Opinions
Date: December
4, 2007
By Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin
Deputy of Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani Chairman, Ahlus Sunnah Foundation of Canada
Introduction
Al Maghrib Institute was founded by Mohammed Alshareef, a Salafi preacher who
is graduated from Saudi’s ‘Madinah University’, the
same university from where, according to the Harvard Graduate School of
Education, fifteen out of nineteen 9/11 hijackers graduated and from where
international terrorist Osama bin Laden himself graduated (1).
Currently,
Al Maghrib operates in the
'Shaykh
al-Islam fil-Balad al-Haram'
For many
years I have been trying to warn Muslims and Canadians of all faiths of the
dangers of the Al Maghrib Institute, which is a Saudi
backed front spreading heresy and hate throughout North America, and a front
set up to destroy the traditional Islamic faith of the Ahlus
Sunnah Wal Jama’ah(3).
Today, my
attention was drawn upon some more disturbing information on the organization
and one its teachers. After reading over
the information and verifying it, I felt it necessary to let history record
that I did my best to defend a grandson of the Apostle of Allah (uwbp) and to make an effort to expose Al Maghrib and its heresies once again, so as to warn Muslims
to refrain from sending their children to their satanic seminars.
The grandson
of the Apostle of Allah (uwbp) I am speaking of, upon
whom Al Maghrib Institute and its unfortunate
instructor Yassir Qadhi,
pronounced takfir (labeled an unbeliever) was one of
the greatest contemporary scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah in Arabia this century; Shaykh Sayyid
Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-Maliki, al-Makki (may Allah have mercy on him).
For those
who do not know about the late Muhaddith of Hijaz; Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Alawi ibn 'Abbas
ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Maliki
al-Hasani al-Makki, here is some background
information on the respected Shaykh to consider. The Shaykh was a descendent of the Prophet
Muhammad (uwbp).
He was the first "Saudi" to receive a PhD. from Sunni Islam's
foremost seat of learning, Al Azhar. He held over 200 Ijazah's
in Hadith, Aqedah, Fiqh, Usool etc. Shaykh ibn 'Alawi's family taught in the Haram in Makka Al Mukkarama as did the Shaykh himself, from the age of 15.
He was
titled 'Shaykh al-Islam fil-Balad al-Haram', the educator of Ahl al-Sunna and light of the House of the Prophet in his time, a
major contemporary Scholar of Hadith, commentary of
Qur'an, Law, doctrine, tasawwuf, and Prophetic
biography (sira), the most highly respected authority
of Ahl al-Sunna in the Mother
of Cities, and passed away in 1425/2004. Both his father (d. 1971CE) and
grandfather were the Imams and head preachers of the Sacred Mosque in Makkah, as was al-Sayyid Muhammad
himself beginning in 1971 and until 1983. May Allah have mercy on them and continue
to benefit us with them. He single
handedly refuted each and every one of the Wahabi/Salafi
scholars of
Al Maghrib’s Takfir on the late Muhaddith
of Hijaz
Keeping in
line with the practice of their spiritual forefather Hurqus
ibn Zuhair, the first of the Khwarijites
who offended the Apostle of Allah (upon whom be peace and blessings) by saying,
"be just in your distribution O Messenger of Allah" as recorded by
both Bukhari and Muslim, Al Maghrib
Institute, through its unfortunate instructor Yassir Qadhi, accused the Muhaddith of Hijaz Shaykh ibn 'Alawi, of ‘being the leader of shirk and kufr of his time'.
What follows
is the quote from Al Maghrib instructor Yassir Qadhi against the Sayyid, Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki; the instructor
of Ahl-al Sunnah in the
land of the Prophet, and the Mother of Cities, Makka
Al Mukkarama:
"While
it is the general policy of Al Maghrib not to quote
individuals, I make exceptions in certain cases - this being one of them. Alawi
al-Maliki is one of the most revered of modern Sufi personas - to speak evil of
him is tantamount to apostasy in the eyes of many of his followers. For them,
he is the leader of the awliya of Allah.
Yet, it is
no exaggeration to state that he was one of the most active proponents in our
times of blatant acts of shirk (in all three categories - please read some of
the quotes that are in Abu Yusuf's message in Arabic,
and I can assure you that I've read them in the original sources and they are
accurate). How is it possible that he be of the awliya
of Allah when he spent most of his energies directing mankind to worship the 'awliya' instead of Allah? Anyone who doubts this statement
of mine should read his quotes again - with an open and honest mind.
The sad fact
of the matter is that for most Sufis it is simply taboo to mention anything
negative about this person. I personally have seen 'moderate' Sufis, when
quoted ideas and statements that al-Maliki propagated, vehemently deny that Sufiyyah has anything to do with such concepts, yet when
they are shown *who* said them they become defensive and try to find excuses
for this 'wali'." (4)
A Response
In response
to this accusation against such a prominent Muhaddith,
one who held over 200 Ijazahs to convey the religion
of his grandfather (peace and blessings be upon him), and based upon Al Maghrib’s own claim that it has the ‘largest Islamic
student body in North America’, I ask those who opposed my stern stance against
them, “what can be more harmful to the future of Islam in North America and to
Muslim youth than Al Maghrib Institute and it’s
proclaiming takfir upon 'Ulema
whose understanding of the traditional Islamic faith has been deemed authentic
since the inception of Islam? Why wouldn’t we call Al Maghrib
an institute of false innovations and heresy, and one which should be shut down
for good, when they are guilty of such heinous crimes against Islam and the
Muslims?” It is no wonder then, that the Mercy to the Worlds (peace and
blessings be upon him) is reported to have stated, "The Khawarij are the dogs of Hell-fire."
Conclusion
The sad
reality is, today more and more young North American Muslims are being led
astray by Wahabism and its heretical beliefs and
interpretations on a daily basis. A leader in the proliferation of such
heresies amongst North American Muslim youth is without doubt the Al Maghrib Institute, which according to itself has ‘the
largest body of Islamic students in
In addition
to being the leader of spreading such heresies amongst North American Muslim
youth, Al Maghrib Institute agrees with the Salafi position that the Green Dome (Gunbad-e-Khadra)
of the Prophet (uwbp) needs to be destroyed (6), that
it is against the “sunnah” to follow a Madhab (7), and that the Ashari
and Maturidi aqeedah are
false (8). After themselves being guilty
of splitting from the vast majority of Ahl al-Sunnah on virtually all matters of importance, it becomes
questionable whether a “kafir” himself is fit to
pronounce “takfir” upon an upright scholar and saint,
the likes of Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Alawi ibn 'Abbas
ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Maliki
al-Hasani al-Makki? (9).
Hence, it is
our humble request to Muslim parents that they be more vigilant against such
heretical organizations working to destroy their faith, prevent their children
from attending their satanic seminars and help bring more awareness to other
concerned parents of the dangers of the proliferation of the Wahabi/Salafi interpretation of Islam which Al Maghrib Institute and its instructors are working so hard
to bring to the forefront as the Islam of Muslim youth in North America.
And Allah is
the Greatest Protector.
References:
1.
2.
‘Advice to Our Brothers, the Scholars of Najd’ by Kuwaiti Minister of State for Cabinet
Affairs Sayyid Yusuf ibn Sayyid Hashim al-Rifaie
3.
Al Maghrib Institute,
Islamic Fundamentalism,
4.
Yassir Qadhi’s Takfir on Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki,
al-Makki
5.
Al Azhar Fatwa on the
beliefs of Wahabism:
From the Fatwas of the scholars of Azhar
regarding the one who believes that Allah is in a material direction.
Introduction
The imam and
great scholar, the muhaddith, The Renewer
of the Religion, Abu Muhammad, Mahmud Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Khitaab, Al-Subkiyy, Al-Azhariyy, the founder of the Association of Islamic Law in
Egypt, the author of Al-Manhal Al-^Athb Al-Mawruud Sharh Sunan Abiy
Daawuud (an explanation of Abu Daawuud),
who died 1352 h., may God have mercy upon him, said in his book “Ithaf Al-Kaa¡¦inaat bi-Bayaan Mathhab Al-Salaf wa Al-Khalaf
Fi Al-Mutashaabihaat”, page
2:
Q. What is the saying of the scholars, may Allah
protect them, regarding the one who believes that God has a physical direction,
and that He sits on the throne in a special place and says, "The Merciful
established on the throne" and "Do you feel safe from who is in the sky?"Is this a valid or an invalid belief? If invalid,
does the one who says so commit blasphemy so that all his previous works are
annulled, such as prayer, fasting and other religious activities and is his
marriage contract invalidated? If he dies in this state, before repenting, is
he not washed and prayed for and buried in the graveyards of the muslims? Is the one who believed
that what this one is saying is true, also a non-muslim,
like him? What is your saying about what some people say that denying that
Allah is attributed with the six directions (i.e. up, down, front, back and the
two sides) is wrong, and that it entails denying His existence? Let us benefit
from your showing of what the mathhab of the salaf and the khalaf in these two
aayas, and other aayas,
such as ("To Him ascend the good words"¨)
and the hadith ("He descends to the sky of the
world"¨) with a complete and satisfactory explanation. Include the sayings of the scholars of hadith, Quran-explanation, fiqh
and tawheed, and clarify completely, so that the
tongues of those who speak thoughtlessly are silenced - those who liken Allah
to His creation and believe that what the khalaf
scholars did in terms of ta’weel (interpreting figuratively)
is blasphemy, while claiming that this is the way of the Jahmiyyah,
the blasphemous sect, and spread this rumor among the common people. May Allah
reward you!
The Answer
of The Imam Abu Muhammad Mahmud Khitaab
Al-Subkiyy
A. The answer of the Imam Abu Muhammad Mahmud Khitaab Al-Subkiyy: So I
answered, by Allah’s help, and said: In the name of Allah, the one who is
merciful to muslims and non-muslims in this life, but only to muslims
in the next. Praise to Allah, the Creator of true guidance, and may Allah raise
the rank of the one who was given wisdom and clear speech, and of those who
support him and his companions, whom Allah guided and gave success and
steadfastness. After saying that, the judgment is that this belief is invalid,
and the one who believes it is a non-Muslim by the consensus of those who count
among the scholars.
A list of
scholars that signed this fatwa
After
writing this, I have shown this answer to a number of honorable scholars of
Sheikh Muhammad Najdi, the sheikh of the Shaafi^i followers.
Sheikh Muhammad Sabii^ Al-Dhahabi,
the sheikh of the Hanbaliyy followers. Sheikh Muhammad Al-^Azbi Rizq, the lecturer in the higher section.
Sheikh Abd-ul-Hamiid ^Ammaar,
the lecturer in the higher section.
Sheikh Ali
Al-Nahraawi, the lecturer in the higher section.
Sheikh Dusuuqi Abdullah Al-Arabi,
from the Council of the Great Scholars.
Sheikh Muhammad Al-^Azbi Rizq,
the lecturer in the higher section.
Sheikh Ali Mahfuuth, the lecturer in specialization section of Azhar.
Sheikh Ibrahim ^Iiaarah Al-Daljamuuni ,
the lecturer in specialization section of Azhar.
Sheikh Muhammad ^Alyaan, from great scholars
of Azhar.
Sheikh Ahmad
Makki, the lecturer in specialization section of Azhar.
Sheikh
Muhammad Husain Hamdaan.
6.
“We hope one day we will be able to destroy the dome (Gunbad-e-Khadra) of the Prophet Mohammed” leading Wahabi cleric Sheikh Mohammed bin Othaimeen,
quoted by the Institute for Gulf Affairs.
7.
Al Maghrib Boycott:
8.
“A Refutation of the Asharee
Aqeedah” By Yassir Qadhi
9.
Yassir Qadhi’s Takfir on Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki,
al-Makki
[Note: ISCC not
necessarily endorses the opinions expressed in the letters that are sent to
ISCC]