Did You Read the Books of Sayyid Quṭb Yourself Or Did Someone Else Convey His Speech to You? Shaykh Rabīʿ Bin Hādī Answers
qutb refutation
Question:[1]
Is what reached you about Sayyid Quṭb from books that you read or is it from some brothers who conveyed it to you?
Shaykh Rabīʿ (رحمه الله):
It is a shame and disgrace that you say: ‘Did you read the books of Sayyid Quṭb yourself or did some of the students come to you?’ This is foolish speech, I do not believe it could come from a Salafī.
I do not write about Sayyid Quṭb except after being (fully) acquainted with the text (of his speech) and what it contains. And twenty years might pass over some of (his speech), yet I refrain from it and hesitate to criticise it until the reality becomes plainly clear to me.
I did not write a single word through anyone’s dictation, nor fulfilling the wish of anyone, and nor fulfilling the orders of anyone. I write from the perspective of creed (only).
Then they say, of their false rumours: ‘Have I read all the books of Sayyid Quṭb?’ If I came across a revilement of a prophet from Sayyid Quṭb, or others, should I read all of his works?’
And has anyone made this condition, that when you find a person lying, or reviling, or fabricating, you have to study the whole of his life, and then (only) after it you can speak? And do those who make these conditions adhere to them in their war against Salafīs? Pay attention to this.
Notes
01 Shaykh Rabīʿ bin Hādī (رحمه الله) is described as the “Carrier of the Flag of al-Jarḥ wal-Taʾdīl”, and an “Imām in the Sunnah”, and a “Sign from Allāh’s Signs in Knowing the Ḥizbīs” among other descriptions, recognitions and praises. He received these descriptions from those senior or equal to him in knowledge and status, due to his truthfulness, veracity, integrity, justice and fairness in the field of criticism and refutation.
02 Shaykh Rabīʿ did not rely upon anyone dictating to him, conveying to him, or interpreting for him. Rather, he read directly for himself the actual speech, and what it contains, sometimes withholding and refraining for years, to ensure that he has correctly and clearly understood what the speech comprises if it was ambiguous or unclear, so that he does not lie or fabricate upon Sayyid Quṭb and fall into disrepute.
03 The Ḥizbīs tried to cast aspersions on Shaykh Rabīʿ’s diligence, accuracy and truthfulness by asking foolish questions such as: “Did you read the books yourself?”, “Did you students quote them for you?” and so on. Of course, the Shaykh (رحمه الله) read the books directly and quoted from them verbatim, to the extent that those who abandoned Sayyid Quṭb admitted that Shaykh Rabīʿ had not missed even a dot in quoting his words.
04 The Shaykh also made the point that when you find a person lying or fabricating in an issue, you do not now need to go and study his entire life or read every last one of his books before you can speak and expose the lie or fabrication. These are just schemes and excuses made by those fanatical to figureheads and personalities, in trying to cover for them and their errors. Further, they themselves do not adhere to these same principles and excuses they concoct against Salafīs. So the Salafī should pay attention to these affairs.
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Footnotes
1. Majmūʿ Kutub wa Rasāʾīl (14/536).