Mohammad Bin Shamseddin

Madkhalis

Al-Madkhalis are named after their Imam, Rabi’ al-Madkhali, and some confuse them with the Jami’yyah attributed to Sheikh Muhammad Aman al-Jami.

They are referred to as Hizb al-Jarh, derived from the word Jarh, meaning criticism of a person in the terminology of Hadith scholars. Hizb (party) refers to their isolation and group affiliation, as in Arabic, any group of people with an ideological affiliation is called a party.

They are also called Extremists of Obedience due to their extreme stance on obedience to the ruler. All these names refer to a sect that claims to be part of Salafism, but differs from true Salafism, which is the following of the pious predecessors.

They have a military wing in Libya known for shedding Muslim blood, as mentioned by the Mufti of Libya [٢], and several documentaries have been made about them [٣], and some scholars have condemned them [٤].

Principles of the Sect

This sect is known for several principles that they share with Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah but diverge in their application, similar to how the Mu’tazilah share the principle of “Tawheed” with all Muslims but use it to negate the attributes of Allah. Similarly, this group shares general principles with Ahl al-Sunnah but deviates in the details or application. They also share the principle of extremism with non-Sunnis. Their principles are:

1- Al-Jarh wa al-Ta’deel

2- Rejecting Partisanship

3- Obedience to the Ruler

4- Al-Walaa wa al-Baraa

5- Clarifying the Truth

 

Al-Jarh wa al-Ta’deel

According to Ahl al-Sunnah According to the Madkhalis
According to Ahl al-Sunnah, it is the science of evaluating the reliability of Hadith narrators, determining whether to accept or reject their narrations. The Madkhalis use it to declare anyone outside their sect as an innovator. Muhammad al-Madkhali even claimed that anyone who entered Makkah without visiting Rabi’ al-Madkhali has a disease in their heart [٥].
Ahl al-Sunnah consider someone with clear innovation as an innovator, but they differentiate between levels of innovation and maintain ties with a Muslim to the extent of their adherence to Islam, while disassociating from them according to the extent of their innovation. The Madkhalis have established a principle that anyone with even one innovation is labeled an innovator and must be fought. At the same time, they call many who deny Allah’s transcendence “Imams,” as the only innovation they consider is opposition to their stance on rulers and other political matters.

Sheikh Bakr Abu Zaid said: “A strange phenomenon is the rise of ‘symbolic critics’ or ‘the disease of doubt and mistrust,’ carried by harsh people who worship Allah on the edge. They have cast off the cloak of modesty and engaged naïve people in confusion, leading them astray and deceiving others. Everyone now wears the cloak of criticism and adjustment, driven by the lust for criticism, fabrication, and clinging to illusions. Through these means, they have embarked on classifying others for defamation, repulsion, and diverting people from the straight path. [Classifying People Between Doubt and Certainty, p. 9].”

He also said: “By Allah, how painful are the effects of this ‘diabolical function’ on the critic himself, for he has followed a path other than that of the believers. He is cast aside, a sinner, a transgressor against himself, his character, his religion, and his community. He partakes in all forms of slander, sharing with the accuser, the false witness, the tale-bearer, the backbiter, and he leads the ranks of the liars in the most sacred thing a Muslim possesses: his creed and his honor. [Classifying People Between Doubt and Certainty, p. 23].”

 

Rejecting Partisanship

Partisanship is group affiliation.

According to Ahl al-Sunnah According to the Madkhalis
Ahl al-Sunnah reject partisanship, which manifests as groups within the Muslim community rallying around ideas or individuals other than faith in Allah, His Messenger, and the true religion. Loyalty within such groups is to the group itself, leading to the division of the Muslim Ummah. For this reason, Ahl al-Sunnah reject the Madkhali sect because their fanaticism towards their leaders and ideas has made them a party. The Madkhalis apply this only to political parties, while they themselves form a party that bases loyalty and disassociation on their ideologues and their ideologies. This is why Ahl al-Sunnah are repelled by them.

Obedience to the Ruler

According to Ahl al-Sunnah According to the Madkhalis
Obedience to the Muslim ruler, as long as it does not contradict the commands of Allah, is a principle of Ahl al-Sunnah, and it was commanded by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Madkhalis expanded this principle to the extent that they declared anyone criticizing the ruler as an innovator. One of them even said that if the ruler were to commit adultery for half an hour daily on live television, no one is allowed to criticize him unless they are present with him.

They went further to introduce an even worse innovation, prohibiting and declaring anyone who criticizes societal ills contrary to Islamic law as an innovator if the ruler approves of them. For instance, they labeled those who criticized the Riyadh Season of dancing and lewdness as Khawarij (rebels).

This stance is applied to the countries where their ideologues reside, while figures like Muhammad Saeed Raslan fight the rulers of Muslim countries such as Qatar and Turkey [٨] without any condemnation from the Madkhalis, who instead defend him and establish innovative principles to justify this.

Al-Walaa wa al-Baraa

According to Ahl al-Sunnah

According to the Madkhalis
This is a fundamental Islamic principle, which involves loyalty to Islam and its followers and disavowing disbelief and its people. The Madkhalis base their loyalty and disavowal on their ideologues. If someone praises their leaders and follows them, they label him as “Salafi.”

If someone criticizes their leaders, even subtly, no matter how committed to the Sunnah they are, they are accused of belonging to a sect the Madkhalis have criminalized. They then engage in uncovering every mistake or slip of the tongue, or something they may have retracted, unless the person admits to following their leaders. If they find praise or prayer for any of their opponents, they declare war on them.

If someone does not praise them or speak about them, they say, “This person’s case is doubtful.”

Clarifying the Truth

According to Ahl al-Sunnah According to the Madkhalis
Ahl al-Sunnah enjoin good and forbid evil, and they clarify the truth.

This is done in several ways:

  • They may refute a mistake and publicly denounce a hypocrite or an innovator who calls to their innovation.
  • They may refute a mistake and mention the one who made it if he is calling to it, while maintaining his status and acknowledging his virtue if he is a person of merit.
  • They may refute a mistake without mentioning the one who made it, if it is clear that it was made out of error in understanding and he is not calling to it.
  • If the mistake was due to a slip of the tongue, a poor expression, or a mental lapse, Ahl al-Sunnah, while pointing out the mistake, command that the person be concealed and not exposed to the public.
 The Madkhalis divide mistakes into two categories:

  1. A mistake made by one of their own, which should be concealed, the person defended, and sometimes the mistake justified. In some cases, the mistake may even be regarded as part of the Sunnah if committed by one of their scholars.
  2. A mistake made by someone outside their group, which must be taken in the worst possible light, exaggerated if small, and publicly exposed, along with an attack on the one who made it.

Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbad said: “Some of those criticized are of great benefit, whether through lessons, writings, or sermons. They are warned against merely because they are not known to speak against so-and-so or a particular group. Criticism and warnings have even reached the few remaining in some Arab countries, despite their tremendous efforts in promoting and spreading the Sunnah. Undoubtedly, warning against such people cuts off the path between students of knowledge and those from whom they can benefit both in knowledge and character.” — Rifqan Ahl al-Sunnah bi Ahl al-Sunnah, p. 46

 

Innovations of Their Sect

 

Hostility Towards Muslims Rather Than Disbelievers

Allah Almighty said: {Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are stern against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves}. However, the Madkhalis are harsh towards Muslims, especially Ahl al-Sunnah, and we do not see this harshness applied to disbelievers. In fact, their division of Ahl al-Sunnah benefits the disbelievers.

 

Labeling Opponents

This refers to assigning a special label to their opponents and associating them with a particular person, even though most of their opponents are not followers of any individual. It is an attempt to deceive people into thinking that their opponent is not from Ahl al-Sunnah. Imam Ahmad said: «I have seen that the people of desires, innovations, and disputes have ugly and disgraceful names by which they refer to the people of the Sunnah. They do this to criticize them, defame them, and degrade them in front of the ignorant and the foolish.» [Al-Jami’ li ‘Ulum al-Imam Ahmad, vol. 4, p. 205]

Examples include:

  • (Al-Hajooriyyah) attributed to Yahya al-Hajouri.
  • (Al-Qutbiyyah) attributed to Sayyid Qutb.
  • (Al-Haddadiyyah) attributed to Mahmoud Haddad.
  • (Al-Halabiyyah) attributed to Ali al-Halabi.
  • (Al-Sururiyyah) attributed to Muhammad Surur.

There are many other such labels. They assign these names to people who are not actually followers of these individuals. Instead, they may base it on a simple statement where the person may have praised, quoted, or been fair towards one of their opponents, even if they otherwise reject and disassociate from that person. One example is Hisham al-Bayli, who was labeled a Haddadi, despite publicly disavowing Mahmoud Haddad and excessively praising Rabi’ al-Madkhali and explaining his works. However, because he criticized Muhammad Saeed Raslan, they continue to label him a Haddadi.

 

Testing People by Their Attitude Towards Individuals

This innovation was first introduced by the Khawarij of the Azariqa sect, then practiced by the Shia, followed by the Mu’tazilah, and today by the Madkhalis.

Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbad [in his message, “Urging Adherence to the Sunnah and Warning Against Innovations and Explaining Their Danger”] said:

The Innovation of Testing People by Individuals

One of the reprehensible innovations in this time is testing people by individuals. Whether the reason for the test is enmity towards the person being used for the test or excessive praise for another individual, if the test results align with what the examiner wants, the person is welcomed, praised, and commended. Otherwise, he is subjected to criticism, defamation, and ostracism. Here are some statements from Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, beginning with his condemnation of testing people based on enmity towards individuals, and ending with his condemnation of testing them based on excessive praise for others. He said in *Majmu’ al-Fatawa* (vol. 3, pp. 413-414) regarding Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah: “The correct view held by the Imams is that he is neither to be loved nor cursed. Even if he were a wrongdoer or a transgressor, Allah forgives the wrongdoer and the transgressor, especially if they have performed great acts of goodness. Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘The first army to invade Constantinople will be forgiven.’ The commander of that army was Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, and with him was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. Therefore, moderation is required in this matter, and it is better to avoid mentioning Yazid and not to test the Muslims by him, for this is one of the innovations that contradicts the path of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah.”

He also said (vol. 3, p. 415): “And likewise dividing the Ummah and testing it with something that Allah and His Messenger did not command.”

And he said (vol. 20, p. 164): “No one has the right to set up a person for the Ummah to follow his path and befriend and oppose based on him other than the Prophet (peace be upon him), nor to place words for them to unite upon and divide over except for the words of Allah and His Messenger and what the Ummah has agreed upon. This is the behavior of the people of innovation, who set up a person or words to divide the Ummah, unite based on those words or that attribution, and oppose based on it.”

He further said (vol. 28, pp. 15-16): “If a teacher or a mentor has ordered someone to abandon or condemn or discredit a person, this should be examined. If the person has committed a legal wrongdoing, they should be

punished in proportion to their sin without excess. If they have not committed a legal wrongdoing, it is not permissible to punish them for the personal interests of the teacher or anyone else.

Teachers do not have the right to divide people and cause enmity and hatred between them. Instead, they should be like brothers cooperating in righteousness and piety, as Allah the Almighty says: {And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.}”

If testing people by individuals were permissible in this time to distinguish who is from Ahl al-Sunnah or not, the one most worthy of being the criterion for such a test would be the great scholar of Islam, the Mufti of the world, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah in his time, our teacher Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, who passed away on the 27th of Muharram, 1420 AH. May Allah have mercy on him, forgive him, and grant him immense reward. He was known to all for his vast knowledge, his abundant benefit, his sincerity, his kindness, and his concern for guiding and correcting people. We consider him as such, and we do not sanctify anyone before Allah. He had a unique methodology in calling to Allah and teaching people goodness, commanding them to do good and forbidding them from evil. His approach was characterized by kindness and gentleness in his advice and numerous responses to others. It was a sound methodology that built up Ahl al-Sunnah and did not tear them down, elevated them and did not degrade them, raised them and did not label them, united them and did not divide them, and facilitated things for them without making them difficult. How much those engaged in the pursuit of knowledge need to follow this sound and great methodology for the benefit it brings to the Muslims and the harm it prevents.”

He also said:

“It is not permissible for any student of knowledge to test others based on their stance towards a particular individual who has been criticized or the criticizer. If they agree, they are safe; if they do not, they are declared innovators and ostracized. No one has the right to attribute such chaos in declaring people as innovators and abandoning them to Ahl al-Sunnah. Nor does anyone have the right to accuse those who do not adopt this chaotic method of being lenient towards the Salafi methodology. [From the letter: “Rifqan Ahl al-Sunnah bi Ahl al-Sunnah”]

 

One of the most common ways they test people is by asking about Sayyid Qutb.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen said specifically about their innovation:

“It is known that this book (i.e., *Fi Zilal al-Quran*) is not a book of Tafsir, and its author mentioned this when he said: ‘Fi Zilal al-Quran.’

Students of knowledge must not allow this man or anyone else to become a cause of conflict and division among them, nor should loyalty and disavowal be based on him.”

[From *Majallat al-Da’wah*, issue 1591, 9 Muharram 1418, signed by Sheikh Muhammad on 24/2/142]

ر

Polishing Their Leaders

Sheikh Bakr Abu Zaid said: “While there are gross acts of unjust criticism, on the other side, we see exaggerated, false flattery, where certain individuals are elevated above their status, the discredited are defended, and their actions are ignored, even when they commit them.

If unjust criticism is a wrongful act, then granting undeserved merit corrupts character, fosters arrogance and conceit, and misleads the ignorant into thinking highly of individuals who may harm them in their religion and worldly affairs. This is why sensible people reject such silly honors and are repelled by this foreign, corrupt trend.” — Tasnif al-Nas Bayn al-Zann wal-Yaqeen, p. 16

 

Association

This is a tactic used to promote their ideologues by inserting the names of their leaders alongside the names of well-known scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah to give the impression that they are part of the same group. For example, they might say: “The scholars such as Ibn Baz, Rabi’ al-Madkhali, and Ibn Uthaymeen said…” Or when discussing the Madkhalis, they say: “There are no Madkhalis or Uthaymeenists; they are all Ahl al-Sunnah.” This method is used to give the impression that their ideologues are on par with recognized scholars.

At the same time, they associate the names of those who disagree with them with figures who have been vilified, saying things like “So-and-so is Qutbi,” linking them to Sayyid Qutb, or “So-and-so is Ikhwani,” linking them to the Muslim Brotherhood, or “So-and-so is Haddadi,” linking them to Mahmoud Haddad. The list goes on. This is done after they have excessively criticized these individuals and written more against them than they have written on matters of the Quran and Sunnah. When they want to discredit someone who aligns with them, they associate them with Mahmoud Haddad or Ali al-Halabi. If the individual is not one of their loyalists, they link them to the Ikhwan, Sayyid Qutb, or the Khawarij, even if the person explicitly opposes those groups.

 

Recommendations

When these individuals found no valid reason for their war against Ahl al-Sunnah, they began circulating recommendations for their leader, Rabi’ al-Madkhali, from some scholars to strengthen their position and promote their ideology. These recommendations were given before Rabi’ adopted his path of criticism and defamation, as Ali al-Halabi pointed out. However, after Rabi’s behavior became evident, they searched for any statement to continue polishing his image. They took words of praise from Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbad, where he praised Rabi’ while also criticizing his methodology of defamation and division in the same audio clip. They only took the praise and ignored the criticism. They also took a clip where Saleh al-Fawzan was asked if he had called Rabi’ an “Murji” (someone who holds a lenient view on faith), and when he denied it, they considered it a recommendation. They use these instances to justify their stance against Ahl al-Sunnah, despite al-Fawzan later advising people to stay away from Rabi’ and his divisive nature in another clip. He explicitly distanced himself from their methodology.

 

Their Ideologues

The most important and well-known ideologues, who are considered their leaders, are:

  • Rabi’ al-Madkhali, the head of the group
  • Muhammad al-Madkhali
  • Ubayd al-Jabiri
  • Muhammad Saeed Raslan

Other ideologues include:

  • Abdullah bin Abdul Rahim al-Bukhari
  • Yahya al-Najmi
  • Ahmad Bazmool

 

Scholars’ Warnings Against Them and Their Methodology

Those Who Warned Against Them by Name

Those Who Warned Against Their Methodology

 

Schisms Within Their Ranks

It is evident to those familiar with the Sunnah and history that any group establishing principles contrary to Ahl al-Sunnah is destined to fragment and split. Notable schisms include Dr. Hamid al-Qarrah’s break with Rabi’ al-Madkhali, despite being one of his students [*], and more significantly, the split of Mahmoud Lotfi Amer, who once was closely aligned with Rabi’. Amer now describes them as a party and openly opposes them [*]. Additionally, Fawzi al-Bahraini issued numerous audio and written responses against his sheikh Rabi’, even labeling him a Kharijite [*].

Books Written About Them

  • *Tasnif al-Nas Bayn al-Zann wal-Yaqeen*, by Bakr Abu Zaid
  • *Rifqan Ahl al-Sunnah bi Ahl al-Sunnah*, by Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbad
  • *As-Suyuf al-Maslulah al-Mukallalah*, by Fawzi al-Bahraini ([Read])
  • A book compiling 60 errors in creed by Muhammad Saeed Raslan ([Link])
  • *Al-Kashf al-Jali ‘an Zulumat Rabi’ al-Madkhali* ([Read])
  • *At-Tankil bima fi Khitab Rabi’ al-Madkhali min al-Abatil*, by Abu al-Hasan al-Sulaymani ([Download and Read])
  • [Other books]

 

Their Leaders’ Criticism of Muslim Rulers

Despite their stance that criticizing rulers is an innovation, it has been recorded that Rabi’ al-Madkhali himself criticized most Muslim rulers, except the ruler of Saudi Arabia [*].

 

Rabi’ al-Madkhali’s Criticism of Muhammad al-Madkhali

Rabi’ al-Madkhali stated that Muhammad bin Hadi al-Madkhali criticizes scholars without evidence [*].

التسجيل في الجريدة الإلكترونية

عند التسجيل ستصلك مقالات الشيخ الجديدة, كل مقال جديد يكتبه الشيخ سيصلك على الإيميل

Visited 26,992 times, 2 visit(s) today
Madkhalis
Scroll to top