Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem
The trend has been in place for many years now. The days of Ahmed Deedat will readily come to mind. The best of the Muslims then was he that knew much of the Bible than the Qur’aan; you need not know any Sunnah. Over time, some people took it over; Zakir Naik et al with his mesmerizing Indian accent. And in Nigeria here, we have a handful of them, North and South. Yusuf Mabera in the North, Yusuf Adepoju in South. The matter is more complicated in the South West. There is that morbid competition of who can win more Christians between the Osun-Ondo axis of Muslim Bible Warriors of the ACADIP calling Jamiu Adegunwa's Risaalatul-Haqq (that apparently takes after Ahmed Deedat’s Izharul-Haqq) bloc based in Lagos – the avowed centre of everything in Nigeria including craziness.
While the Yusuf Adepoju enclave has some leaning towards the Sunnah perhaps because of its root in Akure where the Sunnah was sometimes ago active, the Lagos Risaalatul-Haqq is apparently devoid of any sympathy for the Sunnah. There is no doubt that it more convenient with the ways of the Sufis than those of the Sunnah-followers. In fact, you will hear some brazen statements of Kufr from people in this enclave. A good example is denying the coming back of Nabee Eesa - alayhi Salaaam.
But all of them – the Yusuf group and Risaalatul –Haqq – have many things in common: they all seek to win as many Christians as possible to Islam. Thus banking on numbers of converts has become a selling tag of recent. Four hundred people embraced Islam in Ibadan, seventy in Modakeke, one hundred in Akure, etc, are the sprawling headlines on their several media outlets.
Another common phenomenon is the fact that many of them know more of the Bible than the Qur’aan – if they know the latter at all. When you hear them sparingly and incorrectly quote the Qur’aan it sickens your heart, but let them quote the Bible, the Pope himself will have his mouth agape. How many times have they dealt with the best of the pastors such that the latter wee in their trousers!
Therefore this feat of theirs make them suffer in self delusions. They think they are upon something.
and they think that they have something (to stand upon). Mujaadilah 18
They think they follow the righteous way. By Allaah, their methodology is evil and misleading. The last time they showcased their latest round of converts one will ask, where are the converts?
You will see them jump here and there on stages as pastors do. The only difference between the way they dress and the way the pastors do is sometimes a cap on their two-piece suit or the Yasser Arafat’s style of wearing makawia over European suits. They allow girls and women come on stage and address the crowds. They stay awake all night disturbing the peace of the environment in the name of Da’wah with intermittent jibes of Muslim songs fashioned in the Christiam ways.
The crux however is the fact that they give little or no attention to the Islamic learning. The converts they make are made to follow them about in selling their wares. They don’t encourage them to go in the path of learning. They teach them how to mimic the Christian pastors in quoting the Bible. And sometimes they confuse the Islamic rulings over them. It is always as if the so-called converts have not really converted. Allaah knows best, Islam is a body of rules and regulations that ought to be learnt and imbibed wholeheartedly.
We know of many brothers who left the way and come back to the real Sunnah. They have experiences to share. All of them have come to say they were upon nothing when they were there. Rather they wasted a bunch of their own time.
So we advise the Muslim Bible warriors, you have to change your ways. Majority of the scholars – such as Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Hajar; and Ash-Shaykh bn Baaz and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (of our own time), may Allaah bestow mercy on all, who spoke in support of Muslim using the Bible against the Christians have only said the only condition that can make one do that is when is well versed in Islam. So it is a scholar’s business, it is not meant for riffraff. We want to believe you are not scholars in the Deen, you have said that in several of your tapes.
Secondly, staging these Da’wah in the nights up-and-down, is definitely not the way. Shaykhul- Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim, al-Qur’tubee, etc, had only exemplified how to tackle the Christian using means of writing. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote al-Jawaab As-Saheeh Liman Baddala Deenal-Maseeh, Ibn Al-Qayyim wrote, ‘Hidaayah al-Hiyaaree fee Ajwibatil-Yahuud wan-Nasaaraa,’ al-Imaam Al-Qur’tubee wrote, al-‘Ilaam Bi Maa Fee Deenin-Nasaaraa minal-Fasaad wal-Auhaam. It was unheard of in the history of Islam that a Muslim scholar would stage the like of your open talks and slug it out with the Christians. In fact, arguing over the matters of deen is frowned at, and it is a matter of the Manhaj of the Salaf. Said al-Imaam Ahmad, ‘and abandon disputing, quarrelling, arguing in the Deen.’
The command of Allaah that we should not engage the People of the Book in argumentation except in the best manners has been clearly exemplified by the Salaf and the Khalaf.
It is ordinarily prohibited for a Muslim to seek anything from the Torah and Injeel. The Messenger of Allaah – sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam – seriously rebuked ‘Umar bn al-Khattaab – may Allaah be pleased with him – when he once did that [as reported by al-Imaam Ahmad and authenticated by al-Imaam al-Albaanee in al-Irwaa (6/34)].
In fact the best way to convert the Christians is using the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Christians that come to Islam through that way are usually better than the ones that come to Islam through comparative religion. So the Qur’aan suffices. Allaah said:
Is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'ân) which is recited to them? Verily, herein is Mercy and a Reminder (or an admonition) for a people who believe. ankabuut/ 51.
Busying oneself with a book other the Qur’aan is neglecting what is better. Al-Imaam al-Qur’tubee said: ‘If reciting the Qur’aan will fetch one ten rewards for every Verse or more than…turning away from it is misguidance and loss…’ [Tafseer Qur’tubee, 16/378].
To the new converts, Allaah has decreed this is how you will know about Islam. Well, you still have a long way to go. The best thing you need doing now is to start learning Islam from its correct sources. Do not say because you knew the way through the Muslim Bible warriors then you have become their disciples wherever they go, you go. Whatever they say, you say. If that is your way, believe it or not, you will not see the sweetness of the Deen. Imagine if the Ahmadis have been a means of your accepting Islam, even the Tableeghis or the Sufis, will you say their way is your way? So start learning the Deen correctly. Seek the scholars of Sunnah and sit by their feet and learn. You will therefore discover Islam as the best thing that could have happened in your life.
This has been an admonition.
