Date: 10/4/1414 AH

From Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baaz to the honourable brother...............may Allah guide him to what pleases Him, Ameen.

Assalaamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu:

I received your letter in which you are asking me about listening to the tapes, speeches, lectures and books of the preachers and scholars, such as Sheikh Ayedh al-Qarni, Sheikh Salman al-Awdah, Sheikh Nasser al-Umar, Sheikh Safar al-Hawaali, and Sheikh Abdul Wahhab at-Tareeree, and whether they are innovators, and [saying] that they were from certain deviated groups, and that they are not Salafis but are Khaarijis, and asking about the rule concerning backbiting them, may Allah provide you with His guidance.

Answer: Their tapes are beneficial and they are NOT innovators NOR are they Kharijis, and BACKBITING THEM IS NOT PERMISSIBLE. On the contrary, ONE SHOULD DEFEND THEM, like any person of knowledge among Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah, although no one of them is infallible, and such are others among the scholars, everyone can make mistakes or can be right, and thus one takes what is right from his talk, and leaves what is contrary to the truth. And one should maintain that they meant good as much as he can, and maintain a good opinion of his brothers. A sound hadeeth of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, says: "Every son of Adam commits errors, and the best of those who commit errors are those who repent". And it was related in a sound hadeeth that he said, "Surely, when the judge makes ijtihaad and arrives at a correct judgment then he has a double reward, and when he makes ijtihaad and misses the correct judgement, then he has a single reward." And such is the case of the REST OF THE SCHOLARS, whoever arrives at the correct opinion has a double reward, and whoever misses the correct opinion has a single reward, if he is among the people of knowledge and is honest to Allah in his work.

I ask Allah to guide all of us to what pleases Allah and benefits His servants, along with a protection from deviating turmoil, He is All-Hearing, All-Near.

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahe wa barakaatuhu.

Mufti General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
And President of the Council of Leading Scholars
And the Departments of Scholarly Research and Legal Verdicts Abdul Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Baaz