A Truly Beautiful Account From Shaykh Rabī’ On How He Was
With The Books Of His Shaykh (Al-AlBānī) Whilst Completing His Masters And
Doctorate And Thereafter
“Al-AlBānī was from the best of the Muslims and from the
Imams of the People of Sunnah. He was one who dedicated himself to servicing
the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allāh – sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam – even
though he was poor and in need. He didn’t accept the various employment roles
within the country although it was possible for him to acquire the highest of
employment positions. But rather he refused the world in dedication to Allāh
and in serving this religion. And he used to repair watches and feed himself
with the earnings of his own hands. And he used to dedicate some of his efforts
to writing – may Allāh have mercy upon him – he authored Ad-Ḍa’īfah that reached 13 or 14 volumes, a service of a very high
level.
I didn’t used to refer back to the writings of Shaykh Al-AlBānī.
He’s my Shaykh and I respect him. However, I don’t have with me any of that
partisanship to Al-AlBānī! By Allāh I don’t. By Allāh, I compiled my masters
thesis and my doctorate thesis* and I didn’t refer back to him in anything and
I didn’t transmit a single word from him, not out of any hatred for him, but
firstly, with me the path of Salafiyyah is that you take the ‘ālī (from the
highest narrator possible/the closest as possible to the source). I go back to
the earliest scholars, to the highest point
in the chain! I don’t refer back to the later scholars, by Allāh, not to
Al- AlBānī or other than him! Not out of pride! But based upon the way of the
People of Ḥadīth! ……...
And I found that they would censure and scold the one who
for example, would refer back to Abū ‘Amr Ad-Dānī whilst earlier before him was
Imam so and so. How is it you transmit from the one who is the furthest down
the chain of narration and you leave the highest?! And so upon this methodology
I trod in my writings. Then after I graduated from my masters and doctorate and
completed my studies, I went to teach in the department of higher studies in
the Islamic University.
And I used to refer back to Ad-Dāraquṭnī as it relates to ‘ilal (the
hidden/subtle defects in ḥadith) and that which is connected to
the criticism of men, and other matters resembling that. And I used to refer
back to the books of the earlier scholars. I would refer back to ‘Al-‘illal’ of
Ibn Abī Hātim and “Naṣb Ar-Rāyah” and “Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr” and the likes, and I would not
refer back to Al- AlBānī. I didn’t think he was at this level, I thought that
he was lesser than this!
So I eventually came and read his “Ad-Ḍa’īfah” and to my amazement! I t was though I was reading from
Ibn Abī Hātim, Ad-Dāraquṭnī and the likes of these mountains. A prolific scholar in
the knowledge of ‘ilal and scrutinizing aḥādith!
An amazing affair from those astonishing matters! I was left breathless by
Allah!
How did this man in these time reach this level! And so I
used to say to the students “benefit from Shaykh Al-AlBānī and his books!’’’’
*The Shaykh’s masters
thesis was titled - ‘Bayn al- Īmāmayn Muslim wa
Ad-Dāraquṭnī’.
His doctorate thesis included the checking
and verification of the book – ‘An-Nukat ‘alá Kitāb ibn Ṣalāḥ’of Ibn Ḥajr.
Taken from the 3rd
lessons wherein the Shaykh explained Kitāb Al-Īmān of Ṣaḥīḥ
al-Bukhārī in
Riyadh in the year 1426h.
@Abu HumaydSaalim
Source: https://twitter.com/AbuHumaydSaalim/media, 4/19/16, 9:20 PM
