Question from Tunisia:
It is observed in our country that some of the youth of the upcoming generation are influenced by the elder brothers in their neighborhood or area without any connection to the scholars. Then, when a fitnah (trial or tribulation) comes, you find these youth acting according to the guidance of those elder brothers. So, what is your advice to the youth?
Shaykh ‘Arafāt ibn Ḥasan:
There is no doubt that the fault here is not with the youth, because a person is brought up based upon how they were nurtured and cultivated by those who taught and instructed them. So, you who have recognized this error—that the youth are being nurtured upon taqlīd (blind-following) and not being nurtured with returning back to the scholars nor reading the scholars' fatwas, and understanding what the scholars have said— so it is the duty of those who are aware of this to advise them, remind them, and alert them to the seriousness of this matter. And they should clarify to them that those elder brothers are students of knowledge, whether they are longstanding or not (in da‘wah). The fact that someone has been involved in da‘wah for many years does not mean he is the one we refer back to, the one who commands and forbids, and the one who issues fatwas about nawāzil (critical contemporary issues affecting the Ummah) and arising matters. So, my advice to them is to learn knowledge from its [qualified] people. Perhaps, these elder brothers may not even be students of knowledge nor among the rightful people [of knowledge]. They have been granted steadfastness (in the religion by the permission of Allāh) and have merit in that, but they are far from knowledge. If they were upon true knowledge, they would not have caused these youth to attach themselves exclusively to them and knowing no one else except them. This is wrong and incorrect! Those who have realized or understood the reality of this must denounce it and clarify it. They should also spend time with these young ones and explain to them the reality of this matter, and [explain] that Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah refer back to the major well-grounded scholars—the people of righteousness and knowledge, virtue and worship, those whose beards have turned grey in adherence to the Sunnah. And, in-shā'-Allāh, if they hear such advice, they will benefit.
Source: https://t.me/Arafatbinhassan/11516
Translation: Yasin ibn Jamal