Yusraa Abdur-Rahmaan Aabideen Umm al-Fadl, one of the previous wives of Shaikh al-Albaani passed away today, she did remarry after the Shaikh passed away, may Allaah have mercy on her. She was close to 86 years old.
The Imaam said, “But there is a detailed issue here to which attention must be paid, especially by those of you who are, like me, students of knowledge …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 306.
Addressing a questioner, the Imaam said, “Because you are a student of knowledge like me …” and then the questioner responded, “No, I’m not like you …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 753.
See here for what the scholars said about him.
“Every time I met him [i.e., Shaikh al-Albaani] I would kiss his hand and he would refuse, when he did so a lot I said to him:
‘We learnt from you in some of your research in As-Saheehah that kissing the hand of a scholar is permissible.’
So he said to me, ‘Have you ever seen a scholar with your own eyes?’
I said, ‘Yes. I’m looking at one right now.’
So he replied, ‘I am only a small student of knowledge. You and I are as that person said, ‘Indeed, in our land, the bugaath has become an eagle.’’” [In another post, the Shaikh used this same example and explained what it meant. Here is the quote, he said, “The reality which I feel from the depth of my soul is that when I hear such speech [i.e., praise] I remember the old proverb, well-known among writers, and it is, “Indeed, in our land, the bugaath has become an eagle,” “Indeed, in our land, the bugaath has become an eagle.”
Maybe the meaning of this speech or this proverb will be hidden from some people. The bugaath is a small bird of no value, so this small bird becomes an eagle in the eyes of the people due to their ignorance of the strength and hugeness of the [real] eagle. So this proverb applies to many of those who, [either] with truth and correctness, or with mistakes and falsehood, call to Islaam.” To see the complete post and more context go here.]
Kitaab Tanbeeh al-Haajid ilaa maa Waqa’a min an-Nadhr fee Kitaab al-Amaajid, p. 17.
And the Imaam said, “I am not the leader of a Jamaa’ah whatsoever—I am only a student of knowledge engaged in researching and verifying, the people of knowledge know the reality of what I’m saying.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 10.
The Imaam said, “… alhamdulillaah, but I will tell you something in addition to that too, the reality is that every beginner student of knowledge, and I used to be one—and maybe I still am—…”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 458.
The Imaam said, “… as will not be hidden from students of knowledge like us …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 341.
He said, “So, my brother, if some brothers from the people of hadith or those who follow the Salaf oppose someone like me, or, for example, Ibn Baaz—then this is not the criterion/gauge [by which we measure], the criterion is knowledge, whoever knowledge has reached has had the proof established against him.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 799.
Shaikh Esaam Moosa Haadi said, “Some brothers said to him, ‘O Shaikh of ours! There is a man by us who regards you as an enemy and speaks ill of you—should we boycott him?’
So our Shaikh replied, ‘Does he oppose Al-Albaani as a person or does he oppose the ’aqeedah which Al-Albaani holds and calls to? The ’aqeedah of the Book and the Sunnah? If he is showing enmity to the ’aqeedah of the Book and the Sunnah then one is to discuss [such issues] with him and he is to be shown patience. Thereafter if you see that it is beneficial and more advantageous to boycott him, then he is boycotted.
But if he is opposing Al-Albaani as a person whilst he agrees with us on the path of the Book and the Sunnah—then no [he is not to be boycotted].’”
Muhaddithul-Asr, Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani Kamaa ’Araftuhu, p. 94, of Esaam Moosaa Haadi.
He said, “And if you see that I have strayed or made a mistake you must advise me …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 82.
He said, “I am only a student of knowledge. Nothing else.”
And, “I am only, as I always and forever say, a student of knowledge.”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 8.
The Imaam said, “… alhamdulillaah, but I will tell you something in addition to that too, the reality is that every beginner student of knowledge, and I used to be one—and maybe I still am—…”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 458.
The Imaam said, “… as will not be hidden from students of knowledge like us …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 341.
The Imaam said, “I found the hadith with an authentic chain of narration in, ‘Masaa‘il al-Marwazi,’ from Imaam Ahmad and Ishaaq ibn Raahooyah—a very old manuscript which maybe dates back to the third century, a manuscript in the Al-Dhaahiriyyah Library …”
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 90.
The ’Allaamah, the Muhaddith of Medinah, the Shaikh ’Abdul-Muhsin al-’Abbaad, may Allaah the Most High protect him, said, “Al-Albaani in our time is like [Imaam] Ahmad in his.”
Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Shaikhul-Islaam wa Imaamu Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah fi ’Uyoon A’laam al-’Ulamaa wa Fuhool al-Udabaa, p. 223.
Shaikh Muhammad ’Ataa-Ullaah Haneef gave Shaikh al-Albaani some gifts in the form of books that he had checked, and on them he had written:
“A gift in appreciation of, and sincerely for, the Shaikh, the Ustaadh, the verifier of this age, the peerless scholar of his time, the Shaikh, Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah protect and guard him.
From someone who is weak, is your servant [khaadim] [i.e., is at your service] and who loves you for the sake of Allaah, Abut-Tayyib Muhammad ’Ataa-Ullaah Haneef al-Ghujiyaani, al-Athari, resident of Lahore.’
And he gave him a book called, ‘Minhaajus-Sunnah fi Naqd Kalaam ash-Shee’ah wal-Qadariyyah,’ and on it he wrote:
“A gift to His Eminence, the ’Allaamah, the major Muhaddith, the Shaikh, Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, may Allaah the Most High protect him.
From his brother for the sake of Allaah, Muhammad ’Ataa-Ullaah Haneef.
Head of Al-Maktabah as-Salafiyyah,
Shish Mahal Road,
Lahore,
Pakistan.
12/12/1996.”
And he used to describe Shaikh al-Albaani as, “Our blessed teacher.”
Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Shaikhul-Islaam wa Imaamu Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah fi ’Uyoon A’laam al-’Ulamaa wa Fuhool al-Udabaa, pp. 89-90.
Shaikh ’Uthaimeen said, “Al-Albaani is a man from Ahlus-Sunnah, may Allaah have mercy on him, a defender of the Sunnah, an Imaam in Hadith—we don’t know of anyone who matches him in this age of ours.”
Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Shaikhul-Islaam wa Imaamu Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah fi ’Uyoon A’laam al-’Ulamaa wa Fuhool al-Udabaa, p. 276.
Shaikh ’Abdul-Kareem al-Khudair, may Allaah protect him, said, “And for that reason Al-Dhahabi came, Ibn Hajar came, Al-Haafidh al-’Iraaqi came, Abu Zur’ah ibn al-Haafidh al-’Iraaqi came, major scholars who graded hadith to be authentic and weak, good was placed at their hands [continuing] up to this era of ours—until the [line of] Huffaadh and Imaams was completed with al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him.”
Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Shaikhul-Islaam wa Imaamu Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah fi ’Uyoon A’laam al-’Ulamaa wa Fuhool al-Udabaa, p. 234.
Shaikh ’Abdul-Kareem al-Khudair, may Allaah protect him, was asked, “What is your opinion about the checkings of the muhaddith Al-Albaani?”
So he answered, “The Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, is above what is said about him, and if we were to mention his virtues, even if it took a long time, even if it took hours, we would not have covered anything in terms of what he did in aiding the Sunnah—for he is the Imaam and Reviver of the Sunnah—and the Sunnah was not known in this manner except through him, may Allaah the Most High have mercy on him.”
Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Shaikhul-Islaam wa Imaamu Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah fi ’Uyoon A’laam al-’Ulamaa wa Fuhool al-Udabaa, p. 233.
Shaikh Muhammad Musa Nasr said, “And near the end of his life, I heard the Shaikh saying, ‘When al-Albaani dies, the people will come to know him.’ Now, after his death, the people know al-Albaani. His house in his area … his neighbours didn’t know him, someone would come and ask about him and they would say, ‘Shaikh al-Albaani, we don’t know him,’ after he died the people came to know him. A person went to the Bahamas … and found two hundred and fifty Muslim families on that island, all of them Salafis—how did al-Albaani get to them? His tapes did, they never saw him with their eyes but they lived according to his tapes, all of them were on the Book and the Sunnah, not a single one of them was from the hizbi Jamaa’ahs or the Sufis. This shows that al-Albaani’s truthfulness and his sincerity spread his da’wah around the world …”
“Dr. Falaah Ismail Mundakar said, ‘We used to study with our Shaikh, Shaikh Abdul-Qaadir Habeebullaah as-Sindhi, and he was from the major scholars, he used to teach us, ‘Nukhbatul-Fikr,’ in the Haram [of Medinah] and the people used to want to devour his speech and explanations of mustalah, the science of hadith and the narrators, it being so sweet. The Shaikh had moved from a house which was close to one that was far, and I had a car but he didn’t … so it was an opportunity for me to take him to his house. We left the Haram and stood there waiting while the brothers left to go and bring the car close to the Gate of Umar since it was next to the street.
Then one of the Shaikhs and judges came, and there is no harm in naming him, it was Atiyyah Muhammad Saalim, he came—and he was a judge who lived and was connected to Medinah, he came and gave a very warm salaam to the Shaikh and I gave him salaam [too].
He said [to Shaikh Abdul-Qaadir], ‘O Shaikh! Where is the treatise? Where is the book? Fear Allaah! Why are you hiding knowledge?! I want to print it, I will print it at my own personal cost, give me the book! Bring it out! Produce the knowledge and do not hide it.’
Shaikh Atiyyah was a judge, and all of the Shaikhs were apprehensive of the judges because they always sit with the princes and the government.
Shaikh Abdul-Qaadir started to excuse himself saying, ‘Wallaahi, I will soon search … I don’t know where I put it … I will search for it amongst my papers …’
Shaikh Atiyyah left and [then] Shaikh Abdul-Qaadir said to me, ‘Ahhh! Do you know what he wants?’
I said, ‘No, Wallaahi O Shaikh, I don’t know.’
He said, ‘Did you see him?’
I said, ‘Yes, I saw him.’
He said, ‘However many souls he had … even if he had a hundred souls and dropped right here and one soul after the other left him … the souls left him and he died—I will not give him the book!’
I said, ‘O Shaikh, what is this book?’
He said, ‘O Shaikh, they were some words that I had written to my brother, my beloved, Shaikh Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani where I answered him in some issues, he [i.e., Shaikh Atiyyah] came while I was writing and he saw it with me in the library and from that day on he’s been after me.’
Then Shaikh Abdul-Qaadir said to me, ‘By Allaah, if he were to die, and then be brought back to life, and then die and be brought back to life [again]—I will not give him the book, I will never distribute it.’
I said to him, ‘Why, O Shaikh of ours?’
He said, ‘Because he wants to quench his rage! By Allaah, he doesn’t want it as a matter of knowledge between us and our Shaikh [al-Albaani], if he wanted it for the sake of knowledge and to sincerely advise, it would’ve happened.’
[Then] he said to me, ‘Do you know that he is the reason that the Shaikh [i.e., al-Albaani] had to leave Madinah or don’t you know that?’
I said, ‘Wallaahi, I had heard.’
He said, ‘He is the reason, the prime reason that Shaikh al-Albaani was made to leave Madinah—I’m going to give it to him?!’
I said, ‘No, and may Allaah reward you with good, don’t give it to him!’'”
Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Shaikhul-Islaam wa Imaamu Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah fi ’Uyoon A’laam al-’Ulamaa wa Fuhool al-Udabaa, pp. 118-120.
Questioner: This person says, ‘O Shaikh of ours, may Allaah protect you, there are some who attack Shaikh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, and accuse him of having a corrupt ’aqidah, in fact, they describe him as someone whose ’aqidah is no different than that of the polytheists, what is your Eminence’s opinion about these statements?
Al-’Abbaad: The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whosoever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall guarantee him Paradise,” that which is between his jaws is the tongue. Likewise when the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the forms of good in his advice to Mu’aadh ibn Jabal, he said, “Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allaah.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allaah, will we be taken to account for what we say with it?” He ﷺ said, “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Mu’aadh! Is there anything that throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces—or: on their noses—except the harvests of their tongues?”
And it is known that backbiting is forbidden, but backbiting the scholars through whom Allaah has benefitted the people and through whom much good has come about in terms of spreading knowledge and clarifying it, this is even more severe and greater than backbiting other people.
And there is no doubt that the person who says such things has wronged himself, and the harm goes back on himself, the Prophet ﷺ explained who the bankrupt person in the Hereafter is when, in an authentic hadith, he said to his Companions, “Do you know who the bankrupt person is?” They replied, “The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property,” they thought he was asking about the bankrupt people of the world so they said, “The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property,” but he ﷺ was asking about the bankrupt person of the Hereafter, and such a person is the one who is truly bankrupt, i.e., a bankrupt person in the world is [indeed] bankrupt but the one who is even more bankrupt than him is the one of the Hereafter.
So who is the bankrupt person of the Hereafter? He ﷺ said, “The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who will come on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, fasting and charity, (but he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others. So his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the Fire.”
So this person who made such evil, ugly statements about this lofty scholar has only wronged and harmed himself—and none of that hurts Shaikh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, its harm goes back to the one who made the statements, it will not reach al-Albaani, al-Albaani will receive good and righteous deeds because of this crime against him from that person who has set loose his tongue against him by making statements such as these which do not befit or emanate from a person who has any intellect.
