al-'Allaamah 'Abdul Muhsin al-'Abbaad's Advice regarding regarding tabdee

[عقيل الهندي]

Advice from al-‘allaamah ‘Abdul-Muhsin al-‘abbaad Regarding Declaring Innovators and Abandonment[1]


The questioner says, ‘Our shaykh, may Allaah preserve you. It is from Allaah’s [granting of] success for many of the students of knowledge that we have attended the [lessons of the] Introduction of Saheeh Muslim with the explanation of your respected self.
However, this blessing, and it is from the fundamentals that Imaam Muslim mentioned, has caused doubts for some. Some have applied them to some of their brothers from Ahlus Sunnah, such that if a scholar makes ijtihaad and declares someone an innovator and another differs with them, they impress upon others to declare that individual an innovator. They then focus on those who differ with them, abandoning them and warning against them, with the belief that this is the Manhaj of the Salaf – despite the fact that the ‘aqeedah of the two groups is one. And their Manhaj is one. And in many of their lands, shirk, magic and Sufism is widespread.
Do you have any advice that can clarify the truth and unify the ranks?’
Answer: I say that whomsoever Allaah gives success to, it is upon them to explain the truth and ask Allaah for guidance to whom it is explained. However, it is not for them to persistently follow them and if they do not accept it, they should be abandoned and not spoken to, as some of the junior students do. They do not know anything of the deen, and they are prevalent in Europe and east and west. They know nothing of the fundamentals of the religion but are tried with declaring others innovators and abandoning them – i.e. so-and-so declares so-and-so an innovator and if they do not declare them an innovator, they are [themselves] an innovator to be abandoned. This is not the way of the Salaf.
Shaykh Bin Baaz never ever used to do this. How many his refutations were, but he was still busy with knowledge. He would not follow the person he had refuted. He would explain what was right and carry on upon the way of the people of knowledge. This is the correct manner.
As to what some of the minor students, who are found in different places and have no knowledge, do and meet one of their brothers and say, ‘So-and-so is an innovator. If you do not declare him as such, we declare you to be one’, and the brother is from Ahlus Sunnah. And the speech here is regarding Ahlus Sunnah, not Ahlul Bid’ah – i.e. something has occurred/been attributed to someone from Ahlus Sunnah and it could be true or false.
This kind of action is not permissible and is not a known practice of the Salaf of this Ummah – if one of them made an error, he would be abandoned, declared an innovator and it be asked of the people that they declare him an innovator and abandon him. This is not from the Manhaj of the Salaf.
And the clearest example of this is our Shaykh Bin Baaz, through whom Allaah caused great good and had many rebuttals, but was still busy with knowledge. It wasn’t his concern that if he declared someone an innovator, he would go and say you must declare him an innovator and whosoever does not do so becomes an innovator to be abandoned. This never happened with the Shaykh, nor from those upon his way, may Allaah have mercy upon him.



[1] A question posed to the Shaykh after his explanation of the Introduction of Saheeh Muslim on the date conforming to 08/12/13CE. http://kulalsalafiyeen.com/vb/showthread.php?t=54773