Refutations!

Question to the Mufti Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ali Shaykh:

Question: What do you say concerning the one who says: "Verily refutations against the people of innovations and misguidance, was not from the practice of the Salaf, and the books of refutations are not befitting to be distributed except between the students of knowledge and they should not be distributed to other than them?"

Answer: Refutations upon the people of innovations is from jihad in the cause of Allah, and protection for the legislation of Islam from having something attached to it that is not from it. Thus authoring the books, printing them, and distributing them is correct, and it is calling to the truth, and jihad in the cause of Allah.

Thus whoever presumes that printing the books and spreading the books that refute the innovators is an innovation, then he is in error; because Allah the Exalted said: Oh Prophet strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be severe against them. (Chapter 66 verse 9)

Therefore jihad is with the hand, the tongue, and wealth. From jihad with the tongue is to defend the legislation of Islam and to protect it from every fabrication from the doubts and falsehood; included in this is warning from innovation and calling to the truth.

For this reason Imam Ahmad and other than him produced books warning from the innovators. Imam Ahmad authored a treatise entitled “The refutation upon the hypocrites.” So he clarified their doubts and answered every doubt they came with. Al Bukari-may Allah have mercy upon him-authored his book “The actions of the servants are created”. And other than them from the Imams of Islam have authored refutations upon the innovators and rebutted their falsehood and established the arguments against them.

Also Shaykh of Islam (ibn Taymiyyah) authored refutations upon the rafidah in his well known book, “The methodology of the Prophetic Sunnah in demolishing the statements of the shia and the qadariya”, and he clarified the falsehood and misguided they are upon.

Question to Shaykh Zaid Al Madhkhali

Question: Oh noble Shaykh there is a statement that refutations between the people of knowledge distracts from seeking knowledge, so is this statement correct?

Answer: This doubt is false and from the deceptions placed upon the people and I don’t think this statement is circulating from a person who has any portion of knowledge, because the books of refutations are present, distributed, printed, and read since the first generations until our present time.

The one who reads the refutations of Imam Ahmad-may Allah have mercy upon him- upon the Jahmiyah and hypocrites and the refutations of Imam Ibn Taymiyyah and Imam Ibn Al Qayyim will find the bulk of their works contain refutations upon the people of deviance to include the Jews, Christians, the people of innovation such as the Jahmiyah, Mutazila, Asharees, Maturidiya, and Kulabiya. They contain refutations upon the people who say Allah is one with His creation, refutation upon the sufis and other than them which are too many to mention in this setting.

Therefore the books of refutations are jihad in the cause of Allah; rather ibn Al Qayyim considers refuting the people of innovations and desires greater than jihad on the battle field. This is because jihad on the battle field, you find that many of the people embark upon this kind of jihad, many people are courageous, scholars and those from the laymen.

As for jihad with knowledge and the tongue, by bringing the argument and evidence to the people of innovation, misguidance, and desires, no one embarks upon this; no one is suitable for this except for the firmly rooted scholars. Thus it becomes obvious that the people of knowledge have virtue over those who fight on the battle field.

Therefore: If this statement comes from an ignorant person it is incumbent upon him to learn, and if it comes from a person who claims to have knowledge then he is either a person with compound ignorance or a person of deception thus it becomes incumbent to warn against him; and Allah knows best.

Question to Shaykh Fawzan

Question: Do refutations upon the people of falsehood harden the hearts, because there are some people who distance us from the books of the people of knowledge that contain refutations upon the people of faslehood?

Answer: Leaving off refutations is what hardens the heart, because doubts will enter the hearts, thus they will harden. As for refuting them, and clarifying the truth then this is what softens the hearts and returns them to the truth.

Therefore do not pay attention to the likes of these false statements which originate from people who wish to promote falsehood and doubts without raising objects to it or refuting it; and they say this is freedom of opinion, this is another opinion. This is an opinion and this is another opinion meaning the religion will become opinions. The religion does not contain opinions it contains revelation from Allah the Exalted, revelation from the All Wise, Worthy of all praise.

Allah has not entrusted us to our opinions or intellects, rather He commanded us to follow the book and the Sunnah, to gain an understanding of them, to work by them, and to refute that which opposes them from the doubts and false statements. If it were not for the refutations upon the people of falsehood the truth would not be aided and the truth would not be clarified to the people.

But I say, and I continue to say, no one refutes these issues except the people of knowledge. As for the learner, the student of knowledge, and the one who pretends to have knowledge it is not permissible for him to refute these issues; because perhaps he will refute with ignorance consequently his refutation will be more evil than what he was refuting. Because the refutation not based upon knowledge; its evil becomes more the refutation.

Therefore I say, no one refutes except the people of knowledge, those firmly grounded in knowledge, those who refute with knowledge, arguments and evidence. As for those who are not firmly grounded in knowledge then they do not refute the doubts, because perhaps the refutation will be more corrupt than what is being refuted.