Is it sufficient for the salafee to know haqq and batil and not refute ahlul ahwa?

Shaykh Rabee' ibn Hadee al-Madkhali (hafidhahullaah)

In these times, is it sufficient for the Salafee to just know haqq (truth) and baatil (falsehood)or is it waajib upon him to refute the Ahlul Ahwa (people of desires) and those who differ from his da’wah (call)?

It is on the Salafee to know the haqq and call to it and clarify it to the people. And to establish this obligation, it is for him to refute baatil, as the Noble Qur’aan clarifies the haqq and refute the baatil at the same time, such as good is mentioned with the mentioning of evil, the Mu’mineen (believers) are mentioned and the Munaafiqeen (hypocrites) are mentioned, the kuffar (disbelievers) are mentioned, the Yahood (Jews) are mentioned, the Nasaara (Christians) are mentioned with their evil. So Islaam is established on these pillars which explains it and establishes Jihaad and ‘amr bil mau’roof (commanding good) and nahee anil munkar (forbidding evil) and refuting falsehood. It would never be established except without this and Islaam would never be established ever except with the establishment of the haqq and exposing and clarifying and criticizing the baatil, and clarifying their ugliness, their evilness, and tahdheer (warn) about this (falsehood) with its people. Any da’wah which does not establish this obligation then it is nothing but a defeated da’wah; dead, carrying the germs of death itself. No da’wah is living except by raising the banner of the haqq and bringing down baatil at the same time.

And this is it what Allaah ta’aala has said:
( كنتم خير أمة أخرجت للناس تأمرون بالمعروف وتنهون عن المنكر )
{You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you command Al-Ma'roof (i.e. Islaamic Monotheism and all that Islaam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islaam has forbidden)}

Those who don’t refute the baatil, how would they command good?! How would they forbid evil?! How?! It is like the Jamaa’at at-Tableegh who say they command good but (in reality) they don’t, Tawheed is at the highest rank of good but they do not call the people to it, (as for) Salat (prayers) they do not command the people with the Salat of Muhammad (sallalaahu ‘alaihi wasallam). They claim to command good but (in reality) they do not command good and they do not forbid evil. We ask Allaah’s safety.

So what is the faraq (difference) between you and them if you do not fight bid’ah and misguidance and refute Ahlul Ahwa, what is the faraq between you and them? So if you see the people of misguidance then you are silent on them and in return this increases their masses, you are supporting and encouraging them by being silent on them when they make fasaad (corruption) on Earth! When you see thieves stealing from the houses, then you are silent on them! What is this? Is this commanding good and forbidding evil? So the du’aat (callers) of Ahlul Bid’ah (people of innovation) is worse than thieves, worse than the highway robbers. Ibn Abee Zaid and Ibn’Abdul Birr said: They are worse than the criminal highway robbers, it is waajib to warn from them continuously, and criticize and expose them in front of the people to stay out of them, up until the people leave them.

And because of this there exists many books of the Salaf refuting Ahlul Bid’ah and warning against them, warning against their gatherings, but during these times many from the Muslimoon has left of this ‘asl (foundation): refuting Ahlul Bid’ah and warning from them, and this caused the misguidance to prevail on this Ummah of Islaam, except that a few miskeen who have no power or might are saved from this.

(to be continued inshaa’ Allaah)

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Read the fatwa in Arabic from here.