What is the obligation of scholars toward the Islamic awakening?
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Question:
Your Eminence, what is the obligation of scholars in fulfilling the trust of scholarly knowledge regarding the Islamic awakening, and their responsibility in leading it and guiding it correctly? May Allah grant you success?
Answer:
Their obligation is to assist those who have been successful in this awakening and movement, to lead them to good, to encourage them, and to make clear to them and alert them to where they may err, so that this awakening and this movement becomes a sound movement and a straight awakening forward; so that its people and those who follow them may be happy with it. This is the obligation of the people of knowledge: to encourage the youth and non-youth in what Allah has bestowed upon them of awakening and alertness, the desire for religion, and sincerity to Allah in that, and the eagerness to perform what Allah has made obligatory. They should encourage this good and be grateful for it, whether they are men or women, for it is a general awakening for men and women, present in this land—the Kingdom—and outside the Kingdom.
So, with the praise of Allah, it brings good news in the time of this isolation. It is a great Islamic awakening, manifest in Asia, in Africa, in Europe, in America, and everywhere. And in this Kingdom, with the praise of Allah, there is a great deal of that.
So it is obligatory upon the people of knowledge to encourage its people, to explain to them what may be hidden from them, and to alert them to any excess or error that may occur, so that the journey is sound and straight on the right path, without excess or negligence. For the one who walks toward Allah may be afflicted with excess and extremism due to his ignorance and his eagerness for religion without insight; so he becomes negligent, adds to the religion, and falls into religious innovations. And a person may be afflicted with negligence and indifference if his faith weakens; so he falls into sins and evils. The best of matters are their middles. Moderation is the truth, so there is no excess and no negligence, no extremism and no indifference. Rather, one must adhere to the truth upon which our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those who followed them with excellence walked. One must adhere to their path, be straight on their path, and not deviate from them, neither to the right nor to the left. And if one sees someone who has deviated with extremism and excess, he should advise him until he returns him to the correct path. And if one sees someone who has deviated from this path with indifference, turning away, and heedlessness, he should advise him until he returns to the correct path.
Your Eminence, what is the obligation of scholars in fulfilling the trust of scholarly knowledge regarding the Islamic awakening, and their responsibility in leading it and guiding it correctly? May Allah grant you success?
Answer:
Their obligation is to assist those who have been successful in this awakening and movement, to lead them to good, to encourage them, and to make clear to them and alert them to where they may err, so that this awakening and this movement becomes a sound movement and a straight awakening forward; so that its people and those who follow them may be happy with it. This is the obligation of the people of knowledge: to encourage the youth and non-youth in what Allah has bestowed upon them of awakening and alertness, the desire for religion, and sincerity to Allah in that, and the eagerness to perform what Allah has made obligatory. They should encourage this good and be grateful for it, whether they are men or women, for it is a general awakening for men and women, present in this land—the Kingdom—and outside the Kingdom.
So, with the praise of Allah, it brings good news in the time of this isolation. It is a great Islamic awakening, manifest in Asia, in Africa, in Europe, in America, and everywhere. And in this Kingdom, with the praise of Allah, there is a great deal of that.
So it is obligatory upon the people of knowledge to encourage its people, to explain to them what may be hidden from them, and to alert them to any excess or error that may occur, so that the journey is sound and straight on the right path, without excess or negligence. For the one who walks toward Allah may be afflicted with excess and extremism due to his ignorance and his eagerness for religion without insight; so he becomes negligent, adds to the religion, and falls into religious innovations. And a person may be afflicted with negligence and indifference if his faith weakens; so he falls into sins and evils. The best of matters are their middles. Moderation is the truth, so there is no excess and no negligence, no extremism and no indifference. Rather, one must adhere to the truth upon which our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those who followed them with excellence walked. One must adhere to their path, be straight on their path, and not deviate from them, neither to the right nor to the left. And if one sees someone who has deviated with extremism and excess, he should advise him until he returns him to the correct path. And if one sees someone who has deviated from this path with indifference, turning away, and heedlessness, he should advise him until he returns to the correct path.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.