They say, ‘’Busying Oneself with Refutations Is Not Correct!’’ – Shaikh Rabee Responds To This Claim

In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy

They say, ‘’Busying Oneself with Refutations Is Not Correct!’’

Shaikh Rabee [may Allaah preserve him] responded to the above as follows:

The people used to read -a lot- the books of deviated views and the libraries were rotting and filled with the books of misguidance and bidah, but they [i.e. those who object when one looks into the books of refutations] did not speak in this manner. However, when the people began to [truly follow] the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah based upon the methodology of the Pious Predecessors and found those books that warned them against Bidah and misguidance, they [i.e. those who object when one looks into the books of refutation] said, “Do not busy yourselves with these affairs; do not abandon knowledge”.

These refutations are from affairs of knowledge. To be acquainted with guidance and [distinguishing it] from misguidance; to be acquainted with good and [distinguishing it] from evil -by Allaah – is from knowledge that will protect [a person], just as Hudhaifah [radiyallaahu-anhu] said, “The people used to ask the Messenger of Allaah about the good, but I used to ask him about the evil out of fear of falling into it”. The books of the people of bidah and misguidance must be known by way of the books that refute them. So unless this happens, then [one should know that] many of the youth were not ruined except when they were deprived of the likes of these books that protect them. There is a means of protection for the youth in these books [i.e. the books written by the scholars to refute errors, misguidance and ahlul bidah etc].

[Abridged & slightly paraphrased. Source: Juhoodul Allaamah Rabee Al-Madkhali Fee Naqdi Shubuhaatil Hizbiyyeen’ page 80-81]