A discussion on the theft of Shaykh Al-Albani’s edition of al-Mu'allimi al-Yamani’s book *al-Tankil*.

The Shaykh : It came after the morning prayer, at the place where we are standing. In a book, do you know it or not? It is called *al-Tankil*.
The student : Yes. "Regarding the falsehoods in al-Kawthari’s work."

The Shaykh : Ah, this is by Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman al-Mu'allimi (may Allah have mercy on him).

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : A learned and virtuous man, and this book of his is entirely good.
The student : Shaykh, I want to buy some fruit for the house from you.

The Shaykh : Don’t buy anything, just take your way.
The student : Please, I swear by Allah.

The Shaykh : Do not swear by Allah, may Allah guide you.

The questioner : Oh Shaykh, let us honor you a little.

The Shaykh : So, I was in Damascus for about, perhaps, forty years, and I was commissioned by one of the virtuous, good men from Jeddah, perhaps you have heard of him, Shaykh Muhammad Nasif.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : A truly virtuous man and a Salafi.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : He used to come to spend the summer in Damascus every year, and he was a friend of Shaykh Bahjat al-Baytar.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : AndThe Shaykh : Bahjat al-Baytar is our friend, I mean, the point is that he commissioned me—just keep going straight, where are you going from here—.
The student : He stopped on the right and said.

The Shaykh : Who said?
The student : I did.

The Shaykh : No, it is not necessary, this road is straight.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : The point is, he commissioned me to print this book and write a commentary on it, and I did so. Days passed, and then days came when some of the publishers in Egypt noticed the value of this book after the Salafi da'wah had spread.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : So he went and stole the book and printed it in Egypt.
The student : Without your permission, of course.

The Shaykh : Of course. I had written, according to what I had agreed upon, of course, with Shaykh Nasif (may Allah have mercy on him): "Edited, commented upon, verified, and published by: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, at the expense of Muhammad Nasif and his partners."
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : That was how we had agreed with him. So this wicked Egyptian came, printed the book, removed all the credits, and put "Edited by Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and"The Shaykh : 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza.
The student : Who is 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza?

The Shaykh : He is one of the Egyptian scholars who resided in Makkah, and I got to know him on my first trip. A learned, virtuous, Salafi man, and a companion and friend of 'Abd al-Rahman al-Yamani.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : But he has no connection to printing the book or commenting on it.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Rather, this is, as I always say, and I said this to Zuhayr al-Shawish recently, changing the appearance for the sake of eating.
The student : You have done well.

The Shaykh : That this book is not just al-Albani’s book, no, it is also the edition of 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza, do you see the joke?
The student : Well, what is the benefit of adding 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza for this Egyptian?

The Shaykh : Changing the appearance, my brother, a new edition.
The student : You have done well.
Another student: It increases the importance of the book, oh Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : The bottom line is that 'Abd al-Razzaq has absolutely no connection to it; it is forgery and a lie to promote the merchandise.
The student : By Allah, oh Shaykh, this is a very ugly forgery.

The Shaykh : And look at the second ugliness now: our old friend Zuhayr al-Shawish was jealous of this Egyptian, so he printed a new edition of the book for him in Lebanon and wrote "Edited by Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Zuhayr al-Shawish, and 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza."
The student : There is no power or strength except in Allah, this is a more ugly forgery.

The Shaykh : What do you want to say, my brother, Allahu Akbar.
The student : May Allah guide us and guide them.
The student : And this book in which he places your picture...

The Shaykh : This is worse than that.
The student : This is a stronger forgery.

The Shaykh : This is worse.
The student : ... .

The Shaykh : No, a man truly, I mean, he revealed his fang and his wickedness, I mean, it is a very long story.
The student : Is he an Ikhwan, oh Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Of course, he was one of the senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The student : Now, now.

The Shaykh : By Allah, now you do not know the Muslim Brotherhood, especially in Syria, I mean, they have no mention left, but he is undoubtedly one of the senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood and a man, I mean, not insignificant, I mean, a schemer.
The student : Do we take the right or the left?

The Shaykh : No, no, go straight.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : The point is, it was later arranged for me to print from your side, the owner of al-Ma'arif bookstore, I think.
The student: Yes ... .

The Shaykh : Yes, so we agreed with him to print.
The student : Sahih Abu Dawud, he is the one who printed Abu Dawud.

The Shaykh : Who is he?
The student : Al-Ma'arif.

The Shaykh : No, no, he did not print anything... The point is, we agreed with him to print the book, so I wrote an introduction for him and addressed the Egyptian thief and then this Syrian, the Egyptian thief I revealed his name, this one I did not reveal his name because the relationship between me and him had not completely broken off.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Unlike... the second one now is filing lawsuits and courts and lawyers and forgery and a very terrible affair.
The student : May Allah help you against him, oh Shaykh.

The Shaykh : O Allah, amen.
The student : By Allah, oh Shaykh, his publication of this picture in the book, oh Shaykh, led to the book selling in large quantities.

The Shaykh: Allah is the Greatest!
The student : Because the young people want to take your picture.

The Shaykh : May Allah take revenge on him.
The student : They did not buy this book except for your picture.

The Shaykh : Because he wronged me greatly.
The student : This proves that his goal is material gain.

The Shaykh : It is this.
The student : Clear... yes.

The Shaykh : So I wrote the introduction about the theft of the book and what our old friend did, and I published a picture of the covers of the two editions showing "Edited by Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza" by the Egyptian—take it easy, take it easy, take it easy from here now, right, hit, hit, hit, hit, right, just—.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : The first edition is like this, Muhammad Nasir al-Din and 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza, the edition by Zuhayr al-Shawish is Muhammad Nasir al-Din and Zuhayr al-Shawish and 'Abd al-Razzaq Hamza.