What is the Madkhali Sect?

Madkhali Article

The sect is attributed to their leader, Rabee Al-Madkhali, and some confuse it with the Jamiyah attributed to Shaykh Muhammad Aman Al-Jami.

They are called “Hizb Al-Jarh” derived from the term “Jarh,” meaning criticizing individuals according to the scholars of Hadith. “Hizb” is due to their cohesion and isolation. Every group of people united by an ideological affiliation is called a “Hizb” in Arabic.

They are also called “Ghulat Al-Ta’ah” due to their extremism in the matter of obeying the ruler. All these names are applied to a faction that associates itself with Salafism, though there are differences between them and true Salafism, which means following the righteous predecessors.

They have a military wing in Libya known for shedding the blood of Muslims, which has been criticized by some scholars.

The Principles of the Sect

This sect is known for several principles that deviate in their application from Ahlul Sunnah. While they share the fundamental principles with Ahlul Sunnah, they differ in their interpretation. Similar to the principles of the Mu’tazilites, they have a foundational principle of “Tawhid” (Monotheism), which they share with all Muslims. However, they employ it to negate the attributes of Allah Almighty. Thus, while they share a general understanding of these principles with Ahlul Sunnah, they diverge from them in their details or application. Additionally, they share the principle of extremism with non-Ahlul Sunnah groups.

  1. Criticism and Praise (al-Jarh Wa Ta’dil)
  2. Rejecting Partisanship (Nabdh al-Hizbiyyah)
  3. Obedience to the Ruler (Ta’at Wali al-Amr)
  4. Allegiance and Disavowal (al-Walaa’ Wal-Baraa’)
  5. Clarification of the Truth (Tabyan al-Haqq)

Criticism and Praise

Among Ahlul SunnahAmong the Madakhillah
Among Ahlul Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah, it is the science that studies the status of hadith narrators in terms of acceptance and rejection, i.e., accepting or rejecting their narrations.The intervention (Madkhalis) ridiculed anyone who showed innovation from outside their group, so much so that they considered Muhammad al-Madakhali as misled and afflicted with a diseased heart if he entered Mecca and did not visit Rabi’a [0].
Ahlul Sunnah describe anyone who adopts an apparent innovation as an innovator, and they have degrees of innovation. They support a Muslim according to the extent of their Islam, and disassociate from them according to the extent of their innovation.The intervention (Madkhalis) established a principle that anyone who adopts a single innovation is called an innovator, and they fought against him. At the same time, you find them elevating many deniers of the highness of Allah to the rank of imams, so innovation to them is nothing but deviating from their stance on the issues they have agreed upon, such as discussions about rulers.

Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said: “The strange phenomenon of its influence is: ‘the symbol of surgeons’ or ‘the disease of doubt and lack of trust’ carried by a group of people who worship Allah on a whim. They cast aside the cloak of modesty and occupied themselves with the enticements of what appeared to them as a matter of virtue, but they deviated and misled. Everyone then donned the robes of criticism and correction, and they cloaked themselves with the desire for fault-finding, fabricating narratives, and clinging to threads of delusions. Through these means, they rode the wave of classifying others; for defamation, alienation, and diverting from the straight path.” (Categorizing people between suspicion and certainty, p.9)

He also said: “Oh Allah, how many are afflicted by the painful effects of this ‘Satanic function’; it inflicts severe wounds upon the soul, as it strays from the path of the believers. It becomes a detested, rejected, sinful function, waging war against oneself, one’s character, religion, and community. From every aspect of evil speech, it takes its share, sharing with slanderers, backbiters, gossipers, and liars who degrade the most precious possession of a Muslim: his creed and honor.” (Categorizing people between suspicion and certainty, p.23)

Rejecting Partisanship

Partisanship is the act of gathering.

Among Ahlul SunnahAmong the Madakhillah
The people of Sunnah and the community reject partisanship that takes the form of groups within the Ummah rallying around ideas or individuals that do not align with true faith and allegiance to Allah, His Messenger, and the correct religion. When the loyalty of its members is to the group, it leads to the division of the Ummah. Therefore, the people of the Sunnah reject the extremist faction because their zealousness for their leaders and their ideas has turned them into a faction.The intervention (Madkhali sect) utilized this in rejecting only political parties, while the interventionists themselves are a faction that holds allegiance and disavowal based on their own ideologies and theories – as will be explained later – and this is the reason why the people of Sunnah are wary of them.

Obedience to the Ruler

Among Ahlul SunnahAmong the Madakhillah
Obedience to the Muslim Ruler within the bounds of Islamic law is a fundamental principle of the Sunnah, enjoined by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).The Madakahillah extended this to the extent that they implicated themselves in innovation. They deemed anyone who criticized any action of the ruler as an innovator. One of them even said that if the ruler were to commit adultery for half an hour daily on television, no one would be allowed to criticize him unless they were present with him.

Moreover, they went further in innovation, reaching an even more disgraceful and abhorrent level, which is declaring forbidden and innovating against anyone who criticizes any societal phenomenon contrary to Sharia if the ruler approves of it. An example of this is their description of those who criticized the season of dancing and immodesty called the Riyadh Season, labeling the critics as outsiders.

This applies to the countries where their adherents reside, while we find their adherent Muhammad Sa’id Raslan fighting against the rulers of Muslim countries like Qatar and Turkey without any condemnation or declaration of innovation against him from any of them [0]. Instead, they defended him and innovated principles in that regard.

Allegiance and Disavowal

Among Ahlul SunnahAmong the Madakahillah
This is a great Islamic principle, which is loyalty to Islam and its people, and enmity towards disbelief and its people.The Madakahillah base allegiance and disavowal on their adherents. If someone praises their adherents and becomes affiliated with them, they say, “He is Salafi.” But if someone criticizes their adherents explicitly or implicitly, even if they are amongst the most committed to the Sunnah, they accuse him of belonging to a group that they condemn. They focus on extracting every mistake he makes, every slip of the tongue, or anything he retracts from, unless he admits to following their adherents. Similarly, if someone shows praise or compassion for one of their opponents, they declare war against him.

And if someone neither praises them nor speaks about them, they say, “His affairs are suspicious.”

Clarification of the Truth

Among Ahlul SunnahAmong the Madakahillah
The people of Sunnah (Ahlul Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah) enjoin good and forbid evil, and they clarify the truth, which they do in various ways:

– They may refute an error and openly manifest disapproval of a hypocrite or a proponent of innovation.
– Or they may refute an error while identifying its proponent if they are calling to it, while preserving their status, and mentioning their virtues if they are esteemed.
– Or they may refute an error without any reference to its proponent if it appears that the error occurred unintentionally in formulating the issue, and they are not calling to it.
– However, if the error stems from a slip of the tongue, pen, misunderstanding, or misconception, while the people of Sunnah do indeed point out the error, they also command to conceal the mistake of the individual who made it and not to expose it to the people.		For the Madakhillah, errors are divided into two categories:

1. Errors committed by their group members. In such cases, it is incumbent upon them to cover up the mistake of the individual, defend them, and sometimes even justify the error. In fact, this error may be considered in line with the Sunnah if it involves one of the viewpoints of the group.

2. Errors committed by individuals who are not part of their group. In this case, it is their duty to amplify the mistake, even if it is minor, expose it to the public, and criticize the person who made it.

Abdul Mohsen al-Abbad said: “Amongst those who are criticized are those whose benefit is great, whether through lessons, writing, or sermons. They are warned against simply because little is known about them or a certain group. Criticism and warnings have even reached those who have immense benefit and great efforts in promoting and disseminating the Sunnah and inviting to it, in some Arab countries. Undoubtedly, warning against such individuals hinders the path between students of knowledge and those who can benefit from them in knowledge and manners.” – “Be Kind, O People of the Sunnah, to the People of the Sunnah” p.46.

Among the Innovations of the Madakhillah

The Stance of Hostility towards Muslims over Kuffar

Allah the Almighty says: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful amongst themselves.” [Suratul Fath 48:29] . However, with the Madkhalis, we find them being more forceful against Muslims and the people of Sunnah. We do not find this same intensity towards disbelievers. Instead, their division of the ranks of the people of Sunnah serves the interests of disbelievers.

Categorization:

This involves assigning a specific name to their opponents and attributing them to a particular individual, even though most of their adversaries are not actually followers of anyone. It is an attempt to deceive people into thinking that the opponent is not from the people of Sunnah. As Imam Ahmad said: “I have seen people of desires, innovations, and disagreements labeling the people of Sunnah with ugly, hateful names in order to highlight their faults, 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 of this include:

  • (Al-Hajuriyah) attributed to Yahya al-Hajuri.
  • (Al-Qutbiyah) attributed to Sayyid Qutb.
  • (Al-Haddadiyah) attributed to Mahmoud Haddad.
  • (Al-Halabiyyah) attributed to Ali al-Halabi.
  • (Al-Surooriyah) attributed to Muhammad Suroor.

And many more titles, they attribute them to individuals who are not affiliated with that person. They might seize on a phrase of praise for someone who opposes them, or relay a statement or justify him in a certain situation, yet simultaneously disassociate themselves from him, not considering him a scholar. This has even led to the public disavowal of Mahmoud Haddad by Hisham al-Bayli, and the exaggeration in praising Rabee al-Madkhali and explaining his messages. All this did not avail him because he criticizes Muhammad Sa’id Raslan, so they still call him “Al-Haddadi.”

Testing people by individuals.

And this is an innovation among the innovations of the Khawarij al-Azraqah, then practiced by the Shia, then the Mu’tazilites, and today by the Madakhillah.

Sheikh Abdul Mohsen al-Abbad said [Message urging adherence to the Sunnah, warning against innovations, and explaining their danger].

The Innovation of Testing People by Individuals.

From the reprehensible innovations that have occurred in this time is the examination of some from among the people of the Sunnah by others with regard to individuals, whether the motive behind the examination is to disparage a person being examined or to praise another person. If the result of the examination conforms to what the examiner intended, then he is welcomed, praised, and lauded. Otherwise, his fate is condemnation, vilification, abandonment, and warning. Regarding this, we say about Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, in the beginning of this, that he would vilify individuals in examinations, while at the end of it, he would vilify others in examinations to praise them. He, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his Majmu’ al-Fatawa (3/413-414) in his speech about Yazid ibn Muawiya: “The correct view is what the Imams have stated, that he is not singled out for love or condemnation. However, if he was a sinner or an oppressor, Allah forgives the sinner and the oppressor, especially if he brought forth great virtues. It is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet, may peace be upon him, said: ‘The first army to conquer Constantinople will be forgiven.’ The first army to conquer it was led by their commander Yazid ibn Muawiya, with Abu Ayyub al-Ansari with him. It is obligatory to economize in this matter, and to turn away from mentioning Yazid ibn Muawiya and examining the Muslims by him. Indeed, this is from the innovations that oppose the people of the Sunnah and the community.”

He also said (3/415): “Likewise, distinguishing between the community and examining them with what Allah and His Messenger did not command.”

And he said (20/164): “No one should appoint a person for the community who calls to his way, allies and opposes based on it, nor should they appoint for them speech that allies with him and opposes other than the speech of Allah and His Messenger and what the community has agreed upon. Rather, this is from the actions of the innovators who appoint for them a person or speech that divides the community, they ally with it over that speech or association, and oppose it.”

And he said (28/15-16): “So, if a teacher or professor has ordered the boycott of a person or has wasted him, dropped him, or expelled him, etc., it should be considered: If he committed a Sharia sin, he should be punished according to his sin without increase. If he did not commit a Sharia sin, he should not be punished for anything because of the teacher’s or other’s purpose.

Teachers should not factionalize people and do what causes enmity and hatred among them, but should be like brothers cooperating in righteousness and piety, as Allah Almighty said: { And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. }

If people were to undergo an examination with a person in this time to know who among them is from the people of the Sunnah or others through this examination, the most deserving and the first for this would be the Sheikh of Islam and the Mufti of the world, the Imam of the people of the Sunnah in his time, our Sheikh Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, who died on the 27th of Muharram in the year 1420 AH, may Allah have mercy on him, forgive him, and give him a great reward. He was known by the private and public for his vast knowledge, abundant benefit, truthfulness, kindness, compassion, and keenness on guiding people and directing them. We reckon him as such and we do not sanctify anyone over Allah; he was indeed following a distinguished methodology in calling to Allah and teaching people goodness, enjoining them with what is right, and forbidding them from what is wrong. His advice and responses to others were characterized by kindness and gentleness. He followed a sound methodology that corrected the people of the Sunnah and did not oppose them, he supported them without opposing them, and he raised them without demeaning them. It was a methodology that brought together without dividing, united without tearing apart, guided without scattering, facilitated without making difficult. Those who are occupied with seeking knowledge are in dire need of following this sound path and great methodology because it brings goodness to Muslims and protects them from harm.

And he also said

“It is not permissible for any student of knowledge to examine another by taking a stance on someone who is approved or disapproved of. If one agrees, he is accepted, and if not, he is accused of innovation and ostracized. No one should attribute to the people of the Sunnah such chaos in ostracism and abandonment. Nor should anyone describe those who do not follow this chaotic approach as diluting the methodology of the Salaf.

A Message of Gentleness to the People of the Sunnah

One of the most famous things they examine people with is asking them about Sayyid Qutb. Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen specifically commented on this innovation of theirs, saying:

“It should be noted that this book (i.e., “Shadows of the Quran”) is not a tafsir (Quranic exegesis), as its author mentioned. He said, ‘Shadows of the Quran.’

It is incumbent upon students of knowledge not to make this man or others a cause for discord and dissension among them, and that loyalty and disavowal should be for or against him.

Al-Da’wah Magazine – Issue 1591 – 9 Muharram 1418 AH, then signed by Sheikh Mohammed on 24/2/142

Permission to Insult and Slander Those Who Innovated.

This has become known as the Raslani trend. As for the rest, we have known about their bad speech but without obscenity in words. However, the followers of Raslan have learned foul language by following their sheikh, Muhammad Sa’id Raslan, so we see them treating their opponents only with insults using inappropriate words, contrary to the methodology and ethics of Muslims. What exacerbates the matter is that they justify this by collecting some errors of scholars to claim that insulting is a characteristic of Muslims!

Following the Mistakes of the Scholars.

Abdul Mohsen Al-Abbad said: Amongst the people of the Sunnah in this era are those whose concern and preoccupation are tracking errors and searching for them, whether in books or tapes. Then, they warn against those who have fallen into any of these errors. Among these errors, for example, is his cooperation with an association by giving lectures or participating in seminars. This association, for instance, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on them, used to give lectures to it via telephone. He is criticized for entering into a matter that these two great scholars have already given a verdict on, and accusing a person of holding an opinion is more significant than accusing him of holding someone else’s opinion, especially if the opinion was given by eminent scholars. Some of the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, used to say: “O people! Accuse the opinion in religion.” [Gentleness of the People of Sunnah towards the People of Sunnah, p. 45]

Their War against Ahlul Sunnah

They engaged in vilifying the people of Sunnah, warning against them, distorting their words, and tracking their errors, thus becoming at war with the people of Sunnah and all who propagate it. Sheikh Bakr Abu Zaid said, “And from this baseless standpoint, they immersed their tongues in a rubble of illusions and sins, then spread them by issuing judgments against them, casting doubts on them, tarnishing them, accusing them, erasing their virtues, slandering them, dispersing them into fragments and factions in their beliefs, behaviors, innermost thoughts, actions, the depths of their hearts, explaining their intentions… All of this and more from the perditions flows on both sides, the religious classification and the non-religious.” [Tasneef al-Naas Bayn al-Dhann wa al-Yaqeen p.9]

He also said: “And if they excavated in the lands, searched for faults among the people, and found no slip or fault, they would fabricate faults for them and invent slips, based on vague resemblances and possible words.

But if all their efforts failed in all of this, they accused him of being a hypocrite, neutral, or other types of insults by the seekers of discord and division, tearing apart unity and connection. This phenomenon has led to ruin in another aspect, through the proliferation of insinuating questions – with a malicious smile – about so-and-so, and such-and-such, and exaggerating in probing into his intentions and purposes. So, when they see a “shaykh” bowing his knees for a lesson and they don’t find any flaw in him, they delve into his intentions.” [Tasneef al-Naas Bayn al-Dhann wa al-Yaqeen p.10]

And he said: “Thus, in a flowing torrent streaming on tongues like swords, their habit is to lie in ambush, attacking the vulnerabilities, murmuring dissent, widening the wounds of the nation, eroding trust in the scholars of the religion, assassinating the merits among its individuals, severing its bonds based on threads of illusions and disputes without evidence, leading to trials knocking on doors, striking the confidence in the backbone of the nation from the best of its servants. So, how wretched is the refuge, and how wretched is the hobby, and woe to them on the day when secrets are exposed on the Day of Resurrection.” [Tasneef al-Naas Bayn al-Dhann wa al-Yaqeen p.17]

Their Methods in Promoting Their Doctrine

Attribution to salafiyyah

After the true Salafi scholars spread correct thought and sound religion among the people, hearts became attached to the Quran and Sunnah, and to those who understood them correctly from the righteous Salaf. This group took the name Salafism and repeated it extensively, branding themselves with it on book covers and internet pages, to deceive people into thinking that they are the Salafis.

Polishing their symbols

Sheikh Bakr Abu Zaid said: “If these are slanders in the context of criticism, they are met with blatant flattery in the context of false praise, by elevating people above their status, rectifying the criticized, and defending their actions, even if one of them commits an act. And if the criticism is baseless, granting privileges without right corrupts morals, brings arrogance and superiority, and misleads the ignorant about those who harm them in their religion and worldly affairs. Hence, you see the wise denounce these trivial privileges, and their souls reject this imported foreign filth.” [Classifying People Between Suspicion and Certainty p.16]

Affiliation
This is a method to promote their views, so you find them interjecting the names of their advocates among the names of the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah to deceive the reader into thinking they are among them. For example, they say, “The scholars such as Ibn Baz, Rabi’ al-Madkhali, and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said such and such,” or if “al-Mudakhilah” is mentioned, they say, “There is no Madakhilah or ‘Uthmaniyah, all of them are Ahl al-Sunnah,” and this is a method they use to imply that their situation is like that of the scholars.

Meanwhile, they associate names of those who do not agree with them with names that have been previously stigmatized, saying “So-and-so al-Qutbi,” attributing it to Sayyid Qutb, or “So-and-so al-Ikhwan,” referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, or “So-and-so al-Haddadi,” referring to Mahmoud Haddad the Egyptian, or “So-and-so al-Halabi,” referring to Ali al-Halabi the Jordanian, – and the list goes on – this is after they have stigmatized many of those mentioned and authored more books about them than they did about the Quran and Sunnah. So, if they wanted to condemn a person from the extremists like themselves, they associated him with Mahmoud Haddad or Ali al-Halabi, and if he was not from the extremists, they associated him with the Muslim Brotherhood or Sayyid Qutb or the Khawarij, even if he clearly contradicts them.

recommendations and praise

When they couldn’t find a justification for their war against the people of Sunnah, they started spreading endorsements for their senior figure, Rabee Al-Madkhali, by some scholars so they could use them to strengthen their position and promote their doctrine on their shoulders. All these endorsements were given before Rabee took the path of defamation and criticism, as clarified by Ali Al-Halabi. But after he revealed this, they searched for any words to try to polish his image, so they took words from Abdul Mohsen Al-Abbad when he praised him but criticized his approach in defamation and division in the same audio clip. They took the praise and ignored the flaw. Similarly, they took a segment where Saleh Al-Fawzan was asked if he said Rabee was a Murji’ and he denied saying that. They considered it an endorsement and began citing it to support their approach in combating the people of Sunnah, even though he explicitly disassociated himself from their approach.

The proponents

The most important and famous proponents, who are considered as leaders, are:

  • Rabee Al-Madkhali, who is their main figurehead.
  • Mohammed Al-Madkhali.
  • Ubaid Al-Jabri.
  • Mohammed Sa’id Raslan.
  • Abdullah bin Abdulrahim Al-Bukhari.
  • Yahya Al-Najmi.
  • Ahmed Bazmoul.

Warning from the Scholars About Them and Their Approach

Those who warned against them by name:

Those who warned against their methodology:

Divisions Within Their Ranks

There is no doubt that those who deviate from the fundamentals of Sunnah inevitably experience fragmentation and division within their faction. Among the notable divisions that have occurred among them: the rebellion of Dr. Hamid al-Qa’ra against Rabee al-Madkhali after being one of his students, [], and the most prominent and challenging split was that of Mahmoud Lotfy Amer, after being closely associated with Rabee al-Madkhali, he started describing them as a party, and refuting them []. The same applies to Fawzi al-Bahraini, who has produced numerous audio and written responses to his sheikh Rabee, going as far as describing him as an outsider [0].

Books Categorized Within them

  • “Categorizing People between Suspicion and Certainty” by Bakr Abu Zaid
  • “Kindness of Sunnis towards Sunnis” by Abdul Mohsen Al-Abbad
  • “The Drawn Swords Crowned” by Fawzi Al-Bahraini (Read)
  • A book compiling 60 errors in creed by Mohammed Saeed Raslan, link: https://goo.gl/h88DKS
  • “The Clear Revelation of the Darkness of Rabee Al-Madkhali” https://goo.gl/pY9b27
  • “Exposing the Fallacies in the Speech of Rabee Al-Madkhali” by Abu Al-Hasan Al-Sulaymani (Download and Read)
  • [Other Books]

Insulting Their Symbols with the Rulings of the Muslims

While they consider any criticism of what rulers do as innovation, it has been confirmed by the voice of Rabee Al-Madkhali to generally insult the rulers of Islamic countries except for the ruler of Saudi Arabia.

Insulting Rabee Al-Madkhali by Muhammad Al-Madkhali.

Rabee Al-Madkhali alleges that Mohammed bin Hadi Al-Madkhali criticizes scholars without evidence [0].

Translated from: https://mshmsdin.com/archives/99

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