السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
الحمد لله و الصلاة و السلام على رسول الله و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين و من تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.
This note is a quick answer to those people who say that we can’t take Ilm from Shaikh Al-Albani because he had no teachers-
1. Sh. Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albani Rahimahullah was from the house of a Hanafi Mufti, Shaikh Nuh Najati Al-Hanafi Al-Albani Rahimahullah- who was his father- and Mufti of Albania. His father was his first teacher in many sciences of Islam.
2. Shaykh Muhammad Raaghib At-Tabbaakh, the Muhaddith of Halab (Aleppo,Syria) had given Sh.Al-Albani an Ijaazah to narrate Hadith from him.
3. Sh.Al-Albani was put in charge of teaching the subject of Hadith in the Islamic University of Madeenah at the time of its inception for the length of three years, beginning from the year 1381H, by none other than Shaikh Abdul-Azeez bin Abdullah bin Baaz, the former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. This is a Tazkiyyah and praise by itself.
(Shaikh Ibn Baaz was an established Aalim and Mufti in his own right, who studied under the giants of his time- and if Sh.Ibn Baaz entrusts the Hadith department to Sh.Al-Albani, this shows how much the great Allamah, Ibn Baaz, trusted Sh.Al-Albani.)
Also-
During his lifetime, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh, ‘Abdul-’Azeez Ibn Baaz (rahimahullaah) said:
“I have not seen under the surface of the sky a person knowledgeable of the Hadeeth in our current time the likes of the great scholar, Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen al-Albaani.”
And he (rahimahullaah) was asked about the hadeeth of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam):
“Indeed Allaah raises up from this ummah at the beginning of every century someone who will revive it for them (i.e. a mujaddid).”
So he was asked who is the mujaddid of this century? He replied:
“Shaykh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen al-Albaani. He is the mujaddid in my opinion and Allaah knows best.”
4. Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez al-Hudda said: “The Shaykh, the great scholar, the ocean (of knowledge), Muhammad Al-Ameen Ash-Shanqeetee (rahimahullaah) – the one whom no one’s knowledge of the Science of Tafseer and the Arabic Language was comparable to his during his lifetime – used to respect Shaykh Al-Albani so remarkably to the point that when he would see him passing by, and he was giving his class in the masjid of Madeenah, he would stop his class to stand and give Salaam to him out of respect for him.”
5. Shaykh Muqbil Ibn Haadee al-Waadi’ee, who is an Aalim by himself, and holds a Phd in Hadith and Masters in Sharia and Hadith, (rahimahullaah) said:
“Indeed, there cannot be found an equal in terms of the knowledge of Hadeeth like that of Shaykh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen al-Albaani. Allaah has given benefit through his knowledge and his books numerous times more than what has been accomplished by those zealots for Islaam who act upon ignorance – those who organize reformation and revolutionary movements. And that which I sincerely believe and am convinced about is that the Shaykh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen al-Albaani is from the mujaddideen (reformers/revivers) whom the Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) spoke the truth of when he said:
’Indeed Allaah raises up from this ummah at the beginning of every century someone who will revive it for them (i.e. a mujaddid).’ Reported by Abu Daawood and authenticated by Al-‘Iraaqee and others.”
6. The above are just some Ulama who praised him as being an Aalim.
7. The ones who reject Sh.Al-Albani for ‘not being reliable because he didn’t study under the Ulama’ are those people, who also do not accept from Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah,Sh Ibn Al-Qayyim Sh. Ibn Baaz, Sh.Ibn Al-Uthaymeen etc.
The reason they reject Sh.Al-Albani is not because he had no teachers, because we see that they also reject other giant Salafi Ulama.
8. The actual reason is that Sh.Al-Albani was a staunch supporter of the Fiqh of following Hadith over absolute blind following. Sh.Al-Albani wasn’t a grave worshipping Sufi, neither was he supportive of Bidahs in the Den. Neither was he of the Ikhwanul-Muslimeen (Syed Qutub’s group) etc.
9. The ones who hate Sh.Al-Albani are either the Muqallideen who can’t accept the fact that Sh.Al-Albani pulled people out of blind following, and/or the extreme grave worshippers who can’t digest people leaving Shirk and Bidah after reading Sh.Al-Albani’s books, or someone from the Ahlul-Bidah who can’t stand up to the fact that Sh.Al-Albani worked hard against the Bidah of their forefathers.
10. Since they can’t refute and compete with his great service to the Ummah, they go ‘ad hominem’ and try to blame his personality to show that he is unreliable.
11. For the sake of argument, even if we agree that he was absolutely self taught and had zero teachers, why did the authentic scholars in his lifetime agree that he is a giant in the field of Hadith!?
What matters is that Sh.Al-Albani gained an upper level in Ilm-ul-Hadith, self taught or otherwise, and he reached the rank of the Ulama in his era and even surpassed some. Once he reached that level and the Ulama of his era accepted his calibre, it doesn’t matter how many teachers he had in the beginning.
12. The Mushrikeen of Arabia and the Jews, instead of accepting the truth and evidences that Nabiullahi Muhammad ﷺ brought, tried to character assassinate him, they kept asking how can someone like Muhammad ﷺ get the Prophethood when better people like themselves were available- Allah said:
ذَٰلِكَ فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤۡتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلۡفَضۡلِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ
That is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is the Owner of Mighty Grace. (-Sura Al-Jumu’ah, Ayah 4)
13. So don’t be jealous of Shaikh Al-Albani, rather agree with justice that Allah blessed him to carry the banner of Hadith in our era.
14. A final advice from The Quran-
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٰمِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَآءَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّكُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْۚ ٱعۡدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقۡرَبُ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do. (Sura Al-Ma’idah, Ayah 8)
15. The students and the admirers Sh.Al-Albani left behind are very clear that- like all Imams of the past Sh.Al-Albani was not infallible and Masoom. He was an Aalim and he may err sometimes, and any academic rectification of Sh.Al-Albani is always welcome.
This must be enough for the seeker of truth.
وآخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله رب العالمين.
-Abu Muaaz Mohammed Manna
(11th Oct 2020)
(Source of Ulamas’ quotes:
Saheehus-Seerah 