Living amongst the sinful kills the heart, never mind living amongst the kuffār! Their kufr initially leaves dashes and traces upon the heart that over time become engravings and carvings that are nearly impossible to remove. They can destroy the person’s fitrah to a point of no return, so that his heart’s doubts and desires entrap him fully. In the hadīth of the man who killed ninety-nine people and decided to repent, the scholar told him, “GO TO THE LAND OF SUCH AND SUCH, FOR IN IT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WORSHIP ALLAH. WORSHIP ALLAH WITH THEM AND DO NOT RETURN TO YOUR LAND, FOR IT IS A LAND OF EVIL” [Sahīh Muslim] Jarīr Ibn Abdillāh (رضي الله عنه) said that, Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “I DISASSOCIATE MYSELF FROM EVERY MUSLIM WHO LIVES AMONGST THE MUSHRIKĪN. THEY SHOULD NOT SEE EACH OTHER’S TENT FIRES” [Hasan – reported by Abū Dāwūd and at-Tirmidhī] Even if one were to spend all his hours at a masjid in prayer, dhikr, and study of the religion, while living amongst Muslims who reside amid kuffār and abandon jihād, then such a person would only be establishing the strongest proof against himself and his sin. Also, Abū Mūsā (رضي الله عنه) said that, Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “THE SIMILITUDE OF GOOD COMPANY AND BAD COMPANY IS THAT OF THE MUSK PERFUMER AND THE IRONSMITH. EITHER THE PERFUMER OFFERS YOU SOME MUSK, OR YOU BUY SOME FROM HIM, OR YOU SMELL A PLEASANT ODOR. AS FOR THE IRONSMITH, EITHER HE BURNS YOUR CLOTHES, OR YOU SMELL A REPUGNANT ODOR” [Al-Bukhārī and Muslim] Thus, the sinful company affects you whether you desire so or not. And of the worst of sins in modern times is that of qu’ūd (abandonment of jihād), for jihād now is fard ‘ayn (an obligation upon each individual). Then how can one be pleased with the company of the jihād abandoners? Shaykhul-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحيم الله) said, “THE CRUX OF HIJRAH IS TO ABANDON SIN AND ITS PEOPLE, INCLUDING HAJR (ABANDONMENT/ AVOIDANCE) OF THE CALLERS TO BID’AH, THE SINFUL, AND THOSE WHO INTERMINGLE WITH THEM OR AID THEM. SIMILARLY, ONE WHO ABANDONS JIHĀD – THE DEED WITHOUT WHICH HE CAN ACHIEVE NO MASLAHAH – SHOULD BE PUNISHED BY HAJR, SINCE HE DID NOT ASSIST THE MUSLIMS IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PIETY. AND SO, THE ZUNĀH (FORNICATORS/ ADULTERERS), LŪTIYYAH (SODOMITES), ABANDONERS OF JIHĀD, AHLUL-BIDA’ (PEOPLE OF RELIGIOUS INNOVATIONS), ALCOHOLICS, ARE ALL HARMFUL FOR THE RELIGION OF ISLAM, AND INTERMINGLING WITH THEM IS ALSO HARMFUL. THEY DO NOT ASSIST IN RIGHTEOUSNESS NOR PIETY. WHOEVER DOES NOT ABANDON THEM HAS THUS LEFT AN OBLIGATION AND FALLEN INTO A PROHIBITION” [Majmū’ al-Fatāwā] Are you pleased to intermingle with those who Shaykhul-Islām mentioned after the zunāh and lūtiyyah, and before ahlul-bida’ and the alcoholics? Wallāhi, they destroy the religion of the person until he finds himself in Hellfire?

WICKED SCHOLARS ARE CURSED Allah has honored knowledge and its people, raising their worth and elevating their status. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said, “Allah testifies that there is nothing worthy of worship except Him, as do the angels and those with knowledge” (Surah Al ‘Imran 3:18) Al-Qurtubi (رحيم الله) said, “If anyone was more honored than the scholars, Allah would have mentioned them along with His name and that of the angels, just as He mentioned the scholars” (Al-Jami’ li-Ahkam al-Quran) Likewise, Allah negated any equality between the scholars and others. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said, “Say, ‘Are those who know and those who do not know equal?’ Only those with deep understanding will remember” (Surah Az-Zumar 39:9) Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said, “Then ask the people of remembrance if you do not know” (Surah An Nahl 16:43) But is knowledge simply memorizing texts, studying long books, reviewing manuscripts, being acquainted with the various opinions, and composing commercial works? Certainly not! The scholars whom Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) praised and called “those with knowledge” are those who act upon their knowledge and convey it to others. Ash-Shatibi (رحيم الله) said, “Knowledge, as it is understood in the Shari’ah – I mean the knowledge whose people Allah and His Messenger absolutely praised – is knowledge that instigates action” (Al-Muwafaqat) Once a correlation is made between knowledge and action, it follows that there is no action without knowledge and no knowledge without action. As for knowledge accompanied by good deeds, then it is what yields fear of Allah, bearing a person to publicly declare the truth lest he earn Allah’s anger and punishment. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said, “Only those who fear Allah, of His slaves, are the knowledgeable ones” (Surah Fatir 35:28) Ibn ‘Abbas (رضي الله عنه) said, “Those who are knowledgeable of Allah are those who fear him” (Az-Zuhd – Abu Dawud) Ibn Mas’ud (رضي الله عنه) said, “Knowledge is not an abundance of reports, but knowledge is fear [of Allah]” (Hilyat Al Awliya) Likewise, one of the deeds directly correlated to knowledge is jihad for Allah’s cause, for jihad is the companion of knowledge. Narrated by Mu’awiyah (رضي الله عنه) that, The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “For whomever Allah wants well, He gives him fiqh (comprehension) of the religion, and there will not cease to be a group of Muslims fighting upon the truth, defeating whoever opposes them, until the Day of Resurrection” (Saheeh Muslim) The mentioning of both knowledge and jihad in this hadith indicates the correlation between the two, and that the people thereof are the victorious group (at-Taifat al-Mansurah); so upholding the religion and manifesting the truth cannot come about except through knowledge and jihad. This was the situation of the Sahabah (رضي الله عنه), those who were the most knowledgeable of the Ummah, as they joined knowledge with jihad. Whoever looks into the biographies of the Sahabah, whether from the Muhajirin or the Ansar, will find that many of them were killed on the fronts of jihad, fully achieving knowledge and action. On the Day of Yamamah, for example, the memorizers of Allah’s Book began to be killed, as when the banner fell, Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah (رضي الله عنه) took hold of it. The Muslims said to him, “O Salim! We fear that we will be overtaken from your direction.” So he said, “What a wicked bearer of the Quran I would be if you were overtaken from my direction!” So he went forth and fought until he was killed (At-Tabaqat al-Kubra) On that path, the Tabi’in and the rest of the imams traveled, having for themselves many ventures in the fields of ribat and combat, despite jihad and ribat – in their days – being only fard kifayah (communally, not personally, obligatory). These were the imams among the people of hadith and zuhd (disregard for the worldly life). Just as they participated in narrating knowledge, they also participated in ribat, guarding outposts, and archery. These are the likes of al-Awza’i, ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak, Ibnul-Qasim, Abu Ishaq al-Fizari, Makhlad Ibn al-Husayn, Ibrahim Ibn Adham, Hudhayfah al-Mar’ishi, Yusuf Ibn Asbat, and many others. Indeed, they translated their knowledge into action with ribat and jihad. There were even some muhaddithin who would stay in towns bordering Dar al-Harb so they could always be in ribat, like the Imam ‘Isa Ibn Yunus. As such, the two imams Ibnul-Mubarak and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, as well as others, would say, “If the people disagree about something, then examine what the people of the frontlines are upon, as the truth is with them. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, ‘And those who perform jihad for Us, We shall surely guide them to Our paths’” (Surah Al Ankabut 29:69) Throughout the ages, scholars from the people of hadith were found upholding the duty of jihad and declaring the truth, like Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who openly declared the truth and waged jihad.