Assalaamu 'alaikum waraHmatullaah,
Innal hamdalillaah was-salaat was-salaam 'alaa rasoolillaah.
A few weeks ago, John asked what i thought was an important question at the time. But looking around the forum, i feel it necessary to address that situation once more, as i notice that some members are continuously making an effort to lead others astray. Thus below i have pasted his question followed by my response. I would advise myself as well as others with the same … And Allaah (subhaan wa ta’aala) knows best:
John
Senior Member posted May 06, 1999 02:34 AM
Hasnain if you’ll be returning (as i haven’t seen you post for a while)& Abu Muhammed if you’re reading this, i have a few questions i would like to ask.
Firstly, my main concern is to distinguish between the people on this forum. What kind of people do we have here? There are several views and opinions being thrown around, so how can i differentiate between the sources and who should i take from when it comes to matters of Islam?
Hasnain
Senior Member posted May 20, 1999 02:52 AM
John,
Forgive me for not responding sooner, as i was unable to due to some circumstances that arose.
It would have been nice if Abu Muhammed was around to answer your questions, particularly as he was amongst the most knowledgeable in this forum. However, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, it’s been a long time since he posted … his presence is greatly missed. But Alhamdulillaah (all praise is due to Allaah), we still have brother Abdulla.
With regards to your questions, this forum has many ‘faces’ - some masked while others more honest, first and foremost with themselves, and then with others. No doubt there is immense sadness in the fact that we as Muslims claim to belong to one religion and one nation, yet we hold so many contrasting and diverse views.
As you pointed out, there are several types of people who populate this forum. Unfortunately from my experience, the ones upon the correct understanding of the Religion are only few in number, while those calling out are many.
My greatest respect goes out for those who are trying their best to adhere to the Qur’aan and Sunnah (way of the Prophet peace be upon him) through the understanding of the Salaf (pious predecessors), the first of whom were the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him). These are the people you can take from. I also have an utmost respect for those who are sincerely trying to learn more about Islaam. These people may not submit many postings, but they are willing to accept the truth when it comes to them.
Then come the rest. Those who present topics backed up with authentic proofs, but do not practice what they preach, as one can see from their behaviour in other forums. There are also others who occasionally post, but only for the sake of being ‘heard’ no matter how contradictory their beliefs are with Islaam.
However, amongst the worst category of people are those who reject authentic ahadeeth (sayings and actions of the Prophet peace be upon him) because it does not support their personal desires. They give precedence to unIslaamic quotes and ideologies, over those narration’s brought to us by the companions, just to defend their own arguments no matter how false. There may be some truth in what they say, and Qur’anic versus quoted here and there, but this is simply a part of their deception. They will approach you with the most elegant manners, yet only on a superficial level. They are even prepared to go to extremes while interpreting versus of the Qur’an according to their own views, rather than of a far greater understanding, namely that of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions. They fool others by their broad vocabulary together with their brilliant language skills. For these are the most dangerous.
John, I sincerely advise you to be aware and be cautious of such people. They are prepared to debate for days on ends just to propagate their own beliefs, and will not accept the truth even if it were the only option. Although they may seem amongst the most eloquent and beautiful in speech, they in fact are the true innovators. The Prophet peace be upon him continuously reminded us: “… every newly invented matter in the Deen (religion) is misguidance, and every misguidance is going astray, and going astray is in the Hell Fire.” [Bukhaari].
My friend, be careful of whom you take from.