Request for a word about Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abd al-Khalq?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Our esteemed Shaykh, we turn to you with this question: It is that he is among the people of knowledge and action, known for goodness and struggle in the da'wah in this era, our esteemed Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abd al-Khalq (may Allah preserve him). We hope you will express what you know about this Shaykh? And this is part of the trust upon our necks regarding this Shaykh, and may Allah reward you with good?
The Shaykh : It is not our business in this meeting to speak about a specific person, but we say: Every person who has a firm footing in the Muslim community, from the beginning of the community to its end, is undoubtedly praised for the good he has done.
And secondly: We say that every person, no matter how much he reaches in knowledge and piety, is not free from slips, whether the cause is ignorance, heedlessness, or otherwise. But the fair person, as Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the introduction of his book "The Rules":
And this rule, which I mean: that we do not speak about specific persons, neither in our teaching sessions, nor in the meetings, nor in the questions that come to us. I say: This is the rule we follow, and we ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to keep us firm upon it, because speaking about a specific person may stir up partisanship and fanaticism. It is obligatory that we attach matters to descriptions, not to persons. We say: Whoever does such-and-such deserves such-and-such, and whoever does such-and-such deserves such-and-such, whether it is good or evil. But when we want to evaluate a person, we must mention the virtues and the faults, because this is the scale of justice. And when we warn against a person's error, we mention the error only, because the occasion is one of warning, and it is not wise in an occasion of warning to mention the virtues, because if you mention the virtues, the listener will remain wavering. So for every occasion there is a fitting speech.
Whoever wants to speak about a person in terms of evaluation, it is obligatory for him to mention his virtues and his faults. And I say: If the public benefit requires it, otherwise, refraining from the faults of the Muslims is better.
As for whoever wants to warn against an error, he mentions the error, and if it is possible not to mention its speaker, that is also better, because the intended goal is the guidance of the creation. Yes.
Our esteemed Shaykh, we turn to you with this question: It is that he is among the people of knowledge and action, known for goodness and struggle in the da'wah in this era, our esteemed Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abd al-Khalq (may Allah preserve him). We hope you will express what you know about this Shaykh? And this is part of the trust upon our necks regarding this Shaykh, and may Allah reward you with good?
The Shaykh : It is not our business in this meeting to speak about a specific person, but we say: Every person who has a firm footing in the Muslim community, from the beginning of the community to its end, is undoubtedly praised for the good he has done.
And secondly: We say that every person, no matter how much he reaches in knowledge and piety, is not free from slips, whether the cause is ignorance, heedlessness, or otherwise. But the fair person, as Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the introduction of his book "The Rules":
The fair one is he who forgives a little of a person's error in much of his correctness.
المنصف من اغتفر قليلَ خطأِ المرء في كثير صوابهAnd this rule, which I mean: that we do not speak about specific persons, neither in our teaching sessions, nor in the meetings, nor in the questions that come to us. I say: This is the rule we follow, and we ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to keep us firm upon it, because speaking about a specific person may stir up partisanship and fanaticism. It is obligatory that we attach matters to descriptions, not to persons. We say: Whoever does such-and-such deserves such-and-such, and whoever does such-and-such deserves such-and-such, whether it is good or evil. But when we want to evaluate a person, we must mention the virtues and the faults, because this is the scale of justice. And when we warn against a person's error, we mention the error only, because the occasion is one of warning, and it is not wise in an occasion of warning to mention the virtues, because if you mention the virtues, the listener will remain wavering. So for every occasion there is a fitting speech.
Whoever wants to speak about a person in terms of evaluation, it is obligatory for him to mention his virtues and his faults. And I say: If the public benefit requires it, otherwise, refraining from the faults of the Muslims is better.
As for whoever wants to warn against an error, he mentions the error, and if it is possible not to mention its speaker, that is also better, because the intended goal is the guidance of the creation. Yes.