بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I have received some inquiries regarding a telelink lecture arranged by some of our brothers with Sheikh Muhammad At-Tahiri (may Allāh grant him success to what pleases Him). Since certain concerns have been raised about him, and these inquiries come from noble and beloved brothers, whose requests are dear to me, I felt compelled to respond. However, answering each individual inquiry separately would take considerable time, which is difficult to manage given the many responsibilities in da’wah and other matters. Thus, I thought it best to write this statement to save time and simplify the matter, with the help of Allāh, and began by objectively reviewing the concerns that were raised, hoping to gain clarity and stand upon the truth. Our goal, after all, is to adhere to the pure Salafi methodology as much as possible, avoiding what taints it, regardless of the magnitude or insignificance of the errors involved, and success is only from Allāh. As Ibn Taymiyyah, quoting Al-Hasan Al-Basri (may Allāh have mercy on both), wisely said: “The believer is one who stops and verifies.” (Majmū’ Al-Fatāwa 10/382). It became clear to me that the concerns raised can be summarised into three main points: 1. His quoting two lines of poetry from Al-Halabi. 2. His discipleship and companionship with his teacher, Ubaid Al-Jabiri, and his lecture after the latter’s death, where he explained what he learned from him (may Allāh have mercy on both). 3. His participation in a conference attended by Faisal Al-Jasim. First and foremost, I should note that the majority of the responses from scholars regarding Sheikh At-Tahiri do not contain a clear warning against him, despite the repeated and detailed questioning. This, in our opinion, stems from their caution and fear of speaking without full knowledge, as criticicing individuals requires clear evidence and understanding. Imam Ibn Daqeeq Al-Eid (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in 'Al-Iqtirah fi Bayan Al-Istilah' (1/61): “The honour of Muslims is a pit from the pits of Hellfire, and two groups of people are on the edge of it: the scholars of ḥadīth and the judges.” End of quote. Regarding the two lines of poetry, one of our brothers contacted a close student of Sheikh At-Tahiri, Abdul-Aziz Al-Haqqan (may Allāh grant him success), who explained that the incident took place more than eight years ago, at a time when Al-Halabi's condition was not clear to him. Al-Haqqan also mentioned that Sheikh At-Tahiri no longer considers Al-Halabi a source of knowledge, and if anyone seeks further clarification, they should contact Sheikh At-Tahiri directly. As for his praise of his teacher, Ubaid Al-Jabiri (may Allāh have mercy on him), this is not surprising, as it mirrors the stance of many other scholars from the Kingdom and elsewhere, who were unaware of his mistakes. It seems to me that Sheikh At-Tahiri is no different from them in this regard. Despite his long companionship with Sheikh Ubaid, and the ongoing conflict between Sheikh Ubaid and Sheikh Yahya (may Allāh support him) for years, I did not find any indication that Sheikh At-Tahiri supported or endorsed his teacher’s warnings, nor did he speak out against Dar Al-Hadith (in Dammaj) or its students who responded to Sheikh Ubaid. This leads me to believe that there is a clear distinction between them in this regard. I am open to being corrected by anyone who has further knowledge on this matter. Some may ask on what basis I distinguish between their paths, given Sheikh At-Tahiri's long companionship with his teacher. I would respond that, after a close relationship and joint authorship between Sheikh At-Tahiri and his teacher, they parted ways for reasons known only to Allāh. Sheikh Ubaid even warned against him, as reported by Salim Al-Taweel in one of his articles, where he said: