[Q]: A few days ago, a number of cartoonists who insulted the noble Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and journalists and employees of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper were killed in Paris. Likewise, two men and a woman from the police force were killed. And the individuals who carried out these criminal acts have not yet been caught. However, video clips have emerged in which some of the criminals praise this act and they say that they carried out this crime in order to exact revenge for the noble Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam).
So now the fingers are being pointed at Islaam and at the Muslims in general and at the Muslims who live in France specifically. Fires have been set and bombs have been thrown at some of the mosques.
So the question – may Allaah preserve you – is: What is the position of the Salafee towards these acts of terror and what is your advice to the Muslims in France and to the Salafee callers in specific. May Allaah reward you with goodness.
[A]: Firstly: There is no person of Sunnah whose heart does not have upon it any blemish of innovation (bid’ah), regardless of whether he is a Scholar, or a qualified student of knowledge, or from the students of knowledge who are below that level, or from the laymen who attend the gatherings of the Scholars and their students, except that he opposes these criminal missions, regardless of whether they occur at this newspaper, or at other than it, and no matter how often they occur.
Secondly: The reasonable ones from the Jews and the Christians, from those who neighbor the Muslims in their land, all of them know and realize this; even those who are largely responsible for the countries in Europe and America and other than these. They feel safe and secure with regards to Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah and they feel safe and secure with regards to the Salafiyyeen.
Thirdly: It has become clear from that which has preceded that it is not permissible to attribute these criminal missions to a person of Sunnah. Rather, these occur from the Khawaarij and the riffraff and the savages and the anarchists.
And these anarchists in some cases are Raafidah and in some cases they are disbelievers who have donned the cloak of the Muslims and who are hidden within the ranks of the Raafidah or the Khawaarij from the fanatics amongst the Ikhwaanul-Muslimeen and other than them.
So the Ikhwaanul-Muslimeen are one of the modern-day groups of da’wah, all of which are misguided and misguiding others. They declare it permissible to seek the help of non-Muslims for their political aims.
And it is not far-fetched to say that this criminal mission may have been carried out to cause offense to Ahlus-Sunnah specifically and to the Muslims who live in France and other than it from the countries of Europe and America, and so as to cause strife against Ahlus-Sunnah specifically.
And in conclusion, I advise our sons, the Salafiyyeen, wherever they may live: in France especially or in other than it from the countries of Europe and America and Africa, the non-Muslim countries; I advise the speakers and the teachers and the lecturers and the journalists who are Muslim to come to an agreement upon a singular word, and that is to openly proclaim innocence from these criminal missions and other than them from the acts of the anarchists.
And Ahlus-Sunnah preserve the agreements and fulfill the trusts. Ahlus-Sunnah carry out the trusts. Ahlus-Sunnah safeguard their neighbors and uphold good treatment of the neighbor. So they do not transgress against his honor, nor against his wealth, nor against his person.
Ahlus-Sunnah remain mindful of Allaah as they live in the lands of Europe and America and other than them from the non-Muslim lands. They keep in mind that there is between them and the citizens of the country in which they reside a contract and an agreement, so they are never treacherous at all.
And as I have stated previously, the reasonable ones from the Jews and the Christians and other than them have respect for the Salafiyyeen and they feel secure with regards to Ahlus-Sunnah and know that these criminal acts are not their doing.
There remains the issue of the destruction that took place at the mosques by way of bombs. I do not deem it far-fetched that this situation is likewise. Rather, I am certain that it was an offense that could have been perpetrated by the political group: al-Ikhwaanul-Muslimeen, or it could have been perpetrated by fanatical and unreasonable disbelievers.
This is what I advise and affirm with regards to these criminal acts and Allaah is the Guardian of success. [End of Shaykh Ubayd al-Jaabiree’s words]
Translation by Maaz Qureshi