BENEFIT 228: Why do you criticise and pass judgements on people?

Questioner: I do not have a question, but rather advice: that you refrain from passing judgments on individuals and criticising scholars, even if they are as bad as claimed. It is better to simply advise to avoid them without pronouncing judgments. Thank you. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Majidi ḥafidhahullāh responded: Wa alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. May Allah graht you success. Your advice would be acceptable if it aligned with the manhaj of the Salaf, but it contradicts the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, may Allah bless you. The Qur’an and Sunnah both contain instances where specific individuals are criticised by name. This naming is necessary. Likewise, the criticism must be mufassar (explained with evidence); otherwise, it will not be accepted. For example, "He has such and such (contradictions)." Consider this significant hadith narrated by Fatimah bint Qais, may Allah be pleased with her. She said: "When my waiting period ended, I mentioned to him (i.e. the Prophet ﷺ) that Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and Abu Jahm had proposed to me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ((أَمَّا أبُو جَهْمٍ فَلا يَضَعُ عَصَاهُ عَنْ عَاتِقِهِ، وَأَمَّا مُعَاويَةُ فَصُعْلُوكٌ لا مَال لَهُ، ‌انْكِحِي ‌أُسَامَةَ ‌بْنَ ‌زَيدٍ)) "As for Abu Jahm, he does not put down his stick from his shoulder (i.e., he is harsh); and as for Mu’awiyah, he is a poor man who has no wealth. Marry Usamah ibn Zayd." [Muslim]. Reflect, may Allah grant you success, on how the Prophet ﷺ explained the reasons for his criticism of these individuals, may Allah be pleased with them. They were neither corrupt scholars nor people of innovation; it was merely a matter of marriage. Yet, he detailed the reasons for not marrying them rather than just giving a vague response. By Allah, which is more significant: the marriage of a woman or the corruption of the religion of Allah and the undermining of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? Read the books of Jarh wa Ta’dil by the Imams of the Salaf, may Allah have mercy on them, to see how they would provide detailed criticism of individuals. One would be labeled a liar, another accused of fabricating hadith, and so forth. In the book 'Jarh wa Ta’dil' by Ibn Abi Hatim, ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Al-Qasim mentioned that he asked Imam Malik about Ibn Sima'an, and Malik replied: "A liar." Mihran, i.e. Ibn Abi ‘Umar Al-‘Attar, said: "I was with Sufyan Al-Thawri in Masjid Al-Haram when ‘Abdul Wahhab ibn Mujahid passed by, and Sufyan said: 'This man is a liar.'" Similarly, when a man came to Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, and said: "I heard Abu Thawr say that Allah created Adam in His own image," Imam Ahmad bowed his head for a long time, then struck his hand on his face and said: "This is evil speech; this is the speech of Jahm. This man is a Jahmi; do not go near him." Reflect on what the scholars said about Ali ibn Al-Ja’d ibn ‘Ubayd Al-Jawhari; Abul Hasan Al-Baghdadi, one of the hadith preservers. Yahya ibn Ma’een said: "Among the Baghdadis who narrated from Shu'bah, none was more reliable than him." Despite this, Muslim said about him: "He is trustworthy, but he is a Jahmi." Al-Jawzajani commented: "He is precise..., yet deviates from the truth," despite his strong memorisation. Yahya ibn Ma’een also said about Ishaq ibn Najeeh Al-Malṭee: "A liar, an enemy of Allah, a wicked and malicious man." He also said: "I heard Yahya ibn Ma’een say that Abul Bakhtari, meaning Al-Qurashi, is a liar, an enemy of Allah, and malicious." And Yahya ibn Ma’een said about Abu Dawud An-Nakha’i: "A liar from Nakha’." There are numerous examples of this, but time does not permit mentioning them all. I advise you to seek knowledge from those who draw from the pure sources and adhere to authentic teachings. May Allah make it easy for us and you to follow the right path and benefit us and you with it. Source: https://t.me/BOT_9_9_1/10104 @almanhajussalafi