Response: He was chosen to represent the Saudi delegation to Morocco. He delivered a good lecture outlining some of the principles of Ahlus-Sunnah in dealing wi

Sheikh Muqbil rahimahullah would be requested to attend the meetings in the presence of the late Alī 'Abdullah Sālih and a group of people of innovation would also be present. Sheikh Yahya mentioned in one of his recent classes (I can't recall which) how he attended one of these meetings and he heard Muhammad Mar'ī As-Sūfī saying: الديموقراطية نعمة “Democracy is a blessing.” As for the hug incident, it could be a mistake that occurred during the moment where he was caught out. And it may even be possible that he did not know that this particular individual was an innovator in the first place الله أعلم. If he knew, then this is definitely a mistake which cannot be endorsed. 5⃣. He invoked mercy upon Ubaid when he died. I was informed that Sheikh Yaḥyā did the same during one of his general classes. The brothers who were present in Shuḥūḥ can attest to this. According to Sheikh Yahya, Ubaid died a hizbi because there was no Tawbah from the Fitnah he stirred in Yemen, yet he invoked mercy upon him. So if Sheikh Sulaymān Ar-Ruḥaili invoked mercy upon him while he doesn't even consider him to have left the fold of Salafiyyah, we're going to use this against him?! Sheikhul Islām Ibn Taymiyyah raḥimahullāh stated: فكل مسلم لم يعلم أنه منافق جاز الاستغفار له، والصلاة عليه وإن كان فيه بدعة أو فسق لكن لا يجب على كل أحد أن يصلي عليه. اهـ “Every Muslim who is not known to he a hypocrite then it is permissible to seek forgiveness for and pray over him, even if he commits innovation or acts of immorality. But it is not obligatory for everyone to pray over him.” [Minhāj As-Sunnah (5/235)] These are some of the points of criticism raised against the Sheikh. So is he considered an innovator?? It wasn't clear to me from the article if this was the conclusion! I honestly thought that this particular group of brothers considered him a salafi, that's why I said (we are all agreed that he is a Salafi...) - I also based this on Sheikh Hasan Ba Shu’aib's answer when I asked him concerning Sheikh Sulaymān Ar-Ruḥaili (2 other witnesses were with me on that day for those who are not content). But it seems like some of these brothers no longer consider him to be a salafi. والله المستعان Assuming he remains in the fold of Salafiyyah, does he deserve to be abandoned/boycotted/warned against, etc.? These individuals will say, “Yes! And that's the final word! مسألة توقيفية, so absolutely no room for ijtihad.” But funnily enough, they have no issues sharing clips of Abu Khadeejah on their chat group; “The audio does not contain anything serious,” says one of them - it seems he has forgotten about the list of mafaasid they often quote to discourage sharing the beneficial fatwas of Sheikh Sulaymān Ar-Ruḥaili! Sheikh ’Abdulhamid's Fatwa is sufficient for me. The fatwa may be old, but he hasn't changed his stance since. If you claim otherwise, then the burden of proof is on the claimant. سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت أستغفرك وأتوب إليك.