Advice to the Youth of Ahl-us-Sunnah by Shaykh Sultan Eeid

 

From that also is something which I also indicated before, which is linked to being merciful, is to forgive and pardon. If your Sunni brother makes a mistake then you have to pardon and forgive him, you make mistakes and your brothers make mistakes. If the brothers always manifest harshness, boycotting and abandoning for everything that occurs then who will remain with you akhee? Many people are like this in that there are those who have harshness and do not correctly estimate matters and err so it is upon you to pardon and forgive. Allah says,

 

خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ

Take what is given freely, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant. (Surah: 7  Ayah:199)

Some of them said “Grant forgiveness as much as you can with regards to people’s character”, it is not possible for the people to be always as how you want. A man came and grabbed the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) by his collar and said: “O Muhammed give me the money that I lent to you for Allah!” Due to this man pulling on the robe from Najran that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was wearing it bruised the Prophet’s neck. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) smiled and instructed to give him some of the money that was owed, this is how the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam was. Thus, errors will happen however, by Allah, Our Sunni brother even if he errs we love him, we love him even though he commits an error. Also, safeguarding the Dawah of Ahl us Sunnah and this is the Dawah of all of us, and Ahl us Sunnah has no honour except with this Dawah and supporting it and spreading it among people and conveying it to the servants of Allah. This is the reputation of the Dawah and of the most important issues connected to this is that there are ta’awwun (co-operation) among brothers and tarahhum (showing mercy), wherein they praise each other, thank each other and co-operate among themselves as Allah says,

 وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

 

And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. ( Surah: 5 Ayah: 2)

 

 

We should co-operate among ourselves as the people are now waiting for this Dawah and you can see that the Dawah of Ahl us Sunnah, all praise be to Allah, has spread among all peoples. The people love the Dawah however it is possible that we can of those who support this Dawah and convery Allah’s deen and invoke Allah to aid it and safe guard it to the utmost, an so that we are not of those who destroy it.

 

Yes, from the people are those who merely set out to destroy via nameemah, qeel wa qal, ifsad (causing corruption) , writing things on the internet, tarnishing the reputations of Ahl us Sunnah and entering matters which they do not adequately understand. All of this also leads on to what I advise: which is that a Sunni youth should not get involved in that which he does not understand and not indulge in major Issues as these issues should be left to the senior scholars. If any argumentation, dispute or discussion occurs between two scholars or two people from Ahl us Sunnah- my brother do not get involved, Allah has not obligated that upon you. Why are you even getting involved?! Did Allah instruct you to get involved?! Allah has not instructed you to get involved! It is enough for you to learn which will benefit you such as the Ahkam of Salah, Ibadah, Ahkam ul Muamlat and creedal issues. Now, you may not even have studied any creedal books! Shaykh Muhammed bin AbdurRahmaan bin Qaasim read al-Aqeedah al-Wasitiyyah with the former Mufti of Saudi, Shaykh Muhammed bin Ibraheem eight times over and each time he wrote out a complex explanation. He then published these explanation in one compilation entitled Sharh Aqidah al wasitiyyah li’sh Shaykh Muhammed bin Ibraheem and it is one of the best explanations of this creed and, rather it is the best explanation of this creed in my humble view.

 

 

So my brother, leave entering into these issues (among the  scholars) and do not preoccupy yourself with this so that you can relax, feel assured and give concern to that which Allah has instructed you with. Allah has instructed you to worship Him, pray the night prayer, to remember Him with tasbeeh and tahleel and if you were to occupy yourself with things which you do not adequately understand Shaytan will start to confuse you and in the end will deviate you from the way of the  blessed Salafi Dawah. You will begin to preoccupy yourself with matters which you are not of the calibre to indulge in. Do not get involved in such issues, this is my advice to the youth. If you do not get involved and entrust the matter to the Ulama, you will relax and co-operate. But if you get involved in such major Issues there will be differing, argumentation and disputation which even reaches the level of tabdi- for what? This destroys the Dawah, the people are in need of it and are in need of us to teach them Allah’s book and the sunnah of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. They are in need of those who will guide them to this truth and to this good, they are in need of one who will come to them with saheeh ut Targheeb by Shaykh Al Albani, Riyad us Saaliheen, Bukhari and so on in order to teach people the Hadith of Prophet, may Allah increase you in goodness! This brings the Heart together. Be careful O gathering of the Believers!

 

 

I also Advise to safeguard seeking Knowledge and I mean by this serious knowledge seeking, it is inadequate for a person to come to a lesson or a conference for a day or two, No! Everyday one should seek knowledge via lessons, audios, books, sitting among ourselves and learning. We should read the books of the people of knowledge and this can be based upon your own knowledge, find that which suits you. Everyday one should always be searching for knowledge, not just once a week if someone has the virtue of time the basis has to be knowledge and learning. I finally advise you all to have Taqwa of Allah open and Secretly.

 

Source: From the lecture Mawaqif min as Sirat in Nabawwiyah, held in Dubai, 13 May, 2005CE. Translated by: Abdul Haq ibn kofi ibn kweshi al-Ashanti.