People Are of Various Types
24-05-2008
[From a khutbah by Abdullah Azzam entitled 'an-Nas Asnaf' (People Are of Various
Types), given on September 26, 1986]
“And the labels fill your pockets. Every pocket is labelled with a
characteristic or title; this pocket is filled with labels that say
‘Disbeliever,’ and everytime you see someone that you don’t like, you hand him a
label. Another pocket is filled with labels that say ‘Innovator,’ and a third
pocket is filled the labels that say ‘Poor,’ and another says ‘Ignorant,’ etc.
This way, you have given everyone a label from one of your labels…
There are families in Peshawar who cannot find enough Clorox bleach in the
marketplaces, so, they send off to Islamabad to purchase this bleach, so that
they can use it to clean their clothing and the clothing of their families. So,
you are also in need of searching for bleach; you are in need of success in
finding that which will clean your heart and purify your insides. If you are
part of a particular Islamic group, then beware of assuming that all of the
truth rests with that group, and that all falsehood rests with everyone else, as
some of the earlier zealous people said: “All of our statements are correct,
with a possibility of a mistake, while all the statements of others are
mistaken, with a possibility of being correct.” This is the destructive type of
allegiance! How many groups have been torn apart, and how many people who were
close to each other became divided because of such a mindset?!
Pay attention to your heart, beware of raising yourself above others, and beware
of belittling others. How many of these people have given for the sake of this
Religion - but have kept it secret between them and the Lord of the Worlds -
from he whose statement is belittled and his appearance mocked, and he might
even have given more for this Religion than an Earthful of people like you ever
would? So, pay attention to yourself, and may Allah have Mercy on a man who
knows his limits and stays inside those limits. The virtuous people are those
who acknowledge the virtue of the people of virtue, especially the scholars, and
especially those who are old in age, and especially the parents…
So, my brother, it is enough for your good deeds to be annulled that you look to
your actions as if they are great, as Allah Said:
{”Woe to al-Mutaffifin! Those who, when they have to receive by measure from
men, demand full measure, and when they have to give by measure or weight to
men, give less than their due.”} [al-Mutaffifin; 1-3]
So, if he mentions himself, he only mentions his good deeds, and if he mentions
the others, he only mentions their mistakes, as the Prophet said: “One of you
sees a small speck of dirt in the eye of his brother, but fails to see the large
piece of dirt in his own eye.” ['at-Targhib wat-Tarhib'; 3/236]…
Just because you are part of a particular group doesn’t mean that you are better
than the people. Just because you read a particular book doesn’t mean that you
are better than the people. There is some good with the Ikhwan, and there is
some good with the Tabligh, and there is some good with the Salafiyyah; every
one of them has a portion of the good, so, try - if you are able - to collect
all of the good from these groups. They used to study from a large group of the
scholars, so, his Hadith instructor is different from his Tafsir instructor ,
and his instructor in spiritual nurturing is different from his Arabic language
instructor. Take from the Tabligh their manners…and imagine if we were to follow
their path in respecting the people, and their manners with the scholars… The
Tabligh have very good speech, as they convey what they say and work magic on
the hearts with their manners, and cause any envy one might have against them to
vanish. Take from the Ikhwan their historical movements and revolutionary ideas,
and take from the Salafiyyah their beliefs. Collect within yourself all that is
good, become a student, and do not restrict the truth to your own shaykh… Take
from this person, and take from that person; respect the people, and give them
the credit they are due, and put them in their proper categories…”
Sheikh Abdullah Azzam
Submitted by a Mujahid