Ibn al-Jawzee on People Using Jarh and Ta’deel as an Excuse for Revenge
May 11, 2018 § Leave a comment
Ibn al-Jawzee, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Part of the Devil’s deception of the People of Hadith (Ashaabul-Hadith) is their slander of each other for revenge, justifying that in the name of Jarh and Ta’deel, which the scholars of old of this Ummah used to use to defend the Legislation with, and Allaah knows best the intentions [of His Servants]. And a proof of their corrupt intentions is their silence concerning people they [themselves] take from—and the early scholars of the past were not like that—for Ali ibn al-Madini used to narrate from his father, who was a weak narrator, and then [after narrating from him] he would say, ‘And in the hadith of the Shaikh [i.e., his father] there is what there is …’”
Al-Muntaqan-Nafees min Talbees Iblees, pp. 123-124.
Al-’Abbaad on al-Jarh and at-Ta’deel
October 19, 2015 § Leave a comment
Questioner: There is a statement concerning the issue of al-Jarh and at-Ta’deel which the questioner wants to put to you: when respected scholars differ in their criticism [jarh] or praise [ta’deel] of someone, this variance [in opinion] remains present among Ahlus-Sunnah, thus whoever follows one of these scholars is not to be declared an innovator nor boycotted, and we hope that he receives a reward for the purity of his intention?
Al-’Abbaad: Firstly, the scholars used to use al-Jarh and at-Ta’deel to determine whether or not hadiths were valid, for this reason the books of narrators are replete with biographies that contain what the scholars said about people, “So and so said this … and so and so said that … and so and so said this … and so and so said that,’ some of them would praise and others would criticise.
But some of the scholars who praise [a certain individual] may not have come across anything [in terms of jarh] regarding a person who has been criticised [by others], and as a result they praise a person based upon what is apparent to them.
Others may criticise a person about something which does not stand up as a criticism. Some scholars are harsh in their jarh such that they perform jarh over an issue which does not stand up as a point of jarh.
[Anyway,] the important thing here is that they used to busy themselves with al-Jarh and at-Ta’deel in order to become acquainted with which hadiths were authentic and which weren’t, which were valid and which weren’t, this was the way they used to use it.
Preoccupying oneself with al-Jarh and at-Ta’deel in this day and age, speaking about people, abandoning them, tracking what is said about them, collecting what is said about them the result of which is that they are warned against—these are all unbecoming actions, what is proper for a Muslim is that he knows the truth and acts on it.
Whoever is known to be from the people of an innovation which is open and plain to see and concerning which there is no ambiguity, and who has a way and manhaj which is in accordance with the people of innovation, then such a person deserves [the jarh].
As for a person who erred in a statement, who made a mistake in a statement after which an all out onslaught is made against him and he is warned against, then this is not just and nor is it fair.”
Shaikh Muqbil: “How easy it is to memorise some words [like], ‘So and so is a hizbi,’ or, ‘So and so is an agent.’
January 8, 2014 § 1 Comment
The PDF: Shaikh Muqbil on Not Wasting Time.
Questioner: Why don’t you speak such that your Jarh of contemporaries will be the same as or like the Jarh of the scholars of the past about weak or abandoned narrators, such that you say, for example, “So and so is a hizbi and weak and he is not to be taken from,” or, “So and so is a liar or a dajjaal or abandoned,” and so on, along with a clarification of the methodology of the man in terms of his Shi’ism or Sufism or hizbiyyah or tamyee’?
Shaikh Muqbil: That is something good but I am busy and I have projects [to do] which I want to finish and which I hold to be more beneficial, like [researching about] the Shaikhs of al-Haakim and the Shaikhs of his Shaikhs and his narrators whose biographies were not written in Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb, and [another project is] like the completion of, ‘As-Saheeh al-Musnad Mimmaa Laisa fis-Saheehain,’ and like, ‘Al-Jaami’ as-Saheeh Mimmaa Laisa fis-Saheehain.’
So I am busy and have fallen short in many things.
Numerous books come to me from here and there and the brothers who send them say, ‘We want you to refute them,’ so I say, ‘If I do it will be on cassette because I am busy with what I hold to be more beneficial for Islaam and the Muslims.’
And I regard, ‘Al-Makhraj minal-Fitnah,’ and, ‘Al-Musaara’ah,’ and, ‘Qam’ul-Mu’aanid wa Zajrul-Haaqid al-Haasid,’ to be books of Jarh and Ta’deel. In ‘Al-Musaara’ah,’ I spoke about the Sufis and the people of superstitious deviations, and the Mukaaramah [a branch of Isma’ili Shi’a found in Najran in Saudi Arabia and Yemen], and journalists and many of the callers to Hizbiyyah in Yemen. In, ‘Qam’ul-Mu’aanid,’ I spoke about Hizbul-Islaah and about hizbiyyah cloaked with [the title of being] ‘associations’, so I regard these to be books of Jarh and Ta’deel [that I have written].
And after [mentioning] this, I advise my brothers to completely dedicate themselves to seeking knowledge, because this differing which is present in the lands of the two harams and Najd between the people of knowledge comes from free time.
How easy it is to memorise some words [like], ‘So and so is a hizbi,’ or, ‘So and so is an agent,’ and then to go around relaying it from this gathering to that. Rather I want you to start by memorising the Quraan and memorising the hadiths of Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ that you are able to, and similarly with the Arabic language.
So I say, whether they like it or not, this clash has come about between them due to free time—so if you were to occupy yourselves with memorising the Quraan and acquiring beneficial knowledge you wouldn’t have the time for such talk.
And someone came to me from the land of the Harams and Najd and all of a sudden he was saying, “The Shaikh … and the Shaikh … and the Shaikh …,’ [i.e., talking ill of them] so I said, “O so and so:
فَدَع عَنكَ نَهباً صيحَ في حَجَراتِه وَلَكِن حَديثاً ما حَديثُ الرَواحِلِ
So leave alone spoil by the sides of which a shouting was raised.
But relate to me a story: what is the story of the riding-camels?
[These are the opening lines from a poem by Imru’ul-Qais and are an, “Arabic adage used about someone who has lost some of his wealth, and thereafter something even more valuable than it is lost. Namely, ‘Leave the spoils which have [already] been pillaged from all around you [i.e., they’ve already been cried over so there is no point mentioning them now, instead], relate to me the story of the riding-camels you took [i.e., which are even more valuable than what was previously taken from me]: what became of them?’” [An-Nihaayah fi Ghareebil-Hadithi wal-Athar, p. 188.]]
[And so I said to him] I want to test you about the knowledge you had with you when you departed from us [for your journey], and so he started scratching his head and became silent.
So beware of squandering your time and wasting it with these issues. You should rather be diligent and strive to obtain beneficial knowledge and understanding of Allaah’s Religion. And anything which comes to us which opposes the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ we discard and disprove it.
Ghaaratul-Ashritah, vol. 2, pp. 410-411.
Shaikh Muqbil on the Justness of Ahlus-Sunnah in Jarh and Ta’deel
December 22, 2013 § Leave a comment
The Imaam of Yemen, Muqbil ibn Haadi al-Waadi’i, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Indeed in His Noble Book, Allaah عز وجل says, “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allaah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allaah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allaah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.” [Nisaa 4:135]
And He سبحانه وتعالى said, “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allaah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just—that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allaah, indeed, Allaah is Acquainted with what you do.” [Maaidah 5:8]
And He سبحانه وتعالى said, “And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haraam lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allaah, indeed, Allaah is severe in penalty.” [Maaidah 5:2]
And He سبحانه وتعالى said, “Indeed, Allaah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.” [Nahl 16:90]
And He سبحانه وتعالى said, “And when you speak [i.e., testify], be just, even if [it concerns] a near relative.” [An’aam 6:152]
Ahlus-Sunnah are the ones who have the most right and the greatest share of these verses and those proofs similar to them, for if they write, they write what is for them and against them, and if they talk they mention what is for them and against them. They stick to justice whether dealing with those who are close to them or distant, whether an enemy or friend. And if you were to look at the books of Jarh and Ta’deel you will find that they are the epitome of justness: they will disparage a man if he deserves such jarh even if he were one of the heads of the Sunnah, and they will praise a person of innovation with the good that he has if there is a need for that, contrary to the people of desires—for they will praise whoever agrees with their innovations even if he is worthless, and they vilify whoever opposes them even if he were one of the heads of the religion.”
Al-Ilhaad al-Khumaini fi Ardil-Haramain, pp. 1-2.
Al-Fawzaan on Jarh and Ta’deel in this Day and Age
September 29, 2013 § 2 Comments
Questioner: Noble Shaikh, may Allaah grant you success, the questioner says, “We have heard from your excellency that [you say that] the door to Jarh and Ta’deel is closed in this time?”
Al-Fawzaan: “And are you going to open it now? Where is Jarh and Ta’deel? Where is the person who is able to acquaint [himself] with this field? These people do not have anything except speaking about people and defaming them, ‘So and so is like this and so and so is like that,’ this is backbiting, this is backbiting and it is not allowed. This is not Jarh or Ta’deel. Jarh and Ta’deel is knowledge connected to the chains of narrations, the chains of narrations of a hadith. As for you sitting and saying, ‘So and so has this, and so and so has that,’ praising and criticising—this is not Jarh and Ta’deel. This is Jarh only, there is no ta’deel in it.
[It is] Jarh and backbiting and tale-carrying.”
Sharh al-Muntaqaa min Akhbaar Sayyidil-Mursaleen, at 1:17:56, from a lecture given on the 7th September 2013.
Gifts of Knowledge 