go out for three days.
The Shaykh : They are the Tabligh and Da'wah group; they may be called that.
The questioner : The important thing, Shaykh, is that I have just started to be committed to the religion, and I am confused about this matter. Some of the young brothers say: "Do not go with them, do not follow this group." I do not know.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And some scholars in Madinah—I do not remember the name of this scholar—also advised me... I do not know. What is your opinion?
The Shaykh : By Allah, the general rule is that people are divided into two extremes and a middle regarding these issues. Some people praise them greatly and advise going out with them, while others criticize them severely and warn against them as one would warn against a lion. And there are those who take a middle path.
I see that there is good in this group, and they have a call and an influence that no other callers have achieved. Their influence is clear. How many open sinners have Allah guided through them? And how many disbelievers have believed? Furthermore, their nature is one of humility, good character, and selflessness, which is not found in people like me. And they say that they have knowledge of hadith or the Salaf or the like. They are people of good, without doubt. However, I see that those in the Kingdom should not go to Pakistan or other foreign countries, because we do not know about the beliefs of those people, nor do we know about their methodologies.
But the methodology of our people here in the Kingdom is a methodology that is free from blemish and contains nothing wrong. As for restricting the call to three days, four days, two months, four months, one year, or two years, this has no basis. However, they see this as a matter of organization, and that if one goes out for three days and knows that he is restricted to these three days, he will be upright and turn away from the worldly life. This is an organizational matter, not an act of worship.
So I see, may Allah reward you, that if you have an inclination toward seeking knowledge, seeking knowledge is better for you, because seeking knowledge contains good, and people now need scholars of the Sunnah who are firmly grounded in knowledge. And if you do not have the ability to receive knowledge and you go out with them in order to purify your soul, then there is nothing wrong with that.
And there are many people whom Allah the Exalted and Mighty has guided through their hands. Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : Your Eminence, I am experiencing mental distress regarding this issue. There is nothing to it, Shaykh, except that they are the people of the call.
The Shaykh : The call.
The questioner : The people of the call.
The Shaykh : The call or the Tabligh.
The questioner : Those who go out for three days.
The Shaykh : They are the Tabligh and Da'wah group; they may be called that.
The questioner : The important thing, Shaykh, is that I have just started to be committed to the religion, and I am confused about this matter. Some of the young brothers say: "Do not go with them, do not follow this group." I do not know.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And some scholars in Madinah—I do not remember the name of this scholar—also advised me... I do not know. What is your opinion?
The Shaykh : By Allah, the general rule is that people are divided into two extremes and a middle regarding these issues. Some people praise them greatly and advise going out with them, while others criticize them severely and warn against them as one would warn against a lion. And there are those who take a middle path.
I see that there is good in this group, and they have a call and an influence that no other callers have achieved. Their influence is clear. How many open sinners have Allah guided through them? And how many disbelievers have believed? Furthermore, their nature is one of humility, good character, and selflessness, which is not found in people like me. And they say that they have knowledge of hadith or the Salaf or the like. They are people of good, without doubt. However, I see that those in the Kingdom should not go to Pakistan or other foreign countries, because we do not know about the beliefs of those people, nor do we know about their methodologies.
But the methodology of our people here in the Kingdom is a methodology that is free from blemish and contains nothing wrong. As for restricting the call to three days, four days, two months, four months, one year, or two years, this has no basis. However, they see this as a matter of organization, and that if one goes out for three days and knows that he is restricted to these three days, he will be upright and turn away from the worldly life. This is an organizational matter, not an act of worship.
So I see, may Allah reward you, that if you have an inclination toward seeking knowledge, seeking knowledge is better for you, because seeking knowledge contains good, and people now need scholars of the Sunnah who are firmly grounded in knowledge. And if you do not have the ability to receive knowledge and you go out with them in order to purify your soul, then there is nothing wrong with that.
And there are many people whom Allah the Exalted and Mighty has guided through their hands. Yes, indeed.