What is your opinion of those who speak about the Tabligh Jama'ah and say they have no creed, and whether one should go out with them?
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The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
Your Eminence, some students of knowledge here in Saudi Arabia speak out against the Tabligh Jama'ah, saying, "Do not follow them; they have no creed," and they exaggerate in their condemnation of them. What do you say about this, and should we go out with them or not?
The Shaykh : As for the Tabligh Jama'ah, I see that they have much ignorance. My assessment of them is that they have much ignorance, and some of them are stubborn and cannot be turned from their opinion. However, they also have much good in terms of conduct and worship. How many have Allah guided through their hands who were astray! How many open sinners, among the most sinful of people, have Allah guided through their hands, and this is a lot! Likewise, how many disbelievers have embraced Islam through their hands!
So, they have good in them and evil in them, but ignorance prevails over them. And some of them, as I told you, are obstinate; even if you clarify the truth to them, they will not accept it from you.
As for those we have here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I do not think there is anything in their creed that defiles it. I mean, if you asked them, "Do you believe in Allah and His Messenger?"
They would say, "Yes." "Do you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day?"
They would say, "Yes." "Do you believe that the pillars of Islam are five?"
They would say, "Yes." But what is taken from them, as I said, is ignorance. And among their ignorance is that they arranged six characteristics for their methodology, and this arrangement is incorrect. If they had arranged for their methodology what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said is the religion, namely what is contained in the hadith of Jibril when he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, faith, excellence in worship, the Hour, and its signs, and then said at the end of the hadith:Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 24:120 If these six characteristics, which are taken from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, were left aside and they made the hadith of Jibril the foundation of their methodology, it would be better for them and more appropriate.
The important thing is that we do not forbid it, but we see that it is incumbent upon students of knowledge to go out with them in order to correct them and adjust them, because they influence people. We have not known anyone who has had an influence like theirs in guiding the open sinner and the disbeliever, because they have softness and gentleness in their calling. But if a person came to us and said, "What do you think? Should I go out with them or stay and seek knowledge?"
We would tell him, "Stay and seek knowledge, and do not let going out with them deter you from seeking knowledge." Yes, that is right.
The questioner : What are the six characteristics?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : What are the six characteristics?
The Shaykh : I have forgotten them, but they are known among them: prayer with bowing and prostration, and things I do not know now. If I knew them, I would not have told you about them.
The questioner : They take a Sufi pledge of allegiance, O Shaykh!
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : They take a Sufi pledge of allegiance.
The Shaykh : In any case, people differ in their views of them. Some of our brothers from Buraydah went to their gathering this year and submitted a report praising the gathering. They said, "It is all about affirming the oneness of Allah." Even the one who preaches to them, from the Maghrib call to prayer until four o'clock, meaning four hours, said, "We are ready; if anyone clarifies our error to us, we are ready." He called upon the scholars of Saudi Arabia specifically to clarify the truth. Perhaps Allah has guided them from what they were upon before.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
Your Eminence, some students of knowledge here in Saudi Arabia speak out against the Tabligh Jama'ah, saying, "Do not follow them; they have no creed," and they exaggerate in their condemnation of them. What do you say about this, and should we go out with them or not?
The Shaykh : As for the Tabligh Jama'ah, I see that they have much ignorance. My assessment of them is that they have much ignorance, and some of them are stubborn and cannot be turned from their opinion. However, they also have much good in terms of conduct and worship. How many have Allah guided through their hands who were astray! How many open sinners, among the most sinful of people, have Allah guided through their hands, and this is a lot! Likewise, how many disbelievers have embraced Islam through their hands!
So, they have good in them and evil in them, but ignorance prevails over them. And some of them, as I told you, are obstinate; even if you clarify the truth to them, they will not accept it from you.
As for those we have here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I do not think there is anything in their creed that defiles it. I mean, if you asked them, "Do you believe in Allah and His Messenger?"
They would say, "Yes." "Do you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day?"
They would say, "Yes." "Do you believe that the pillars of Islam are five?"
They would say, "Yes." But what is taken from them, as I said, is ignorance. And among their ignorance is that they arranged six characteristics for their methodology, and this arrangement is incorrect. If they had arranged for their methodology what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said is the religion, namely what is contained in the hadith of Jibril when he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, faith, excellence in worship, the Hour, and its signs, and then said at the end of the hadith:
This is Jibril who has come to you to teach you your religion
هذا جبريل أتاكم يعلّمكم دينكمThe important thing is that we do not forbid it, but we see that it is incumbent upon students of knowledge to go out with them in order to correct them and adjust them, because they influence people. We have not known anyone who has had an influence like theirs in guiding the open sinner and the disbeliever, because they have softness and gentleness in their calling. But if a person came to us and said, "What do you think? Should I go out with them or stay and seek knowledge?"
We would tell him, "Stay and seek knowledge, and do not let going out with them deter you from seeking knowledge." Yes, that is right.
The questioner : What are the six characteristics?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : What are the six characteristics?
The Shaykh : I have forgotten them, but they are known among them: prayer with bowing and prostration, and things I do not know now. If I knew them, I would not have told you about them.
The questioner : They take a Sufi pledge of allegiance, O Shaykh!
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : They take a Sufi pledge of allegiance.
The Shaykh : In any case, people differ in their views of them. Some of our brothers from Buraydah went to their gathering this year and submitted a report praising the gathering. They said, "It is all about affirming the oneness of Allah." Even the one who preaches to them, from the Maghrib call to prayer until four o'clock, meaning four hours, said, "We are ready; if anyone clarifies our error to us, we are ready." He called upon the scholars of Saudi Arabia specifically to clarify the truth. Perhaps Allah has guided them from what they were upon before.