Question :
Is it permissible to study a medical course in a university which has free-mixing as the ummah is in need of doctors from the muslims ?
Answer :
It is not permitted to corrupt one’s heart and religion for serving the ummah
It is not permitted. And, it is impermissible for him to corrupt his heart for the sake of ummah. And, Allah will make it easy through others (who are not serious about their religion). And, as for you (who was favoured with firmness on practicing his religion), it is not permitted to corrupt your heart for treating bodies of others. Because you might not exit from the university except that you have corrupted your religion. And this free-going is not good.
Similar to this issue : ‘Working in Army while they order to shave beard and other prohibited acts’
[Translator’s Note: Then Shaykh entered into another similar topic ‘working in an army while they order for shaving the beard and wear pants and other prohibited things’ which came as a trial for salafi brothers in Yemen. The relation between this issue and studying in free-mixing is, to do something prohibited in Islam for an alleged benefit for religion or for severe necessity.This further speech has good general refutation on people who make prohibited things as permitted. End of Note.]
Sadly, these days some people who claim salafiyyah search for fatawa on ‘Working in Army’ and they say some of the scholars have permitted to work in the army even if they order to shave the beard because of the severe need and this need should be fulfilled and they also permit wearing the pants for need.
Oh brothers, these people became makhadeel (meaning, Allah has left them to follow their desires). We seek refuge with Allah from these trials on salafiyyeen, everyday they come with a new group and they allure the salafi brothers and ahlus-sunnah. It is compulsory to hate these people and it is compulsory to warn against these people. And it is not permissible to be silent upon them. These people hunt for fatawa and they say Shaykh Al Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) has given fatwa and so and so have given fatwa and they get fatawa from here and there and they might show the issues to scholars in a particular way to get fatwa as per their desires.
First these people fall into some prohibited issue, then they hunt fatawa for concessions. After they fall into prohibitions if someone advises them they say : “So and so has permitted this”. We should co-operate among ourselves to boycott these kinds of people, it is compulsory to boycott these people because they deviate the salafiyyeen who love their religion and they tempt the salafiyyeen by saying: “This is the fatwa of this Shaykh and this is fatwa of that Shaykh”. And by Allah, I never thought that people would hunt for these kinds of fatawa to make youngsters enter into that (on working in an army) and to justify mistakes of some people.
Freely making the prohibited matters as permissible because of so-called service to religion – is a door of deviation and its the way of deviated group Al Ikhwan Al Muslimuun
This is a door of deviation (making the haram as halal for need), Ikhwan-ul-Muslimuun have opened this evil door and they could never close it. And, they have made every haram as permissible for these reasons. Their principle ‘The aim (claimed benefit the religion) justify the means (prohibited means)’ is not permitted in the general manner. The means should be from the permitted ones to reach the aim. As for the prohibited means, it is not permitted to depend upon those, it is a must that, it is a mean which Allah has permitted.
As for eating the meat of dead animals (which were not slaughtered by legislated manner) then, Allah has permitted us (to eat it) in state of severe compulsion. Allah has prohibited that and again made it permissible in a particular situation, so we take that excuse. We should be watchful of this and as for us, (that) we devise some prohibited means that bring some analogies of Shaytaan and fall into prohibited matters, (it is not correct).
Another similar issue – Participation in elections
We are surprised with these people, Ikhwan-ul-Muslimuun entered into elections with the fatwa of Shaykh Ibn Baz (rahimahullah) and the fatwa of Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) and fatwa of so and so, as per their claims, then didn’t listen the advice of Shaykh Muqbil rahimahullah that it is prohibited and it is not permitted to search fatwa for excuses and later they fell into several troubles that none know except Allah. That time their condition was somewhat better in Yemen. They hunted for fatawa from scholars saying: “Oh Shaykh, there is nothing between us and establishing the Shariah except that we enter into these elections, so what is your opinion?” So, the Shaykh says, “Enter them …” So, they enter them and repent to Allah after that (I think Shaykh said this as a refutation).
There is no success in this path, and you are not excused because you have a fatwa of a scholar
So we say to you, Subhanallah!, they never gain success with this approach of searching the excuses. The scholar who does the Ijtihad is between two rewards and one reward and as for you then you are sinner. There is no excuse for you with Allah that you have fatwa of so and so, you are just following your desires.
Shaykh Muqbil had advised them (regarding entering into elections), Oh people, this is haram. This is watering-down the deen. This is taking the deen lightly. And this is blindly-following the enemies of deen and enemies of Allah. This is destroying the deen. So they had thrown all these advice behind their backs and said we have the fatwa of fulaan … and fulaan … (so and so).
Shaykh Muqbil’s (Rahimahullah) refutation on fatwa Shaykh Al Albani – An interesting incident
Shaykh Muqbil (rahimahullah) said, oh fulaan, go and call Shaykh Al Albani (rahimahullah) and say to him that your fatwa (permitting the people of Algeria to enter into elections) is not allowed. How do you permit people to enter the elections ? What is the proof for this? So Salih Muawiyah (one of the students) went to Saadah (a nearby city around Dammaj) to call Shaykh Al Albani and said to him, Abu Abdur Rahman Shaykh Muqbil say to you such and such. Then Shaykh Al Albani said, say to Shaykh Muqbil not to speak against me because the hizbiyyuun will become happy if he speaks against us. And I didn’t gave fatwa for people of Yemen and I have given fatwa only for people of Algeria.
[Translator’s Note: So, what happened in Algeria as per one Algerian brother’s narration, after the salafi people entered into elections they had won the elections. Then the president who was a sufi cancelled the elections and didn’t accept the result and severe trial happened on salafi brothers and it continued till years and several brothers were killed and kept in jail. So the point to understand is that the elections and democracy is a big cheating and it is a war against Islam. End of Translator’s Note.]
So Shaykh Muqbil said in our class and we were present, “Bismillah, Al Hamdulillah, Fatwa of Shaykh Al Albani is batil. Fatwa of Ibn Baz batil. What is the difference between people of Algeria and people of Yemen?” May Allah show mercy upon him, he is a hero. It is correct Oh brother, the truth is truth and the falsehood is falsehood. This is while holding the respect and honor of the people of knowledge.
As for us to look for excuses that some one has given fatwa, it is not permitted. Shaykh Muqbil was brave and Allah has benefited by him, he was preventive barrier (from trials) for salafiyyeen in Yemen and also the whole world. He was strong in proof and in refutation and did not blind-follow any one and he used to have severe hatred for blind-following. The truth is truth and the falsehood is falsehood. By Allah, fatwa of someone doesn’t benefit you, he is a rewarded one and you are a punished one.
If salafi brothers take this approach of searching for excuses, then they just going to become Al Ikhwan Al Muslimoon
So (by looking for excuses) we also will become like Ikhwan-ul-Muslimuun, it’s a new turn on salafiyyah (searching for excuses). Like saying, ‘some one permitted shaving beard and some one permitted wearing pants’. So they collect these kind of fatawa and use them against us.
This is khadeelah (Allah leaving a person to follow his desires). If Allah has left a person then it is a calamity upon him.
‘And whomsoever Allah wants to put in Al Fitnah (error, because of his rejecting the Faith), you can do nothing for him against Allah.’ Al Maidah – 41
By Allah, if you see us looking for these kind of excuses (saying fulaan has permitted this and fulaan has permitted this..) know that we have deviated from the straight path.
Sign of deviation – To approve what you use to disapprove and to disapprove what you use to approve
So what is the sign of deviation? (Shaykh was asking the students in class)
Hudaifah (رضي الله عنه) said, (the sign of deviation is): “To approve what you use to disapprove and to disapprove what you use to approve”.
This a very clear sign, so if you want to know the deviation of a person apply this principle on him, what he used to say earlier and what he is saying now? immediately you will know. If you see these people of banateel (who permit wearing the pants) who say fulaan has permitted this, you know that he has deviated. You (addressing some maftoon who permit wearing pants) did not used to permit this and you used to refute the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen by saying to them: “Why you refute us by saying so and so permitted this? Why are you not saying Allah said such and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said such?” Now, you search for the excuses. This is the methodology of Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen. And Allah will destroy them like how He destroyed the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen.
And we are free from these kind of people who are eating away salafiyyah. Wearing pants used to be haram and now, when we entered it, became halal ! Say that, “We want the saudi riyaals” and don’t cheat these young people. That is what tempted them, so they say fulaan permitted this and you are not worried about the fatwa. The mufti (for these people) is saudi riyaals, that is a reliable mufti. We ask Allah to save us from these kind of people and their trials.
Oh Salafiyyun .. stick to the truth even if it is against to you
Oh Salafiyyuun, be content with the path that we are upon (seeking knowledge and staying away from prohibitions), Insha Allah we live on that and we die on that. By Allah, if this (the salafiyyah) is not the truth then there is no truth on the earth. This is The Religion of Allah. Is the truth with the Soofiyyah ? Or with the Rafidah ? Or with the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen ? or with the hizbiyyin ? It could be that some groups have some truth with them, but the foundation of the truth is with people of truth and they are the source of the truth. And they know from where to take the truth. As for the people of innovations, they might accidentally follow the truth and they follow some part of the truth because it is suitable for their desires. As for the people of truth, they stick to truth what is for them and what is against them, not because it suited their wishes and desires, but they stick to the truth as a slavery to Allah.
What an evil thing that they did! making a salafi as hizbi or making a salafi as mamsookh (deformed one).
(A student has written a benefit to shaykh, he read out).
‘Whoever takes the rare issues (mistakes) of the ulama have left the religion’. So who ever searchs for various excuses mentioned by various scholars then he becomes a zindeeq (who left the religion).
Al Imam Dhahabi has said, “whoever searchs for excuses of various madhaahib and mistakes of the scholars of Ijtihaad, his deen will become weak’. Oh brother, take the truth whether it is for you or against you. Leave this playing with the deen. This shows the desire (of these people).
Answered by : Shaykh Abu Bilal Al Hadhrami
Translated from audio with slight variation : AbdunNoor Al Hindi