Cooperating and Working with Al-Muntadaa Al-Islaamee

Cooperating and Working with Al-Muntadaa Al-Islaamee

AUTHOR:	Shaikh Muqbil bin Haadee Al-Waadi’ee
SOURCE:	Tuhfat-ul-Mujeeb ‘alaa As’ilat-il-Haadir wal-Ghareeb (pg. 143-147) [Original source is a tape “Questions from England” recorded in Ramadaan 13, 1416H]
PRODUCED BY:	Al-Ibaanah.com

Question: There is a group amongst us (in Britain) called Muntadaa Al-Markaz Al-Islaamee. They are connected with Muhammad Suroor and they sell his books and interact with him. And they have a tazkiyah (approval/recommendation) from Shaikh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Ibn Baaz and Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaimeen that encourages cooperating with them and being connected to them. So what is your advice to Al-Muntadaa Al-Islaamee and what is your advice to the Salafees who cooperate and work with them in Da’wah?

Answer: My advice to them is that they return to the condition they were upon when they were spreading the Qur’aan and Sunnah in their magazine “Al-Bayaan” and in their magazine “As-Sunnah”. We were extremely pleased with the magazine “As-Sunnah” and likewise with the magazine “Al-Bayaan”. But then the reality became clear – that they were in fact Hizbees (partisans), who called people away from the scholars.

And I advise them to not clash with the Muslim rulers. This partisanship (hizbiyyah) has caused divisions within the unity of the callers to Allaah from among the Ahlus-Sunnah in Yemen, and in the lands of the Haramayn, Najd and in Sudan and in Egypt, as well as in many of the Muslim countries.

They call people to not have any concern for knowledge. There used to be a group of students that was studying with us, then they attached themselves to these people, and all of sudden they started to have contempt for their brothers (other students) and for us.

Studying the Qur’aan and the Sunnah to them is like a seashell (i.e. it is hollow and empty). And performing worship in the masjid to them is also like a seashell. And these are the masaajid, about which the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “If one of you makes wudoo (ablution) and he does it well, then he goes out to the masjid – nothing brings him out except the prayer, he does not take one step except that Allaah raises him one level due to it and one sin gets erased from him. So when he prays, the angels do not stop sending their prayers upon him, as long as he is in prayer, saying: ‘O Allaah, bless him, O Allaah, have mercy on him.’ And none of you ceases to be in prayer while he is waiting for the (next) prayer.” 

So I say: If Shaikh Ibn Baaz and Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaimeen gave tazkiyah (approval) to Al-Muntadaa before the Gulf Crisis, then they are both excused from that, because even we ourselves praised the magazine “Al-Bayaan” a lot, and we called people to cooperate in working with them. And if they gave their tazkiyah after the Gulf Crisis – and I don’t think that is so – then they are both considered to be in error. So I say to the two Shaikhs: These people have split the Muslims here in Yemen and they have turned to attacking and showing enmity to the Ahlus-Sunnah. Rather, their harm has become great – and I do not say that their harm is greater than that of the Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen – for they are only like scraps as compared to the Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen. And they are the ones who transgress against many of the masaajid of Ahlus-Sunnah, amongst which is a masjid in ‘Aden, the masjid of the people in Buraiqah, which Shaikh Ahmad Ibn ‘Uthmaan is the Imaam of…

So if these two Shaikhs issued a tazkiyah (religious approval), then they should take it back, just as I took mine back when their affair became clear to me during the Gulf Crisis, and when their enmity became apparent to me in Yemen. And from their heads is ‘Abdul-Majeed Ar-Reemee, Muhammad Al-Baydaanee and ‘Abdullaah Ibn Faysal Al-Ahdal. They have begun mocking and ridiculing their brothers. And if you were to read the Qasaa’id (poetic verses) of ‘Abdul-Majeed you would have found them according to the Sunnah, but now they have diluted and melted away.

So I advise the mashaayikh to recant form their approvals (tazkiyaat), for Allaah says in His Noble Book: “And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Verily, Allaah does not like anyone who is a betrayer, sinner.” [Surah An-Nisaa: 107]

And He says: “Have you not seen those who claim sanctity for themselves (i.e. given themselves tazkiyahs). Nay, but Allah sanctifies whom He wills. And they will not be dealt with unjustly, even equal to the extent of a fateel (small thread).” [Surah An-Nisaa: 49]

And He says in His Glorious Book: “So do not purify (give tazkiyah to) yourselves, He knows best who has Taqwaa.” [Surah An-Najm: 13?]

And they use this tazkiyah (approval) for the purpose of deceiving the people, so it is not acceptable if it is used for this time, because it has become clear from them that they attack Shaikh Al-Albaanee and that they criticize Shaikh Ibn Baaz, when he issued a fatwa allowing the treaty with the Jews during the Gulf Crisis. And they rejoice at this so that they can chase the people away from the scholars, because no one has remained with them! So they say: “We have no choice for these people, except to attack their scholars, because we (ourselves) are scholars.” And if their Shaikh opposes them he suddenly becomes from the Takfeeri group!

They invited Abu Suhaib, who was Syrian, to teach amongst them. So after he taught amongst them for as long as Allaah willed, they said: “We feel that the fruits of your teaching should be repaid to you, so pick any land and we will give you the proper permits. So he responded: “The lands belong to Allaah and do not belong to you. Cut off the salary you pay me because I don’t want it.” Then the students remained with him and all praise be to Allaah not one student was produced from them. Even though they are troublemakers, still by Allaah’s Grace, they have no effect. So I advise the Salafi brothers to stay far away from these Hizbees (partisans), because they are not looking for anything except to build the membership of their party.

And if ‘Aqeel Al-Muqtaree comes to you, or Muhammad Al-Mahdee or other than these two, and the people say: “This is a scholar from the scholars of Yemen”, then do not host him or allow him entry. And do not attend his lectures, because he only goes touring around for the sake of collecting dollars!

And one brother who came from America informed me that they were touring through America, giving lectures, and they would say: “The one who supports an orphan and me are like this!”[1] So a man from the crowd stood up – and he was looking for aid for Bosnia and Herzog – and said: “The one who supports the orphan is the one who feeds him not the one who begs.” So they began to dispute with one another all because of the worldly matters (Duniyaa)!

When worldly aspirations enter into the Da’wah, it’s blessing diminishes, as Allaah says: “Does not the sincere worship belong to Allaah?” [Surah Az-Zumar: 3] And He says: “And they were not commanded except to worship Allaah, making their worship (Religion) sincerely to Him (alone).” [Surah Al-Bayyinah: 5]

As for their magazine of begging, which we call “Al-Furqah” (causing divisions) Magazine, and which they call “Al-Furqaan” (The Criterion), then I challenge them to bring any of its issues which doesn’t have begging in it. And I challenge Muhammad al-Mahdee to bring forth a student of knowledge that can be studied under. Rather, you find that he has transformed ‘Abdullaah Ibn Ghaalib, Muhammad Al-Baydaanee and many others, for they used to be students of knowledge here (in Yemen), but then he deluded them and misled them!

And I forgot to mention Muhammad Al-Hadeeyah who came charging from Sudan to Riyadh, then to Jeddah, then to Qatar and then to Abu Dhabi, then to Dubai, all for the purpose of building a masjid for the Sufis!

So I advise you to stay far away from these individuals! And perhaps someone may say: “So then who should we study under?” So my response is: I hold that it is an obligation on our noble brothers in the lands of the Haramayn and Najd to send to their brothers some people (to teach them) who are not Hizbees (partisans). And it is an obligation on us also, to send to our brothers in England some of our students who can be studied under, even if they stay for three or five months.

Therefore I say: It is an obligation to turn our attention to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. As for the lectures of the innovators, then you will see them stampeding and ramming (like wild beats) in their lectures, but then when they finish, they say: “We have a project for establishing an educational center.” And this educational center is in the district of Daleel.

So I advise the brothers – may Allaah preserve them – to request from Shaikh Ibn Baaz – may Allaah preserve him – that he send to them someone that can teach them. And I advise my brothers here (in Yemen), that one of them should go to (them) and stay for three months, then return and someone else go. This does not fall into the realm of advice only; rather I consider it to be an obligation. But I don’t mean that a brother should arrive at England and then they waste his time by traveling around or that he doesn’t find students who want to seek knowledge from him. So they must learn some Arabic, ‘Aqeedah (Creed), Islamic Fiqh and Hadeeth of the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

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Footnotes:

[1] Translator’s Note: This is a hadeeth from Allaah’s Messenger