Shaykh ʿUbayd al-Jābirī stated tonight (18th of Rabīʿ al-Thānī 1438 AH / 15th January 2017 CE) the following with respect to his previous tazkiyah for some people behind a proposed mosque project in East London:
Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm. All praise is due to Allāh the Lord of the Worlds. May Allāh send ṣālāt and salām upon our Prophet Muḥammad, his family and all his companions. May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allāh be upon you.
I, ʿUbayd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sulaymān ibn Muʿawwaḍ al-Ḥamdān al-Jābirī [say]: It has reached me [what is said] that I issued some tazkiyāt (commendations) for some youth in East London, the capital, that I gave them tazkiyāh and that they are Salafīs and that I called people to support them.
Firstly, I say to you—my brothers and sons—myself or others, we give commendation based upon what is apparent to him, from the current state of a man or [based upon] praise given to him in the past from those who—in the view of the one commending him with a tazkiyah—are worthy [of giving it]. Thus, he gives commendation.
Thus, I record [this statement] now on this night, the 18th of Rabīʿ al-Thānī 1438 AH [15th January 2017 CE]: I consider this [prior] tazkiyah to have no value at all because these people deceived us and we thought that they were deserving of that [the tazkiyah].
And anyone who gave them wealth based upon this tazkiyah, he has the right to demand it through the relevant legal authority in Britain. And this centre, its name is Markazh Huẓayfah. Take this from me now. And may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allāh be upon you.[1]
01 Tazkiyāt are based on the current status of individuals based on available knowledge which can be limited, and which may be based on what has been made apparent, as opposed to the true reality.
See more on this: Shaykh Rabīʿ bin Hādī: On Tazkiyāt Based on Available Knowledge (and Scope for Their Misuse)
02 The context of the above statement of Shaykh ʿUbayd is that there were some youth, including some graduates from the Islāmic University who embarked upon a mosque project that would have led to splitting of the community in East London. Also, the building was a very bad choice and did not have all the required permissions to allow it to function as an actual mosque. The concern was that this would lead to squandering massive wealth on a building not suited for purpose, in addition to dividing the community.
They were advised by Maktabah Salafiyyah and the Salafīs in East London such as Shaykh Abu ʿUmar Farūq (رحمه الله) and those who went on to establish Masjid Bin Bāz. However, they did not listen and went to Shaykh ʿUbayd (رحمه الله) who heard them out and gave them words of support. The Shaykh spoke on the basis of what they displayed to him. So they were left to their devices and their pursuits.
03 Some years later, when some of those who were involved in that project showed their true colours (opposing and reviling their Salafī brothers who intended nothing but good for them and for the Salafī community), Shaykh ʿUbayd revoked his tazkiyah and support for them.
04 Just like Shaykh Rabīʿ said in a similar statement, scholars are not infallible and give tazkiyah on the basis of what they hear and see and sometimes that may not accord with the actual reality. This is why historically, scholars have never ceased to evaluate and critique the statements of other scholars, even the most proficient and skilled ones in al-jarḥ wal-taʿdīl, when those statements are opposed to verified realities.
05 The point here is that a tazkiyah does not become a permanent testimony unless the person for who it is given truly possesses and maintains that for which he was given a tazkiyah. When a person manifests something other than that, warranting correction, criticism, refutation and even expulsion from Salafiyyah in some situations, then evidence=based criticisms and refutations take precedence and overrule the tazkiyah.
06 Scholars such as Shaykh Rabīʿ (رحمه الله) and Shaykh ʿUbayd (رحمه الله) know this full well, which is why we see them explaining and acting on this principle. This is contrary to the nurturing that has been given to some, that tazkiyahs become permanent rulings in favour of people, even if they openly oppose the Salafī creed or methodology and revile Ahl al-Sunnah.