Explanation of the author's statement: The eighth: The harm of bad companions to a person. The ninth: The harm of exalting ancestors and elders.
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The Shaykh :"The eighth: The harm of bad companions to a person". The eighth, the eighth: The harm of bad companions to a person. This is correct, and may Allah know best, had it not been for these two men, perhaps Abu Talib would have been guided to accept what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented to him. But, may Allah protect us from that, these men stirred in him the pride of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance when they said to him: Sahih al-Bukhari 4675 They did not say, "Do not say, 'There is no god but Allah.'" They stirred in him the jealousy, the jealousy of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and the pride for their fathers. In this is evidence of the harm of bad companions to a person. And this is not specific to associating partners with Allah; it applies to all evils. A person's conduct changes if he keeps the company of people of evil. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) compared the companion of evil to what? To the bellows of a blacksmith: either it burns your clothes, or you find a foul smell from it. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: Sahih al-Bukhari 1385 Because of the companionship and mixing between them. And it was also narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with a sound chain: Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 33:79 So the important thing is that it is obligatory for a sane person to think and look at his companions: Are they companions of evil? Then let him stay away from them, for they are more harmful than leprosy, may Allah protect us from that. Or are they companions of good who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and open for him the doors of good? Then he should stick to them. And as you see, this is the harm of bad companions: that ... he ended this man with the worst ending. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, knowing ... "Say, 'There is no god but Allah,'" and he knew that he would argue for him with it before Allah, and with Him. And yet, because of ... these two men, by stirring his spirit with the pride of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, he refused to say, "There is no god but Allah." And the last thing he said was that he was on the religion of 'Abd al-Muttalib.
The student: ... Is it general or specific ...?
The Shaykh : It is not general in associating partners with Allah and other matters. Good.
"The ninth, the ninth: The harm - yes - of exalting ancestors and elders". This is also not absolute. Exalting ancestors and elders, if they are worthy of exaltation, does not harm; rather, exalting them is good. Our ancestors from the early generations of this community, there is no doubt that if we exalt them and give them their due place, that is good and there is no harm in it. Likewise, our elders in knowledge and age, if we exalt them in a manner befitting them, there is no harm in this. But if we exalt the elders and ancestors according to their state of falsehood, but because they have status among their people, there is no doubt that this is great harm, even to a person's religion. For example, the one who honors Abu Jahl and exalts him because he is the master of the people of the valley, the people of Makkah, and likewise 'Abd al-Muttalib and others whom he honors and exalts, there is no doubt that this is harm to him. There is no doubt that this is harm to him. And it is not permissible for a person to attribute to these people any status by which he exalts them, because they are enemies of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and the enemies of Allah cannot be honored no matter what the case is. Likewise, if one honors the great ones of his time, such as the leaders of disbelief, there is harm in that, harm to him, because this exaltation and honoring may lead to things that contradict Islam. So a person should make his honoring and exalting according to what the evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) requires. And the important thing is that what the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned is a matter that requires detail. If the ancestors and elders are upon good, there is no harm in exalting them.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, they are praised for this, but they are not exalted, they are not exalted ... Some people may also have generosity as an innate trait and nature, not with the intention of being generous.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : ... If it reaches the level of extremism, this is not permissible, this is not permissible, even ... even if his ancestors are not the ones who require the exaltation that leads to extremism, this is not permissible, even if they are not his ancestors but his elders. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, no. Now they presented to him the status of 'Abd al-Muttalib, that he was a great man in his people and an eminent man in his people, and it should have been for you not to deviate from this. This was the reason that caused him to turn away from what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him. And in any case, the author's statement is absolute and requires detail. If the meaning is exalting the ancestors and elders who were upon disbelief, regardless of what they were upon, then there is no doubt that this is true. But if the meaning is the ancestors and elders in general, then this is not absolute.
Do you want to renounce `Abdul Muttalib's religion?
أترغب عن ملة عبد المطلبand his parents convert him to Judaism or Christianity or Magianism
فأبواه يهودانه أو ينصرانه أو يمجسانهA man follows the religion of his close friend, so let one of you look at whom he befriends.
المرء على دين خليله فلينظر أحدكم من يخاللThe student: ... Is it general or specific ...?
The Shaykh : It is not general in associating partners with Allah and other matters. Good.
"The ninth, the ninth: The harm - yes - of exalting ancestors and elders". This is also not absolute. Exalting ancestors and elders, if they are worthy of exaltation, does not harm; rather, exalting them is good. Our ancestors from the early generations of this community, there is no doubt that if we exalt them and give them their due place, that is good and there is no harm in it. Likewise, our elders in knowledge and age, if we exalt them in a manner befitting them, there is no harm in this. But if we exalt the elders and ancestors according to their state of falsehood, but because they have status among their people, there is no doubt that this is great harm, even to a person's religion. For example, the one who honors Abu Jahl and exalts him because he is the master of the people of the valley, the people of Makkah, and likewise 'Abd al-Muttalib and others whom he honors and exalts, there is no doubt that this is harm to him. There is no doubt that this is harm to him. And it is not permissible for a person to attribute to these people any status by which he exalts them, because they are enemies of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and the enemies of Allah cannot be honored no matter what the case is. Likewise, if one honors the great ones of his time, such as the leaders of disbelief, there is harm in that, harm to him, because this exaltation and honoring may lead to things that contradict Islam. So a person should make his honoring and exalting according to what the evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) requires. And the important thing is that what the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned is a matter that requires detail. If the ancestors and elders are upon good, there is no harm in exalting them.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, they are praised for this, but they are not exalted, they are not exalted ... Some people may also have generosity as an innate trait and nature, not with the intention of being generous.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : ... If it reaches the level of extremism, this is not permissible, this is not permissible, even ... even if his ancestors are not the ones who require the exaltation that leads to extremism, this is not permissible, even if they are not his ancestors but his elders. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, no. Now they presented to him the status of 'Abd al-Muttalib, that he was a great man in his people and an eminent man in his people, and it should have been for you not to deviate from this. This was the reason that caused him to turn away from what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him. And in any case, the author's statement is absolute and requires detail. If the meaning is exalting the ancestors and elders who were upon disbelief, regardless of what they were upon, then there is no doubt that this is true. But if the meaning is the ancestors and elders in general, then this is not absolute.