What is the ruling on releasing tapes that contain exchanges between students of knowledge?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
His EminenceThe Shaykh : What is your opinion regarding tapes that discuss or contain exchanges between students of knowledge?
The Shaykh : I think that tapes containing back-and-forth exchanges, where upon reflection one finds nothing but argumentation, should not be released, because this causes listeners to waver and divide into factions. However, if it is a response that is necessary, such as when a person has declared something false in a tape, then it must be clarified. In that case, the response must be published. A person knows this by the circumstances; that is, he knows whether what is being published is merely argumentation between people or a clarification of the truth. What is a clarification of the truth must be published, and what is merely argumentation, I do not think should be published, because people are in urgent need of obtaining what unites them, not what divides them. And as you know, may Allah reward you, young minds do not grasp matters as they should, so perhaps one of them will be deceived by this and another by that, and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) will result from it.
His EminenceThe Shaykh : What is your opinion regarding tapes that discuss or contain exchanges between students of knowledge?
The Shaykh : I think that tapes containing back-and-forth exchanges, where upon reflection one finds nothing but argumentation, should not be released, because this causes listeners to waver and divide into factions. However, if it is a response that is necessary, such as when a person has declared something false in a tape, then it must be clarified. In that case, the response must be published. A person knows this by the circumstances; that is, he knows whether what is being published is merely argumentation between people or a clarification of the truth. What is a clarification of the truth must be published, and what is merely argumentation, I do not think should be published, because people are in urgent need of obtaining what unites them, not what divides them. And as you know, may Allah reward you, young minds do not grasp matters as they should, so perhaps one of them will be deceived by this and another by that, and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) will result from it.