بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Praise be to Allah. We send peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah. I bear witness that there is no diety worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. “O you who believe, fear Allah as He truly deserves to be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.” “O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul and created from it its mate, and from them spread many men and women. Fear Allah, in whose name you ask one another, and respect family ties. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.” “O you who believe, fear Allah and speak words that are correct. He will set right your deeds and forgive your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has achieved a great success.” To proceed: The best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The worst matters are newly invented ones; every new religious invention is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance. What you have been promised will surely come to pass, and you cannot escape it. Allah, the Most High, sent the prophets as bearers of good news and as warners. The last and final of them was Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the truthful and trustworthy. He left us upon a clear path whose night is like its day—clear and bright. No one turns away from it except one who is doomed. Thereafter Allah preserved the Sunnah of His Messenger and the religion of Islam through the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah—sincere scholars who held firmly to the way of the righteous early generations and the great leading scholars. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The prophets did not leave behind gold or silver [as inheritance]. Rather, they left behind knowledge. Whoever takes it has taken a great share.” This applies when the learner acts upon his knowledge and defends the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. For this reason, refuting false ideas has always been very important. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) refuted the innovators who appeared in their time. Among them was Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who spoke against Ma‘bad Al-Juhani and exposed the flaws and corruption of his beliefs. Likewise, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) debated the Khawarij, exposed their errors and false beliefs, and silenced them—except for those who stubbornly refused and were arrogant. Umar ibn Abdil-Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him) debated Ghaylan Ad-Dimashqi and clarified his false views about divine decree. Ad-Darimi (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a refutation against Bishr Al-Mirreesi. Throughout history, scholars and those who followed their path have continued to clarify the way of the righteous early generations and the leading scholars, and to warn against the lowly path of innovators who opposed the Sunnah and the Qur’an. Refutations have great importance and status. They are part of sincere advice. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The religion is sincere advice.” They are also part of striving in the cause of Allah. Allah says, “Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites.” They are part of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Allah says, “Let there arise among you a group that calls to good, commands what is right, and forbids what is wrong.” They are a defense of the true religion and the pure Sunnah. If refutations were abandoned, innovators would become bold and dominate. It has been said, “Were it not for Allah and then the people of the pens, the heretics would preach from the pulpits.” Allah raises in every age those who fulfill what He has required. Tonight, by Allah’s permission, we will respond to Salih Al-Maghamsi regarding many of his errors. We have called this response: “The Clear Refutation of Some of the Misguidance of Salih Al-Maghamsi.”