The Shaykh’s remarks on the reasons for his occasional use of a stern approach, such as his interaction with Shaykh Isma'il al-Ansari

The Shaykh: If it were only a matter of using a stern approach, I would also agree with him, as that is my methodology. But if he fabricates, if he lies, if he plays with words, if... and so on, then it is not possible, and I do not think that anyone who is gentle and soft—this quality being the quality of the believer, for the believer is gentle and soft—would agree that there should be softness in such a place. A man who plays with words and wants to support the public of the superstitious at the expense of the Sunnah, where the Sunnah is either authentic and he weakens it, or weak and he authenticates it. Therefore, I propose now, and may Allah reward you with good, that we hear something of his speech. Because the truth is, I believe that someone like you, who has spent many years with him and knows him intimately and closely, it is not easy to attribute sternness to him when he has not seen any practical sternness from him in my companionship with him. But he saw sternness in his writing against those who refuted him. I admit this. But I admit that the opposite of sternness in these matters is not a wise approach, because it is not hidden from you that His saying—Exalted is He—: This does not mean that one should always be gentle and soft, even with those who are in the wrong.
The student: This is the statement of Ibn Hazm...

The Shaykh: This is the statement of Ibn Hazm, and when he—peace be upon him—said to the man: What is this softness? Softness? May Allah forgive you.
The student: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh: Peace be upon you. Welcome, how are you? And his saying—peace and blessings be upon him—: What do you think of this style? May Allah forgive you, Professor. Haha. There is a verse of poetry, perhaps you remember it better than I do, that he placed the sword in place of the stick, and I do not know what you remember?
The student: It is this meaning, but...

The Shaykh: What do you think of this meaning? Does it contain wisdom or sternness? Hahaha. Allah is the Helper. The hadith of seeking nearness to Allah through the Prophet—peace be upon him—or through the prophets, which is narrated in the Sunan: and so on. I was in a very old article where I demonstrated the weakness of this hadith and refuted it. Now let us see the hypocrisy. I refuted Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. The group, especially those who live in your country, unfortunately, are forced to say that if we do not say they are hypocrites, they will follow along, they will accommodate, they will turn away from Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. Explaining his error is like explaining the error of the four Imams for the followers of taqlid. There is absolutely no difference between the Najdis and the others. So we demonstrated the weakness of this hadith which Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab used as evidence, that it is among the etiquettes of leaving the mosque to make this supplication. What does al-Ansari want to do? He wants to strengthen the hadith, and he knows that it is weak, and he also knows that Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab himself weakened it. It is a strange thing. Please, go ahead.