Introduction praising Shaykh al-Albani and encouraging the taking of his knowledge

The student : My brothers, it is a rare opportunity that presents itself for us to meet in this manner, and we are upon a methodology in the truth, if Allah wills. We do not seek what people seek with their knowledge, but rather we seek the good of this world and the Hereafter, that which brings us closer to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), brings us near to His Paradise, and grants us His reward in the Hereafter, if Allah wills. The Hereafter is the true life, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: . From this, I say that the presence of our Shaykh in a country—do not say we are close to him, but even if he were in a vast continent, far from the people of our land or from people other than those of our land—it would be fitting for them to strive to reach him, to draw from his knowledge, and to benefit from the blessing of the pure Sunnah that Allah has bestowed upon him. We do not know in our time anyone who is more proficient in it, or who has more comprehensive knowledge of the chains of the men, or the ability to distinguish the weak from the good and the authentic, and to know the ranks of hadith in terms of elevation and descent, and other sciences of the pure Sunnah, than our Shaykh, and praise be to Allah. If people from afar disdain the knowledge of the Shaykh, it is not because it is merely knowledge, but because they are too weak to carry this knowledge in their minds, and thus they fall prey to it in the truth. And we, praise be to Allah by whose grace good deeds are completed, do not know of ourselves except that we love the truth, strive for it, and exert ourselves as much as we can in the path of reaching it, acting upon it, and verifying it. If our Shaykh—may Allah reward him with good, prolong his life, bless his efforts, and benefit us and the Muslims in general with his knowledge—is present among us in this noble land, if Allah wills, and if this is the case, then we should be the most eager to acquire what we are able to, and what our minds and hearts can both bear. I have said repeatedly and often that the presence of Shaykh Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani in Jordan is a blessing that Allah has bestowed upon Jordan and its people. So happy are we, the people of Jordan, with what Allah has bestowed upon us in the presence of our Shaykh, our teacher, our beloved, our leader, and the leader of the scholars of our time. We do not exaggerate in this, nor do we go beyond the truth; rather, we fall short of it. We do not say more; rather, we deprive the matter of its right if we say less than that. He is worthy of more and more than what I have mentioned. People are known by their effects, and our Shaykh—may Allah preserve him, prolong his life, extend his lifespan, and bless his efforts—is who he is, as we know and as people know about him. So we ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to increase our adherence to the Sunnah and our striving to act upon it, and to make our hearts connected to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and its means. Among the greatest of its means in our time is our Shaykh—may Allah preserve him and protect him. I would like to say here to my brothers that our Shaykh, in these days and for a period not short before these days, is occupied with the vast wealth of knowledge he possesses, bringing out its treasures and presenting them to the Muslims everywhere on earth, and to non-Muslims as well. This is because this knowledge, which is unique in this time, is possessed by few, and those striving for it are few, and those persisting in the journey toward it are few. So we ask Allah to make us among those few who strive for these few and discipline themselves to strive for these few, if Allah wills. From here, I say that our eagerness to take what we take is for only one thing: that we know that this knowledge is that which rectifies the minds, that which steadies the hearts, that by which knowledge grows in the breasts, and that which enables a person to distinguish the truth from falsehood, and by which the paths of guidance become clear to him, and he knows thereby the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to follow in his wake. Perhaps we have in this hadith, if our Shaykh permits us to cite a hadith before him, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked his Companions: . They said: or: . They said: The prophets. He said: . They said: We are the first. They said: The angels. He said: . Then they said: The prophets. He said: . Then they said: We, O Messenger of Allah. He said: . So we ask Allah to make us among them. And now I yield the word or the place to our Shaykh and our teacher, perhaps he will return to us with what Allah has bestowed upon him, and let us be, in truth and sincerity, if Allah wills, students of good, guidance, and piety. May Allah reward you with good for us.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you all.