Sheikh Abdullah Azzam on Shaykh al-Albani

“…The fourth hadith that was reported by the noble Shaykh al-Albani - I ask Allah to bless his life, and may Allah allow us to benefit from his knowledge - in truth, and in confirming that which is true and admitting that which is good, I am of those who studied at the hands of the Shaykh, and I benefited greatly from him in the areas of ‘Aqidah and researching texts - the authentic texts. Because of this, I shudder whenever I come across a weak hadith, as there is no way that I can place a weak hadith in any of my books. I cannot stand to do this! Subhan Allah, I took from him - may Allah reward him - even if I differ from him in many of the Fiqh opinions that he held. I do not agree with most of his Fiqh opinions, as he held many strange positions. However, in terms of Hadith, then I do not think that there is a single man on this Earth who is more knowledgeable in Hadith than him - our shaykh, Shaykh al-Albani. Likewise, ma Sha’ Allah on his ‘aqidah…

And we add to this that he never befriended or compromised with the tawaghit, nor did he sell out on his religion, nor did he sell the verses of Allah for a small price. Yes, we differ with him in some of his opinions, and I do not accept many of his Fiqh opinions. As for Hadith, then if he tells me that this hadith is authentic, then I do not question it, yes. In truth, he is a Muhaddith; the most well-known living Muhaddith that we know of today, and Allah Knows best. However, this is not the reason that we love him or take from his knowledge of Hadith.

This book of his - ‘Sahih al-Jami” - does not leave my side most of the time; whether I am travelling or at home. I have a copy in my house, and I have a copy here (in the camp in Afghanistan). ‘Sahih al-Jami’ as-Saghir’ is basically a mini-manual of Hadith. I am saying that it is of the best of books after the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Any hadith that might come to mind, you can open up this book and see if it is authentic or not.”

A Word on Sayyid Qutb

The Eminent, ash-Shaykh Hamood bin `Uqlaa ash-Shu`aybee – rahimahullah – (was asked):

The declarations made about Sayyid Qutb – rahimahullah – have greatly increased, some say he is innocent of any mistakes and some qualify him at the same level as the fornicators among the disbelievers, so where is the truth in this matter?

The reply (of the Shaykh):
 Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and all the prayers be unto the Last Prophet, to continue:

Indeed, the political thinker Sayyid Qutb – rahimahullah – has a great number of enemies, who differ in their method of criticism and its purposes, and who also share common interests. But before I expose the accusations directed towards Sayyid – rahimahullah – I would like to clarify the reason why Sayyid Qutb is being targeted specifically.

Sayyid – rahimahullah – was considered in his era as a science amongst the knowledge of the people who’s curriculum was to fight the oppressors and declare them as disbelievers. He was also one of the unique preachers who called on people to worship their Lord and who preached the unification of all laws to none other than Allah. He did not bow down under the enemies of Allah and His Prophet, like Jamal Abdel-Nasser and his likes .. no one was happier by his death than the latter. The tolerance of these wrongdoers wore thin; indeed, when they thought they had killed him, he restored his curriculum with his blood and he lit up his words with enthusiasm. He became more accepted among the Muslims, and the distribution of his books increased because he guided with his truth and the boldness of his strong curriculum. They worked on stabbing him again, due to the appeal they had to destroy his curriculum.

Obituary: Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Arna'ut

There are two calamities when the true scholars of Islam pass away: firstly is the immediate loss of the individual from whom one can now not benefit from, seek advice from, obtain solutions to our problems and likewise. The second calamity is that the sacred knowledge running through the veins of such people is lost and passes away with its carrier. With the death of the 'ulemâ, we lose a portion of the legacy of Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) for as he said, "the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets."

It becomes a far greater tragedy when the scholar in question is from the erudite masters of knowledge; those whose mention in the lands is widespread and whom our times simply cannot replace.

Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Arna'ut (rahimahullah), the great 'آlim and Muhaddith of Syria passed away on the 26th of November 2004 corresponding to the 13th of Shawwâl 1425 on Friday morning at his home in Damascus. His funeral prayer was held after the Jumu'ah prayer at the Zayn ul-‛آbideenmosque in Maydân, Damascus, attended by tens of thousands of people. He was 78 years old.