The Ruling on Books That Contradict the Methodology of the Salaf in Creed and Their Promotion

Question:
May Allah keep you safe. Here is a question I would like to raise, hoping that Your Eminence’s answer will satisfy the heart and awaken many of the brothers. It has become widespread in our lands, which hold fast to the creed of the righteous Salaf and which received their knowledge from the righteous Salaf and from evidence based on the legitimate proofs from the Book and the Sunnah in creed, rulings, and other matters. New ideas and schools of thought have become prevalent among them, where they establish schools and ideas that the scholars of these lands used to condemn and declare the people of those ideas to be misguided, just as is happening in some places. I do not say all the brothers; there are many good people among the brothers, but some of them have books in which they establish the school of the Mu'tazilah. The school of the Mu'tazilah is still condemned by our scholars, who affirm that it is not among the correct schools of thought and that it contradicts the school of the righteous Salaf. In some other issues, such as the vision of Allah, and the other attributes, the vision and all the attributes of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), they do not affirm except the seven attributes. Although our jurists have some of this in that they did not affirm certain things in the past, that position is the weaker one and is not practiced in our lands. What is your opinion on the prevalence of these books and their followers? Is it obligatory to condemn them and warn about them and about the errors contained in them?

Answer:
There is no doubt that it is obligatory to read them; it is obligatory to read all books that call for what is contrary to the methodology of the Salaf al-Salih (the earliest generations), such as the schools of the Asha'irah, the Mu'tazilah, the Jahmiyyah, and the Rafidah. It is obligatory to warn against them, to read them, and to warn against them, for this is contrary to the methodology of the Salaf al-Salih. It is obligatory that they not be spread; rather, it is obligatory to point them out and warn against them, because they call to falsehood. As for the fact that some scholars may err, everyone may err. A great, well-known scholar from the people of the Sunnah and the community may err in some issues, or in the figurative interpretation of some attributes. One responds to him and clarifies his error, without expelling him from the people of the Sunnah and the community. It may happen that a scholar who is from the people of the Sunnah and the community makes a mistake in one of the rulings, such as Malik, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, Abu Hanifah, al-Zuhri, or al-Thawri. These are mistakes that are attributed to their author, but he is from the people of the Sunnah. One or two mistakes in some of the rulings, or in the likening of some attributes, do not expel him, even though he is with the people of the Sunnah in affirming the attributes in a manner befitting Allah, but he erred in something like the hadith: "Rather, draw near to Him by drawing near to Him with fullness," where some of the Sunnah is interpreted figuratively, or "I have heard that Allah does not withhold until you are filled." These are mistakes. It is obligatory to affirm them as they came, and not to interpret them figuratively. Rather, it is said about them what is said about the others: We believe in them in a manner befitting Allah, we do not liken them, we do not say your fatigue is like the fatigue of the created, nor your coming is like the coming of the created, nor your descending is like the descending of the created. Rather, all of them are befitting Allah in a manner befitting Allah, and no one knows their modality except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). Yes., and drawing near to Him by drawing near to Him with fullness, where some of the Sunnah is interpreted figuratively, or "I have heard that Allah does not withhold until you are filled." These are mistakes. It is obligatory to affirm them as they came, and not to interpret them figuratively. Rather, it is said about them what is said about the others: We believe in them in a manner befitting Allah, we do not liken them, we do not say your fatigue is like the fatigue of the created, nor your coming is like the coming of the created, nor your descending is like the descending of the created. Rather, all of them are befitting Allah in a manner befitting Allah, and no one knows their modality except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). Yes.