AL GHULUWW (EXAGGERATION) IN PRAISING SCHOLARS

By

Ibn 'Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

Sha'ban, 1438AH/May, 2017CE

In sha Allah, we wouldn't stop warning ourselves against ghulooww (exaggeration) in praising some of our past and present Babas. It is one of the smoothest ways towards kufr. Out of too much love for individuals, you will see our local Alfas praising their teachers and mentors beyond bounds. They make careless and untenable comments that could lead shirk if care is not taken. 

We were at a Waleematun Nikah of a cousin brother today where one of the lecturers at University of Ilorin was called upon to coordinate the 'aqd (joining together of the couples). In an attempt to praise their teachers and mentors, he said some prophets of Allah were not as strong as their teachers. While trying to compare their teachers with the prophets, he said some prophets had few followers and some didn't have followers at all. He said their teachers have numerous students who have graduated from their madrasahs.

It has been long I found myself in that kind of gathering. And it was a sad situation as we didn't find anyone who could challenge this dangerous assertion at the gathering. Had it being that it was the personality of one of the Babas that was tampered with in this manner, we could have seen people who would challenge him. But unfortunately, they love their Alfas more than they love the prophets. So, nobody talked. They consider those Babas saints who are beyond questioning. 

As a matter of fact, many of these people they are comparing with the prophets are not even from the people of Sunnah by virtue of 'aqeedah and other branches of the shari'ah. They made a lot mistakes and errors that ought to be corrected strongly without injustice. They are not close to the status of real scholarship in this Deen. They are no where near the Taabi'een رحمهم الله. They are not even close to the to Sohaabahs رضي الله عنهم, talk more of the prophets عليهم الصلاة والسلام. If knowledge of Arabic does not guide an individual towards Sunnah based Islaam, what kind of knowledge is that?

لماذا تعلمنا وما فضل علمنا ** إذا لم يفدنا كل ما نتعلم

Why do we study and what is the essence of our knowledge, if it does not benefit us, all that we had studied?