Update RE: Efforts Upon Returning from the Seminar

[AbulHasan]

In the name of Allah, The Most Merciful, Bestower of Mercy.
All praise is due to Allah the Lord of all the worlds.
May the peace mercy and blessings of Allah be upon his final Prophet and Messenger Muhammad.

As salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

I hope this reaches all of you in the best of health and High Iman.

I thought I would start this thread to encourage one another regarding our efforts and to generate some ideas of how we can spread the message that we took from the seminar and how we can start to grab hold of the great responsibilities that we know have.

I for one have been energized by trip, the advice of the scholars, and my dealings with other like-minded Salafi brothers who are seeking reconciliation and a re-dedication of ourselves to this blessed dawah.

Al-hamdulillah, as soon as I returned from the seminar Allah blessed me to be put in situations where I could channel my new-found energy into some serious dawah work and other opportunities.

Brothers noticed right away the difference in my tone and demeanor. I myself felt a higher degree of seriousness and focus on what I needed to with regards to the different segments of people that I have to deal with.
1. My close colueages in the masjid: I need to inspire them with my stories about the meetings with the Shiyukh and infect them with a renewed spirit to increase our dawah.

2. The general community: To invite them to pay more attention and to listen to the Scholars, by providing them links to their sites and reffering to them when I speak about rulings and masaail.

3. Try to find avenues such as newspaper articles, dawah programs, etc. More opportunities to reach out to them.

One of the first things that happened was that I met up with an old friend from my neighboring city. He claims Salafiyah, but has some misgivings about Saudi scholars. (I think he had been listening to a deviant extremists from the UK who attacks the Saudi Scholars in particular.) For years he skated over the issue, but this time after a disparaging comment I confronted him. I reminded him about the authentic hadeeth about the taa’ifatul mansoorah, that the people on the truth are apparent and well known. So I asked him, "Who are the major scholars of our time? Who are the leaders of Ahl us Sunnah wal Jamaah of those who are alive today? Who is the master of Hadeeth in this age after Sh. Al-Albaani rahimahullah? Who is the successor as the mufti and consoler of the Ummah after Sh. ibn Baaz Rahimahullah? Who is the Faqih of the Ummah after Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen Rahimahullah?” So I said now you have to say one of two things: If you say that there are no scholars at this time, then you have rejected the hadeeth. And if you agree that there are scholars apparent and on the truth, then GIVE ME THEIR NAMES! He later sent me an email in which he quickly scratched out some names of some obscure youngsters and students of knowledge, (none of them from Saudi Arabia). I told him that he is clearly being unjust and that he should think it over. I told him that it is the Shaytan who tries to separate us from our scholars, and that his years of confusion regarding this issue have made his dawah in his city stagnant. With all of the enemies of the dawah of tawheed in your community, you found no one to attack except the scholars?!!! I sent an email and attached the Lecture/ article “Who Are the Scholars” by our Shaykh Ahmed Al-Munayee (hafeedhahullah) and asked him to read it carefully. He said he would read and think things over and thanked me for my strong advice to him.

After that I got a call from one the noble brothers in Texas who is also striving to establish this blessed dawah. He asked me about the seminar and I proceeded to gush. After that he began to ask me about specific issues regarding inviting local speakers and duaat who have some slight problems or may have been labled hizbi in the past. I was happy to advise. I said don’t put yourself in a trap thinking that you MUST invite so-and-so to speak. HERE ARE THE ULAMAA! Let’s stop ignoring them, and stop preferring the ruwaybidah to them. I referred him to the site and gave him the contact info for some solid Salafi duaat whom we have no doubt about them. He was happy and agreed that it is definitely right and worth a try.

Also, one of the brothers here from Kuwait said he is involved with an Arabic newspaper that is popular amongst the Kuwaiti students abroad. He mentioned that an article regarding one student’s trip to a recent ISNA conference bothered him. The article stated that there were “thousands of people in attendance” and there were great entertaining speeches by “American Shaykhs” He asked me if I could write something about my trip to kind of show them a different point of view on being in the company of “Shaykhs”. So, I emailed a brief write up about my experiences in Madinah and the brother has translated it. Hopefully it will being appearing shortly in the Arabic “Ishraaq” Newspaper.

Since being back, I have also given a lecture at Doane College; a small junior college in a neighboring Nebraska city. There, I spoke to a small group of students about Islam and its main messages of Tawheed, Risalah, and Akhirah. I also, refuted some misconceptions and handed out a well put together pamphlet called “Islam’s War on Terrorism”. After the lecture a young Black student from Minneapolis came up to me and introduced himself as “Sufyaan”. Come to find out he was born Muslim, but his parents never taught him much deen. He said I was one of the first Muslims he has met in Nebraska and that he was thinking about becoming serious about his religion. I told him our address in Lincoln, phone number and told him that he was more than welcome especially in Ramadaan when there is so much food in the masjid. I left it at that thinking I would never see him again. Just this week he showed up! He said he drove around the town for an hour looking for our place. He was directed to the Mosque of the Shiites first, but felt it was not the right place so he kept driving till he found our place. He talked to the brothers for a long time over dinner and dessert. He took two small beginners books from Shaykh ibn Baaz home with him to start studying.

- Then my biggest challenge yet came on a recent trip to Chicago.
- More to come, insha Allah.

Feel free to share your experiences.
Keep on Pumpin that Dawah, Barak Allahu Feekum.

[AbulHasan]

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

A Brief Reminder

Allah says: “O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islâm), Allâh will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allâh, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allâh which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allâh is All Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All Knower.”
(Al-Ma'idah 5:54)

From this ayah we learn that one of the characteristics of those who love Allah and those whom Allah loves is that they do not fear the criticism of those who criticize if they are standing upon truth and correctness. Withholding from doing good due to what one fears from the peoples disapproval is from the aspects of riyaa (minor shirk) and should be rejected by the true believer. We should perform all good that we are given the tawfeeq to perform, all the while being sincere to Allah and hoping for His reward. Keeping this in mind will allow us to perform our deeds with determination and strength.
Insha Allah.



Efforts after the Seminar Part II

As I mentioned I was blessed to keep busy after I returned from the seminar. I worked in the local prisons here before the dawrah, but after I returned my efforts nearly doubled. Before, I was formerly in a competition for speaking time with several Shiites who were also visiting the prison. But they have since stopped coming as they have chosen to sell their deen for a measly price working as translators for the U.S. Army in Iraq. So I have been able to maintain my visits, clear some misconceptions and take the day from the deviants, (Al-hamdulillah, for now anyway).

Also, aside from my regular duties, unique opportunities for dawah have been falling into my lap. While just going to the local Gyro place to grab some food, I met a young Afghani brother who was attending a “class” on Islam at the University. I never seen him before but he seemed to know who I was. He approached me and we exchanged salaams and pleasantries. (It was always my habit to kind of clown a brother who I know never comes to the masjid, but putting the advice of the scholars, rather the Prophet [sal Allahu alayhe wa sellem] into practice, I withheld from my previous custom. Instead, I was kind and inviting. I told him about the good programs going on in the masjid, and that he should come. "Don’t miss it man!" ) After he felt more comfortable he opened up about the class he is taking. He mentioned that they are particular in attacking the dawah of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (rahimahullah), but he himself does not see what is so bad about his teachings. I agreed with him and advised him to be thorough in his research before he forms his opinion. Most who attack the Shaykh don’t know the first thing about him. I invited him to learn much about the Shaykh and his dawah, and then he will come to know the truth for himself. He also agreed that this was the best approach and was happy. – All that by just going to grab a gyro!

But as I told you one of my biggest challenges came on a recent trip to Chicago.

One of the well known callers in the states was initially invited by some of the noble brothers in Chicago to give a series of lectures and some khawaatir in the mornings but he could not make it. At any rate he recommended me due to the fact that I had just returned from a seminar from the scholars and that I might have something worth while to share about that. I was hesitant to go for several reasons which may or may not be obvious. Plus the fact that the Salafi dawah in Chicago is in a delicate situation at this time.

There are a good number of Salafis in Chi-town, but they are scattered and in small pockets throughout the huge Chicagoland area. And even though we heard good news years ago about the dying down of fitnah and the “stopping of the discord” and subsequent unification of the brothers over there, there still appears to be some unresolved issues. The fitnah of Abul Hasan (not Al-Nebraski!!! Al-Maa’ribi) has left some deep scars and there are still accusations, warnings and enmity between some of the brothers.

I was invited by the brothers who formerly made up the Quran & Sunnah Society markaz. They were cooperating with one of the older masajid in Chicago (near the old markaz), where they hold an “Arabic” program on the weekends. I finally decided to rise to the challenge and make the trip. I came there with the mission of communicating the message of the scholars to the brothers. That mature message that contains wisdom, sobriety and the answer to our problems. My approach was two-fold: 1. To do my part to remove all the stereotypes of Salafi’s being harsh, judgmental, negative, and argumentative from the minds of those who I meet. 2. To infect all the Salafees that I meet with a renewed energy and desire for reconciliation and rectification of our affairs so that the dawah will move forward with strength. I, of course am not the person for this big job, but I figured I would like to do what I can for the sake of Allah in hopes that I would start the spark that would ignite the flame insha Allah.

Once I arrived, I started to assess the situation. Many of the common folk who attend the masjid where I was to be speaking were just young brothers, workers, worshipers and beginners. They were average people who may have been swept up by the current of this or that personality. I saw the inside of their cars; I saw who they were listening to. Many of them were not on any one methodology. It appeared that they would lend an ear to anyone who spoke well and who had charisma. So when I saw that someone (let’s call him br. Aamr) was listening to the lectures of Zaid Shakir, I patiently withheld. One thing that I learned early on was not to pounce on people. We as Salafees should be the flag-bearers of commanding good and forbidding evil no doubt, however wisdom is also necessary. As the scholars have explained, wisdom is putting everything in its proper place. Calling to Allah upon baseerah is not just simply advising, but it is advising at the proper time and place such that there is more likelihood that the advice will be accepted. I decided that my first meeting with this person was not the time to point out all of his errors. Instead I small talked & got to know him and told him about me and my old days in Chicago. After he dropped me off at the masjid I thanked him and told him I was eager to talk to him again soon. Allah decreed that I would.

After meeting some more of the brothers and some of the administration we had iftar. I was to be following one of the older well known callers who had been holding lectures there for a few days earlier. I was disappointed in the past with this Br. and disgusted at times by his stance on certain manhaj issues and his words regarding the scholars. However, one of the issues that speeded his downward spiral and got him written off (the issue of having a leader for the Salafi dawah here in America) was one that should have been handled better. As it turns out this is not an issue which was prohibited by the consensus of any group of scholars at all. As a matter of fact, I heard with my own ears Shaykh Waseeullah Abbass (Hafeedhahullahu ta’ala – May Allah protect him from the plots of the ghulaat) say that having a leader for the Salafees in a particular country to coordinate their affairs is not only not prohibited, but rather it is praiseworthy and something that may assist us in our affairs of organization and propagation. This should not have surprised us because Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen and Shaykh ibn Baaz (Rahimahum Allah) said something similar (1) in the past, but it did surprise us none the less. So suffice it to say I was a little torn on how to deal with him if we met.

I peeked into his lecture and it was pretty full. But I noticed that people in the back were eating, drinking tea and talking amongst themselves. Although it was rude to do in front of someone teaching Islam, the speaker himself can sometimes be held at fault for creating that type of environment. Being jovial and animated, telling jokes and making people happy has its place. But I had just come from the Haramain, the land of knowledge, where the scholars were dignified, their smiles were few and jokes even fewer. I remembered a quote from one of our lectures in Madinah by Shaykh Khalid Al-Raddadi in which he said, Sufyan Al-Thawri said, “We used to laugh and joke before (when we were students), until we became Imams.” Because when you are an Imam you are the example for the people and this deen is not a joke. So I really took note of that from the Ulamaa and decided that I was going to cut down on my clowning around. (2)

Well the time came to put my ghuloo-free manhaj into action. The brother came out of the door as we were all leaving. I tried to avoid the situation but one of the brothers said, “Oh by the way Shaykh, here is Brother Yusuf Al-Nebraski who will be giving us some talks after you leave.” He reached his hand out and said “As salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, akhee how are you?” Now, I’m on the spot and had to make a decision. If you would have caught me 4 weeks ago before the seminar, I probably would have turned my back on him and refused his salaams saying “Fear Allah. You’ve been refuted. Return to the truth now before it’s too late.” But now that I have sat with the scholars of the highest degree, and they have advised us to be far from being hasty and narrow minded, I adjusted my position. Instead I reviewed the beautiful principles and manhaj advice that I learned from Sh. Ibraheem Al-Ruhailee and Sh. Ahmed Al-Munayee (Hafeedhahum Allah). I asked myself:

1. Can I say that this man is outside of Ahl us Sunnah wal Jamaah upon a clear proof from Allah? – No.
2. Does he oppose Ahl us Sunnah in their major usool and branches of the deen? – No.
3. Regarding the mistakes that I know he has: Do they take him outside of Ahl us Sunnah such that now he has become an innovator threatened with hellfire? – No.
4. Am I in a position of power and authority such that my snubbing him will have the desired effect? - No.

Plus, I know that he holds regular lessons online and at his masjid translating for Dr. Tarheeb Al-Dosari (Hafidhahullah) who is known for his great efforts in spreading the aqeedah and manhaj of the salaf wal hamdulillah. Also, refusing his salaams will make me look ill-mannered and make the people shut their ears off towards me and what I got to say. So after I searched my heart and saw no benefit in not doing so, I shook his hand and replied to his salaams. And this is no tazkiyah for him, nor is it a disavowal of the fact that he has errors. I’m just saying he deserves to have his salaams to be replied to. He smiled and told me to keep up the good work. I smiled and told him I would try.

That morning after the fajr prayer I was asked to give a short talk. It was a general reflection on the hadeeth of Aisha (radiAllahu anha) in which she was asked about the Prophets’ (salAllahu alayhe wa sellem) character, and she replied that the Prophet’s character was the Quran. It was a talk based loosely on a lecture I heard from one of our shaykhs whom we met in Madinah, Shaykh Mus’ad Al-Hussieni (hafeedhahullah). I mentioned the importance behind the fact that it was a member of the family of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhe wa sellem) who testified to his excellent character, as no one knows a person like their family. Then I went on to reflect on the meaning and significance of Aisha’s beautiful answer. It went fine al-hamdulillah.

After that I started meeting more of the Salafi brothers and talking to them about my trip. One good thing I had going for me is that my energy was high and people could see that the trip had a positive effect on me. I was very focused and driven regarding spreading the message of wasitiyyah to the brothers and excited about our future once more of us started working by it. Brothers listened closely as I spoke to them about my lessons, what I learned from ulamaa, what is important for us to do now as the scholars explained. Then they slowly opened up and started to get into their problems.

One morning, one of the responsible brothers told me that a big problem that they had was that they did not have a local leader as a real life example on how to live the salafi way. He complained that they are getting their Islam, everything out of books (theory) but have no one in the community to lead us and show us the way practically. He said they were trying to hire someone full time to help them coordinate their affairs and he ran down some names of possible candidates. I personally thought that his goal was noble. However, I knew the people he was thinking about bringing in as leaders.

All of them were those we might call “the independents”. Those who are involved in dawah but don’t have much of a connection with the scholars of today, nor do they encourage others to establish such a connection. It is as if they are on an island. Some of them may say that the idea that you must take your knowledge from scholars is a Sufi Idea and not a Salafi idea. This at best is a shubhah. While I agree that one of the greatest scholars of this age Shaykh Muhammad Nasir ud deen Al-Albaani (Rahimahullahu ta’ala) acquired much of his knowledge in the absence of a teacher, this is not the norm for the scholars of the salaf nor is it the preferred situation. We can’t forget the golden words of Ayyub As Sakhtiyaani (rahimahullah) “From the success of Allah upon a youth or an ‘Ajami (non-Arabic speaker) is that he is guided to a companion of the Sunnah.” At the time and place of Shaykh Nasir the companions of the Sunnah were so few; he had little choice but to resort to the books of old. But the reality is that most people are not like Shaykh Nasir. Some consider him to be from among the mujadidoon of this century and he was no doubt given a unique tawfeeq from Allah. For the common person, the margin for error in studying Islam from books only without the aid of a scholar is just too great. With regards to our current times, (the days of fitnah) then we are in even more desperate need to turn to the major scholars to seek understanding of the deen. Allah says: “When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people), if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allâh upon you, you would have followed Shaitân (Satan), save a few of you.” (An-Nisa 4:83)

At any rate, I did my best to advise him to benefit from the major scholars via tele-link lectures. I also recommended that he cooperate with the duaat here in the west who are busy calling to the salafi manhaj; those who are far from the extremes of being too harsh or too mild upon the people, and those who encourage a strong connection with the scholars. He agreed that this was correct and that we should talk more about practical steps to make this happen.

Later that night was my first full class with them. It was important. I had to be ready.

_____________________________________

NOTES:

1. See the book “Muslim Minorities” Question #4, pg. 28 & Question #1, pg. 62 Message of Islam publications, UK

2. I consider this quite an accomplishment as everyone who knows me knows that I’m one of the biggest jokers around.