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Blowing the Whistle on the Hidden Hizbiyah Affecting Muslim Communities

in America
The Decision to Halt Da'wah Activities and Why

All praise is for Allah Al Aleem (i.e. The All-Knowledgeable) Al Khabeer (i.e. The All-Aware). May
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon his final Prophet and Messenger, who was sent as a mercy
to all of mankind, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, upon his family and companions.

As to what proceeds,

In July of 2010 I made a conscious decision to halt all of my lectures, lessons and activities
connected with the da‟wah for two main reasons: firstly, out of respect for the position of Shaykh
Ubayd Al Jabiree (may Allah preserve him) to take a more personal look into the situation that was
unduly escalated during that time; and secondly, due to the strife, discord, confusion and turmoil the
situation caused in many of the communities in the West, especially so close to the blessed Month of
Ramadan.

Since the initial speech of Shaykh Ubayd Al Jabiree (may Allah preserve him) reached me, I have
made numerous attempts to contact him by telephone, but I was never successful in reaching him. I
then tried reaching out to him by way of other individuals who I knew had more regular contact
with the Shaykh.

One of those times was in July 2010 when Abu Muhammad Al Maghribi (may Allah preserve him)
contacted the Shaykh and told him that brother Shadeed Muhammad was trying to arrange a
meeting to speak with him about the matter. Abu Muhammad Al Maghribi told me that he
contacted the Shaykh and that his reply was as follows: “I have nothing to say to Shadeed! There
is nothing to discuss with me!”

Another time was when I returned to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September of 2010. I
immediately went to Medina in an attempt to resolve the matter. When I reached Medina, it was
communicated to me by one of the students of knowledge there by the name of Tahir Wyatt (may
Allah preserve him) that Shaykh Ubayd said: “Do not bring Shadeed to me until I call!” Up until
the writing of these pages, nothing has been communicated to me in relation to resolving the matter.
This unsuccessful attempt to bring rectification to the situation prompted me to seek consultation
with some of the other people of knowledge so that I could get advice on how to proceed: should I
wait indefinitely for the Shaykh to deal with the situation, or what exactly should I do?

Before mentioning what I did as a result of the numerous unsuccessful attempts to meet with
Shaykh Ubayd and the advice of the scholars I was able to discuss this matter with, it should be
noted that I never requested Shaykh Ubayd (may Allah preserve him) to be a judge in my affair, such
that the ruling he gives becomes obligatory upon me.
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Although this may come as new information for many, we cannot continue to allow our emotions
and personal feelings get the best of us. We have to keep in mind, in order to avoid getting caught in
a web of loathsome Hizbiyah, that this religion has guidelines and procedures extracted from the
primary sources of information (i.e. Qur‟an, Sunnah and understanding of the Pious Predecessors)
that all of our affairs have to be referenced to. Let's look at this situation from a legislative
perspective.

Firstly, a judge (i.e. Qādhi) whose ruling is binding is one appointed by the ruler or his deputy. The
exception to this is when there is a dispute between two parties, they can both agree to arbitration
(i.e. Tahkeem) whereby they pick someone they trust due to his knowledge and trustworthiness, to
judge in their affair, and thus his ruling becomes binding upon them.

As for a mufti, he does not have to be appointed, but a fatwa issued by him is not binding. Imam
Ash Shatibi (Rahimahullah) mentioned:

“The Mustafti (i.e. the one seeking a fatwah) could possibly appoint the Mufti (i.e. the one
giving the fatwah) as a judge over his affair personally; however, he is not obligated to
adhere to the fatwah given by the Mufti.” 1

The fact that one can take a fatwa or leave it is something well-known and mentioned many of the
scholars of the past and present, like Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn ul Qayyim, and Shaykh Salih Al Fowzan
amongst others.2

In essence, what Shaykh Ubayd (may Allah preserve him) offered was scholarly advice. However, it
was based on erroneous information that was tactfully presented to him. When Hasan as-Somali
called Shaykh Ubayd, he told the Shaykh that I was giving a lecture called “Al-Fikr al-Salafi fil
Gharb”3 which is translated as "Salafi Thought in the West". It was NOT an accurate translation of
"The Paradigm Shift…" as was advertised on the internet! But when Anwar Wright translated the
proposed question, coupled with the Shaykh‟s response in English, it read “Second Question:
Likewise Shaykh, he has advertised a lesson that will take place Saturday 7/31/10 called “Paradigm
Shift of…” and this is not what they said to the Shaykh in their initial question!

As a side note, Anwar Wright (may Allah preserve him) translated the following information from
Shaykh Ubayd: “It is not strange that it occurs from Shadeed Muhammad and his followers
and those who learn from his attacks against shaykh Rabee‟…” However, when Tahir Wyatt
mentioned this to Shaykh Ubayd he said: “I never said Shadeed attacked Shaykh Rabee‟!” So Tahir

1 Al Muwaafaqaat Vol. 4 Pg. 79

2
Sheikh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyah‟s Majmoo‟ Fatawah Vol. 35 Pgs.367-385, Ibn ul Qayyim‟s I‟lam Al
Muwaqqieen and Al Muntaqa‟ Fatawah by Salih Al Fowzan
3 Shaykh Ubayd mentioned this in front of Tahir Wyatt and at least three other brothers who were present.
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mentioned to him: “Shaykh this is what is being spread on the internet, that you said Shadeed
Muhammad attacked Shaykh Rabee‟.” The Shaykh responded: “By Allah I never said that!”

Interestingly enough, we never saw the reference for the original Arabic text of the Shaykh‟s words
and we never heard the words of the Shaykh directly. The religion of Allah teaches us honesty and
integrity and those who convey the words of the scholars to the people have a responsibility to
convey their words precisely and truthfully, especially as it relates to something as delicate as the
honor and reputation of another Muslim. Any inaccuracies or dishonesty therein can affect the way
the people view the speech of the scholars, just as this addition, which was misinterpreted by all who
read it to be the speech of Shaykh Ubayd, did.

The scholars of Ahlus Sunnah have never referred to the methodology of the salaf as “Salafi
Thought” as the term “thought” is an intellectual process, where as the Methodology of the Salaf is
the religion of truth which has come from Allah, and conveyed by the prophets and messengers,
may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all. Consequently, Shaykh Ubayd (may Allah
preserve him), based on this blatant mistranslation, mentioned that he feared I was an Ikhwani
planted amongst the salafees! I want to remind the reader of the speech of Shaykh Salih As
Suhaymee (may Allah preserve him) in his advice to brothers who resort to such deceitful tactics:

Beware of tailoring your brother‟s speech, for indeed this leads to discord with
blameworthy consequences… Beware of understanding your brother‟s statements
in a manner that is contradictory to what he intends, or in a manner that is
according to your own desires. Some people are oppressive when it comes to
understanding other‟s statements, as they twist their speech to make it mean other
than what was intended. In some cases, such a person resembles the Jews, when
Allah ordered them to say „Hitah‟ (forgive us), they said „Hintah‟ (a grain or seed).
So beware, O servant of Allah, from traversing this path!4

Nonetheless, many people followed and continue to follow the advice of Shaykh Ubayd despite the
fact that they knew/know what he issued was based upon a blatant mistranslation. The continuity of
this course of action, over the years, due to what is loosely propagated amongst the masses “Are you
going against the advice of the scholars!” as a fear-factor that has caused many to go against what
they know is the truth. This is one of the many subtle manifestations of Hizbiyah! Ibn Abdul Barr
(Rahimahullah) said:

Taqleed (i.e. blind following) is to take the opinion of a scholar without knowing
the reason for which he said it or its meaning, and you refuse to take another

4 http://madeenah.com/article.cfm?id=1279
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opinion. Or his mistake becomes apparent to you but you still follow it due to fear
of opposing him even though you know his statement is incorrect. And this is
prohibited (i.e. Haram) in Allah's religion5.

Hence is not befitting for us to raise the speech of the scholars to the level of revelation, to the
extent of saying to someone: “Are you going against the advice of the scholars?!” or “Are you
going against the shaykh?!” Especially since the scholars differ on many issues regarding the
religion as well as their positions on individuals. These are the types of comments and statements we
hear all too frequently today, used as means of controlling people or to intimidating them from
going against what has become the status-quo, the likes of statements such as; “You are disobeying
the scholars!” as if to say that the individual is a sinner worthy of punishment from Allah if he
disagrees with something a scholar has said!!!

The scholars themselves teach us to use the speech of the scholars to understand the daleel (i.e.
proof and evidence) and not to use the speech of a scholar as daleel. And we should all keep in mind
the statement of Imam Malik (Rahimahullah):

“Anyone‟s speech can either be accepted or rejected except the speech of the individual in
that grave!” Then he pointed to the grave of the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam).

On Friday the 9th of Shawwal 1431 corresponding to September 17th 2010, I spoke with his
Eminence, Sheikh Salih Ibn Muhammad Al Luhaydan (may Allah preserve him), a member of the
Committee of Senior Scholars since its inception in 1391H/1971CE and former chief justice of
Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council, regarding the issue of obeying the scholars, which many
have misunderstood, in light of the following verse:

‫ﭽﯵ ﯶ ﯷ ﯸ ﯹ ﯺ ﯻ ﯼ ﯽ ﯾ ﭼ‬

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those of you who are in
authority…” (4:59)

His response was as follows: “The meaning of “those of you who are in authority” are the leaders
and rulers, but obedience to them is only in obedience to Allah and His Messenger. If they tell you
to work dealing with Riba (i.e. interest) or intoxicants, then there is no obedience to them. There is
no obedience to the creation in disobedience to the Creator. Some of the scholars of tafseer include
the people of knowledge in this category, however; this is only in what they clarify of the objective
of Allah and His messenger.” I asked the Sheikh: “Since we don‟t have any scholars in America, are
we obligated as Muslim minorities to confine ourselves to one particular scholar here in Saudi
Arabia?” He replied: “No. The Muslim community around the world has become like one town

5 Jami‟at bayan ul Ilm wa Fadhlihi Vol. 2 Pg. 787

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today, and any one of you living in America has the ability to call on any scholar whether here in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in Egypt or in the Middle East to ask about or get conformation about
any academic affair regarding his/her religion.”

This in no way subtracts from or diminishes the lofty status that Allah has given the scholars,
however we should consider the statement of A‟isha (Radiyallahu anha) when she said:

‫ﭽﯖ ﯗ ﯘ ﯙ ﯚ ﭼ‬
“We have been commanded to put people in their proper places which the Qur‟an has
mentioned in the statement of Allah: “And above every person of knowledge is one more
knowledgeable” (Saheeh Muslim)

There are numerous texts from both the Qur‟an and Sunnah that concretely substantiate this, which
is too lengthy for the brevity of this clarification. Nonetheless, the speech of the scholars is always
respected whether it is right or wrong, as the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

“If the scholar makes his own interpretive judgment and he is correct, then he is given two
rewards and if makes his own interpretive judgment and he is wrong, he receives one
reward.” (Sunnan Abu Dawud)

He receives one reward even when he is wrong because he utilizes what he possesses of sound
knowledge in an attempt to arrive at what is correct in the issue. However, the fatwa of a mufti is
different than the ruling of a judge (i.e. Qādhi), as the latter has the power to make binding decisions
regarding those under his jurisdiction.

We uphold the status of the scholars, but the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) is the only one that
is to be followed unconditionally. Abandoning this principle leads to loathsome Hizbiyah, as
evidenced by the following incident with Abu Muhammad Al Maghribi (may Allah preserve him).

Shaykh Ubayd Al Jabiree issued his initial warning against me, which was communicated directly to
Abu Muhammad Al Maghribi (may Allah preserve him) by the Shaykh. Abu Muhammad was asked
repeatedly by the administration of Masjid Rahmah to contact Shaykh Ubayd in order to resolve the
matter expeditiously before it reached the level it inevitably did. Abu Muhammad had taken a
convenient position that he didn‟t want to get involved. Then, reluctantly, Abu Muhammad
contacted the Shaykh, and the aforementioned statement was communicated to me: “I have nothing
to say to Shadeed!..”

Nonetheless, the Administration of Masjid Rahmah sent brother Ashraf Bayomi (may Allah preserve
and reward him) to speak with Shaykh Rabee‟ (may Allah preserve him) in order to give him a more
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clear picture of me, considering the fact that the Shaykh did not know me prior to what was
erroneously communicated to him. Little did we know that Abu Muhammad clandestinely contacted
Ashraf in an attempt to counteract the effort of the Administration to resolve the matter, and
consequently told Ashraf not to go to Shaykh Rabee‟!!! Ashraf replied that he loved the brothers on
the Administration as well as Shadeed and he would do whatever he could to help them resolve the
matter!

When the speech of Shaykh Rabee‟ (may Allah preserve him) reached the brothers on the
administration, they organized a meeting with Abu Muhammad and myself to see if we could resolve
the matter. Before the meeting took place, Abu Muhammad contacted Shaykh Ubayd, this time to
satisfy his own agenda, and said to the Sheikh: “The brothers on the administration want to meet
with me and Shadeed Muhammad, should I go Shaykh?” That‟s when Abu Muhammad Al Maghribi
mentioned to me and the Administration of Masjid Rahmah that the Shaykh said to him: “Don‟t let
Shadeed give any lectures at your Masjid or any of the Salafee masajid! Abandon his tapes, books,
CDs and lectures!” Then Abu Muhammad said: “Shaykh how should I communicate this to the
salafees? Over the internet?” The shaykh replied, “No. Do it between yourselves.”

Without a shadow of a doubt, this will satisfy the multitudes of inquires about why Abu Muhammad
was taking such a personal approach towards warning against me, my books and CDs! The point
here is that when Abu Muhammad mentioned this in the meeting, I asked him: “With all due respect
to the Shaykh, do you think this is right?” Abu Muhammad‟s response to me, as witnessed by the
brothers on the administration, was: “I don‟t know if it‟s right or wrong. All I know is that I‟m
going to follow the advice of the Shaykh and you should too!”

This is exactly the type of statement that leads to what we hear many of the Salafees cautioning others
against, and accusing many of, which is known as Hizbiyah (i.e. partisanship). I am NOT calling Abu
Muhammad Al Maghribi a Hizbi, but what I am saying is that it is a statement of Hizbiyah! And many
of the brothers and sisters were intimidated into taking the same position of “following the advice of
the Shaykh”, despite how they felt about the situation!! Shaykh Salih Al Fowzan said:

It is not allowed for us to take everything that an individual says unquestionably,

whether he is correct or in error, because this is partisanship (i.e. Hizbiyah).The
one whose statement is to be taken absolutely and nothing is left from it, is the
Messenger of Allah (Sallahu alaihi wa salam). Because he is a Messenger from
his Lord and does not speak from his own accord. As for other than them (e.g.
the messengers), then sometimes they make errors and sometimes they are
correct, even though they may be from the best of the people, they are
Mujtahidoon (i.e. scholars who utilize their knowledge) who make mistakes at
times and are correct at others. No one is infallible from falling into error except
the Messenger of Allaah (Sallahu alaihi wa salam)6.

6 Al Ajwibah Al Mufeedah „an Asilat Al Manaahij Al Jadeedah: Q67 Beneficial Answers to Questions on
New Methodologies" Question # 67
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It is possible that many of our communities are constantly being tried and tested repetitiously due to
the fact that we continue to raise individuals, be they scholars or those less than them in caliber and
status. We show allegiance to them, the likes of which is only for the Messenger, Muhammad
(Sallahu alaihi wa salam), who is the only man whose speech is to be followed absolutely and
unrestrictedly. Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him)
addressed this issue of Hizbiyah while visiting America in August of 2000 in the city of Boston, MA:

What is very unfortunate today with many of the youth is that they have taken
the scholars as symbols, imitating them, showing allegiance to those who show
allegiance to them and showing enmity and hatred to those who show enmity
and hatred towards them, even if the one who shows enmity and hatred towards
them has a right to do so and those show allegiance to them have no right to do
so. They‟ve begun to dispute between themselves with the likes of “What do you
say about so and so?” and “What do you say about so and so?” But why? I
would say that so and so is right sometimes and sometimes he‟s wrong! If he
makes a mistake while he is a mujtahid (i.e. scholar who acts upon his
knowledge to arrive at what is consistent with the religion of Allah), then his
mistake is forgiven and if he is correct, then he gets two rewards. However, to
show allegiance to those who have an allegiance to him or enmity towards those
who show enmity to him, regardless of what the situation is, this is not
permissible!7

As for the situation with Shaykh Ubayd al Jabiree (may Allah preserve him), I was hoping to get
clarification as to why he warned against my books, CDs and lessons without referencing any
inaccuracies, inconsistencies or errors therein, that warranted such a verdict. I have never claimed
infallibility for myself and I„ve never had a problem with retracting or correcting any error on my
part. This is what the religion teaches us. And it was my understanding that the scholars, our fathers
in this illustrious religion, are the ones who would always take us by the hand with a more fatherly
approach, and correct us if we erred; with the hope that the one in error would return to what is
correct.

Nonetheless, since what was obvious to me was that the conversation that was supposed to take
place seemed to be on hold indefinitely, I decided to seek consultation with some of the other well
respected and renowned scholars here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I know that due to a
popular misunderstanding, many think I was obligated to go back to the scholar who initially made
the statement, however the aforementioned speech of Shaykh Salih Al Luhaydan clarified that I was
not obligated to do such, although I made numerous attempts to. Nonetheless, the following
statement of Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyah (Rahimahullah) will further clarify this misunderstanding
that has become the norm with many:

7 www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2EnhBBwWHw
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The Muslim is not obligated to restrict himself to seek a fatwa (i.e. religious
verdict) from one particular Mufti (i.e. scholar). Rather he has the right to seek a
fatwah regarding any affair that he is troubled with, from more than one scholar
from those whom he trusts their knowledge and their religiosity and believes they
will grant him a verdict in accordance with the legislation of Allah and His
Messenger regardless of any mathhab (i.e. particular school of jurisprudence)8

Consequently, I went to see His Eminence, Shaykh Salih Ibn Muhammad Al Luhaydan (may Allah
preserve him) at his Masjid in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and my question to him was as follows:

“Shaykh, may Allah grant you long life! My name is Shadeed Muhammad, I am an
American graduate of the Islamic University in Madinah (Saudi Arabia). I converted to
Islam a little over 13 years ago. I have written a few books and translated some into my
language. I am also involved in the da‟wah in America, which people have benefited from
and all praise is for Allah.

Then the sheikh began to ask me more personal questions about myself. I said to him:
“Shaykh I need some of your time to address an ongoing issue in many of the communities
in the West.”

I mentioned to the shaykh that on one of my travels outside of the US, I went to the movies,
the Shaykh replied: “Okay, so what‟s the problem?” I said that a few brothers took this
information back to Shaykh Ubayd Al Jabiree and he said that I should not be giving da‟wah
and it was plastered all over the internet. So Shaykh Salih Al Luhaydan said: “Who?” I said:
“Shaykh Ubayd Al Jabiree”. The Shaykh said: “Who is he?” I said: “He is one of the
scholars of Madinah who used to teach at the University of Madinah's high school.

Other false information was bought to him and he even went as far to say that he fears that I
am an Ikhwaanee planted in the ranks of the salafees! The Shaykh replied: “Subhanallah!
Brother Shadeed, this is the first I am hearing of this situation, and I don‟t know you
personally so therefore I cannot judge you or your situation, but what I will say is that, if the
situation is as you say it is, then you should refute what he said about you and move on!” I
said: “Shaykh how can I refute him? He is one of our scholars and my word means nothing
in comparison to his word in the eyes of the people!” The shaykh said: “Did he hear from
you before he made these statements?” I said: “No. Absolutely not!” He said: “Then you
have every right to defend yourself! Refute what he said about you in your language and
send it out over the internet just as what he said about you was sent out all over the internet!
How can he make a statement about you such as this, without even hearing from you?! He

8 Majmoo‟ Fatawah Vol. 20 Pg. 208

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does not have the right to rule against you in such a manner. Refute what he said and move
forward in giving da‟wah.”

This conversation took place on Thursday night the 8th of Shawwal 1431H corresponding to
September 16th 2010 at the shaykh‟s Masjid in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

I also went to visit Sheikh Waseeallah Ibn Muhammad Abbas (may Allah preserve him), who is a
professor at Umm ul Qura‟ University in the Holy City of Makkah. Likewise, he lectures in Masjid
Al Haram in Makkah and supervises many academic researches and theses for Master‟s and
Doctorate students throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Below is the translation of what he
said in the English language:

“In the Name of Allah The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful. All praise is for Allah, Lord
of everything that exists and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the most noble
of His creation, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

Undoubtedly the brother shadeed (Muhammad) from America came to me and mentioned
what happened regarding the speech that was circulated about him. He made a mistake and
some people who I have known since the earliest of times, and these brothers are behind
another group of brothers who claim salafiyah, and if they find a statement from one of their
salafee brothers, they hasten to damage his reputation with it, while at the same time,
seizing the opportunity to validate and establish their own selves. And what I know about
them is that there is none from amongst them who is knowledgeable or qualified
academically but the only thing they are given to is going to some of the scholars in Medina
or Makkah and take information from them or narrate questions to them then take the reply
from them and spread it in opposition to anyone who they perceive is against them from the
brothers, similar to what happened to the brother Shadeed (Muhammad).

There is no doubt that what we know about him (Shadeed) and what has been witnessed by
many of the brothers, and the greatest testimony for him is the two books he authored, by
the bounty of Allah, one related to Tawheed (i.e. monotheism) and the other related to the
character of the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam). The people continue to benefit from
them both and some of the salafee brothers like Muhammad Maliki (may Allah preserve
him) and those who have visited him, see that his efforts for the da‟wah and his lectures are
accepted with many of the salafees, except that the brother Shadeed erred and there is no
doubt about it. He went to the movies and the student of knowledge should never
participate with the common folk in their customs and ordinary practices.

In America or in Britain, this custom may not be considered a big deal, but not for the da‟ee
who, by the permission of Allah, is holding firm to this religion while having the demeanor
of a student of knowledge calling to salafiyah. Without a doubt, you (Shadeed) have given
those who oppose you or those who oppose the salafees or those who call to salafiyah,
individuals who wait in ambush for any mistake you make, such as this one, the opportunity
to talk about you and they have done just that. But since he (Shadeed) has repented from
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this act and returned to Allah and has made a sound resolve that he will not return to such
an action or any action that will tarnish his integrity as a student of knowledge and we ask
Allah for this, he should continue giving da‟wah as he has a right to, within the confines of
the knowledge he has be given.

What is clear to me about Shadeed is that he is not hasty or impetuous, by the bounty of
Allah, regarding what he communicates to the people, rather he is deliberate in the matters
of knowledge he discloses to the people. He doesn‟t present academic matters to the people
except what is well known from the religion and he reminds them about the good of the
religion, and all praise is for Allah, and the people have testified to the good he has spread.

Therefore I say to you brother Shadeed, continue giving da‟wah even if some people create
controversy around you, as this is the Sunnah (i.e. way) of Allah with those who are involved
with spreading His religion. People create controversy around the one who is calling to
Allah and by the bounty of Allah, you are well known to call to Allah there and perhaps they
are envious of you.

So pay them no mind and as far as what some of the scholars have said about, the act of you
going to the movies is not appropriate for the da‟wah, then their speech might have been
warranted within those confines, but since you, brother Shadeed, have repented from such
an act, and we hope by Allah‟s permission that you will be firm in your resolve and distant
from anything that will tarnish your honor as a student of knowledge, from this point on,
continue to give da‟wah due to the fact that the benefit of the da‟wah necessitates that you
do so. And don‟t worry yourself with those who boycott you! Even if you find one person, as
the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) said:

“If Allah was to guide by your hands one person, it would be better for you than red
camels.”

This is what I advise Shadeed. And those brothers who are always plotting to ambush, those
who always blow the situation out of proportion, it is an obligation for them to abandon
such courses of action. And we know that there are some people who tread upon other
methodologies that are corrupt; when a person from amongst them commits Zina (i.e.
fornication) they cover his faults! And our companion, Shadeed, makes one mistake,
whether it was minuscule or major, they navigate through the people making a public notice
of it, instead of spending their time standing up to those who oppose Ahlus Sunnah and
other than them.

Thus we advise these brothers to abandon the likes of these blameworthy acts and to busy
themselves with learning and teaching the correct religion and calling to it. This is your
brother in Islam, Waseeallah Ibn Muhammad Abbas from the Holy City of Makkah.

And we ask Allah, The Blessed and Most High, to give the scholars who are upon the Salafi
Minhaj (i.e. methodology) the success in refraining from belittling the efforts of those
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involved with spreading the da‟wah of Salafiyah in the West, especially the youth from
amongst them who only desire the true pristine religion of Islam. And may the peace and
blessing of Allah be upon the most noble of creation, Muhammad, his family and
companions.”

This was recorded on the 29th night of Ramadan 1431 corresponding to September 9th 2010 at his
house in the Holy City of Makkah.

I also spoke to other scholars who, like the two I cited, deemed what took place to be unwarranted.
In light of that, I will continue to seek Allah's aid in calling to His religion within the confines of
what I studied at the feet of the scholars for the 6 years I was in Madinah. This includes Shaykh
Ubayd himself, who was one of the first scholars I sat with after having acquired some knowledge of
the Arabic Language. I‟ve learned a great deal from Shaykh Ubayd (may Allah preserve him) and
have completed many books sitting at his feet and benefitted immensely from him in the 3 year
period I had the opportunity to sit with him.

I ask Allah to reward him tremendously with the good of this life as well as that of the hereafter.
Consequently, this situation has not subtracted the love and tremendous amount of respect I have
for the Shaykh as well as the rest of the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah. My method has always been, and
will always be (insha Allah), to call to the religion of Allah based upon the Qur‟an and the Sunnah
upon the methodology and understanding of the Pious Predecessors in light of the principles we‟ve
learned sitting at the feet of the scholars.

In conclusion, I would like to advise myself, first and foremost, as well as the brothers and sisters
whose communities have been continuously plagued with this more subtle form of Hizbiyah, that
the time has come for us all to re-evaluate our practice of what we have, for such a long time,
considered salafiyah, void of the a modern day personality admiration and/or fear that many have
succumbed to. Our standard has already been set by the noblest of mankind Muhammad Ibn
Abdullah (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) and therefore our attachment should be to him absolutely. We
need to emphasize the importance of sound Islamic education coupled with a foundational
understanding and a realistic view of what a model Islamic community should look like, with many
of those who rush in haste to teach the masses, which results in more harm than good.

We need to prioritize our focus, as many of us are losing our children to the environments we live
in, struggling to raise them as productive practicing Muslims in these sacrilegious societies, while our
main concern is what is the latest and the greatest on the various salafee gossip sites! We also need
to make real-life decisions that will help rid our children of this vicious cycle, many of whom have
already been exposed to, of isolation from the Muslims in their respective communities under the
guise that they are not salafee, boycotting one another, following of personalities, fear of going
against the status-quo, even if it is erroneous and absurd, a lack of education, both religiously and
secularly, constant backbiting and a lack of concern for the greater good of our communities at
large.
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We need to return to the more traditional methods of learning that was taught to us by our beloved
Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam), sitting in the Masajid at the feet of the scholars or those who‟ve
learned from them. Today we see the utility of all sorts of modern devices such as text messaging
etc. as a means of spreading information void of any references or “advice” from anonymous
individuals who have no reverence for the honor and prestige of sound Islamic knowledge or the
communities these modern forms of propagation destroy.

I ask Allah the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, to forgive me for anything mentioned herein that was
not in accordance with His noble religion.

‫ﭽ ﯫ ﯬ ﯭ ﯮ ﯯ ﯰ ﯱ ﯲ ﯳ ﯴ ﯵ ﯶﯷ ﯸ ﯹ ﯺ ﭼ‬

“O our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after you have guided us and grant us
mercy from yourself indeed you are truly Al Wahab (i.e. The Bestower)” (3:8)

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.

Written by: Abu Azzubayr Shadeed Muhammad on the 14th of Shawwal 1431 corresponding to
Wednesday September 22nd 2010 in the Capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.