BENEFIT 402: Nu'man Al-Watar

A brother asks: What is the condition of Nu’man Al-Watar, who is in Al-Makha? Sheikh Jameel As-Silwi hafidahullah: His condition is that he was aligned with those behind the 'براءة الذمة',( )1)as is well known. Previously, he was part of the same declaration in support of Abul Hasan, and now he is with the people of Al-Ibana. Additionally, a statement has been recorded in which he praised the leader of the Houthi movement, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, saying that his words were heartfelt or something to that effect—this is a mistake. We ask Allāh to rectify the affairs of the Muslims. ____ (1) In the month of Safar, 1423 AH, Nu’man Al-Watar and a group of 85 others, including some of the Mashaayekh of Ibanah, signed a document in defense of Abul Hasan Al-Ma’ribi titled: براءة الذمة "Declaration of Discharge." They defended Abul Hasan despite his deviations: «رأينا أن نصدع بما رأيناه حقا بخصوص الفتنة العظيمة الواقعة في الساحة الدعوية في اليمن ، المتعلقة بفضيلة الشيخ أبى الحسن المأربي – حفظه الله – ومخالفيه في اليمن بعد أن دام انتظارنا قرابة السنة لكلمة الفصل من اللجنة الموقرة ....» "We have deemed it necessary to openly declare what we believe to be the truth regarding the great fitnah in the da'wah sphere in Yemen, specifically concerning the esteemed Sheikh Abul Hasan Al-Ma’ribi—may Allāh preserve him—and his opponents in Yemen, after waiting for nearly a year for a decisive ruling from the esteemed committee..." They further stated: «داخل صفوف الدعوة السلفية فكر دخيل غال ظالم أفسد كثيرا، يجب على الجميع الوقوف بوجهه بحزم ووضوح ، وإبعاد عن دعوتنا» "An intrusive, extreme, and oppressive ideology has infiltrated the ranks of the Salafi da'wah, causing significant harm. It is incumbent upon everyone to take a firm and clear stance against it and to remove it from our da'wah." Sheikh Yahya wrote in an article dated 13th Rabi’ Al-Awwal, 1423 AH, titled "This is a Clarification for the People": "When the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah in Yemen denounced Abul Hasan for his various erroneous statements and deviant methodologies, he schemed and plotted—only to bring ruin upon himself. He then accused Ahlus Sunnah of various forms of innovation, openly declared separation from them, and called upon his followers to do the same. He incited them to sever ties, saying: ‘Whoever is with us, we will support him; and whoever is not, we will abandon him.’ This was his ultimate goal—anyone who did not align with his misguided path, his flawed principles, and his corrupt methodology—one that had already been weakened by the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Sururis, and their likes—was accused by him of the false claim of Hadadiyyah (extremism). This was a blatant falsehood and slander, as if he believed he could extinguish the light of Allāh. But the schemes of such people are doomed to fail. The scholars regarded his actions as severe and saw that he was, in essence, bringing destruction upon himself. However, Abul Hasan did not stop there. He went further, gathering a number of individuals, leveraging funds from the Al-Birr Charity organisation to consolidate his influence. He himself admitted that the organisation was financially supporting approximately eighty individuals on his behalf. When he needed their backing, he instructed them to cast their votes, and they responded by signing a document titled 'Declaration of Discharge."