The Shaykh’s account of his first Hajj journey and his meeting with scholars, including the scholar Ahmad Shakir, and the Shaykh’s account of the dialogue and discussions that took place between them.
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The Shaykh : We sat down, greeted him, and I introduced myself, saying: "I am the guide for the Saudi group." I had heard that you were here, so I wanted to take the opportunity to benefit from meeting you. The man thanked me and praised me, but he made an excuse. I will never forget this Egyptian phrase he used: "As long as you are sick," meaning as long as he was sick.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : We sat for a little while and then left. The point is, I remained in the Makkah Haram until the tenth of the month of Muharram. I mentioned, I think, during the story that I had been given a ticket to travel to Madinah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And the return from there to Jeddah, and from Jeddah to Damascus. When I decided to go to Madinah, I went to Shaykh Nasif (may Allah have mercy on him). He sent a driver with his car to see if there was a place in Madinah or not. They excused themselves, saying there was no place, so we returned. I remember, and Allah knows best, that I went to the airport more than once and could not find a place. There was a profound wisdom from Allah in that. We got to know a police officer there because of my repeated visits to the office. The important thing is that one day—and peace be upon you, how are you? How are you? I hope you are well, may Allah bless you, how are you? I hope you are fine, praise be to Allah, always—we found a place. We boarded the plane and arrived in Madinah. There, I learned and it was reported to me that Shaykh Ahmad was also in Madinah.
The questioner : What Allah willed!
The Shaykh : I said, "Now we can take this opportunity as well." I went to him!
The questioner : Do you mean Shaykh Ahmad Shakir?
The Shaykh : Yes, praise be to Allah, he did not make an excuse. We sat with him. I mentioned, I think, during the story that among the reasons for my agreeing to this arduous journey were several matters, including performing Hajj to the House of Allah for the first time, and meeting the Salafi scholars there, especially Hamid al-Faqi, and we mentioned our story with him. The other was Shaykh Ahmad Shakir. As for Ahmad Shakir, I had certainly benefited from his books when I started studying the science of hadith, without any guide or mentor, of course. With the extent of the knowledge I had at the time, I was surprised by Ahmad Shakir’s expansion in relying on the authentication of Ibn Hibban. So the first issue I raised was this. I said to myself, perhaps the man has a viewpoint that is not written or recorded in any of his books, so I would benefit from it. And, glory be to Allah, the man, despite his virtue and knowledge, was a blaze of fire. It was not possible to discuss with him for five minutes except in the manner of a student with a Shaykh, where you submit with your hand. He was a learned and virtuous man, but there was no room for discussion. We spent a long time with him, a very long time, but with no notable benefit. I said to myself: "Unfortunately, we have no share in benefiting from the Shaykh." "We returned with empty hands."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : We sat for a little while and then left. The point is, I remained in the Makkah Haram until the tenth of the month of Muharram. I mentioned, I think, during the story that I had been given a ticket to travel to Madinah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And the return from there to Jeddah, and from Jeddah to Damascus. When I decided to go to Madinah, I went to Shaykh Nasif (may Allah have mercy on him). He sent a driver with his car to see if there was a place in Madinah or not. They excused themselves, saying there was no place, so we returned. I remember, and Allah knows best, that I went to the airport more than once and could not find a place. There was a profound wisdom from Allah in that. We got to know a police officer there because of my repeated visits to the office. The important thing is that one day—and peace be upon you, how are you? How are you? I hope you are well, may Allah bless you, how are you? I hope you are fine, praise be to Allah, always—we found a place. We boarded the plane and arrived in Madinah. There, I learned and it was reported to me that Shaykh Ahmad was also in Madinah.
The questioner : What Allah willed!
The Shaykh : I said, "Now we can take this opportunity as well." I went to him!
The questioner : Do you mean Shaykh Ahmad Shakir?
The Shaykh : Yes, praise be to Allah, he did not make an excuse. We sat with him. I mentioned, I think, during the story that among the reasons for my agreeing to this arduous journey were several matters, including performing Hajj to the House of Allah for the first time, and meeting the Salafi scholars there, especially Hamid al-Faqi, and we mentioned our story with him. The other was Shaykh Ahmad Shakir. As for Ahmad Shakir, I had certainly benefited from his books when I started studying the science of hadith, without any guide or mentor, of course. With the extent of the knowledge I had at the time, I was surprised by Ahmad Shakir’s expansion in relying on the authentication of Ibn Hibban. So the first issue I raised was this. I said to myself, perhaps the man has a viewpoint that is not written or recorded in any of his books, so I would benefit from it. And, glory be to Allah, the man, despite his virtue and knowledge, was a blaze of fire. It was not possible to discuss with him for five minutes except in the manner of a student with a Shaykh, where you submit with your hand. He was a learned and virtuous man, but there was no room for discussion. We spent a long time with him, a very long time, but with no notable benefit. I said to myself: "Unfortunately, we have no share in benefiting from the Shaykh." "We returned with empty hands."
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.