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http://www.albaseerah.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2448
*Al-Ghuloo (Extremism) and Shiddah (Harshness)*
by:
*Shaykh Abdullaah al-Ghudyaan*حفظه الله
Delivered on: Saturday July 1st, 2006
*Introduction to the Shaykh*
Our Noble Shaykh حفظه الله is a member of Council of Senior Scholars, and a
member of the Permanent Council for Fataawa and Research.
*Transcription of the Translation of the Lecture*
The Shaykh حفظه الله تعالى began by praising Allaah سبحانه وتعالى the Lord
of everything that exists and its Sustainer, and by sending peace and
blessings, salutations upon the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and upon his
Companions and his family.
To proceed:
The topic for tonight is dealing with الرفق (*ar-Rifq*) or gentleness and
softness while giving da’wah, and warning from extremism and being harsh.
The Shaykh حفظه الله went on to say that *ar-Rifq*, which we are going to
translate as ‘*being gentle*’, is to be soft in your speech and your
actions, and to do that which is easier, and it is the opposite of
harshness, or being hard. *Ar-Rifq* or gentleness, is *praiseworthy* and
that which opposes it is being harsh, and being harsh is the result of
anger. So being soft and gentle is also the result of *good character*. And
it possible that the reason for the حدة (*Hiddah*) that one has (being
sharp, being harsh, and being angry) could be that he is not thinking
properly, and it prevents him from التثبت (*at-tathabbut*) or being firm in
his affair.
Then the Shaykh حفظه الله said again, that being gentle is الثمر (*
ath-thamara*), it is a fruit that comes from good character, and good
character does not come to one unless he is able to control his anger, and
control his emotions, and his harshness. For this reason, the Prophet صلى
الله عليه وسلم praised gentleness, and likewise Sufyaan ath-Thawri رحمه الله
تعالى said to some of his companions, *“Do you know what wisdom is? Wisdom
is to put everything in its proper place – to put harshness in its proper
place, to put gentleness in its proper place, to put the sword in its proper
place, and to put the stick in its proper place.” *
So, the Shaykh حفظه الله says here, that this is an indication to us that
the *praiseworthy* thing is to *be in the middle* – to be in-between being
very strict and hard, and being very gentle and very lenient, as it relates
to all of the other characteristics. However, due to the fact that the human
nature leans more towards harshness, and more towards being strong and hard,
the necessity of encouraging the people to be gentle, is more so, and for
this reason you find this plentiful in the Speech of Allaah سبحانه وتعالى
and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم. The Shaykh حفظه الله said that after
we translate this (which has just been done) he is going to bring the
evidence that deals with this from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.
*Evidence from the Qur’aan for Being Gentle and Lenient when Calling to
Allaah*
The Shaykh حفظه الله went on to say that from the evidences that indicate
the importance of gentleness, from the Qur’aan is the statement of Allaah
سبحانه وتعالى where He says:
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ
الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ
وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ
اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
* {And by the Mercy of Allaah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been
severe and harsh-hearted,
they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and
ask (Allaah's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs.
Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allaah, certainly,
Allaah loves those who put their trust (in Him).}
*[Aali Imraan 3:159]
In this aayah we find clarification of the way that the Prophet صلى الله
عليه وسلم used to interact with his Companions, and in it is a clarification
that Allaah سبحانه وتعالى placed رحمة (*Rahmah*) or *mercy* in the heart of
the Messengerصلى الله عليه وسلم . As a result of this *rahmah*, there was *
lenience* from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and this was from the
beautiful way that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to interact with his
Companions. Allaah سبحانه وتعالىinformed him that *if he had dealt with them
in a harsh way*, in a manner that was opposite or opposed to being merciful
to them, then *they would have run away* from him. Even though there may be
some things that came from the Companions that would make the Prophet صلى
الله عليه وسلم displeased, or that which they may be criticized for, Allaah
سبحانه وتعالى commands His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to deal with them in
the following three ways:
1. The first thing is that he pardons them, العفو (*al-`Afoo*) is that he
pardons them.
2. Secondly, that he seeks forgiveness for them.
3. And thirdly that he consult them in the affairs that it is possible that
he consult them in.
So if he did these three things, then he has done that which Allaah سبحانه
وتعالى commanded him with. This aayah, the Shaykh حفظه الله says, is a
منهج(manhaj) or it is a methodology that
*every caller to Allaah سبحانه وتعالى must have* so that he travels the path
of *justice* in dealing with the people. He should not have to be إفراط (*
Ifraat*), to be excessive, and extreme, and have harshness and be
hardhearted when dealing with the people. We find this especially from those
who make it their duty to make judgment upon the people.
Some of them judge that the one who has committed a major sin, they consider
him to be a كافر (kaafir), or to be a disbeliever just like the الخوارج (*
Khawaarij*) do. So they have with them excessiveness in their ruling. They
attribute this to the Deen of Allaah سبحانه وتعالى and we find that they may
be harsh, and they may even blow up things, and they attribute this to the
Deen of Allaah سبحانه وتعالى and Islaam is free from that which they
attribute to it. So the actions of the people are one thing and Islaam is
another thing and their actions have to be considered as it relates to the
text of Islaam.
Likewise we find from another group, they travel the path of التفريط (*
at-Tafreet*) or being negligent, or being too soft, not caring about
anything. These are the likes of the المرجئة (*Murji’ah*) who no matter what
a person does, they do not consider him to be a disbeliever. They do not
consider him to be outside of the fold of Islaam, no matter what type of sin
he commits. This is what we have to say as it relates to the first evidence
from the Qur’aan.
The Shaykh حفظه الله went on to say that from the evidences as well in the
Qur'aan is the statement that Allaah سبحانه وتعالى made to Moosaa عليه سلام
and his brother Haroon عليه سلامwhen He sent them to Fir'awn (Pharaoh). So
Allaah سبحانه وتعالى said to them,
فَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَّيِّنًا لَّعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَى
* {"And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear
Allaah."}
*[Taa Haa 20:44]
The Shaykh حفظه الله then said that from that which is known, Fir'awn was
from the greatest of those who transgressed against Allaah سبحانه وتعالى
because he was one who claimed to have Lordship, he claimed to be
الربّ (Ar-Rabb),
he claimed to be a sustainer and a lord. As Fir'awn himself said:
مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي
* {… I know not that you have an ilaah (a god) other than me…}
*[al-Qasas 28:38]
This is what Fir'awn (Pharaoh) said. And he says about Moosaa عليه سلام when
he (Moosaa عليه سلا) claimed that there is a Lord – Allaah:
وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ
* {… “and verily, I think that he [Mûsa (Moses)] is one of the liars."}
*[al-Qasas 28:38]
Even with all of this, Allaah سبحانه وتعالى sent to this man (Fir`awn),
Moosaa عليه سلام and He sent to him Haroon عليه سلام. He ordered them to
speak to him in a way that was *gentle* and which did not have harshness,
with the hope that the result would be that this man would remember Allaah
سبحانه وتعالى and therefore fear Him. However, he continued in his
transgression against Allaah سبحانه وتعالى and so the result of his affair
is that Allaah سبحانه وتعالى drowned him and all those who were upon his
methodology.
--
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