Words from the Senior Scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them)

SHAYKH ABDUL-AZEEZ BIN BAAZ:

“What has become common in this age, is that many of those who ascribe themselves to knowledge and calling to good, fall into belittling many of their brothers who are well-known da’ees, and speaking against the honour of the students of knowledge and the da’ees. This is done sometimes secretly in their circles, sometimes on cassettes which are then circulated amongst the people, or sometimes publicly mentioned in their gatherings in the mosques. And this matter opposes the command of Allaah and His Messenger from a number of angles … So I sincerely advise those brothers who have fallen into slandering and maligning the da’ees, that they should repent to Allaah, the Most High, for what they have written with their own hands, and what they have said with their own tongues; which may have been a cause for corrupting the hearts of some of the youths; filling their hearts with hatred and malice, and pre-occupying them away from acquiring beneficial knowledge and calling to Allaah, because of being preoccupied with qil and qal (gossiping and rumour mongering); and with speech about this person and that person; and with hunting for the mistakes of people, and burdening them with this.

Likewise, I sincerely advise them that they should redress whatever they have done, and declare themselves free from the likes of these actions, through writing: or methods other than this. They should remove whatever may have entered the minds and thoughts of those who listened to them, and they should take to doing those fruitful actions that will draw them closer to Allaah, and which will be of benefit to the worshippers. They should beware of being hasty in pronouncing takfeer, tafsiq or tabdi upon people, without the truth being explained, and without the proofs being established. The Prophet saw said: “Whosoever says to his brother: ‘O unbeliever’ then it will return to one of them.” The authenticity of this hadeeth has been agreed upon.”

[Majmoo Fataawaa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi’ah (7/311-314), abridged]