Do you advise with what some students of knowledge do in dedicating themselves to critique the books of our scholars, in authenticity and weakness, such as the observations regarding al-Silsiliah and the observations regarding Ṣifah al-Ṣalāh?

The door of criticism of al-Albānī and his likes is open, no one is angered by that, not al-Albānī, nor his likes from the carriers of the Sunnah. Respectful criticism which maintains respect for the scholars, and which has no goal except to clarify the truth, then this commenced from the era of the Companions, and does not end.

For al-Shāfiʿī criticised Mālik, and he criticised the associates of Abū Ḥanīfah, and he criticised Aḥmad, in all of these madhāhib, and this criticism has continued till this day of ours in various fields of knowledge.

So criticism—O brothers—it is not permissible to close this door, because we would be speaking with closing the door of ijtihād. And we do not grant sacredness to the ideas of anyone, whoever it may be. Error is rejected from any person, whther he is a Salafī or other than a Salafī.

However, the way of dealing with the People of the Truth and Sunnah, those whose sincerity, efforts and sincerity of purpose to Allāh, the Exalted, His Book, His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), the leaders of the Muslims and their common-folk we know of, then the way of dealing with them is other than the way of dealing with the People of Innovation and Misguidance.

Return to the book of al-Ḥāfiḍh ibn Rajab (رحمه الله), “Al-Farq Bayna al-Naṣīḥah wal-Taʿyīr” (The Difference Between Advice and Rebuke), when he spoke and explained, saying: Clarifying guidance and clarifying truth is necessary, and Saʿīd bin al-Musayyib was criticised, and Ibn ʿAbbās, Ṭāwūs, and the associates of Ibn ʿAbbās, and they were ctiticised and criticised, yet no one said: “This is revilement.” None say this but the people of desires.

So when we criticise al-Albānī, we do not follow the approach of the People of Desires and say: “No, don’t criticise al-Albānī.” Fine, but his errors will be spread in the name of religion, and otherwise, the errors of Ibn Bāz (also), and the errors of Ibn Taymiyyah and of anyone.

It is obligatory for any error to be explained to people, that it is an error, no matter how high the status of this person from whom this error occurred, because as we have said more than once, that his errors will be ascribed to Allāh’s religion (if not corrected). However, we must distinguish—as I have said—between Ahl al-Sunnah and Ahl al-Bidʿah…

So criticism is from the angle of rejecting evil, Salafīs criticise the senior (scholars) if they err, and explaining their errors is from the angle of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and from the angle of the clarification that Allāh has obligated, and from the angle of the sincere advice that Allāh has emphatically obligated upon us.