Shaikh Suhaib Hasan Abdul-Ghaffaar, hafizahullaah, head of the 'Noble Quraan Society' in London requested a verdict from the Committee of Major Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. So the reply was Fatwaa no. 18870 dated 11/6/1417H which corresponds to Wednesday the 23rd of October 1996, and it was signed by: (i) The noble Shaikh and prominent scholar Shaikh Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah ibn Baaz and (ii) Shaikh Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh and (iii) Shaikh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan and (iv) Shaikh Abdullaah ibn Abdur-Rahmaan al-Ghudayaan and (v) Shaikh Bakr ibn Abdullaah Aboo Zayd, hafizahumullaah wa Ayyadahum bifadlihi.
Note: The number of questions which Shaikh Suhaib put to the Committee of Major Scholars was two. The first of the questions from Shaikh Suhaib:
"Based upon the Saying of Allaah, the Most High:
Help you one another in al-Birr and at-Taqwaa,
but do not help one another in sin and transgression. Soorah al-Maaidah (5):2
It is said that it is obligatory to co-operate with all of the Islamic Jamaaahs, even though they differ with us with regard to methodologies and their way in giving dawah. So Jamaaatut-Tableegh has a way of giving dawah different to the way of the Ikhwaanul-Muslimeen and Hizbut-Tahreer and Jamaaatul-Jihaad and the Salafees. So how is this co-operation to be? And is it restricted for example to joint participation in conferences and gatherings? And what is to be the case when dawah is being given to non-Muslims, since confusion may be caused in the minds of new Muslims by the fact that each Jamaaah from these Jamaaahs will direct them to their own centres and their own scholars, which will confuse them. So how will it be possible to avert this matter?"
The Committee of Major Scholars replied:
"What is obligatory is to co-operate with the Jamaaah that proceeds upon the manhaj (methodology) of the Book and the Sunnah and that which the Salaf of the Ummah were upon in calling to the Tawheed of Allaah, the One free of all imperfections, and making worship purely and sincerely for Him, and warning against shirk and innovations and sins, and to advise the Jamaaahs that are contrary to that.
So if they return to what is correct, then they are to be co-operated with. But if they persist upon being contrary then it is obligatory to keep away from them and to adhere to the Book and the Sunnah.
Then co-operation with the Jamaaah that adheres to the manhaj (methodology) of the Book and the Sunnah will be upon everything that is good, righteousness and obedience to Allaah whether gatherings, conferences, lessons or lectures and in everything containing benefit for Islaam and the Muslims."