Imam al albani & politics

http://www.fatwaislam.com/fis/index.cfm?scn=fd&ID=70 To what degree should a Muslim be concerned with politics? Question: To what degree is a Muslim to be concerned with politics today, within it's Islaamic guidelines? Answer: If what is intended by "politics" is the administering of the ummah, then the reality is that politics is not from the acts of one individual from the people of the ummah, but rather, it is from the duties of the Muslim State. This is if the objective behind politics, as we stated before, is the administering of the ummah and the managing of its concerns in order to rectify what is in it from its religious and worldly affairs. So if this is what is intended by "politics", then this is fard kifaayah (a collective obligation). However, it is not for those people who are not in control of the state or of the rule, nor for those who can neither produce benefit nor cause harm. As for obtaining the news to be aware of the state of affairs and the weakness the Muslims are in, and in order to avoid this outcome, then as we say, this is from the tasfiyah (purification) and the tarbiyah (educating) – purifying Islaam from what has entered into it and focusing on educating the Muslims and bringing them up on this purified Islam. So knowing these general circumstances, which encompass the Muslims, is a must for the matter is as the old Arab poet has stated, taking his meaning from an authentic hadeeth:"I learned evil not for the sake of evil, but to avoid it And whoever doesn't know good from evil, he will fall into it." This is derived from a hadeeth – and I mean by it, the hadeeth of Hudhaifah Ibn Al-Yamaan, radyAllaahu 'anhumaa, which is reported in the Saheehs of Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. He, radyAllaahu 'anhumaa, said: "The people used to ask Allaah's Messenger, sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, about the good, but I used to ask him about the evil for fear of it reaching me." So being aware of what the Muslims are upon from humiliation and weakness in order to turn them away from that towards using the means of knowledge, strength and power, this is an obligation from the many obligations. As for engaging at length in obtaining news, knowledge of battles and western politics, then this is from the aspect of: "Knowledge of something is better than being ignorant of it." This is something that we do not forsake. However, at the same time, we must not be very enthusiastic and fanatical about it. This is since the Prophet, sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, did not establish the affair of his Companions on knowing and following precisely, the news of his enemies to the same extent as he, sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, used to focus on teaching his Companions from one perspective and cultivating them on Allaah's command from another perspective. This is our belief concerning politics based on their two categories, which we have mentioned previously. Shaykh Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaanee Al-Asaalah No. 18 Translated by Ismaal Alarcon

Imam al albani & paper

Shaikh Mashoor Hasan said, “Our Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, charged me with reviewing some of the volumes of As-Silsilah ad-Da’eefah before it was printed … he gave me the fifth volume of Ad-Da’eefah. So I took the volume from him [which was written] in his own handwriting before it was printed.
When I took it out of the bag [it was in] and saw it I started to cry. The Shaikh asked me, “What is wrong with you?” So I didn’t say anything, and the Shaikh saw the tears in my eyes. The Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, had written the fifth volume of Ad-Da’eefah on gift paper, and on the paper bags used for sugar and rice, the red [paper] bags which the people would weigh sugar and rice in. So the Shaikh said to me, “I used to have thread which I would place in ink. Then I would place this thread on the paper and so the paper would become lined.” And he said, “I didn’t have any money to buy paper with.””

Transl. note: The fifth volume of Ad-Da’eefah which is printed is 524 pages long. Taken from this lecture of Shaikh Mashhoor in Arabic, at the 67th minute: Writing on gift paper …