What is your opinion of the Tablighi Jamaat? And what is the ruling on one who goes out with them?
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The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. What is your opinion of the Tablighi Jamaat? And going out with them as a beginner, given that there are some errors? May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Okay, does this group have an impact on guiding people?
The questioner : Guiding people...
The Shaykh : Listen, what I am asking you is: is it a religious innovation or not? I am asking you: does it have an impact on guiding people or not?
The questioner : No, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, that is a denial of reality. Your words are a denial of reality. The reality is that it has a tremendous impact on guiding people. How many open sinners have become upright? And how many disbelievers have embraced Islam? This is something no one denies except one who has taken a specific stance against them, for then good deeds become bad deeds. This is well known, as the poet said:
"The eye of satisfaction is blind to every flaw, *** Just as the eye of anger reveals the defects"
Someone I trust told me about a person I trust only in this matter. He had a nephew who was an open sinner, a wicked man. There was no sin mentioned that he did not commit. He had a disfigured face and a bad disposition. One day he said, "We have lost this man. He has been gone for five months, or more, or less, meaning about that long." So we said, "Perhaps Allah sent a crazy driver who ran him over and left him, because he says... he dies." He said, "After a while, between the midday prayer and the afternoon prayer, a man knocked on the door. When asked who it was, he said, 'Your brother-in-law,' because this man was his nephew. He entered the door and said, 'Peace be upon you.' The man thought, 'May Allah not test us with this volunteer who has come to us at this time when people are sleeping! Peace be upon you, peace be upon you.' He saw him and was compelled to say, 'Come in, perhaps the door did not open.' So he got up and opened it, and there was the man, handsome, with a radiant face and a beard. 'Who are you?' he asked. He said, 'I am your nephew.' He went after him but... he said, 'I am your nephew. Do you want me to count the stones of the house, the rooms, the bathrooms, and the types of furniture in the house now? Okay? Come, come.' It was clear that he knew the way. The important thing is that he said, 'Come in.' He came in and said to him, 'What changed you... a man who was not... what is it that... is in this state?' He said, 'By Allah, the truth is that I did not know the world or that I was a created being until this happened. What happened?' He said, 'Brothers from the Tablighi Jamaat came to me and contacted me, saying, 'Come in with us to the mosque, listen to the dhikr, and listen to the Qur'an.' He said, 'So I did.' Then they said to me, 'Go to the bathroom, wash, and freshen up.' He said, 'I did.' They said, 'Come out with us.' He said, 'So I went out. There was tasbih, recitation of the Qur'an, prayer, self-sacrifice, and service. I was amazed: is this another world other than our world?' He says, 'I walked with them, and, glory be to Allah, I realized that I am now in the world. My heart was illuminated and Allah guided me. Glory be to Allah!'
And there are many stories of this type, or similar to it. So they have a profound impact. But there are two issues with them. The first issue is ignorance; they do not have knowledge. Some individuals among them may have knowledge, but most of them do not have knowledge.
The second is the religious innovations mentioned regarding the people outside Saudi Arabia. However, this is not accepted, because there are people from al-Qassim who went to those places and say, 'By Allah, we did not see anything.' In fact, a man among them who was ninety years old would give a sermon. He says, 'A man who was ninety years old came, prayed Maghrib, and gave a sermon until 'Isha'. After the 'Isha' prayer, he gave a sermon until about a third of the night. He was old in age, and there was nothing in his speech to criticize. When he finished, we came and greeted him. When he realized that we were from Saudi Arabia, he sat down and said, 'The truth is, we do not want anything but the truth. It is obligatory for you, O scholars of Saudi Arabia, if you hear anything about us, to convey it to us.' So the result is that the group, without doubt, has a profound impact on reforming hearts and returning them, but they need knowledge. They need knowledge. Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong. But your turn is after his.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. What is your opinion of the Tablighi Jamaat? And going out with them as a beginner, given that there are some errors? May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Okay, does this group have an impact on guiding people?
The questioner : Guiding people...
The Shaykh : Listen, what I am asking you is: is it a religious innovation or not? I am asking you: does it have an impact on guiding people or not?
The questioner : No, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, that is a denial of reality. Your words are a denial of reality. The reality is that it has a tremendous impact on guiding people. How many open sinners have become upright? And how many disbelievers have embraced Islam? This is something no one denies except one who has taken a specific stance against them, for then good deeds become bad deeds. This is well known, as the poet said:
"The eye of satisfaction is blind to every flaw, *** Just as the eye of anger reveals the defects"
Someone I trust told me about a person I trust only in this matter. He had a nephew who was an open sinner, a wicked man. There was no sin mentioned that he did not commit. He had a disfigured face and a bad disposition. One day he said, "We have lost this man. He has been gone for five months, or more, or less, meaning about that long." So we said, "Perhaps Allah sent a crazy driver who ran him over and left him, because he says... he dies." He said, "After a while, between the midday prayer and the afternoon prayer, a man knocked on the door. When asked who it was, he said, 'Your brother-in-law,' because this man was his nephew. He entered the door and said, 'Peace be upon you.' The man thought, 'May Allah not test us with this volunteer who has come to us at this time when people are sleeping! Peace be upon you, peace be upon you.' He saw him and was compelled to say, 'Come in, perhaps the door did not open.' So he got up and opened it, and there was the man, handsome, with a radiant face and a beard. 'Who are you?' he asked. He said, 'I am your nephew.' He went after him but... he said, 'I am your nephew. Do you want me to count the stones of the house, the rooms, the bathrooms, and the types of furniture in the house now? Okay? Come, come.' It was clear that he knew the way. The important thing is that he said, 'Come in.' He came in and said to him, 'What changed you... a man who was not... what is it that... is in this state?' He said, 'By Allah, the truth is that I did not know the world or that I was a created being until this happened. What happened?' He said, 'Brothers from the Tablighi Jamaat came to me and contacted me, saying, 'Come in with us to the mosque, listen to the dhikr, and listen to the Qur'an.' He said, 'So I did.' Then they said to me, 'Go to the bathroom, wash, and freshen up.' He said, 'I did.' They said, 'Come out with us.' He said, 'So I went out. There was tasbih, recitation of the Qur'an, prayer, self-sacrifice, and service. I was amazed: is this another world other than our world?' He says, 'I walked with them, and, glory be to Allah, I realized that I am now in the world. My heart was illuminated and Allah guided me. Glory be to Allah!'
And there are many stories of this type, or similar to it. So they have a profound impact. But there are two issues with them. The first issue is ignorance; they do not have knowledge. Some individuals among them may have knowledge, but most of them do not have knowledge.
The second is the religious innovations mentioned regarding the people outside Saudi Arabia. However, this is not accepted, because there are people from al-Qassim who went to those places and say, 'By Allah, we did not see anything.' In fact, a man among them who was ninety years old would give a sermon. He says, 'A man who was ninety years old came, prayed Maghrib, and gave a sermon until 'Isha'. After the 'Isha' prayer, he gave a sermon until about a third of the night. He was old in age, and there was nothing in his speech to criticize. When he finished, we came and greeted him. When he realized that we were from Saudi Arabia, he sat down and said, 'The truth is, we do not want anything but the truth. It is obligatory for you, O scholars of Saudi Arabia, if you hear anything about us, to convey it to us.' So the result is that the group, without doubt, has a profound impact on reforming hearts and returning them, but they need knowledge. They need knowledge. Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong. But your turn is after his.