In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Let no one deceive you about your rightful status 

Imam Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen [may Allah have mercy upon him] was asked: “May Allah have mercy upon a person who knows his rightful status”. Does this (statement) have a source and has it been transmitted in a hadeeth?

Answer: I do not know of a source for it (i.e. as a hadith); however its meaning is correct because when a person knows his rightful status, he will be humble in the presence of his Lord, worship Allah and know that he is not free from being in need of Allah in the twinkling of an eye. If he knows himself, he will know his status amongst the people and this knowledge will (prevent) him from being haughty towards them because haughtiness is one of the major sins, and looking down on the people is forbidden. This is why when the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] warned against haughtiness, they [the people] said, “Everyone of us loves that his clothes and shoes are nice”. So, he said, “Indeed, Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty. Pride is to reject the truth and look down on the people”. Therefore, when a person knows his rightful status, he will know his rank amongst the people, place himself in his place, and humble himself in the presence of his lord and in the presence of Allah’s creation. And whoever humbles himself to Allah, Allaah will raise him. [(1)]

Do not patronise any upright elder UK student of knowledge

Beware of the disease of the despots (a) because pride, avarice and envy were the first (sins through which) Allah was disobeyed. (b) Raising yourself above your teacher is pride (c), being arrogant towards the one who benefits you from amongst those who are below you is pride, (d) and falling short in acting upon knowledge is a sludge of pride and an indication of being deprived. (d)

Imam Muhammad Bin Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: (a) The Prophet said, “Pride is to reject the truth and mock the people”. (b) This refers to Shaytaan’s behaviour when he was commanded to prostrate to Adam, but pride prevented him from doing so. He refused and was haughty. (c) Raising oneself can either be by way of the tongue and it can also be by way of sentiments (feelings, attitude, behaviour etc). He [i.e. the student] may be walking with his teacher, whilst swaggering and saying, “I did this, and I did this”. (d) Likewise, being arrogant towards the one who is below you in knowledge is pride. This also occurs in some of the students, and if someone below him in knowledge informs him of something, you find him arrogant and does not accept. We ask Allah for well-being because this type of pride is to not act upon the knowledge one knows. [(2)]

Therefore, we in Manchester are not duped by anyone who either inflates his status or Shariah certificate regardless which institution it was received, or discreetly seeks to patronise elder UK students and claims that the reality of such and such elder student of knowledge in the UK would have been unveiled if they sat with those who have obtained a masters or PhD! We remind the likes of these people that neither yourselves nor your ilk can judge any elder UK student whom Al-Allaamah Rabee, Al-Allaamah Ubaid, and Al-Allaamah Hasan al Bannah have already judged, and advised us to co-operate with upon Bir and Taqwah.

Do not meddle in affairs

First, beware that anyone from the East or the West- regardless of their status – who meddled in the affairs of Dawah in the West by way of association with a person who pursued personal goals, then indeed, he was confronted sternly without the least hesitation after he spoke based on the false information, misrepresentation or the exaggerations received from his associate.

Second, as far as we are concerned, we do not consider anyone more acquainted with Dawah in the West and its Maslahah than the reliable elder Salafi students of knowledge under the close supervision and scrutiny of Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadi Al-Mad’khali [may Allah preserve him] and Al-Allaamah Ubaid Bin Abdillah Al-Jaabiri [may Allah have mercy upon him] for nearly three decades.

Thirdly, as far as we are concerned at Al-Markazus Salafi (Manchester), Naseehah is welcomed from every upright person – regardless of his or her status, but we’ll never entertain the actions of anyone- regardless their status – who suddenly appears and meddles in our affairs whose history and details he does not know. 

This is an independent statement of ours at Al-Markazus Salafi without the suggestion of anyone within or outside the UK. And we ask Allah to keep us safe and all the Salafiyyoon Aameen.

Preserved Historical Record – [Position of Elder UK Students of Knowledge Can Never Be Obscured]

Shaikh – [An Old Man, a Righteous Man or a Man Recognised By Scholar as One With Islamic Knowledge] [Part 1]

[(1)]: Noor Alad-Darb: Number 250
[(2)]: An Excerpt from ‘Sharh Hilyati Taalibil Ilm’ pages 38-40]