The Shaykh's story with Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut regarding taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) and an indication of some of his fanaticism.

The Shaykh : In my time, among the discussions that took place between me and some of the madhhab followers, I will not hide from you a story about Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, whom you all know. He was one of the fiercest enemies of the Salafi da'wah in Damascus and one of the fanatics of the Hanafi madhhab. This is because, first, he is an Albanian, like my story, and the Albanians do not know Islam except through the Hanafi madhhab, like most of the non-Arabs. Then, when he sought knowledge, he sought it from a Damascene Shaykh named Salih Farkush. Salih Farkush was also a fanatic for the Hanafi madhhab. I went to call people to following the Book and the Sunnah, and the da'wah began to bear fruit to a certain extent. Then the muqallids (those who follow without evidence) rose up, and it was a long story lasting many years, and so on. Among this, some other people would not greet me on the road because, in their claim, I had left the madhhab. They spread about me that I should be flogged with a certain number of lashes; I do not remember the number at that time. Why? Because I had left the madhhab. In summary, days and long years passed, and we were seeking to meet, as is our custom. Finally, Shu'ayb came to me in the shop. We stayed from after the afternoon prayer; I remember clearly until five in the afternoon, and I was speaking with him. I said, "My brother, my Lord (Mighty and Majestic) has favored me by turning my face to the knowledge of hadith. I find an authentic hadith, and I gave an example at that time of raising the hands when bowing and when rising from bowing. The Hanafis say this is haram (forbidden) to the extent of prohibition. And if the Imam al-Shafi'i raises his hands, one does not pray behind him. The point is, my brother... what is your opinion? I found a hadith, or rather hadiths, in Sahih al-Bukhari: 'That the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to raise his hands when he bowed, and when he rose from bowing,' and so on. How do you see that I deviate from this hadith because of the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: 'Shall I not lead you in the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? So he prayed and raised his hands, then he did not do it again'? Well, you, O scholars, say that the affirming is preferred over the negating, and the hadith of raising is mutawatir (mass-transmitted) from the Messenger (peace be upon him), while this hadith of negation is ahad (a report with a limited chain), and many hadith scholars have weakened it. In summary, the session lasted for hours. What is the point? What did he say to me? He said to me, 'Well, do it for yourself, do not spread it among the people, do it for yourself.' Now, the point in what follows is that he tells you... Now I said to him: 'Well, I have special brothers. Do you remember Abu Ahmad? Yes, he passed away in Mina. His passing was a sign of good. He and some Damascenes, two or three with him, performed Hajj. They were sitting under the bridge making tea. His companion offered him a cup of tea with his left hand, saying, 'Please, give it to me with your right hand,' and he handed it to him. The point is, this man was two years older than me, but he was not, first of all, a student of knowledge. My brother Munir, do you know him? Yes, my brother Munir used to come after me in study, seeking knowledge, understanding, intelligence, and so on. This Muhammad Abu Ahmad was not a student of knowledge; he was almost an ordinary person."
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : And he was an employee at the Qadim factory in Qadim, outside Damascus, for the government. He was a carpenter with a beard, and he learned many and very many issues from me. And as they say, 'The crows in our land become wolves.' A person like my brother would find a Shaykh among the ignorant ones who... do not know. And out of his eagerness for knowledge, whenever he saw someone, for example, who did not know, he would tell him, 'The Sunnah is such and such, do such and such,' and so on. He became known in Qadim in the factory as a man of knowledge, and he was not. He was only listening to his brother. The point is, what did I say to Shaykh Shu'ayb? 'Well, what do you think? I have brothers, and I am the most prominent among them in knowledge. You are advising me now that I found a hadith that contradicts my madhhab. May Allah reward you with good. You allowed me to act upon it, but not to spread it. Well, my brother said to me, 'Why are you raising your hands?' Should I be silent, or explain it to him? Or did he not ask me a question? He asked me a second question. He is a carpenter, and these people are exposed to many wounds. My brother got injured. He said, 'Does blood break the wudu' (ablution) or not?' I told him, 'No,' and I gave him the well-known hadith in the Sunnah, and so on. The madhhab of Abu Hanifah: if it were the heart, it would break the wudu'. What do you want my position to be with him? Should I hide the knowledge that my Lord taught me? In summary, the man was silenced in the aspect in which he had advised me. He is now, although he works with hadith and is stronger than many of the people who work with it today, he has not benefited from hadith at all.
The student : Until now?

The Shaykh : He is still a Hanafi in madhhab.
The student : Until now?

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student : Glory be to Allah.

The Shaykh: He is still alive.
The student : Glory be to Allah.
The student : He wears pants sometimes.