Over the years, Shaykh Asrar Rashid has attempted on many occasions to sit with the opponents and and discuss principle matters pertaining to aqeedah, but to no avail. However, this finally came to fruition when Ustadh Abdul Rahman Hassan and his team called out Shaykh Asrar Rashid for a debate. Subsequently after both parties agreed terms and conditions of a Tawasul debate in London (18/05/16), the debate took place at the Marriott Hotel, London, Heathrow on the 21/05/16.
The entire debate has been uploaded, and left unedited. Key points pertaining to the debate are listed below alongside several conditions that were broken by Abdul Rahman and team:
1. A person from his crowd shouted first at Shaykh Asrar
2. The people with Abdul Rahman shouted takbir first which was against the conditions
3. Abdul Rahman was not reading from original sources but secondary sources. This was against the conditions.
4. The co debator Abu Taymiyah broke the agreement and released small clips before the entire video is out.
5. Abdul Rahman continuously interjected while Shaykh Asrar spoke. This was against the conditions.
6. Clause 7 and 8 didn't mention about whether istighatha was permitted during the worldly life of the Prophet alayhisalam. Abdul Rahman believes it is, so technicaly Shaykh Asrar won. This is mentioned in the debate.
7. Abdul Rahman did not even have the original Tabarani hadith work which he was criticising. Shaykh Asrar gave it to him. Abdul Rahman copying from non original sources.
8. Abdul Rahman kept misquoting Shaykh Asrar's stance. At one point he had to apologise for doing so.
9. Abdul Rahman was the main source of digression by continuously bringing up the Asharis.
10. Abdul Rahman was unable to show the statement of 'hayy, qadir and hadir' from an original work of the salaf but instead was using Ibn Taymiyya's work.
11. Abdul Rahman was unable to show the criticism of the narrators from the original works. He was reading from a booklet. Shaykh Asrar had all the jarh and tadil works even the ones Abdul Rahman hadn't heard of like Kashif of Imam Dhahabi.
12. Abdul Rahman attempted to correct Shaykh Asrar on pronunciation of Arabic words but Shaykh Asrar corrected him on Quran and at one point where he made a verb mudaf and the noun majrur!
13. Follow the debate and you will note that Abdul Rahman avoids many of Shaykh Asrar's but Shaykh Asrar counters all his points.
14. Abdul Rahman attempts to say the hadith presented by Shaykh Asrar are mawdu' when not even Salafi scholars say this.
15. This is an important point. They admit the Prophet alayhisalam is alive in the grave but yet they make it seem the debate is about the dead generally.