In 1432 AH/2011 CE, Abū al-Ḥasan al-Maʾribī drew up a set of terms intended to reconcile two parties to a long-running dispute in Britain: Salafī Publications, represented by Abū Khadījah ʿAbd al-Wāḥid, and Masjid Ibn Taymiyyah in Brixton, represented by ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Baker. The document was presented as a settlement. Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī ؒ read it otherwise.
In an article titled Makīdah Khaṭīrah wa Makr Kubbār (“A Dangerous Plot and a Mighty Scheme”), dated 4 Rajab 1432 AH/6 June 2011 CE, the Shaykh took the agreement clause by clause and exposed the principles concealed within it. The title recalls the words of Allah concerning the people of Nūḥ:
وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرًا كُبَّارًا
]And they plotted a mighty plot.” [Q 71:22″
What follows is his treatment of the second and third clauses. In the first, Abū al-Ḥasan excuses leniency towards those who oppose as-Salafiyyah by attributing it to the advice of unnamed scholars. In the second, he obliges one party to amend its published methodology and binds both to his preferred wording, while his own manhaj holds that refutations are not binding upon him. The Shaykh’s questions are brief, but they reach the root of the matter: who advised this leniency, and by what right does one who accepts no obligation impose one upon others?
Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhalī (d. 1447 AH/2025 CE) ؒ
The Second False Principle
Abū al-Ḥasan al-Maʾribī stated:
وبخصوص ما أنكره الأخ أبو خديجة ومن معه على الأخ عبد الحق ومن معه حول التساهل مع المخالفين للسلفية، فيلزم الأخ عبد الحق ومن معه الوضوح في أمر الدعوة مع الرفق واللين وإن كانوا قد فعلوا ذلك في نظرهم بنصح العلماء لهم بذلك فجزاهم الله خيراً على نيتهم، لكن لا بد من الوضوح في ذلك
“With regard to Abū Khadījah (ʿAbd al-Wāḥid) and those who support him in criticising ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq (Baker) and those with him, claiming that they are excessively lax with those who oppose as-Salafiyyah, then it is incumbent upon ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq (Baker) and those with him to be clear in the affairs of the daʿwah, while maintaining gentleness and softness. Even if, in their view, their previous conduct was based upon the advice of scholars, then may Allah reward them for their intentions; nevertheless, they must now be explicit and clear in this matter.” Abū al-Ḥasan, agreement quoted by Rabīʿ al-Madkhalī.
Commentary
Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī
It appears that ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq (Baker) and those with him are upon the methodology of Abū al-Ḥasan and his false principles. Thus, several questions necessarily arise:
Who were the scholars that advised ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq and those with him to adopt leniency towards the opposition? Who exactly were these advising scholars?
Were they from Abū al-Ḥasan, ʿAlī Ḥasan, and their likes, or were they from those whom Abū al-Ḥasan follows and venerates, namely the Al-Ikhwān al-Muslimūn?
What is apparent is that after this reconciliation, ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq and those with him have increased in nothing except tribulation upon tribulation.
How could it be otherwise, when the evidence that this party causes division among them never ceases? They have continued to fan the flames of tribulation up until our present day. The more this group sinks into turmoil and corrupt principles, the more their followers are distanced from the Salafī methodology and its adherents. Consequently, they increase in division and hostility towards the people of truth.
The Third False Principle
Abū al-Ḥasan al-Maʾribī further stated:
يلزم الأخ أبا خديجة ومن معه أن يغيروا المادة السابعة عشر في دعوتهم لمخالفتها الرحمة والقواعد المعروفة عند أهل السنة، ويلزمهم والفريق الآخر ألا يكتبوا في الدعوة إلا ما كتبه أهل العلم في ذلك، وأنصحهم بكتابة ما في نهاية مجلة الأصالة في هذا الباب، إن كان ولا بد عندهم من كتابة ذلك
“Abū Khadījah and those with him must change point number seventeen of ‘Our Call’, as it contradicts mercy and the well-known principles of Ahl as-Sunnah. It is binding upon them (Salafī Publications) and upon the other side (Masjid Ibn Taymiyyah, Brixton) that they do not write anything in daʿwah except that which the people of knowledge have already written concerning it. If they insist on writing anything of this nature, then I advise them to write what appears at the end of Al-Aṣālah magazine on this subject.” Abū al-Ḥasan, agreement quoted by Rabīʿ al-Madkhalī.
Commentary
Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī
What is this seventeenth point that he obliges Abū Khadījah and those with him to change? It may well be the truth, fully consistent with mercy and with the recognised principles of Ahl as-Sunnah. Furthermore, what is it that is written at the end of Al-Aṣālah magazine? It would not be far-fetched to conclude that it is falsehood.
This obligation clearly contradicts the false principle:
لا يلزمني
“It is not binding upon me [to accept refutations].”
This was established by Abū al-Ḥasan and his group, as well as those who followed his methodology, such as ʿAlī Ḥasan al-Ḥalabī. This dangerous principle permits the rejection of all truth, whereas in reality it is obligatory upon them to accept and adhere to valid refutations. It also entails rejecting the rulings issued by the scholars of the Salafī methodology against the people of desires and innovations, such as the Al-Ikhwān al-Muslimūn and Jamāʿat at-Tablīgh.
This concludes the statement of Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī.
Translator’s Note
[TN] The point under discussion is Point Seventeen, which states:
“Refuting every individual who opposes the Sunnah, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, regardless of the level of his error or slip, and regardless of whether his opposition to the truth was deliberate or due to a mistake; whatever methodology he ascribes to, by employing whatever is possible from evidence, clarification, and striving against him, exposing him and revealing his true condition according to the foundations of Islam, so that this noble religion retains its purity and integrity, and so that people may drink from it while being certain of its sweetness.”
This is cited from The ʿAqīdah and Methodology of the Great Imāms of the Past, Mountains of Knowledge, chapter “Our Daʿwah”, p. 260, Salafī Publications.
References
Rabīʿ ibn Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhalī, Makīdah Khaṭīrah wa Makr Kubbār, clauses 2–3 and commentary, dated 4 Rajab 1432 AH/6 June 2011 CE, official website.
Salafī Publications, The ʿAqīdah and Methodology of the Great Imāms of the Past, Mountains of Knowledge, chapter “Our Daʿwah”, p. 260.
