Questioner:

May Allāh ﷻ grant you good, the third question: Many of the youth have delved into the matter of Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādi al-Madkhalī –may Allāh grant him good- and him declaring ʿAlī Ḥasan al-Ḥalabī to be an innovator. Some of them are supportive while others are opposed to it. So what is your view on that matter?

Shaykh ʿUbayd al-Jābirī:

Firstly, I advise our young people in Qatar and in every land whether they be male or female to not delve into affairs that are above their level. Rather, I advise them that if a scholar from the people of the Sunnah who is well-known for his interpretation which is based upon evidence concerning whatever he issues verdicts in; I advise them to follow him so that the position of the people of the Sunnah is united upon the truth and the rejection of falsehood and hatred of religious innovations and its people. However, if every group establishes a specific position; then this is what the opponents of the Sunnah who lurk in the circles of the people of the Sunnah desire. So the best case scenario for them is to divide their unity –I mean by this the unity of the people of the Sunnah- and thus they want them to be in disarray and scattered in all directions as they say.

Secondly, I have known Shaykh Rabīʿ for years and from what I know of him –may Allāh grant him success- is his reliance upon evidence after having advised the opposition until his patience is exhausted. After that he speaks about whatever reached him. And the evidence has been established with us, according to what I’ve seen from Shaykh Rabīʿ our elder brother –may Allāh ﷻ grant him success-. And even before that; from our own readings which we did not make public regarding ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd who goes by the ascription al-Atharī. He is not person who follows the athar. Rather, he is an innovator who is misguided and who misguides others; a caller to misguidance and someone who corrupts the servants of Allāh ﷻ and the various lands.

And from the likes of this gathering of yours and from the likes of the Salafī website Sahab and other than it, if there are also websites that are linked to it; I warn all of the Muslims from this man because of his direction and I call them to hate him and to abandon him for the sake of Allāh ﷻ until he returns to the Sunnah and frees himself of every form of misguidance that he spread publicly both generally and in specific detailed matters. Likewise, I also warn against the centre known as the Imām al-Albānī centre (al-Albānī Herritage) since it is nothing more than a ploy, trap and a net set up by ʿAli and his followers in order to misguide the Muslim men and women. And from this is their practice of inviting takfīrī speakers to give talks there. [So I will continue to warn against it] until two conditions are fulfilled:

The first condition is that they turn the center over to the children of the Shaykh. I have known and heard about his son ʿAbd al-Musawwir since he was a graduate of the College of Ḥadīth from the Islamic University of al-Madīnah and we hope for nothing but good from him if Allāh wills.

And the second condition is that those who give lessons there are reputable scholars who promote the Salafī methodology. As for right now then no; a thousand times no. No one attends this centre except the one who is heedless or the one who is playing around and finds things at that centre that please him and satisfies his desires.