The Foolishness of Backbiting: Why Gift Your Good Deeds to Those You Dislike?

Sheikh Muhammad Sa’eed Raslan حفظه الله

📖 Salafi Manhaj Benefits – 1

Question: What is Salafiyyah, and who is their leader?

Answered by the eminent scholar Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Najmī — may Allah have mercy on him.

Answer: Salafiyyah is an attribution to the Salaf.

And the Salaf are the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and those who followed them with excellence from the people of the three virtuous generations and those who came after them. This is Salafiyyah.

Affiliation to it means affiliation to what the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were upon, and to the way of the people of ḥadīth. And the people of ḥadīth are the people of the Salafi methodology who proceed upon it.

Thus, Salafiyyah is a creed regarding the Names of Allah and His Attributes, a creed regarding Qadar, a creed regarding the Companions, and so on. The Salaf believe in Allah, and in His Most Beautiful Names and His Lofty Attributes with which Allah described Himself and with which His Messenger described Him. They believe in them in a manner befitting the Majesty of Allah, without distortion, nor likening, nor resemblance, nor negation, nor interpretation.

And they believe in Qadar, its good and its evil, and that the īmān of a servant is not complete until he believes in the Qadar that Allah has decreed for His servants. And Allah, the Most High, says: “Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation as written in the Book of Decrees).” [al-Qamar: 49].

As for the Companions, then the meaning of that is believing that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ must be supplicated for with pleasure, believing in their uprightness, and believing that they are the best of nations and the best of generations, and believing that they are all upright—contrary to what the Shīʿah and the Khawārij believe, those who declare the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to be disbelievers and do not recognize their due right.

And Salafiyyah has no leader except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the Imām of Salafiyyah and their role model, and the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ are their role models.

And the foundation of that and its basis is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “The Jews split into seventy-one sects, and the Christians split into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects; all of them will be in the Fire except one.” They said: “Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Those who are upon what I and my Companions are upon.”

And his statement in the ḥadīth of al-ʿIrbāḍ ibn Sāriyah, which described the sermon of the Prophet ﷺ, that he then advised them with fear of Allah, saying: “I advise you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave is appointed over you.” Then he commanded adherence to his Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, saying: “Bite onto it with the molar teeth. And beware of newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.”

Al-Fatāwā al-Jaliyyah ʿan al-Manāhij ad-Daʿwiyyah, p. 13

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اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.

O Allah, send Your Ṣalāh (praise, grace, honour, and mercy) upon Muḥammad and upon the family of Muḥammad, as You sent Your Ṣalāh (praise, grace, honour, and mercy) upon Ibrāhīm and upon the family of Ibrāhīm; indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. And bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad, as You blessed Ibrāhīm and the family of Ibrāhīm; indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.

📖 Salafi Manhaj Benefits – Benefit Number 2

Question: What is the ruling on testing people by individuals, whether by the scholars of the Sunnah or by the heads of the innovators? And does that apply to contemporaries? Benefit us, may you be rewarded with good.

Answered by the eminent scholar, the ʿallāmah, Shaykh Zayd al-Madkhalī—may Allah have mercy upon him, illuminate and expand his grave, and admit him into the gardens of Paradise.

Answer: There is no doubt, O my brother, that the righteous Salaf used to test people by the scholars who were known for firmness upon the Sunnah, soundness of creed and methodology, and who were known for severity against the people of desires and innovations. And I have come across a dozen-odd texts from the Salaf; every text contains an example clarifying the testing of people by the people of the Sunnah. Whoever knows their virtue, loves them, and mentions them with good, then he is a person of goodness and Sunnah; and whoever slanders them and falls into their honor, then he is a person of evil and innovation.

And here is a brief example from many Salafi texts:

1 – Imām al-Barbahārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “If you see a man who loves Abū Hurayrah, Anas ibn Mālik, and Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr, then know that he is a person of Sunnah, if Allah wills.”

2 – And he also said: “If you see a man who loves Ayyūb, Ibn ʿAwn, Ibn Idrīs al-Awdī, and al-Shaʿbī” — and he mentioned a group of virtuous people until he said — “then know that he is a person of Sunnah.”

3 – And he also said: “If you see a man who loves Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, al-Ḥajjāj ibn al-Minhāl, and Aḥmad ibn Naṣr, mentions them with good, and speaks with their speech, then know that he is a person of Sunnah.” End quote. Sharḥ al-Sunnah (117–118).

You said in your question: Does that apply to contemporaries in our time?

The answer is: Yes. People are tested in every time and place by the people of the Sunnah in creed and legislation — meaning those who devoted themselves to preserving the Sunnah, understanding the meanings of its texts, acting upon the indications of the texts, calling people to learning it and acting upon it, and defending it.

Testing people by the people of the Sunnah is not restricted to a specific person or persons; rather, people are tested by every person of Sunnah in every time and place upon the description you mentioned.

Likewise, people are tested by the people of innovation who call to it. It is reported from ʿUqbah ibn ʿAlqamah that he said: I was with Arṭāh ibn al-Mundhir when one of those present said: What do you say about a man who sits with the people of the Sunnah and mixes with them, but when the people of innovation are mentioned he says: Leave off mentioning them; do not mention them?

He said: Arṭāh said: He is from them; he does not confuse his affair upon you.

He said: I found that statement of Arṭāh objectionable.

He said: Then I came to al-Awzāʿī, and he was one who uncovered such matters when they reached him. So he said: Arṭāh spoke the truth, and the statement is as he said.

Then al-Awzāʿī said: “This one forbids mentioning them — but when will they be warned against if mentioning them is not made firm?!” Tārīkh Dimashq (15/8).

Al-Awzāʿī said: “Whoever conceals his innovation from us, his companionship is not hidden from us.” al-Ibānah by Ibn Baṭṭah (2/479).

Al-ʿUkbarī — and he is Ibn Baṭṭah — said: When Sufyān al-Thawrī came to Baṣrah, he began to look into the affair of al-Rabīʿ — meaning Ibn Ṣubayḥ — and his status among the people. He asked: What is his madhhab? They said: His madhhab is nothing but the Sunnah. He said: Who are his close associates? They said: The Qadariyyah. He said: Then he is a Qadarī!

The examples regarding this topic are many, and the indication of what is sought has become clear.

Al-Ajwibah al-Athariyyah ʿan al-Masāʾil al-Manhajiyyah, p. 28.

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The Prohibition of Disclosing an Entrusted Statement Confided to You: A Trust You Must Not Break!

Shaykh Sulayman Ar-Ruhayli حفظه الله

Affairs Between States Belong to Rulers and People of Authority — A Warning to Students of Knowledge!

قال الشيخ سليمان الرحيلي حفظه الله
Shaykh Sulaymān al-Ruḥaylī — may Allah preserve him — said:

مابين الدول تعالجه الدول، وأمور السياسة لولي الأمر ومن يفوضه في هذا فلا يخوض فيها إلا أهلها،
What is between states is handled by states, and matters of politics belong to the ruler and those whom he authorizes in this, so none delves into them except their people.

ولو خاض فيها طلاب العلم لكان ما يفسدون أعظم مما يصلحون،
And if students of knowledge were to delve into them, what they would corrupt would be greater than what they would rectify.

ولا ينبغي لطالب العلم أن يطلق لسانه بالسب والشتم،
And it is not appropriate for a student of knowledge to unleash his tongue with insult and abuse,

وإنما يُعمل لسانه في وأد الفتن،
rather, he employs his tongue in burying tribulations,

وفي رد الباطل أو رد العدوان على الحق،
and in refuting falsehood or repelling aggression against the truth,

وفي بيان الأحكام والموقف الشرعي من الوقائع عند الحاجة إلى ذلك بالحق والصدق إن كان من أهل البيان،
and in clarifying the rulings and the Sharʿī position regarding events when there is a need for that, with truth and honesty, if he is from the people of clarification.

فإن لم يكن قادرا على البيان فحقه السكوت وهو معذور.
But if he is not capable of clarification, then his right is silence, and he is excused.

https://t.me/PearlsofRuhayli

Walk the Earth with Humility: Beneath It Lie Those Higher in Rank, and Before You Died Those More Powerful!

Sheikh Muhammad Sa’eed Raslan حفظه الله

📩 The Question:

Shaykh, may Allah bless you. In our time, decorated jilbābs have become widespread, and many women wear them when going out of their homes. What is the ruling on this— is it permissible?

📝 The Answer:

Answered by the Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad bin Ḥizām al-Baʿdānī — may Allah preserve him.

These decorated jilbābs are from the greatest causes of fitnah, for they increase the woman in beauty. And instead of the jilbāb being taken as a covering for her that protects her from fitnah and from the gaze of people toward her, it has become the opposite. She wears these decorated, adorned, and tailored jilbābs, and she becomes a fitnah for the people and a fitnah for men, and she rejoices in that — we ask Allah for well-being — so she is a participant in the fitnah.

In Sunan Abī Dāwūd and the Musnad of Aḥmad, from Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Any woman who applies perfume — meaning: perfumes herself — then passes by a people so that they find her fragrance, then she is an adulteress.”

So if she intends to beautify herself in front of the people, then she is participating in fitnah, and she has her share of zinā. We ask Allah for well-being.

So some women have begun to take jilbābs and take these garments as a means of beautifying themselves, adorning themselves for going out. Some women do not beautify themselves for their husbands as they beautify themselves when going out.

And these jilbābs are a fitnah. And it is obligatory upon a woman not to wear them unless she wears over them a khimār that covers her adornment, and she makes that adornment in front of her relatives and in front of women in gatherings and inside homes.

As for displaying them and going out in that condition — Allah is the One whose help is sought.

When the Prophet ﷺ permitted women to go out to the mosque, he said:

“But let them go out while they are tafilāt.”

Meaning: in a state of not being beautiful, not adorned.

And these women do the opposite: they adorn themselves, wear beautiful clothing, apply perfume, whiten their faces, then go out. This is an ugly matter, and these are prohibitions that women must keep away from.

https://t.me/RulingsofWomen

The Seven Characteristics That Perfect One’s Religion: The Path to Honour, Tranquility, and All Goodness!

Shaykh Sulayman Ar-Ruhayli حفظه الله

Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said:

﴿وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾
“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.” (Surah Ar-Rūm 30:21)

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Nāṣir al-Saʿdī — may Allah have mercy on him — said in the explanation of this verse:

{And among His Signs}—indicating His mercy, His care for His servants, His tremendous wisdom, and His all-encompassing knowledge—{is that He created for you wives from among yourselves}, who are suitable for you and you are suitable for them, who resemble you and you resemble them, {that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy}, by what He arranged through marriage of the means that bring about affection and mercy.

So through the wife there occurs enjoyment, pleasure, and benefit through the existence of children and their upbringing, and tranquility with her. Thus you will not find, in most cases, between any two people what exists between spouses of affection and mercy. {Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect}—those who employ their thoughts, contemplate the signs of Allah, and move from one matter to another.

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Do Not Let Anyone Steal a Single Moment of Your Lifetime — Reduce Your Relationships Before They Reduce Your Life!

Sheikh Muhammad Sa’eed Raslan حفظه الله

Do You Want to Know the Blessing of Allah Upon You? Open Your Refrigerator and Thank Him—Before They Are Taken Away!

Shaykh Usāmah al-ʿAmrī حفظه الله

My dear brothers and sisters,

Be careful with the hearts of children, for they are not as small as we imagine. They are vast fields, whatever is planted within them takes root and remains. A word spoken in haste, a hand raised in anger, or a threat meant to “discipline” can become a shadow that follows a child for decades. And a moment of mercy, a gentle action, or sincere care can become a light that guides him for a lifetime.

We live in a time when many people, may Allah guide us and them, harm children without realising it. Some frighten them to enforce obedience, others shout to assert authority, others belittle or threaten. A child is scared into silence, traumatised into compliance, and the adult convinces himself that he has “raised” him well. But the heart remembers what the tongue forgets. Fear settles deep, and trauma does not vanish with age; it merely hides.

Reflect, my dear brothers and sisters, upon the ḥadīth of Mahmūd ibn al-Rabīʿ, may Allah be pleased with him. He said:

“I still remember from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a mouthful of water which he sprayed into my face when I was five years old.” (Reported by al-Bukhārī, no. 77; Muslim, no. 33)

Mahmūd ibn al-Rabīʿ ibn Surāqah ibn ʿAmr al-Anṣārī al-Khazrajī was born during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. When he was five years old, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to their home, took water from a bucket hanging at a well in their courtyard, placed it in his noble mouth ﷺ, and expelled it toward the face of the young boy, seeking blessing from Allah through that act, as Allah had placed blessing in the saliva of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Ponder this carefully. He did not say, “I was told.” He said, “I remember.” He understood it, retained it, and conveyed it after reaching adulthood. This teaches us that a child who possesses awareness comprehends what reaches him, and that experiences in childhood, whether gentle or harmful, do not fade with time.

The Prophet ﷺ was the best of people in character, even with small children. He cared for them, showed them kindness, played with them, drew close to them, and nurtured them until they became men. This narration proves that his actions ﷺ were received and preserved by young hearts, and that the comprehension of a discerning child is valid. What settles in a child’s heart at a young age leaves a lasting imprint.

If a Companion remembered a specific action of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from the age of five with such clarity, then what of our children today? What of harsh words, fear, shouting, and humiliation? People remember trauma from childhood. They remember the one who frightened them or made them feel small. Even when the body grows older, the memory remains alive.

So I say to you, my dear brothers and sisters: be gentle with your children, your younger siblings, and the youth around you. Do not belittle their smallness, for what you do with them today will live on in their memories tomorrow. Give a child kindness, time, safety, and care, and he will carry it into adulthood.

For this reason, the scholars have said: “A child never forgets what he learns when he is young.” He remembers mercy shown to him, kindness given to him, and words spoken gently to him, especially what he is taught about his religion. Teach him the creed of Islam and its foundations, and teach him worship with wisdom and gentleness, in a way suited to his age. By Allah’s permission, what you plant in his heart today will blossom when he grows older and he will never forget it.

So strive, my dear brother and sister, to create memories filled with mercy and care. Protect children from fear and harm. Guide them gently upon the religion of Allah. Their minds are fresh, their hearts are tender, and their memories are sharp. Fill those hearts with love and guidance upon the path of Allah, and by His permission, they will carry it forever and remember you with gratitude, not with pain.

Gems from the Tafsīr of the Noble Qur’an: Benefit Number 5

Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said:
﴿ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۖ فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْكَبِيرُ﴾
“Then We gave the Book (the Qur’ān) as inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muḥammad). Then of them are some who wrong themselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah’s Leave, foremost in good deeds. That (inheritance of the Qur’ān) is indeed a great grace.”(Surah Fāṭir 35:32)

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Nāṣir al-Saʿdī — may Allah have mercy on him — said in the explanation of this verse:

And for this reason, when this Ummah was the most complete of nations in intellects, the best of them in thoughts, the most tender of them in hearts, and the purest of them in souls, Allah, the Most High, chose them, chose for them the religion of Islām, and made them inherit the Book which is dominant over all other Books. For this reason He said: {Then We gave the Book as inheritance to those whom We chose from among Our slaves}—and they are this Ummah.

{Then of them are some who wrong themselves}—through sins which are less than disbelief.

{And of them are some who follow a middle course}—restricting himself to what is obligatory upon him and abandoning what is forbidden.

{And of them are some who are foremost in good deeds}—meaning: he hastened in them and strove, so he surpassed others; and he is the one who performs the obligations, increases in supererogatory deeds, and abandons what is forbidden and what is disliked.

So all of them Allah, the Most High, chose for inheriting this Book, even though their ranks differ and their states are distinct. Thus for each of them is a share of its inheritance—even the one who wrongs himself—because what he possesses of the foundation of īmān, the sciences of īmān, and the deeds of īmān is from the inheritance of the Book. For what is intended by inheriting the Book is inheriting its knowledge and its action, studying its wordings, and extracting its meanings.

And His saying {by Allah’s Leave} returns to the one who is foremost in good deeds, so that he is not deceived by his deeds. Rather, he did not precede in good deeds except by the granting of success from Allah, the Most High, and His aid. Thus it is fitting for him to occupy himself with thanking Allah, the Most High, for what He has bestowed upon him.

{That is indeed a great grace}, meaning: inheriting this noble Book for those whom Allah, the Most High, has chosen from among His slaves—that is the great grace, in comparison to which all blessings are as nothing. Thus the greatest blessing absolutely, and the greatest grace, is inheriting this Book.

What Truly Matters Is What Is Between You and Allah: Your True Worth Is Not in People’s Words!

Shaykh Sulayman Ar-Ruhayli حفظه الله

📖 Salafi Manhaj Benefits – Benefit Number 6

Question: Some of the youth feel hesitant to say, “I am Salafi.” What is your guidance for such a case?

Answered by the eminent scholar Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Najmī — may Allah have mercy on him.

Answer: Why does he feel hesitant?!! Does he see that affiliation to Salafiyyah is a deficiency?!! Is it not affiliation to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and to those who followed them from the scholars, the jurists, the scholars of ḥadīth, and the exegetes—those who possess the correct creed in every time and in every place, who follow the truth from the Book of Allah and from the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ upon the understanding of the righteous Salaf?!! Is affiliation to these a deficiency such that they feel hesitant about it?!! Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.

As for if a person intentionally follows the methodology of the Salaf, adheres to it, and says, “I am Salafi,” then this—if Allah wills—we hope good for him. But if he feels hesitant about this, then perhaps he will be punished for this hesitation.

Al-Fatāwā al-Jaliyyah ʿan al-Manāhij ad-Daʿwiyyah, p. 24.