Blind Fanaticism Towards Individuals in Opposition to the Truth and its Effects – and What Constitutes a Sound or Sick Heart

 

الحمد لله رب العالمين، والصلاة والسلام على أشرف الأنبياء والمرسلين، نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين أما بعد

 

In a lecture delivered by Shaikh Rabee’ bin Haadi al-Madkhali (hafidhahullaah), the Shaikh emphasized the dangers of blind fanaticism towards individuals and personalities when such a person who is being followed is upon that which is in opposition to what is correct. The devastations of undertaking this methodology upon one’s religion and outlook as well as how it leads to waging war against the truth and the people of truth are explained – as are its ill effects upon the heart. Observe the insight and perceptiveness in the advice, in particular when considering present-day affairs and circumstances, given that this lecture was delivered over a decade ago. The Shaikh stated:

“So fear Allaah O brothers within your own selves, since blind fanaticism drove many of the people into waging war against the truth, he (the blind fanatic) will know that so and so is upon the truth, and that he writes the truth and that he comes out openly with the truth, so he engages in hostility against him due to what?! Due to the people of falsehood! And due to falsehood! So he becomes from those that cause obstruction from the path of Allaah and would seek to make it crooked!

How can you love a person who makes disparagements in the Prophets?! And disparagements in the companions of the Messenger of Allaah and declares them to be unbelievers! And in this he forms alliance with the one who is astray and leads others astray! He likewise engages in hostility against the people of truth on account of him?! And forms alliance with the people of falsehood and desires on account of him?! This is something that is present, one who is fair cannot insist stubbornly against it, and with regret it is apparent and extremely dangerous in and amongst those that profess religiousness. Amongst those that are religiously committed you will find this devastating affliction which devastates the religion and devastates the belief and devastates mannerism, what follows on from this is spreading lies and false accusation which do not emanate except from sick hearts, as Allaah has described the sick hearts of the hypocrites.

So we should remedy ourselves from this sickness, by Allaah it is more deserving than remedy from the sickness of aids and the other deadly sicknesses. This sickness devastates Eemaan (true faith) and devastates the ‘Aqeedah (belief) and tears apart the society and renders alliance and disassociation in the cause of Satan – not for Allaah, The Blessed and Most High. It renders alliance and disassociation for Satan, and if it is for so and so and such and such, then its result will be that you have alliance for Satan, you have alliance on account of him and you have disassociation on account of him, and due to him you wage war against the truth and due to him you aid falsehood. So let us fear Allaah within our own selves, and let us look at where we are? Are we from those that Allaah, The Blessed and Most High, has described – as Ibraheem (‘alaihis salaatu was-salaam) said:

وَلَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ * يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ * إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

((And do not disgrace me on the Day they are [all] resurrected. The Day when wealth will not avail nor sons. Except him who comes to Allaah with a sound heart.)) (Ash-Shu’araa: 87-89)

 

Look O my brother; is your heart sound or sick? Is your heart alive or dead?

So revive it with the truth, and seek out the truth from the Book of Allaah and from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (‘alaihis salaatu was-salaam) and make the truth to be your object of pursuit.

Some of the people now do not accept except that which comes from so and so and so and so, as for that which comes from other than him, then he rejects it and randomly passes ruling over it that it is falsehood, and Allaah, The Blessed and Most High, orders verification:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا

((O you who believe! if an evil-doer comes to you with news, then verify [it].)) (Al-Hujuraat: 6)

 

Verify: meaning to ascertain – i.e. the speech that you take and then spread before you have made verification of its reality! You are a propagator of lies! False disseminations have come to stand between many of the youth and the truth and so impelled them to falsehood and in to forming alliance with the people of falsehood and to support the people of major innovation – I do not say minor innovation.

False disseminations and false accusations against the people of truth have distorted the beauty of the truth and have come to stand between the people and the truth and have obstructed them from the path of Allaah. So they become such that they do not accept the truth except from so and so and so and so, even if the speech of so and so is false – they make it out as true!

Look to see – is your heart sound? The sound heart is the one that wages war against shirk (associating partners with Allaah) and rejects falsehood and accepts the truth and repels falsehood with totality of strength – this is a sound heart.

So if you see yourself that you accept the truth – even if it is from a Jew or Christian or a Muslim, you accept the truth and your guiding principle is the truth and your objective is the truth, then by Allaah your heart is sound and your intellect is sound. Yet if you see yourself that you reject the truth if it comes from a particular direction and you accept falsehood if it comes from a particular direction and that you make it to be the truth, then know that your heart is sick! Because that which is the opposite of the sound heart is the sick heart – that which accepts falsehood and in which falsehood becomes established and the devils roam free and proceed lively within it and the Angels stay away from it so they do not lead it aright, and the devils whisper into it – thus it complies to these whisperings. This sick heart should necessarily be remedied, and in this Qur’aan is the cure for mankind, a cure for the sicknesses of the heart and the sicknesses of the bodies, so we should remedy ourselves with this Qur’aan, and we should nurture ourselves upon its beliefs and upon manliness and upon loving truthfulness and the truth and having alliance in regard to it and disassociation from falsehood and its people – even if they be our fathers or our sons or our brothers or our close relatives.

This is the sound heart, the heart that is turned in repentance (to Allaah) – it is the same thing however the expressions differ, Allaah, The Blessed and Most High, said:

وَأُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ * هَٰذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِكُلِّ أَوَّابٍ حَفِيظٍ * مَّنْ خَشِيَ الرَّحْمَٰنَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَجَاءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُّنِيبٍ

((And Paradise will be brought near to the Muttaqeen [pious and dutiful ones] not far off. [It will be said] “This is what you were promised – for every oft-returner [to Allaah in repentance] a constant preserver [of His commands]. Who feared the Most Merciful in the unseen and comes with a heart turned in repentance.”)) (Qaaf: 31-33)

 

The heart that is turned in repentance is the one that frequently returns back to Allaah, The Blessed and Most High, ever oft-returning to Allaah, The Blessed and Most High.

So take a look at yourself, since by Allaah; wealth or offspring will not avail you on the Day of Resurrection or friends or other than them, you have nothing but the soundness of the heart; it is that which will benefit you on the Day of Resurrection. The soundness of this heart and the turning of this heart to Allaah in repentance, The Blessed and Most High.

This is the one who comes with a heart turned in repentance, Paradise will be brought close for him:

وَأُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ * هَٰذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِكُلِّ أَوَّابٍ حَفِيظٍ 

((And Paradise will be brought near to the Muttaqeen [pious and dutiful ones] not far off. [It will be said] “This is what you were promised – for every oft-returner [to Allaah in repentance] a constant preserver [of His commands].”)) (Qaaf: 31-32)”

 

 

 

(Taken from a transcribed audio lecture entitled: Min al-Qalb ilal Qalb p.4-5 – with slight abridgment.)

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