Shaykh Aḥmad al-Najmī: It is Obligatory Upon Students of Knowledge to Clarify the Truth at Every Opportunity and Not Remain Silent
silence falsehood
SHAYKH AḤMAD AL-NAJMĪ (رحمه الله) spoke about the important role of the student of knowledge who are upon the Salafī methodology, he said their role is mighty, and that they should expend efforts in calling to Allāh and explaining the errors of those with new methodologies, and it should be through authoring, through speaking, so that people can be saved by them.
The shaykh then mentioned Banī Isrāʾīl and those who violated the Sabbath, those who remained silent, and those who showed rejection. The ones who showed rejection were the ones mentioned in the āyah (7:164-), they said they did so to absolve themselves of any blame in front of Allāh. The shaykh mentioned how both those who violated the Sabbath and those who remained silent were destroyed whereas the one’s who showed rejection were saved.
Then Shaykh Aḥmad (رحمه الله) said:[1]
Therefore, it is obligatory upon the students of knowledge possessing acquaintance [with Islamic sciences], who know the Salafī methodology and know the other methodologies (that oppose it), it is obligatory for them to explain to others, and that they say and speak, and that they deliver sermons, and explain in every situation and on every occasion the truth that must be followed and the falsehood that must be abandoned and avoided.
As for those who remain silent from explaining the truth to the people, they are not excused for their silence, even if they said: “We are not with them.” They are not excused, even if they said: “We are not with the people of these misguided groups who have strayed from the path of truth”, unless they show rejection of what they are upon of misgudance.
Notes
The Rabbānī scholars such as Shaykh Rabīʿ, Shaykh Aḥmad al-Najmī and others used to encourage Ahl al-Sunnah, the students of knowledge who have familiarity with the methodology of the Salaf and what opposes it to speak on every occasion and opportunity in order to clarify the truth and save and guide people from being caught up in the snares of misguidance, given their abundance.
During many tribulations in which figureheads ascribing to Salafiyyah tried to infuse their misguidance into the ranks of Ahl al-Sunnah, these scholars spoke and wrote to expose them, after a period of advice and correction, and when the truth became clear, they encouraged Ahl al-Sunnah to proclaim the truth and make it known, because this safeguards the religion and its people, as it maintains the separation between truth and falsehood.
Otherwise, if people kept silent, especially students of knowledge who have the knowledge and understanding and they are looked up to by others, this would lead to confusion and chaos, and it would be hard to separate between truth and error, the correct from the errant, the guided from the misguided and so on.
This is because those who err and are refuted, it is rare that they pack their bags and live in silence thereafter. Rather, they remain, their writings remain, their followers may remain, and there remains the potential for others to be deceived and enticed by them and their doubts and misguidance. For this reason, those who have a position, those who are listened to, they speak and make clear what is the correct position, who is errant, who is misguided and so on. This is what is known from the Salaf and from the Rabbānī scholars.
So may Allāh reward these Rabbānī scholars for their timely, illuminating pieces of advice and guidance during a time when they were involved in clarifying deviation in the affairs related to the sects, innovations, people of desires, rulership, obedience, rebellion and others in which the Ikhwānīs, the Ḥarakīs, and various aḥzāb had tried to pass off as Salafiyyah.
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Footnotes
1. Al-Fatāwā al-Jaliyyah (p. 25).