All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds, praise and salutations be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers - our Messenger Muhammad and upon his family, and his Companions and those who proceed upon his path and are guided by his Sunnah until the day of judgement. To proceed:
In such an age as this when numerous sects are apparent and many groups and parties are evident, the state of interaction that exists between them is one characterized by clear aversion and enmity. Everyone of them stands calling to their group, their devised methodology, and their system of thought,becoming immersed within mutual hatred and mutual envy of others, with each group seeking to discredit the other groups. Such that each party publicly presents the evils and mistakes of the others - regardless of whether this is because of desires, an intention to defame, because of partisanship to the opinion of someone or towards an individual, or even ignorance. Why does the one involved in such, continue upon it? It is not towards the goal of seeking clarification, nor properly explaining matters, nor a defense of the truth. But through this they only call to their devised path, their organization, or their party; and so they corrupt the intellects of the youth. Such that we hear these young men generally declaring the scholars and callers, as well as the rulers, to be innovators, sinners, or disbelievers. And we seek refuge in Allaah from these concepts and corrupt ways of thinking which have been born from blind partisanship. Indeed Allaah, the Most High, said:
"But they have broken their religion among them into sects, each group rejoicing in its own belief." [Surah al-Mu'minuun:53]
Whereas the guiding scholars, sincere enthusiastic callers, and those with intense love for this strong religion clearly have a position of defending against innovation in the religion, deviations, aspects of misguidance, and those accompanying desires. It is a strong position against the thoughts, ideas, and concepts of these trangers to the sound clear way, and against those who are sympathizers to them - yet who have the same outward appearance as us. As well as those others who are connected to them in some way, who have the clear appearance of the people of blind partisanship; those individuals who by means of others, seek to climb to the heights of fame and renown, and obtain material wealth. They do so even when the cost of achieving this is surrendering the foundations of their religion, or their methodology.
It is from the way of these people that they often spread warnings about others through their various affiliated spokesmen and callers who attribute themselves to knowledge within this blessed land, spreading them among and between those people who may listen to and attend the sittings of the scholars who defend the Sunnah of the chosen Messenger, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, or those people who listen to the scholars who warn from their group's leaders, exposing their figureheads and workers, and the deviation and connection to innovation in the religion of their callers and their associated parties and groups.
And many of our youth have in this same way, let their tongues free, may Allaah guide them, similarly proceeding to warn against some of the scholars and sincere callers. They freely use against them terms and designations such as: "Madkhalee," "Khaloofee," "Talafee" and other than this. All of this without them actually knowing exactly why they are warning against the some of the ones they warn against! Moreover,without these youth ever verifying if that which they say in regard to these callers and scholars is correct! But it is as if they are like those acting out parts in a theatrical drama, their figureheads using them to mock others and then laughing at them. While these youth themselves only nod their heads obediently and carry out their orders with haste and ignorance.
Indeed, from those scholars who are included within their scope of warning against is Sheikh Rabee' Ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee, who they have warned the youth not to listen to his audio lectures or attend his gatherings, or to affirm anything he states. Indeed they have even gone as far as to accuse or malign his students, those who listen to him, attend his gatherings, read his books, or anything similar. So the question is why do you think they have such a position towards Sheikh Rabee'?
It is because some of the individuals of misguided ways and foreign deviated concepts and ideas which have entered among us, have become angry at the individuals who have refuted them. Similarly some of the youth, those who have blind allegiance towards those just mentioned, those who have been refuted - may Allaah guide all of us to that which is correct and the truth - as well as some of those who walk the same misguided path of these criticized individuals, meaning those who have embraced their concepts, undertaken the circulation of their books, and taken on the work of defending them; they have become the ones who speak against and defame our call, our scholars, and noble people of knowledge, whenever they find the opportunity.
So now I call to you my brother, may Allaah guide you, asking what do you actually know about Sheikh Rabee'? Have you read any of his books? Have you listened to any of his audio lectures? Have you ever attended his sittings of knowledge, or a single lesson from his classes? Then my brother, how can you pass judgement upon him unless you have actually heard what he says or read what he has written? Is this from justice, fairness, and balance in arriving at a judgement?
My brother, regardless of whether you stand in the beginning stages of your commitment to truly following Islaam, or you are someone who has passed through many years, do you believe that you are more knowledgeable than the people of knowledge in this age? Perhaps you are someone who works in an office involved in calling to the religion, or a charitable foundation, or a foundation related to knowledge based projects, or the imaam of a masjid, or someone who calls the people to prayer, or a student striving in memorization, or you are someone who puts forth efforts in calling to the religion, or any other position that you may hold or stand upon! So know, may Allaah guide you, that Sheikh Rabee' Ibn Haadee 'Umair al-Madkhalee was formerly the head of the department for studies of the Sunnah, at the Islamic University in the blessed city of Madinah, that he has authored numerous books and articles upon knowledge and clarity supporting and spreading the religion and spreading the call to single out Allaah in worship, the call to hold fast to the Sunnah and struggle against innovation in the religion, and those practices of associating others in worship with Allaah.
He has always spent a great deal of his time meeting with students of knowledge and callers, offering them advice, striving to guide them, indicating to them the proper ways of proceeding and the fundamental methodology they should walk upon. He has made his home open to everyone to study with him; those who agree with him and those who disagree. As such, this has lead his knowledge based efforts to be any associates, upon the importance of the Prophet's Sunnah, upon the false practice of Islaam.
After acknowledging all of this, you should stand as one who honestly weighs and considers the state of the one who intentionally covers his eyes and does not consider what he might see, but only what reaches his ears of what others tell him! Someone who has been told by another person, 'Be warned from Rabee'! Watch out for Rabee'!! Do not listen to Rabee'!!!' Thereafter this same individual now himself flies around with these same words like a parrot, spreading them among his associates. With so many of them; also simply accepting this without actually asking themselves - 'Why should I take such a position towards Sheikh Rabee'??' How free from any imperfection is Allaah!!
Have you not heard the statement of Allaah, the Exalted where He says,
"O you who believe! If a rebellious evil person comes to you with a news, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful to what you have done." [Surah Al Hujuraat:6]
Have you not heard the statement of the chosen Messenger, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, as narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree no.6043, [Indeed, Allaah made your blood, your wealth, and your honour sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours in this month of yours in this town of yours.] As well as the statement of the Prophet, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, when he said - as narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud no. 4876. [The most excessive kind of interest is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim's honour.]
Certainly, the Prophet, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, informed us about backbiting when he said, ['Do you know what is backbiting?' We said, 'Allaah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'That you mention about your brother that characteristic which he has within him.' So it was said, 'And if I see that within my brother that is actually that which was mentioned?' He replied, 'If he has that characteristic which you mentioned then you have backbitten him, and if he does not possess that characteristic then you have committed the sin of slander against him.] as found in Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan no. 5758.
It was also reported in Sunan Abu Dawood no. 4878 that Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him said, the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, said, [When I ascended up to the heaven I passed by a people who had fingernails of copper and were slicing their faces and heir chests. I said: Who are these people, Jibreel? He replied: They are those who were given to backbiting and who transgressed against the honor of others.]
Allaah, the Most Perfect said,
"Oh you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of your like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful." [Surah al-Hujuraat:12]
So I say, how oh Muslim can you understand the goodness of a piece of fruit has within it unless you become acquainted with it and appreciate it? How can you recognize an example of guidance which may be presented to you, if you do not open it and examine what it contains? Indeed, from the strangest of affairs is which has been seen to come forth from some of our youth, may Allaah guide them, is that they try to use as a tool against the one who is older than them in years, or exceeds them in adherence to guidance the statement, "I act or implement and you do not!"
Yet Allaah, the Most High, has said,
"And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away from Allaah's Path. They follow nothing but conjectures, and they do nothing but lie." [Surah al-An'aam:116]
Where is your intelligence, my brother? Where is your understanding and comprehension of matters? When will you recognize the truth so that you can follow it?
Ask yourself: why have they warned you against listening to him, or even going to those tape stores where they sell his books and audio cassettes!? Why are they so afraid that you will visit these places? I say to you that this is something which is indeed true, as I personally heard this from some of the youth some time ago, the warning from going to such stores. But I refuse to simply be a puppet in someone else's hands, especially when they did not present any clear evidence of explanation regarding the reason for this. Particularly when I asked some of them, "Why do you take this stance towards Sheikh Rabee'?? They responded, "Because he abuses and declares the callers and the scholars to be disbelievers." This being the exact statement of their response to me. So I asked, "Do you stand upon surety of having affirmed this personally? Because this accusation is a serious matter." Thereafter I went myself to such a warned against tape store and began investigating and asking about the books of Sheikh Rabee' and his audio lectures. I selected a number of them to scrutinize and examine, and later returned to my house with some of them. And when I listened to the statements if the Sheikh and read some of his books, then the reality became clear to me!
Yes, it became apparent to me why they warn from Sheikh Rabee'! It became very clear to me why they have engaged in this thorough campaign against his writing and audio lectures!! Despite the fact of the established praise and recommendations of the scholars of him, and the scholars writing prefaces to many of his books. I came to understand why these others warn from him and from his books and audio lectures!
Do you know why, beloved brother! Do you know why, oh one who strives to follow your Messenger, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, and who has shortened his thobe and allowed his beard to grow longer? Do you know, oh one who proclaims his love of the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, while striving to follow the Sunnah? As perhaps in this matter you may be one who may be of those who in reality rebel against the Messenger, while you claim to love him, meaning you should love the ones whom he loved form those who are pious. Do you know why?
The true reason is that Sheikh Rabee' understands their agendas and plans, their various innovations and dealings of misguidance, and their intrigues that harm Islaam and the Muslims, their intense devotion to these groups which they are affiliated with. Such that he proceeds to clarify and expose their agendas, their various contrived concepts, as well as their leaders and figureheads. He does this in order to warn the people, to expose the truth based upon clear evidence from the Book and the Sunnah and the statements of the scholars of the righteous generations. He does all this in offering advice to this religion, acting upon the statement of the Messenger, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, ["The religion is sincere advice" They said, "To who?" He replied, "To Allaah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the leaders of the Muslims and their common people."] as narrated in Sahih Muslim no. 52.
He steps forward to defend the Sunnah and those who adhere to it, and to return the youth of this Ummah back to the true Sharee'ah of Allaah, the most Glorified and the Most Exalted, and warns them against the concepts of unevidenced haphazard declaration of others as disbelievers, of practices of extreme seclusion from society, of the danger of becoming distant from the general body of the Muslims who stand upon the truth and their leaders. And he warns against these separating groups and organizations, and that which leads to splits and divisions among the youth, as well as warning against innovations and matters of misguidance in the religion.
Nevertheless, knowing this doesn't satisfy their hearts! So they proceed to warn the youth from him, from his writings, and his audio lectures. This is the reason that they have such dislike for him, indeed why they hurl insults and false accusations against him in order to steer the youth away from him, such that they won't hear what he has to say and then affirm what he has stated regarding these mentioned groups. Yet this is not a new form of behavior. There were before these people those who insulted the Prophet, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, and flung all sorts of charges against him in order to steer the people away from his calling them to the truth. Such that they would say, "magician," "madman," "poet," "liar," and other than these names from false accusations.
So I ask what is your stance my brother towards those individuals, meaning the scholars, whom Allaah has recommended and praised in His statement,
"...So ask the people of knowledge, if you do not know." [Surah an-Nahl:43]
And who have been praised and recommended by our Messenger, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, when he said, ["The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper, is like the superiority of the full moon in comparison to the surrounding stars, indeed the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets."] Sunan Abu Dawud no. 3641. I will present to you a number of testimonials for Sheikh Rabee' Ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee, in order to disprove the false accusations of those people of the groups of partisanship, those individuals simply following their desires, those of misguided methodologies and ideologies, as well as their followers who affirm these forged claims and circulate their falsehoods....
[Our brother here quotes some summarized statements from the scholars in praise of Sheikh Rabee' that I will bring forth in the near future inshaa Allaahu ta'aala.]
....So this is the testimony and the recommendations of your scholars given to Sheikh Rabee' Ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee, may Allaah preserve him! Have you then come to understand the reality then? Have you understood them fully? Have you then come to understand the reality of this affair? Is their testimony, meaning that of the major scholars, sufficient for you? Or do you possess knowledge greater and more comprehensive than your scholars! Such that your personal understanding and the understanding of ones you to follow - those who are directing your efforts to consume the flesh of the scholars - exceeds the understanding of these scholars! Indeed Ibn 'Asaakir, may Allaah have mercy upon him, as found in the book, "A Clarification of the Deceit of al-Muftaree" page 27, stated,
"The flesh of the scholars is poison, and Allaah tears away the curtains from the realities of those who search for something against them. Such that the one who puts the scholars to trial by defaming them, then Allaah puts him to trial through ruin and destruction."
As such be warned my brother, may Allaah safeguard and watch over you, of opposing a matter connected with your Lord, and the guidance of your Prophet, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him. As Allaah, the Most High said,
"And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware, lest some trials or affliction befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them." [Surah an-Nur:63]
If you are a sincere person, beloved brother, in actually fulfilling the command of your Lord, and truly following your Prophet and his example, may Allaah's praise and salutations be upon him, then there is no harm in you taking the time to affirm these claims personally, and afterwards make your judgment if you are actually from the people of justice and fairness! And to Allaah all the different opponents against each other will be gathered together for a final reckoning.
Praise, salutation, and blessings, be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family, and his Companions, and those who follow them upon goodness until the day of judgment/
Compiled by Ridhwaan Ibn Saaleh al-Waraad
[Source: Sahab internet forum]
