Old Tazkiyah

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

A person approaches us and say: “Why do you support this individual?” We respond, “He is a Salafi, recognised for his adherence to Salafiyyah, sound Aqeedah, and Manhaj, as well as his integrity. He is respected by other well known students of knowledge and some of the senior scholars know him. The person counters, “But his Tazkiyah is old.” We acknowledge, “Yes, it is indeed quite old, yet he remains steadfast in 2025, just as he was many years ago. Do you have any evidence suggesting he has opposed what he followed with regards to Aqeedah, Manhaj, and honesty?” We pose this question gently, having learned from our past experiences of lengthy arguments in our youth. Instead, we suggest to him, saying: Please consider this straightforward statement from Al-Allaamah Ubaid Bin Abdillah Al-Jabiri, may Allah have mercy on him:

أقول: أنصحكم إن كنتم تحبون الناصحين ألاّ تقبلوا شريطا ولا كتابا إلا ممن عرفتم أنه على السنة مشهودٌ له بذلك واشتهر بها ولم يظهر منه خلاف ذلك، وهذه قاعدة مطَّردة في حياته وبعد موته، فمن مات وهو فيما نحسبه على السنة فهو عندنا عليها ونسأل الله أن يثبته عليها في الآخرة كما ثبته عليها حيا
آمين،

After quoting this statement of Al-Allamah Ubaid, may Allah have mercy upon him, which can be found in an audio of his titled “Dawabit at-Ta’aamul Ma’a Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Ahl Al-Baatil”, we say to him:

We invite correction if we are mistaken, but our understanding of this statement is that Al-Allamah Ubaid, may Allah have mercy on him, emphasises the importance of valuing good advisers and the wise counsel they provide. He advises us that we should only accept audio recordings or books from individuals who are recognised for adhering to the Sunnah—those who have been acknowledged, testified to, or are well-known for their commitment to it, with no evident opposition to the Sunnah from them. This principle remains applicable throughout this person’s life and after his death.

Anyone who dies and is known to be a follower of the Sunnah, based on what we know, is regarded as such in our view. The Shaikh supplicated to Allah to bless us with steadfastness upon the Sunnah and that it becomes a means of safety in the grave and the Hereafter, just as we ask Allah to keep us steadfast upon the Sunnah during our lives. This is the essence of the Shaikh’s message, and we must focus on what is clear and avoid venturing into uncertainties or assumptions. As a result, it doesn’t matter if a Tazkiyah is recent or from long ago; what we consider is the person’s condition. This is what we have been taught since 1995. After this exchange, which can hardly be seen as disrespectful, we choose to remain quiet.

We ask Allah:

اللهم كما حَسَّنْت خَلْقِي فَحَسِّنْ خُلُقِي

O Allah! Just as You made my external form beautiful, make my character beautiful as well.