Being Trustworthy in conveying the knowledge

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسـول الله، وبعد

Being trustworthy is the adornment of `ilm and its soul which bears pure fruits, delicious in taste. If one were to look into the biographies of learned men, one would see that trustworthiness would be the distinguishing factor between them and those other than them.

Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaa`ah set a lofty example in this regards, for they are the most trustworthy in terms of `ilm and they are the most swift people towards it.

The most obvious example that can be seen about their trustworthiness is in their following the narrations (i.e. the Book and the Sunnah) and their distancing themselves from fabrications, or inventing matters in religion or mutilating the text or distorting its meaning. When they quote something even though it is against their views, they will report it as it is, completely (without distortion). They will not limit themselves in quoting only that which agrees to their views and leave off that which goes against them. Rather, they’ll quote the whole of it. So if it (the quote) is true (and authentic), they’ll accept it; if it is false, they’ll refute it. So they accept the truth and refute the falsehood and all of that based on conclusive evidences and clear proofs.

They will not involve themselves in narrating stories and other narrations which have no basis. But they will narrate texts which are For and Against them. They will return to the truth if it is made clear to them. They will only issue Fatwa and make judgments based on the knowledge they have.

They eagerly attribute the statements to those who said them; they don’t attribute them to those who did not say them (i.e. they do not take credit for the works of others).

As for the people of desires, then don’t ask about their negligence in this issue, for they are the people who follow their desires the most, chase doubtful and unclear matters, beautify falsehood, use false reasoning, will cut short the text or the quotes (quoting only which agrees to their views), call towards that which opposes the text, fanatic towards a Madhhab, opposing the consensus, attributing the text to someone other than its rightful author, distorting the words from their proper usages and other than this.

Adopted from the Book:

عقيدة أهل السنة والجماعة

تأليف الشيخ: محمد بن إبراهيم الحمد

تقديم سماحة الشيخ عبد العزيز ابن باز رحمه الله