The luring of the people of desires and transgressors to expose and unmask them, and this is not from the category of spying, with evidence
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The Shaykh : And for this reason, he (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
"So be swift against them if you seek to expose them *** And spread for them a mat of soft wool"
Meaning: If you want to expose the state of these people, do not argue with them, do not be harsh. If you are harsh, they are in a high position in their own minds; they address you from a standpoint of superiority and strength, because the common people are all with them. If you go to the house or the place around it, you will find common people like locusts. If you come and are harsh with him, what will he do to you?
The student: You say...
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: These people will call you...
The Shaykh : Yes, these people will incite you. Who will disperse these common people? And the common people, as they say, are like insects. But he says, argue with them, spread for him a mat of soft wool, meaning something easy and soft. And lure them, as if you want to understand their doctrine. This is one of the good methods. If you want to extract what is in a person, do not deny it to him. If you deny it to him, and he is in a position where he sees himself as higher than you, he will rebuke you and you will be far away. And if he does not know, and does not feel that he is higher than you, he will either rebuke you or keep what he has to himself. But lure him. And if some of the brothers say this is from the category of spying, it is not from the category of spying. This is from the category of finding the truth. And a prophet from the prophets did this. A prophet from the prophets did this. Two women, an older one and a younger one, came out to the open land, so a wolf ate the child of one of them. So they came to Dawud to seek his judgment. So Dawud judged that the remaining child belonged to the older one, as if he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, this younger one is in the future of her life, a child will come to her, but this older one, perhaps children will not come to her. So they left him and passed by Sulayman, and they informed him of Dawud's judgment. He said: No, it is not this judgment. The judgment is that we bring the knife and cut it in half, so the younger one gets half, and the older one gets half, each one takes meat. Yes. So the older one said: Yes, O Prophet of Allah, there is no objection. And the younger one said: It is hers, O Prophet of Allah, it is her child. So he judged it for whom? For the younger one. How did he judge it for the younger one? Why? Because when he knew that the older one did not have mercy on him, he let him die just as her child died. He knew that she was not his mother, and the younger one, he knew that she was his mother.
So, do we say this is spying? No, absolutely not. If a person does an action by which he grasps the truth, with the presence of evidence, then this is good. For example, if we come to an atheist or a hypocrite and lure him, as if we want to enter into his doctrine, there is no objection. There is no objection. Now, those who promote narcotics, some people lure them. He says, do you have something? And he knows its name, because they put code names. He knows the code. He says, do you have such and such? He says: Yes. How much? He says: Whatever you want. He says: This money is available. He lures him until he sells to him. Is this permissible or not? It is permissible for extracting the truth. Otherwise, how would we do it except by this method?
The important thing is that Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) gave us this method, and it is good. He says: Be swift against them with what? If you seek to expose them, with softness. Spread, people say: He gave him a mat, or not?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Huh? A mat, meaning prepare the matter for him so that you can take hold of it. Yes. He says:
"And appear in the appearance of one who accepts from them, and do not *** appear in the appearance of one who denies"
Correct. Because if you appear in the appearance of one who denies, huh? I told you... If he sees that he is in a place higher than you, huh? He will rebuke you and forbid you until you are far away. And if he has followers, he will incite his followers against you, and who will disperse them? And if he does not see that, he will keep it from you and not inform you. But you give him softness.
"And appear in the appearance of one who accepts from them, and do not *** appear in the appearance of one who denies
And look at the rivers of disbelief that flowed *** "
Look at the rivers of disbelief, how they flowed. When do you look at them? When you have taken hold of them. And you do not take hold of them except by the method that Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned. Yes.
"*** And they are held back from flowing only by the sword"
Meaning, if it were not that they fear the sword of the rulers, these philosophers, the rivers of disbelief would have flowed from their mouths and their books. But they conceal themselves, and they deal with time. If they find an opportunity to display their falsehood, they display it. And if they do not see an opportunity, they keep it to themselves. This is the doctrine of whom? Ibn Sina and his followers, and the Unitarians. Disbelief in Allah (Mighty and Majestic), open disbelief which is more disbelieving than the disbelief of the Jews and the Christians. And as you know, the doctrine of the Unitarians, how it leads to this evil consequence. And they acknowledge this, they do not deny it, and may Allah protect us. Yes.
"So be swift against them if you seek to expose them *** And spread for them a mat of soft wool"
Meaning: If you want to expose the state of these people, do not argue with them, do not be harsh. If you are harsh, they are in a high position in their own minds; they address you from a standpoint of superiority and strength, because the common people are all with them. If you go to the house or the place around it, you will find common people like locusts. If you come and are harsh with him, what will he do to you?
The student: You say...
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: These people will call you...
The Shaykh : Yes, these people will incite you. Who will disperse these common people? And the common people, as they say, are like insects. But he says, argue with them, spread for him a mat of soft wool, meaning something easy and soft. And lure them, as if you want to understand their doctrine. This is one of the good methods. If you want to extract what is in a person, do not deny it to him. If you deny it to him, and he is in a position where he sees himself as higher than you, he will rebuke you and you will be far away. And if he does not know, and does not feel that he is higher than you, he will either rebuke you or keep what he has to himself. But lure him. And if some of the brothers say this is from the category of spying, it is not from the category of spying. This is from the category of finding the truth. And a prophet from the prophets did this. A prophet from the prophets did this. Two women, an older one and a younger one, came out to the open land, so a wolf ate the child of one of them. So they came to Dawud to seek his judgment. So Dawud judged that the remaining child belonged to the older one, as if he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, this younger one is in the future of her life, a child will come to her, but this older one, perhaps children will not come to her. So they left him and passed by Sulayman, and they informed him of Dawud's judgment. He said: No, it is not this judgment. The judgment is that we bring the knife and cut it in half, so the younger one gets half, and the older one gets half, each one takes meat. Yes. So the older one said: Yes, O Prophet of Allah, there is no objection. And the younger one said: It is hers, O Prophet of Allah, it is her child. So he judged it for whom? For the younger one. How did he judge it for the younger one? Why? Because when he knew that the older one did not have mercy on him, he let him die just as her child died. He knew that she was not his mother, and the younger one, he knew that she was his mother.
So, do we say this is spying? No, absolutely not. If a person does an action by which he grasps the truth, with the presence of evidence, then this is good. For example, if we come to an atheist or a hypocrite and lure him, as if we want to enter into his doctrine, there is no objection. There is no objection. Now, those who promote narcotics, some people lure them. He says, do you have something? And he knows its name, because they put code names. He knows the code. He says, do you have such and such? He says: Yes. How much? He says: Whatever you want. He says: This money is available. He lures him until he sells to him. Is this permissible or not? It is permissible for extracting the truth. Otherwise, how would we do it except by this method?
The important thing is that Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) gave us this method, and it is good. He says: Be swift against them with what? If you seek to expose them, with softness. Spread, people say: He gave him a mat, or not?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Huh? A mat, meaning prepare the matter for him so that you can take hold of it. Yes. He says:
"And appear in the appearance of one who accepts from them, and do not *** appear in the appearance of one who denies"
Correct. Because if you appear in the appearance of one who denies, huh? I told you... If he sees that he is in a place higher than you, huh? He will rebuke you and forbid you until you are far away. And if he has followers, he will incite his followers against you, and who will disperse them? And if he does not see that, he will keep it from you and not inform you. But you give him softness.
"And appear in the appearance of one who accepts from them, and do not *** appear in the appearance of one who denies
And look at the rivers of disbelief that flowed *** "
Look at the rivers of disbelief, how they flowed. When do you look at them? When you have taken hold of them. And you do not take hold of them except by the method that Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned. Yes.
"*** And they are held back from flowing only by the sword"
Meaning, if it were not that they fear the sword of the rulers, these philosophers, the rivers of disbelief would have flowed from their mouths and their books. But they conceal themselves, and they deal with time. If they find an opportunity to display their falsehood, they display it. And if they do not see an opportunity, they keep it to themselves. This is the doctrine of whom? Ibn Sina and his followers, and the Unitarians. Disbelief in Allah (Mighty and Majestic), open disbelief which is more disbelieving than the disbelief of the Jews and the Christians. And as you know, the doctrine of the Unitarians, how it leads to this evil consequence. And they acknowledge this, they do not deny it, and may Allah protect us. Yes.