Clarification of Doubts Concerning Taqleed and Accepting the Warnings of the Scholars

Imaam Muqbil bin Haadee al-Waadi`ee

First Question: The questioner asks, “There are those who say that accepting the statements of the scholars about the people is considered blind following so what is the validity of this statement?”

All praise is is due to Allaah and the prayers and peace be upon our Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and Companions and those who adhere, I testify that nothing has the right to be worshipped except Allaah alone and He has no partners and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. To proceed:

This is old speech from some of the people of innovation, As-San’aanee has mentioned in his book Irshaadun-Nuqqaad Ilaa Tayseeril-Ijtihaad from some of the people of innovation who said, ‘You forbid from blind following and yet you blind follow Yahyaa Ibn Ma’een, so if Yahyaa says about a man, ‘He is trustworthy,’ you’ll say, ‘Trustworthy’ and if al-Bukhaaree says, ‘This hadeeth is authentic,’ you’ll say: ‘It is authentic,’ so you are blind followers. So as-San’aanee answered this is his tremendous book Irshaadun-Nuqqaad Ilaa Tayseeril-Ijtihaad.

He said, ‘Indeed this is not blind following rather it is only the acceptance of the narration of trustworthy, and Allaah says in His Noble Book,

‘O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with news verify it, lest you should harm a people out of ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done.’[Sooratul-Hujuraat 49:6]

So this verse is understood that if a trustworthy person comes to us we accept his information.

Yes if a weak person speaks about an Imaam from the Imaams then they do not accept his speech, Imaam adh-Dhahabee, may Allaah have mercy upon him, after mentioning the criticism of al-’Uqaylee about ’Alee Ibnul-Madeenee, ’Abdur-Razzaaq, and a group of the Scholars, adh-Dhahabee refuted him saying, ‘Do you have any sense O ’Uqaylee! You come to the great Scholars of Islaam and speak against them while they are better than you,’ or with this meaning. So if a weak person speaks about an Imaam from the great imaams his speech is not accepted, an example of that is the speech of al-Qardaawee about ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz that ’Abdul-Majeed ar-Raymee read in Jaami’ud-Da’wah, Jaami’ud-Da’wah that spread from it Sunan until it fell into the hands of ’Abdul-Majeed ar-Raymee and he infected it, ’Abdul-Majeed read the statement of al-Qardaawee supporting it, and some from the ignorant Yemenis who listened to him left out and were cursing ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz. I was informed of this by the trustworthy brother ’Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn ’Iyaash so if one of no standing like ’Abdul-Majeed ar-Raymee or Yoosuf al-Qardaawee comes and defames an Imaam from the Imaams of the Muslims we do not accept it whatsoever. Yes and also the words of al-Haafidh adh-Dhahabee: ‘Abul-Fath al-Azdee, Muhammad Ibnul-Husayn comes and declares some of the Imaams to be weak, so Imaam adh-Dhahabee says, ‘This one is an Imaam and Abul-Fath al-Azdee is weak.’ So what? What is important is that al-Jarh wat-Ta’deel is not an affair of blind following, unless one who is weak defames an Imaam from the Imaams like what was done by Zaahid al-Kawtharee, may Allaah not reward him with good, he defamed al-Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas, ash-Shaafi’ee, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, al-Bukhaaree, Ibn Hibbaan, ad-Daaraqutnee, and so on all the way until his time, the defamation of the likes of this weak one are not even considered,

The overflowing ocean is not harmed; If a fool throws a stone in it.’

So the defamation of this this ignoble Muhammad Zaahid al-Kawtharee will not harm them. As for our Imaams and those who speak against the people of innovation then our Lord says in His Noble Book what you heard in the verse, ‘If a wicked person comes to you with news verify it.’ So what is understood from it is that if a trustworthy person comes to us we accept his information. And Muslim narrates in his Saheeh on the authority of Tameem ad-Daaree, may Allaah be pleased with him who said that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘The Religion is sincere advice.’ And in the Saheehayn from the hadeeth of Jareer Ibn ’Abdullaah al-Bajalee that he said, ‘We pledged alliegance to the Messenger of Allaah to establish the Prayer, and pay the zakaah, and to give sincere advice to every Muslim. O brothers! These people will resist with anything they can. Look at the cassette that ’Abdul-Majeed az-Zindaanee about the majlisush-shaykhaat in Yemen, like in the disbelieving countries he mentioned this and some said, ‘By Allaah this speech is not good but is it the voice of ’Abdul-Majeed. O brothers! Listen! Listen! May Allaah bless you, so that you will not be saddened from this obstinance. Allah says about these obstinant ones,

And even if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they were to keep ascending thereto (all the day long). They would surely say (in the evening): ‘Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled. Nay we are a people bewitched.” [Sooratul-Hijr 14]