What is your opinion regarding the doubt raised about your scholarship and the accusation that your academic output is scant?

The questioner: In this, O Shaykh, one of the most important matters is that a doubt has arisen regarding a man or a person. We hear the man or this person respond to it. There is a doubt that has been raised about you, O Shaykh, and the first person to raise it, as far as we know, was Habib al-Rahman al-Azami, under the name Arshad al-Salafi. He claims that Shaykh al-Albani does not rely on the comprehensive works in his books, for example, but rather relies on the abridgments. He uses this to argue for certain matters, for example, matters we will omit mentioning here. So, some of the brothers, or perhaps we will not mention the brothers... We hear your response. Some of the brothers ask, saying: What is the Shaykh's answer, for example... He returns to the comprehensive works, so his knowledge is slight, or... his knowledge is abridged, so he means he speaks but does not reach the level of the people of knowledge, and the like of that.

The Shaykh: Well, what do our books indicate?

The questioner: I mean, respond to them like this, O Shaykh. May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh: Where is this answer? You do not see it, nor do I hear it. What is the occasion for this? I have forgotten it.

The questioner: Harun al-Rashid...

The Shaykh: Heh, yes, that is the answer.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner: Our Shaykh, afterwards, in truth.

The Shaykh: Then, excuse me, I want to say that these questions, in reality, when they pertain to the person.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: This is an awkward question, in truth, because it is befitting for the one being asked to remain silent about himself, and this is very difficult. This is like the one who says, for example, and many say this even in this country, "This man is an Albani who does not master the Arabic language." Well, what do we say to him if he says that he does not master the Arabic language?

The questioner: We told them the response, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner: I say, we responded to them with a slight response. We answer, O Shaykh, the response.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner: We say the response is slight. Just read the introductions to your books, and try to bring a quarter of it in terms of explanation and language.

The Shaykh: Yes, this is correct. We have heard it more than once, and may Allah reward you with good.

The questioner: Even the titles, O Shaykh, by Allah, they do not master them. I say, "Setting up the catapults," they do not understand its meaning, even after forty years.

The Shaykh: Yes, indeed. Allah is the Helper.