Bootee: I said, "What evidence is there that that's what he meant? Why don't you just say the author was mistaken?"

Salafee: He insisted that the expression was correct, that it should be understood as containing an unexpressed condition and he exonerated the reader from any mistake in it.

Let us read what really happened. Shaykh Eed writes:

Al-Bootee asked me about my opinion concerning the words of al-Ma`soomee in his book: that whosoever clings firmly to a specific madh-hab in every issue is a partisan and mistaken, performing taqleed in a blind fashion.

My reply to him was: "What I understand from this book [as a whole], in the light of various evidences, that al-Ma`soomee meant that whosoever follows a specific madh-hab in every issue while believing that Allaah had obligated this upon him [then he is a partisan...]. One part of his book explains the other and as a whole it shows that he is attacking partisanship to a particular madh-hab and rejecting the condition of those who have come across that which contradicts the Book and Sunnah in their madh-hab and they are from those people who have the ability to investigate and study [in a scholarly fashion] yet despite this they turn away from the Book and Sunnah and stick to the stance of their madh-hab." Even after all of this I said to him: "It would have been upon al-Ma`soomee to further clarify this for in this sentence of his there is [some] deficiency."

However this is what he quoted from me: "there is [some] deficiency in this sentence" and said after this: "but the man persisted in claiming that the sentence was correct and that it was to be understood in the sense that the governing words had been omitted and that al-Ma`soomee was free of any error in it."

I bring Allaah to witness that this is a complete lie and I do not know how his contradictory quotes from me could ever stand in the mind of an intelligent person, especially when they are only two lines apart! Does al-Bootee not give any respect to the minds of the intelligent who would clearly see this contradictory [quote] and reject it?! Is it possible that a Muslim would say that anyone other than the Messengers and Prophets were free of any error?!

THE THIRD LIE:

Al-Bootee writes as quoted by Keller:

Bootee: "A young man, newly religious, without any Islaamic education, reads the word of Allaah Most High, "To Allaah belongs the place where the sun rises and where it sets: wherever you turn there is the countenance of Allaah. Verily Allaah is the All-encompassing, the All-knowing." [Qur`an 2:115] and gathers from it that a Muslim may face any direction he wishes in his prescribed prayers as the ostensive purport of the verse implies. But he has heard that the four Imams unanimously concur upon the necessity of his facing the Kaaba, and he knows that they have evidences for it that he is unaware of. What should he do when he wants to pray? Should he follow the Imams who unanimously concur on the contrary of what he understood?"

Salafee: "He should follow his conviction."

Bootee: "And pray towards the east for example. And his prayer would be legally valid?"

Salafee: "Yes. He is morally responsible for following his personal conviction."

....

Bootee: "I intend to publish these remarks of yours. They are dangerous and strange."

Salafee: "Publish whatever you want. I'm not afraid."

Bootee: "How should you be afraid of me when you are not afraid of Allaah Mighty and Majestic, utterly discarding by these words the word of Allaah Might and Majestic 'Ask those who recall if you know not.' [Qur`an 16:43]"

Let us see what really was said. Shaykh Eed writes:

The example that al-Bootee brought, in which he exaggerated and shouted, was to consider the case of a youth who recited the saying of Allaah, "To Allaah belongs the East and West so wheresoever you turn there is the Face of Allaah." He distorted the discussion, omitted part of it and deliberately distorted the understanding of my answer such that he totally altered the context of this discussion.

To explain, he asked me about the ruling of the one who heard the above mentioned verse and understood from it that he could face any direction in prayer. It reached him that the Four Imaams had said that it was obligatory to face the Qiblah only, however their evidence for this did not reach him. Then he stood to pray - where should he face?

I asked: does this youth understand Arabic well? He [al-Bootee] said: "yes, like yourself."

I said: then let him look just a little after this verse for he will find His saying, "so turn your face in the direction of the Holy Mosque."

He said: Let us assume that he has only heard this verse and he does not have the Mus-haf with him.