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Farewell Admonition (Be in This World as a Stranger)

Shaykh Abū Ḥakīm, Shaykh Abū Idrīs

The farewell admonition closing out the seminar: Be in This World as a Stranger. A reflection on knowledge, its importance and a heartfelt advice to seminar attendees.

There is, right from the beginning of this brief address to our Salafī brothers and sisters who attended this conference, and to the listeners of it’s audio recording, a fine example of the love and concern we of Ahl al-Sunnah should have for one another. Knowledge, which is the weapon of a believer, and a cause for the increase of one’s Īmān is spoken about by our beloved brother and Ustādh Abū Ḥakīm Bilāl Davis. It is of extreme importance that the Sunnī arms his or herself with beneficial knowledge. Allāh says in His Glorious Qurʾān that He raises in levels those who possess knowledge. Our Lord Allāh also revealed to us that the one with knowledge and the one without knowledge are not equal. It is not possible for The Religion of Allāh to be correctly established without knowledge. How bizarre is it then, the condition of the astray sect The Ashāʿirah who put before the authentic texts their own opinion. Without a doubt, it is most befitting that the people of desires be named as such, for they abandon the beneficial knowledge which would save them and replace it with what they themselves desire. May Allāh guide those who are astray and keep guided those whom He has guided, āmīn.

We do not give the religion of Allāh our own interpretation. Rather, we refer back to our Pious Predecessors: at the head of them the Saḥābah, and The Prophet (ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam) himself. We are all well aware, or should be well aware of the famous ḥadīth wherein The Prophet (ṣallá Allāh ʿalayhi wa-sallam) informed us that the best generation of Muslims are the first three. These three generations, and those who follow them precisely are collectively known as The Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ, or, the Pious Predecessors. Therefore, we understand and follow what has been revealed to us from the two revelations, the Book and the Sunnah, the way The Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ did. We as Ahl al-Sunnah should give knowledge its due estimate. It is not an abundance of the dunyā which makes a person wealthy, rather, it is an abundance of the inheritance left behind by The Prophet (ṣallá Allāh ʿalayhi wa-sallam) that is true wealth. The first speaker, our brother Abū Ḥakīm in this audio recording puts forth many examples of how important knowledge is, and his love and tenderness for the Salafī brothers and sisters is evident throughout his address.

The beloved brother Abu Idrīs follows up closely the previous reminder and theme of our brother Abu Ḥakīm, that is, the sincere love, care and concern that is obligatory for us to have for one another. Abū Idrīs brings an example that is found in the Ḥadīth about those whom Allāh shades with the shade He will create on The Day of Judgment. Among those who will receive this shade, may Allāh make us from them, are two who meet one another out of love for the sake of Allāh, and who part, likewise out of love for the sake of Allāh. Our hearts are united wherever we may be in Allāh’s spacious world. Like the Ḥadīth of The Messenger (ṣallá Allāh ʿalayhi wa-sallam) where he informs us that the similitude of believers in regard to mutual love, affection, fellow-feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever. Allāh has favored us with an immeasurable favour: The Religion of Islām. As is said in this audio recording; Allāh has honoured us to be from the best nation to walk the face of the earth.

The admonition contained in these two short reminders by our beloved brothers Abu Ḥakīm and Abu Idrīs is heart softening and inspiring. One needs not to have been in attendance to this conference to feel the emotion and desire for unity among the Salafīs. Our Shaykh Rabī’ said when advising us “disseminate the soul of love and brotherhood between yourselves.” Abu Idrīs speaks about the importance of attaching oneself to our Noble Scholars and the Jamāʿah. We should be vigilant about who we take our knowledge from, and whom we take as friends, because knowledge is dīn, and a Muslim is on the religion of his friend.

Published: June 11, 2016
Edited: February 17, 2022

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