It is an open secret of our society that we do not appreciate a person during their lifetime; when they pass away, we sing their praises, shower them with compliments, hold condolence meetings, and beat our chests in their memory.

  Every few days, we hear news of the passing of a certain personality, and immediately thereafter, elegies are being recited in their honor, gatherings are being held in their memory, stories of their knowledge and deeds are being published through writings, and tributes are being paid to them in condolence meetings. I have no objection to these things; all these things are praiseworthy and commendable. They should happen, and happen well, but the most important thing is to benefit from that personality during their lifetime, to benefit from their scholarly grace, to consider their practical life as a model for ourselves, to consider their blessed existence as a treasure for ourselves, and to enjoy their inner grace.


     Yes, it is true that no one can be declared the final word while alive, whether they are a scholar or a sage of the time, a king of knowledge and deeds, or an emperor of mysticism and spiritual path. In short, no one can be judged definitively and absolutely for heavenly and eternal salvation, because the lives and biographies of our predecessors and elders reveal to us some individuals who remained truly attached to the religion of Islam and the Sharia of Muhammad throughout their lives, but in the end, they fell into the valley of disbelief and polytheism and the pit of humiliation and disgrace, and were forever deemed unsuccessful and failed.

     

     Not far away, even in our time, you will find such people whose knowledge and deeds people used to benefit from at one time. Their oratory was famous in the world, and thousands of admirers were always praising them, but God's wrath and divine punishment descended upon them, and then, instead of benefiting from them, decrees of excommunication from Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah were issued against them. Books are filled with hundreds of examples of the opposite direction as well, that they spent their entire lives in disbelief, polytheism, superstitions, and innovations, but in the end, the Lord of Glory and Majesty connected them to the Kalima Tayyiba and the Sharia of Muhammad:

Those who sat on the throne in the morning became criminals in the evening.

We have seen destinies change in the blink of an eye. 

  

    Therefore, personalities should be valued, the ranks of scholars should be recognized, people of knowledge and deeds should be loved, one should benefit from their company, their service should be considered a blessing, and their blessed existence should be considered a gift from God, but all this respect, reverence, and love are only until they correctly interpret the religion of Islam, provide accurate interpretation and explanation of the Holy Quran, translate and explain the Hadith Sharif according to the Prophet's intention, keep the sanctity and purity of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), who are the standard of faith, in the depths of the heart, and observe the respect of all the predecessors and elders of the Ummah. If they choose a different path from this, then we also openly express our disavowal of all such individuals.


Written by: Abdullah Yousuf

24/Rabi' al-Awwal 1447 AH

15/September 2025

Monday Night