BENEFIT 399: Who is Usāmah ’ ’AbdulKareem Ar-Rifā’ee, the New Grand Mufti of Syria?

He was raised in a Sufi environment, following the path of his father, who founded the Sufi group "Jama'at Zayd." He later associated with the Tablighi Jamaat, as he himself stated, and subsequently joined the Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon, with whom he remains affiliated. His Creed - He adheres to the Ash'ari school of theology and holds Jahmi beliefs. He explicitly states that the Qur'an is created, asserting that the words and letters between the two covers of the book are sounds and symbols created by Allāh in something other than Himself, whereas the eternal divine speech is an internal, non-verbal attribute. His Stance on the Salafiyyah - He is a staunch opponent of Salafiyyah and a critic of Sheikh Al-Albani, whom he accuses of inconsistencies. He praises the book of Habib Ar-Rahman Al-A'dhami, who published under the pseudonym "Arshad As-Salafi", and he posted the work "Al-Albāni: His Deviations and Errors." We have refuted this book and exposed its ignorance in our own work, "The Scholarly Refutation...," which consists of three volumes and was read, word by word, to our teacher, Sheikh Al-Albāni—may Allāh have mercy on him. Written by: Sheikh Al-'Allāmah, the Muhaddith of Sham, Saleem ibn Eid Al-Hilali—may Allāh grant him success.