Posted by Abu Iyaad
Tuesday, Oct 22 2024
Filed under Misconceptions
This is a live page on an evolving situation, and subject to updates, please check back.
RECENTLY, A GROUP OF PEOPLE collaborated together in spreading the lie that I claim that the Major Scholars are “bedouins from the desert who are not proficient” and that they “submit to their leaders with a blind-following” and that I desire to “topple the status of the Major Scholars in order to promote a false idea”.
Commencing 19 September 2024, these accusations were spread on social media platforms to more than 75,000 followers. They were subsequently translated into English, Urdu, German and perhaps other languages and spread also on social media and chat platforms.
These attacks have been made on the basis of some private voice notes (sent to only one person) from May 2021. Despite multiple requests since July 2024 for them to provide these voice notes—(see for example, via Email and Whatsapp)—they have not done so, which means that this attack has been coordinated and planned with objectives in mind.
However, realising that his attack was not met with acceptance and seen as blameworthy, and having opposed numerous advices he had been given about his conduct, the social media poster has gone further into this harmful path he has chosen.
First: On 26 September 2024 one of the mashāyikh from Maktabah Salafiyyah contacted him to give him advice. He was told that this is not the way of the scholars and will open the doors to fitnah. So he offered a solution to what he had unleashed of tribulation:
That I should agree not to write anything on the subject again and to post this on social media. That once I have done that, he will then send some advice to me privately!
So this is adding insult to injury and treating people who are many years older than you as if they are kids who were born yesterday.
In other words: I can slander and defame you online in front of perhaps close to a 100,000 social media followers and then when I face a backlash and a request for evidence, you must agree that you will not write anything and post this in an online message to the world. Thereafter, I will advise you privately after slandering you publicly!
Second: After my first statement of 1 October 2024 wherein I asked for the proof—and it is my right to do so—he embarked upon trying to frame me with various things to make up for his inability to prove his initial slanders in front of surprised and wary onlookers.
Third: So since the initial outburst on 19 September 2024, he has now written two more short articles, wherein he is trying to frame me with things through far-fetched interpolations and imposing things on my speech which are from his imagination. He is doing this in a "hit-and-run" like manner, where you throw many allegations in succession and then its hard for a person to respond in a timely manner to each one. And by the time the attacked person manages to unravel and explain all these things, doubts and suspicions have already been spread, and perceptions have already been formed.
You have to ask yourself: Is this how the People of Knowledge behave? Have you ever seen this type of conduct from any of the Major Scholars against Ahl al-Sunnah? Is this the manhaj that is followed with respect to someone from whom you perceive errors? Keeping in mind this is on the basis of completely private voice recordings (with only one person) that are three years old. How does collusion with a committee of consultants, advisors and translators in making a surprise online, public attack on a person from Ahl al-Sunnah (on the basis of a totally private recording) emanate from good will and intending sincere advice and correction?
Alḥamdulillāh most people are not buying it. Even those who disagree with me on the issues—relating to medical views and positions—they even see through it. They know these claims are far-fetched, that the way being followed is not the way of the Major Scholars, irrespective of whether his allegations are true or not, and that this is harmful to the daʿwah.
I have shown patience and restraint till now, given that these matters were spread to a large online social media following and were zealously translated into various languages and spread by people, some of whom may have scores to settle. However, I am no longer left with any choice except to respond to these allegations. So I present my responses below.
Note: Recently, I managed to find the audios in question (والحمد لله). Although my chats were lost in early 2022 (and I thought I had lost everything), the actual media files were still there within the app folders in my old phone. I had to use a file browsing app, use various techniques to locate the specific audios (among thousands of files) and then copy them onto a computer. I have a suspicion—with good reason, and Allāh knows best—that when I requested these voice notes from them in July 2024, stating that I had lost my Whatsapp chats, this group of people were operating on the assumption that I will not be able to make verification and defend myself, and hence, they can very easily do "hit and run" attacks against me on social media by cherry-picking statements, clipping, distorting and defacing them, and I would be helpless, unable to defend myself.
Responses and Clarifications Regarding the Allegations
The online attack was initiated on 19 September 2024, the social media poster was given advice by number of people to leave this path some days after, due to its opposition to the foundations of the methodology in dealing with Ahl al-Sunnah and due to its harm. He was also asked for the basis upon which he is making these accusations and to send us the voice notes he and his committee are using, but he has not done so, and is also refusing to name his team of translators. Short of two weeks after the initial outburst, I wrote the first statement below.
01 —1 October 2024
Part 1: First response to the allegations that were spread in late September 2024.
[English version] — [النسخة العربية]
In the first part, I make a request to the poster of the accusations to provide his evidence and I notify him of his opposition to the way of the Major Scholars in his conduct. I inform him that because of the circumstances surrounding his actions, his conduct does not emanate from a genuine desire to correct errors, and is plainly evident given the facts of the situation. I also caution him against slander and defamation.
Then on 7 October 2024—two days after the above document was released—he posted a short article on his social media accounts wherein he accused me of using a false principle to undermine the scholars. He was unable to justify his initial slanders, so this was simply a smokescreen.
02 —10 October 2024
Part 2: Regarding the allegation: A scholar cannot give a religious fatwa about medical affairs unless he becomes a medical specialist himself.
[English version] — [النسخة العربية]
After the poster of the accusations was unable to justify his initial attacks and provide evidence for them as requested by me in the first statement above, he made a short post on his social media accounts on 7 October 2024, this time trying to frame me with a particular principle. The direction he has taken is to make it look as if I want to bring the scholars down by laying down false principles. In this second statement I address it, clarify it and once again advise him that his way is a misguided, harmful one, that it is definitely not the way of the Major Scholars, and that he should maintain truthfulness and academic integrity in this matter.
The above document was released on 22 October 2024. However, a day earlier on 21 October 2024, the social media poster had released another open refutation, this time employing what amounts to namīmah (tale-carrying) in order to create a scandal and to use people's emotions to cloud the underlying issues. This was a further attempt to create more smoke and mirrors to deflect from the fact that he slandered me and is unable to provide evidence and justification for his slanders.
03 —27 October 2024
Part 3: Regarding the allegation of belittling a particular shaykh.
[English version] — [النسخة العربية]
In this part in the series, the claim that I belittled a particular shaykh is refuted, and it will become clear that these are just wild imaginations and foolish interpretations. Within this part I also quote one of my clear statements from the audios wherein I encourage return to the scholars for fatwā which demolishes the claim that I am trying to use a false principle to “topple the scholars”, which is what I refuted in part 2 above.
More will be added here, by Allāh’s permission.
