‫بسم الله‬

Ibn Seereen (rahimahullaah) said, “Verily

knowledge is Deen, so look to whom you
take your Deen from.”

Anawawi rahimahullah said about a permissible type of backbiting:

“Mentioning the sin of one who commits his sin openly, or the Bid'ah of the
innovator. No other faults of such people should be mentioned, unless there is
good reason for doing so, as outlined above.

From 'A'Ishah (radiallaahu 3anha): A man asked permission to see the Prophet
(sallallaahu 3alayhi wa sallam) who said: "Let him enter! What a bad member of
the tribe he is!"

Al-Bukhari concluded from this Hadith that it is permissible to speak about

wrongdoers and those about whom one has misgivings in their absence.

From 'A'ishah who said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 3alayhi wa sallam)
said: I don't think so-and-so and so-and-so know anything about our religion.

AI-Layth said: They were two men of the Munafiqin (Hypocrites). “

Ma’n ibn ‘Isa said, “Malik used to say, ‘Knowledge must not be taken from four,
and it can be taken anyone other than them: it must not be taken from a fool; nor
should it be taken from someone of erroneous opinions (hawa) who calls others
to his erroneous opinions; nor from a liar who lies while talking about people
even though he is not suspect when narrating the hadith of the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; nor is it to be taken from a
virtuous right-acting shaykh given to worship if he does not recognize what he is
narrating.’”

Shaikh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah - may Allaah have mercy upon him – also said: “And such
as the People of Innovation among the people of the [innovated] sayings that oppose the
Book and the Sunnah or the acts of worship opposing the Book and the Sunnah - for
exposing their condition and warning the Ummah about them is obligatory by unanimous
agreement of the Muslims - until it was said to Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal: “Is it more loved
to you that a man fasts, prays and peforms tawaaf or that he speaks about the People of
Innovation [i.e. exposes them and warns about them]?” He replied: “When he stands,
prays and performs tawaaf that is for himself but when he talks about the People of
Innovation then that is for the Muslims and this is more excellent.” So he explained that
the benefit of this is for the Muslims in general - for [the protection of] their religion - and it
is a form or Jihaad in the Path of Allaah because the purification of the Path of Allaah, His
Deen, His Minhaaj (methodology) and His Sharee’ah, repelling the oppressors and having
enmity towards them is obligatory with kifaayah (i.e. there must be some amongst the
Muslims who do this otherwise all of them are sinful for neglecting this duty). And if it had
not been for the one whom Allaah had made to undertake this duty of repelling the harms
of these people the Deen would have been corrupted and destroyed. And this corruption is
greater than the corruption resulting from the domination of the enemies - amongst the
people who fight against the Muslims (i.e. Disbelievers) - and this is because these people
(the disbelievers) when they dominate and conquer the Muslims, do not corrupt the hearts
or whatever faith is contained within them except as a consequence, after time. As for
these (the People of Innovation) then they corrupt the hearts right from the very beginning
(i.e. since they corrupt the Deen itself).” Majmoo al-Fataawaa (28/231-232).

Isma’eel Al-Khatabee said: ‘Abdullaah Ibn Ahmad reported to us,

saying: "I said to my father: ‘What do you say about seekers of
Hadeeth going to a teacher who perhaps is murji’ee or a shi’ee or he
has some opposition to the Sunnah in him. Is it permitted for me to
remain silent about him or should I warn against him?’ So my father
said: ‘If he calls the people to innovation and he is an Imaam (or a
head figure) in that and calls to that, then yes, warn against him.’"
Al-Kifaayah (93)

Shaudhab reported that Katheer Abu Sahl said: "It used to be said: ‘The people of desires do not
have any sanctity (i.e. protection from being talked about)."

Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “There is no backbiting in the case of a person of innovation or a person
who openly commits sin”. (al-Laalikaa’ee 1/140).

Abu Zaid al-Ansaari an-Nahawi said, “Shu’bah came to us on a rainy day and said, ‘Today is not
a day for hadeeth, today is a day of backbiting. Let us come together and backbite the liars’ .” (al-
Kifaayah of al-Baghdaadee, no. 91).

Makkee bin Ibraaheem (the teacher of Imaam Bukhaaree), said, “Shu’bah used to come to
Imraan bin Hudair and say, ‘O Imraan, come, let us backbite for an hour for the sake of Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic’ – they would mention the negative aspects of the People of Hadeeth.”
(al-Kifaayah of al-Baghdaadee, no. 91).

Abdullaah bin al-Imaam Ahmad said, “Abu Turaab an-Nakhshabee came to my father who began
to say, ‘So and so is da’eef (weak) and so and so is thiqah (reliable)’. So Abu Turaab said, ‘O
Shaikh, do not backbite the Ulamaa’. So my father turned to him and said, ‘Woe be to you, this is
naseehah (advice), this is not backbiting’.” (al-Kifaayah, 92 and Sharh Ilal at-Tirmidhi 1/350)

Muhammad bin Bandaar al-Sabbaak al-Jurjaani said, “I said to Ahmad bin Hanbal, ‘I find it very
difficult to force myself to say, ‘So and so is da’eef’ and ‘So and so is a liar (kadhdhaab)’’. So
Ahmad said, ‘When you remain silent and I remain silent, who will inform the ignorant one about
that which is authentic (saheeh) from that which is problematic (saqeem)’.” (Majmoo al-Fataawaa
28/231 and al-Kifaayah, 92)

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From the Book written by asoyooti rahimahullah “Is’af

al-Mubatta’ bi rijal al-Muwatta.”
Ibn Wahb said, “I heard Malik saying, ‘I reached people in this city who had attained to live a
hundred years or a hundred and five, and nothing was taken from them, and fault was found with
someone who took from them.”

Abu Mus’ab said, “Someone said to Malik, ‘Why do you not take from the people of Iraq?’ He
said, ‘I saw them coming here and taking [hadith and fiqh] from untrustworthy people so I said,
“They are like that in their own country, and they take from those who are untrustworthy.”’”

Ishaq ibn Muhammad al-Farawi said, “Malik was asked, ‘Is knowledge to be taken from
someone who has not actively sought it nor sat [in the circles of the people of
knowledge]?’ and he said, ‘No.’ Someone asked, ‘Can it be taken from someone who is
sound and trustworthy but who does not memorise nor does he understand what he
narrates?’ and he said, ‘Knowledge is not written down except from someone who
memorises and who has actively sought it and sat with people, who recognises [what he
narrates], and who acts, and who is scrupulous.’”

Ma’n ibn ‘Isa said, “I used to ask Malik about hadith and repeat the names of the narrators to him,
and I would say, ‘Why did you abandon so and so, but you recorded from so and so?’ and he
said, ‘If I had written down from everyone I heard, this house would have been full of books. Ma’n,
choose carefully for your deen and only write down on your paper from those whom you can use
in proof and who will not be used in proof against you.’”

Ma’n ibn ‘Isa said, “I heard Malik saying, ‘How many a brother I have in Madinah whose
supplication I hope for but whose testimony I do not regard as valid.’”