Encouraging Mutual Affection and Unity, and Warning Against Division and Discord – Imam Rabīʿ ibn Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhalī

All praise is due to Allah ﷻ, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his family, his companions, and all those who follow his guidance.

To proceed:

Some beloved brothers from Algeria requested that I direct a piece of counsel to the Salafī youth of Algeria, urging them to hold firm to the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah, and to the methodology of the pious predecessors (manhaj al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ), and exhorting them to love one another for the sake of Allah ﷻ and to establish brotherhood in Him. I therefore resolved to convey to them this very counsel, which I originally delivered in the year 1425 AH (2004 CE) to a number of students at the Islamic University of Madina. I wish to make clear to all that I stand before Allah ﷻ by everything contained in this counsel, before its delivery, after it, and up to this very day. By the will and grace of Allah ﷻ, I shall neither alter it nor retreat from it until I meet Him.

Written by: Rabīʿ ibn Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhalī 21 Dhū al-Ḥijja 1429 AH (19 December 2008 CE)

The Counsel

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Indeed, all praise belongs to Allah ﷻ. We praise Him, seek His aid, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah ﷻ from the evil of our own souls and from the evil consequences of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah ﷻ guides, none can lead astray; and whomsoever He leads astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah ﷻ alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad ﷺ is His servant and messenger.

“O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.” (Āl ʿImrān 3:102) ۞

“O mankind! Fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul and created from it its mate, and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and maintain the ties of kinship. Indeed, Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.” (al-Nisāʾ 4:1) ۞

“O you who believe! Fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will then amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.” (al-Aḥzāb 33:70–71) ۞

To proceed:

The most truthful of speech is the speech of Allah ﷻ, the best of guidance is the guidance of Muḥammad ﷺ, the worst of affairs are those newly introduced into the religion, and every newly introduced matter is an innovation (bidʿah), and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

To proceed:

Welcome, O brothers in Allah ﷻ, and O noble students, seekers of sacred knowledge, who have travelled from distant lands to drink from the wellspring of Sharīʿah knowledge, which flows from the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, here in the city of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the second city of revelation after Makkah al-Mukarramah. It was from this city that the banners of jihād and conquest were raised, so that the word of Allah ﷻ might be exalted, this true religion spread, and made to prevail over all other religions, as Allah ﷻ said:

“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although the polytheists dislike it.” (al-Tawbah 9:33) ۞

Indeed, Allah ﷻ caused this religion to prevail through the hands of those sincere and noble Companions of Muḥammad ﷺ, those who opened hearts with knowledge, guidance, and faith, and opened fortresses and cities with the swords of truth. They supported the religion of Allah ﷻ with every capacity they possessed and every sacrifice of wealth and life they were able to make. They realised the very purpose that Allah ﷻ willed for this religion: that it should prevail and stand supreme over all other religions.

This religion is built upon guidance and knowledge, upon guidance and knowledge, not upon desires, ignorance, foolishness, and the chaos that now prevails in many lands, where movements and calls are not founded upon the Book of Allah ﷻ nor upon the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, but upon mere whims and desires, save those whom Allah ﷻ has preserved.

The Islamic University of Madina grasped the reality of the Muslims, or rather, those responsible for it and those who founded it grasped the reality of the Muslims and the ignorance and distance from the true methodology of Allah ﷻ in which the vast majority of the Muslim world lived. The university was accordingly established upon sound Islamic curricula, derived from the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, with eighty per cent of its places reserved for students from across the Muslim world and twenty per cent for the sons of this land, so that those who had journeyed to the city of revelation might drink from the pure springs of knowledge and then return to their homelands to spread this truth, this goodness, and this guidance which they had acquired.

“So why did there not go forth from every community among them a group to obtain understanding of the religion and warn their people when they return to them so that they might be cautious?” (al-Tawbah 9:122) ۞

This is a tremendous opportunity for you, so seize it and turn earnestly towards beneficial, pure, and unalloyed knowledge, derived from the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, for its sources are plentifully available, praise be to Allah ﷻ, here in this city and in the Islamic University. Whoever desires goodness for himself, his family, his people, and his country must gird himself with sincere effort and receive knowledge from the scholars present, those who have devoted themselves to teaching this truth and spreading it. May Allah ﷻ bless you.

Study from these books, from these sources that contain correct beliefs and sound methodologies. Read the Salafī works of tafsīr, those built upon interpreting the Book of Allah ﷻ by means of the Book of Allah ﷻ itself, by the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, and by the understanding of the noble Companions, who lived through the descent of revelation, accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, lived alongside him, and knew the purposes and intentions of the Quran and the Sunnah. It is their understanding and their preservation of the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ to which we must hold fast. For this reason, the noble Messenger ﷺ, when speaking of the sects and of the saved group, said: “Who are they? He said: Those who are upon what I and my Companions are upon.”

The understanding of the noble Companions of the true religion of Allah ﷻ, received from the Book of Allah ﷻ, the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, and his ﷺ words, actions, upbringing, and direction, must be our reference. They are the believers intended by the words of Allah ﷻ:

“And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers, We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.” (al-Nisāʾ 4:115) ۞

This is a severe warning to whoever opposes Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ and follows a path other than that of the believers. Be therefore attentive to this matter, and be earnest in understanding the way of the believers, the way they derived from the Book of Allah ﷻ, the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, and from his ﷺ nurturing and purification of them through the Book and Wisdom.

May Allah ﷻ bless you. This is a tremendous opportunity for you: understand the true religion of Allah ﷻ from it, and strive with all seriousness to make it manifest, to make it manifest, over all other religions, through proof and evidence. May Allah ﷻ bless you. This is a point I draw your attention to. You must therefore seek knowledge from its original sources: from the books of Salafī tafsīr, from the books of Salafī ʿaqīdah that derive from the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, clarifying for you the way of the sincere believers and the way of the innovators who have departed from the true methodology of Allah ﷻ. By Allah ﷻ, the Salafī scholars are the trustees of this ummah over its religion, over the religion of this ummah, over the soundness of its belief and methodology, and over its steadfastness upon what Muḥammad ﷺ brought.

Allied to this, and it is self-evident to you, is that it is obligatory upon us to follow the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, to hold firm to them, and to clench our teeth upon them with the molars, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said. When he ﷺ delivered a profound sermon that caused eyes to weep and hearts to tremble, they asked him for counsel, saying: “O Messenger of Allah, it is as though this is the sermon of one bidding farewell, so counsel us.” He said: “I counsel you to fear Allah ﷻ, and to listen and obey. For indeed, whoever among you lives will see much disagreement. So hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs, clench upon it with the molars. And beware of newly introduced matters, for every newly introduced matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.”

This sermon encompasses the injunction to fear Allah ﷻ, a fear of Allah ﷻ that is indispensable and finds true expression only in the souls of sincere and righteous scholars: “It is only those who have knowledge among His servants who fear Allah.” (Fāṭir 35:28) ۞ So fear Allah ﷻ in order to attain this station, or seek knowledge in order to attain this station, for the one who learns correct beliefs, sound methodologies, and the rulings, manners, and morals derived from the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ is indeed the one who fears Allah ﷻ. In all these matters, and from this very awareness of them that we have mentioned, lies that which drives a person towards fearing Allah ﷻ, towards being conscious of Him, and towards being watchful of Him at every time, in every place, and in every circumstance.

This is a lofty station, the station of iḥsān, to worship Allah ﷻ as though you see Him; and if you do not see Him, He nevertheless sees you. This is the station of iḥsān: that a person possess a strong sense that Allah ﷻ sees him, that Allah ﷻ hears everything he says, hears the beating of his heart and the stirrings of his soul, and knows whatever he conceals within himself. He, glory be to Him, knows it and hears it, and sees your every movement and stillness. The one who magnifies Allah ﷻ as He deserves to be magnified, who knows that He hears everything he says and knows everything he inwardly contemplates, glory be to Him, and that Allah ﷻ has noble scribes who record whatever you do: when such a noble feeling is present in the soul of the believer, he acquires the capacity for taqwā by which he avoids sins, shirk, innovations, and superstitions. He attains the station of iḥsān, for he is mindful of Allah ﷻ and senses that Allah ﷻ sees him, and that nothing of his affairs, not even an atom’s weight, is hidden from Allah ﷻ. This feeling and this noble awareness will drive him, Allah ﷻ willing, towards taqwā. No one arrives at this except the one who learns correct beliefs and sound rulings of the lawful and the prohibited, and knows the commands and prohibitions, the promises and warnings, from the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ. It is these people who have earned the praise of Allah ﷻ, as He said: “It is only those who have knowledge among His servants who fear Allah.” (Fāṭir 35:28) ۞ And He said: “Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.” (al-Mujādilah 58:11) ۞

Strive therefore to be of this calibre, that is, to combine knowledge with action. Combine knowledge with action, for that is the fruit of knowledge and the fruit of taqwā of Allah ﷻ and consciousness of Him.

So, O brothers, you must acquire sincere and pure faith, beneficial knowledge, and righteous action:

“By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” (al-ʿAṣr 103:1–3) ۞

Sincere faith is only established upon knowledge; righteous deeds spring only from knowledge; calling to Allah ﷻ is undertaken only by people of knowledge; and patience in the face of harm, may Allah ﷻ bless you, is required of whoever has learned, taught, and called to Allah ﷻ. So be of those who learn, believe in this knowledge, call to this knowledge and faith, and are patient in the face of harm for the sake of conveying this truth and goodness to people. The believing Muslim who calls to Allah ﷻ will inevitably encounter harm of a kind he never anticipated and never expected, and the believer should not be surprised by this. For the best of creation, the Prophets and noble Messengers, upon them be prayers and peace, suffered harm in the path of Allah ﷻ and in calling to Him more than we have. They were afflicted by the enmity of the most severe enemies more than we have been: “The most severely tried of people are the Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best, then the next.” Whoever holds firm to the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ and calls to them will inevitably be harmed, so condition yourself to patience:

“And be patient, for indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.” (Hūd 11:115) ۞

Allah ﷻ commanded His Messenger ﷺ to emulate those of firm resolve (ūlū al-ʿazm), to be patient in the arena of daʿwah and jihād as they were patient:

“So be patient, as were the resolute of the messengers, and do not be impatient for them.” (al-Aḥqāf 46:35) ۞

In the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and in all the Prophets of Allah ﷻ we have a good example. The Messenger ﷺ was commanded to follow those before him among the Prophets and to be guided by their guidance, and we are commanded to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and to emulate him ﷺ:

“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day.” (al-Aḥzāb 33:21) ۞

An excellent pattern that encompasses every matter he ﷺ brought: a pattern in his creed, so we hold the same beliefs he held; a pattern in his worship, so we worship Allah ﷻ sincerely, following what this noble Messenger ﷺ brought; a pattern in the noble character that many callers to Allah ﷻ have lost, that many young people have lost, indeed that some young people have lost in all or most respects. Allah ﷻ praised His Messenger ﷺ with the most glowing of praise: “And indeed, you are of a great moral character.” (al-Qalam 68:4) ۞

The caller to Allah ﷻ, the student of knowledge, the one who guides and directs, all of them need to emulate the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in his creed, his methodology, and his character. When these matters are complete in the caller to Allah ﷻ, or he draws near to completeness in them, the daʿwah will succeed, Allah ﷻ willing, and the caller will present it in its finest and most excellent form. May Allah ﷻ bless you.

When the daʿwah is devoid of these qualities, these moral qualities that include patience, wisdom, gentleness, forbearance, clemency, pardoning, forgiveness, and others besides, qualities that are indispensable to the calling of the Messengers, upon them be prayers and peace, we must perfect them. Many people are heedless of them, and this harms the Salafī daʿwah and harms its people when one neglects them and presents to people only what they find repellent and repulsive: harshness, severity, recklessness, and the like. These qualities are blameworthy even in worldly matters, let alone in matters of religion.

The student of knowledge must consider: how is it that you study, my brother? You study the biography of the Messenger ﷺ, you study his character, his creed, his methodology. Yet some people care nothing for the creed and methodology of the Messenger ﷺ, and instead follow methodologies and creeds invented by the devil for those whom Allah ﷻ has abandoned among the people of innovation and misguidance. Some may be guided to adopt the correct creed yet lose the methodology; others may be guided to both the creed and the methodology, yet in their conduct lose both the creed and the methodology. They may possess the truth, the correct creed and the sound methodology, yet their conduct and their manner in daʿwah destroys and harms the daʿwah.

So beware of contradicting the Messenger ﷺ in his creed, his methodology, and his manner of calling people. Consider how he ﷺ called people, and draw upon these prophetic directives: towards wisdom, patience, forbearance, clemency, pardoning, forgiveness, gentleness, leniency, and many other matters alongside these. Comprehend them, O brothers, and know that they are indispensable to our daʿwah to people.

Do not take one dimension of Islam whilst neglecting the others, or one dimension of the path of calling to Allah ﷻ whilst neglecting the rest, for that harms the religion of Allah ﷻ. It harms the religion of Allah ﷻ, and it harms the daʿwah and those who carry it.

By Allah ﷻ, the Salafī daʿwah did not spread in this recent age and before it except through the hands of scholars who were wise, forbearing, and who embodied the methodology of the Messenger ﷺ and applied it to the best of their ability. Allah ﷻ benefited people through them, and the Salafī daʿwah spread across the regions of the world through their character, their knowledge, and their wisdom.

In these days, we see the Salafī daʿwah retreating and contracting, may Allah ﷻ bless you, because it has lost the wisdom of these scholars, first and foremost the wisdom of the Messenger ﷺ, his forbearance, his mercy, his character, his gentleness, and his leniency.

By Allah ﷻ, a Jewish woman once insulted ʿĀʾishah (may Allah ﷻ be pleased with her), and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to her: “O ʿĀʾishah, indeed Allah loves gentleness in all affairs.” (Agreed upon by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.) When a scholar cites this ḥadīth to direct young people towards the correct methodology in calling to Allah ﷻ, they say: “This is tamyīʿ, this is dilution.” Whenever wisdom, gentleness, leniency, forbearance, and clemency are mentioned, qualities that are indispensable to calling to Allah ﷻ and among the very factors that draw people towards the correct daʿwah, so that people enter the religion of Allah ﷻ in droves, they resort to alienating people instead, even though the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Indeed, among you are those who repel others. Make things easy and do not make them difficult, give glad tidings and do not repel.”

O brothers, these people do not comprehend. Otherwise, by Allah ﷻ, they would logically be obliged to accuse the Messenger ﷺ himself of tamyīʿ, and the Companions, and the scholars of this ummah, of dilution. The logic of their violent, destructive extremism would compel them to say that the Messenger ﷺ himself, who calls to gentleness and wisdom and leniency, is guilty of tamyīʿ. We seek Allah’s forgiveness. By Allah ﷻ, they do not want this and do not intend it, but they simply do not comprehend. They must henceforth comprehend what these rulings of theirs entail, what they entail.

We, by Allah ﷻ, strive, debate, write, and advise, calling to Allah ﷻ, yet they consider us among the mumayyiʿīn (those who dilute). They do not want us to speak of wisdom, leniency, and gentleness. When we saw that harshness was destroying the Salafī daʿwah and tearing its people apart, what then should we do? I said: O brothers, when we see the fires blazing, shall we come and pour petrol upon them, making them burn ever more fiercely? Or shall we bring those things that will extinguish these fires? May Allah ﷻ bless you.

I found myself compelled, and it is my duty, before today, and I have been saying this before today, but I focused upon it when I saw the destruction, when I saw this affliction. I say: You must adopt gentleness, you must adopt leniency, you must adopt brotherly love, you must adopt mutual mercy.

For now this harshness has turned towards the people of the Sunnah themselves. They have abandoned the people of innovation and directed this destructive harshness towards the people of the Sunnah. Intertwined with it is injustice and false, oppressive judgements. So beware, twice over beware, of treading this path which will destroy you, destroy the Salafī daʿwah, and destroy its people.

Call to Allah ﷻ with everything you are able, with proof and evidence, in every place. Say: Allah ﷻ said; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said. Then seek aid, after Allah ﷻ, from the speech of the imāms of guidance, those whose leadership and status in Islam are acknowledged by both the people of the Sunnah and the people of innovation. Take this approach.

And I advise the brothers who travel to Africa, or to Turkey, or to India, or elsewhere: by Allah ﷻ, say: “Allah ﷻ said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, such-and-such an imām said, one whom they respect.” If you go to Africa, say: “Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (d. 463 AH / 1071 CE) said; Mālik (d. 179 AH / 795 CE) said; so-and-so said.” For people whose beliefs are corrupt, when you come to them with the Book of Allah ﷻ, the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ, and the speech of the scholars, they will accept it, it will be accepted from you. This is wisdom, this is wisdom. But when you come with only your own opinion, you alone in the field, no one will accept from you. You must rely, after the speech of Allah ﷻ, upon the speech of the scholars who hold standing in people’s eyes, who have a position, and whom no one can discredit or disparage. They respect al-Bukhārī (d. 256 AH / 870 CE); the Sufis everywhere respect al-Bukhārī, they respect Muslim (d. 261 AH / 875 CE), they respect these two books and their two authors. They respect Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (d. 241 AH / 855 CE), they respect al-Awzāʿī (d. 157 AH / 774 CE) and Sufyān al-Thawrī (d. 161 AH / 778 CE), and so on. There are connections between us and them, common ground, not merely formal ties, but genuine points of convergence. So let us reach them through these avenues. This is wisdom, O brothers, this is wisdom.

You should not say to them: “By Allah, Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) is an imām.” Do not cite Ibn Taymiyyah to people who do not accept him, they do not accept him. Speak of Ibn Taymiyyah in circles of Salafīs who revere him. But do not say in every context: “Ibn Taymiyyah said, Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (d. 1206 AH / 1792 CE) said,” they will recoil from it. They have been made to recoil from them, because their leaders and shaykhs have distorted the image of Ibn Taymiyyah, distorted the image of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, and distorted the images of the scholars and imāms of the daʿwah. So do not approach them through this door, it is not wise. Approach them through the door of what Mālik said, what Sufyān al-Thawrī said, what al-Awzāʿī said, what Ibn ʿUyaynah (d. 198 AH / 814 CE) said, what al-Bukhārī said, what Muslim said, in such-and-such a volume, on such-and-such a page. They will accept this from you. And when they accept from you, they will come to respect Ibn Taymiyyah and recognise that he was upon the truth, and they will respect Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb and recognise that he was upon the truth. May Allah ﷻ bless you. And so on.

I say this as a kind of guidance towards treading the path of wisdom in calling people to Allah ﷻ. Part of it is: do not insult their groups. “And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge.” (al-Anʿām 6:108) ۞

I say: I once went to Sudan. There are Sudanese among you; I believe there are those from Sudan here. I arrived at Port Sudan, where the youth of Anṣār al-Sunnah received me, may Allah ﷻ bless you, and said: “O Shaykh, we draw your attention to one matter.” I said: “Please go ahead.” They said: “Speak freely about whatever you wish; say: Allah ﷻ said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, may Allah ﷻ bless you, and refute whatever you wish of innovations and misguidance: calling upon other than Allah ﷻ, sacrifices, oaths, seeking help from the deceased, and the rest. But do not name a particular sect or a particular shaykh, do not single out the Tijāniyyah or other groups, nor their leaders. Simply set out the beliefs, and you will find yourself guided to the truth.” I said: “Very well.” So I followed this approach, and found a great reception from the people.

There is no need to insult their shaykhs and attack them: “And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge.” (al-Anʿām 6:108) ۞ If you insult a shaykh or call him misguided, or criticise such-and-such an order, they will recoil from you, and you will incur sin, having alienated people. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when he sent Muʿādh and Abū Mūsā, said: “Make things easy and do not make them difficult, and give glad tidings and do not repel.”

This is among the approaches that make things easy, give glad tidings, and cause no repulsion. By Allah ﷻ, I did not enter a single mosque without seeing faces radiant with joy, and I could not leave for the number of people coming forward to greet me and invite me back.

Then the heads of the Sufis, those devils, saw the danger of this conduct and this methodology in daʿwah. They gathered, conspired, may Allah ﷻ bless you, and coordinated a counter-response. They announced a lecture in a large public square. We gathered in this square, and I spoke. Their head stood up and commented on my speech: defending the invocation of other than Allah ﷻ, permitting tawassul of the prohibited kind, denying the divine attributes, and saying this and that, supporting all manner of falsehoods with corrupt interpretations. When he finished, having no evidence, he brought weak and fabricated ḥadīths, brought the sayings of the Greek philosophers, and so on.

I said: “By Allah, O people, you have heard my speech. I said: Allah ﷻ said, the Messenger ﷺ said, and the respected scholars of the ummah said. And this man has come with ḥadīths: did you hear him cite a verse from the Quran in support of invoking other than Allah ﷻ, in permitting prohibited tawassul? There was nothing. Did you hear the speech of the great imāms such as Mālik and their like? You did not hear it. You heard fabricated and weak ḥadīths, and the speech of people well known to you as pedlars of superstition.”

Then he began to insult and abuse. I laughed at him. I did not insult him nor abuse him. May Allah ﷻ bless you. I offered only light remarks in reply, and we parted.

By Allah, the One besides Whom there is no god, on the following day, people were speaking in the mosques and markets, saying: “The Sufis have been defeated, the Sufis have been defeated.”

So learn, O brothers, these methods. The aim is the guidance of people, the aim is to convey the truth to the hearts of people. Use every legitimate means at your disposal. What matters is the aim of the means: that we do not resort to the lies, evasions, diversions, and manoeuvres of the people of innovation. We are people of truth and sincerity, but we present this truth in whatever manner the people can accept, and in a way that moves their souls.

May Allah ﷻ bless you. We then went to Kassala; māshāʾ Allāh, the ground there had been prepared for daʿwah, praise be to Allah ﷻ, and things were good. We spoke, and praise be to Allah ﷻ, Allah ﷻ benefited people through what we said. Then we went to al-Qaḍārif, a small city, and we visited all the mosques. They told us: “There remains only one mosque in this city, belonging to the Tijāniyyah, which we have not been able to reach.” Why? They said: “They are extremely fanatical.” I said: “Let us go to them and seek their permission. If they give us permission to speak, we shall convey the message; if they prevent us, the matter and the excuse belong to Allah ﷻ. We will not come to them by force.” May Allah ﷻ bless you.

So we came, and the imām led us in prayer. When it was over, I came and greeted him: “Will you permit me to address these brothers?” He said: “Please go ahead.” And I spoke, may Allah ﷻ bless you, calling to Allah ﷻ, to tawḥīd, to the Sunnah, and so forth. I criticised some of the errors and some of the deviations that were present. I reached a point where I cited the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah (may Allah ﷻ be pleased with her), which is agreed upon by al-Bukhārī and Muslim: “Three things: whoever tells you them has fabricated the greatest of lies against Allah. Whoever says that Muḥammad saw his Lord has fabricated the greatest of lies against Allah; and whoever says that Muḥammad knows what will happen tomorrow has fabricated the greatest of lies against Allah”, and I cited the Quranic verses as evidence for this, “and whoever claims that Muḥammad did not fully convey what was revealed to him has fabricated the greatest of lies against Allah.”

At this point, a man who was half-seated, half-standing said: “By Allah, Muḥammad saw his Lord with the eyes of his head.” I said to him: “May Allah ﷻ reward you. As for ʿĀʾishah, who is the most knowledgeable of people concerning him, she said: ‘Whoever claims that Muḥammad saw his Lord has fabricated the greatest of lies against Allah.’ By Allah, if the Messenger ﷺ had seen his Lord, he would have informed her of it, but he did not inform her.”

He began to become disruptive. I said to him: “My brother, wait until I finish my remarks, and afterwards ask whatever you wish. Whatever I know, I shall answer you, and whatever I do not know, I shall say: Allah ﷻ knows best.” I left him and continued speaking. Whether this man stayed or left, I do not know; I did not look in his direction. A short while later I heard someone say: “By Allah, what this man is saying is true.” The Sudanese use the word zūl for “man.” “By Allah, what the zūl is saying is true: he said: Allah ﷻ said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said.” May Allah ﷻ bless you. This continued until the call to ʿIshāʾ prayer was made and the talk ended, and the prayer was established. They then pressed me to lead them in prayer! I said: “Absolutely not, the imām should lead.” They said: “By Allah, you shall lead.” I said: “Very well.” I led them in prayer, and when we finished, I expected questions; there were none. We left, I and the youth of Anṣār al-Sunnah with me. I said: “Where did the imām go?” They said: “He was expelled.” “Who expelled him?” They said: “His own congregation.”

Normally they could not so much as stir. By Allah, this is what happened, O brothers. Had a person come to belittle the Tijānī, the Mīrghanī, this or that, by Allah, they might well have killed him, not merely expelled him. But when you come to them with wisdom and gentleness, may Allah ﷻ bless you, Allah ﷻ benefits people through it.

So use, O brothers, beneficial knowledge, decisive proof, and beneficial wisdom in your daʿwah. Hold fast to all the noble and virtuous morals that the Book exhorts and that the Messenger of guidance ﷺ exhorts, for they are factors of victory and factors of success. And believe firmly that the Companions did not spread Islam, nor did it enter hearts, except through their wisdom and their knowledge more so than through swords. He who enters Islam under the sword may not remain steadfast; he who enters Islam through knowledge, proof, and evidence, his faith will remain steadfast.

So hold fast to these good methods, be earnest in seeking knowledge, and be earnest in calling to Allah ﷻ.

Two Concluding Directives

First: Brotherhood Among the People of the Sunnah

Then let me draw your attention, O brothers, to two matters:

First: Brotherhood among all the people of the Sunnah, the Salafīs. Spread among yourselves the spirit of affection and brotherhood, and realise what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ directed us to: that the believers are like a building, each part of which strengthens the other; and the believers are like a single body, like a single body, when one of its limbs suffers, the rest of the body responds with fever and sleeplessness. Be thus, O brothers.

Distance yourselves from the causes of division, for by Allah ﷻ they are a grave evil and a virulent disease. Avoid the causes that lead to rancour, hatred, division, and estrangement. Keep away from these things, for they have prevailed in these days at the hands of people whose condition and intentions are known to Allah ﷻ alone. They have prevailed, multiplied, and torn apart the young people in this country, in the university, and elsewhere, and in the regions of the world. Why? Because people have descended into the arena of calling to Allah ﷻ who have no right to be there, neither in knowledge nor in understanding. May Allah ﷻ bless you. It is entirely possible that enemies have planted amongst the Salafīs those who will tear them apart and divide them; this is by no means far-fetched and is entirely plausible. May Allah ﷻ bless you.

So strive earnestly for brotherhood. And if something of discord has arisen between you, then put the past behind you and bring out fresh, clean pages now. I say to the brothers: the one who falls short, we do not destroy him; the one who errs among us, we do not destroy him. May Allah ﷻ bless you. We treat him with gentleness and wisdom, and direct towards him affection and love, and so on, until he returns. And if some weakness remains in him, we do not rush him; otherwise, by Allah ﷻ, no one will remain.

People are now pursuing and hunting Salafīs, to the point that they have come to the scholars and labelled them mumayyiʿīn. May Allah ﷻ bless you. Now there is scarcely a scholar left in the field. And of course this is the method of the Ikhwān, the method of the people of innovation. It is one of the weapons of the people of innovation that they begin by toppling the scholars. Rather, it is a Jewish method, a Masonic, Jewish method: if you wish to undermine an idea, discredit its scholars and its leading figures. May Allah ﷻ bless you. So distance yourselves from this vile inheritance.

Respect the scholars. By Allah ﷻ, the effort expended in attacking me will result in nothing except undermining the methodology. Whoever hates this methodology speaks against its scholars. Whoever detests this methodology and wishes to destroy it, the path is open to them: the path of the Jews and the path of the deviant factions, from the Rāfidah and others. The Rāfidah hate Islam yet cannot speak against Muḥammad ﷺ, so they speak against Abū Bakr (d. 13 AH / 634 CE) and ʿUmar (d. 23 AH / 644 CE) and the scholars of the ummah, seeking to topple Islam. The major people of innovation do not speak against Aḥmad and al-Shāfiʿī (d. 204 AH / 820 CE); they speak against Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb and Ibn Taymiyyah and their like, in order to undermine this methodology.

Now there are people who have grown up in the ranks of the Salafīs, and before I knew it they were viciously attacking the heads of the scholars. What do these people want? What do they want? If they truly sought Allah ﷻ and the Hereafter and wished to support this methodology, and if they genuinely loved it, by Allah ﷻ, they would defend its scholars. Do not therefore trust these people with your religion, do not place confidence in them, may Allah ﷻ bless you, and beware of them with the utmost caution. Hold together and maintain brotherhood among yourselves.

I know that you are not infallible, and that the scholars are not infallible. We may make mistakes. Except if a person enters into the way of the Rāfidah, or Muʿtazilism, or Jahmism, or party factionalism among the existing partisan groups; that is another matter. But if a Salafī remains loyal to the Salafīs, loves the Salafī methodology, hates the parties and hates innovations and their people, and so on, yet is weak in certain aspects, we deal with him gently, we do not abandon him. We advise him, we rescue him, we are patient with him, we treat him. May Allah ﷻ bless you. But as for one who errs: [you say] destroyed! [then] This will leave no one.

For this reason you see these individuals; once they have finished with the young people, they turn to the scholars to discredit them. May Allah ﷻ bless you. This is a methodology. When the Ikhwān al-Muslimūn entered countries, the first thing they did was topple the scholars, and at the same time they defended Sayyid Quṭb (d. 1386 AH / 1966 CE), al-Bannā (d. 1368 AH / 1949 CE), al-Mawdūdī (d. 1399 AH / 1979 CE), and the people of innovation, and they toppled the scholars of the Salafī methodology, calling them agents and spies and so forth, with every manner of accusation. What was their intent? Their intent was to destroy the Salafī methodology and erect falsehoods and misguidance upon its ruins.

And those who now claim to be Salafīs whilst attacking the scholars of the Salafī path: what do they want? Do they want to raise the banner of Islam, raise the banner of the Sunnah and the Salafī methodology? Absolutely not, absolutely not. These are signs and proofs that they are liars and suspect, whatever they claim for themselves.

Therefore, O brothers, I counsel you and impress upon you: abandon division. Hold fast to brotherhood. Hold fast to mutual support upon the truth. Hold fast to spreading this daʿwah among university students and others, in its correct form and its beautiful image, not in the distorted images adopted by those people.

By Allah ﷻ, present the Salafī daʿwah as I have told you: “Allah ﷻ said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, al-Shāfiʿī said, Aḥmad said, al-Bukhārī said, Muslim said,” the imāms of Islam whom people respect and revere. Present them with their speech. May Allah ﷻ bless you. This will assist you to a great extent.

Yes, you will find some people who persist in opposition, but not all people persist in opposition. You will find that the majority of people respond to your daʿwah, whether here at the university or when you return to your countries. Use these methods that draw people towards the Book of Allah ﷻ, the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, and the methodology of the pious predecessors, and towards correct beliefs and the sound methodology.

Closing Supplication

I ask Allah ﷻ to grant us and you success in what He loves and is pleased with, to make us among the sincere callers and the working scholars, to protect us and you from the plotting of the devil and the plotting of the devils among jinn and mankind, and I ask Him, exalted be He, to unite your hearts and bring your word together upon the truth, and to cause you to be of benefit wherever you settle and wherever you travel and go. I ask Allah ﷻ to bring that to pass.

May Allah ﷻ send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, his family, and his companions.

And peace, mercy, and the blessings of Allah ﷻ be upon you.

References

Rabīʿ ibn Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhalī (b. 1351 AH / 1932 CE), al-Ḥathth ʿalā al-Mawaddah wa-al-Iʾtilāf wa-al-Taḥdhīr min al-Furqah wa-al-Ikhtilāf, originally delivered as an address to students of the Islamic University of Madina, 1425 AH (2004 CE); reissued with foreword dated 21 Dhū al-Ḥijja 1429 AH (19 December 2008 CE).