The Ruling on Those Who Claim That Reformers Change the Religion

Question:
And His power in this world and the Hereafter. So who was the one who gave sincere advice to Pharaoh? It was Musa (peace be upon him). And who was the one who deceived him? It was the people of Pharaoh, who misled him, deceived him, and advised him with that ugly advice. Yes. So I ask you to sit in prostration, and I hope you will record the religion as Allah the Exalted said: The reward

Answer:
Yes, this is a statement that continues to be repeated. When someone calls to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and to what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, they say, "This changes the religion of the people, it changes the religion of the Muslims." If he denies the worship of graves and shrines and denies bid'ah (religious innovations) and newly invented matters, they say, "This changes the religion of the people."
This changes the religion of the people; because, in their claim, the religion is what they inherited from their fathers and grandfathers, even if it contradicts what Allah revealed. This is the religion in their view: what they are accustomed to, and what their fathers and grandfathers followed. This is the criterion of the religion in their view. As for the criterion of the religion in the view of the awliya (close friends of Allah), it is what came in the Book of Allah and in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the correct criterion of the religion.
So when a reformer from among the reformers who call to the Book of Allah and to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) comes, they say, "He wants to change the religion." So when the common people hear this statement, they rise up against him, all of them, asking, "Does he want to change the religion? We do not accept it." But if they said, "This is a reformer, this one wants to make the correct religion manifest and to expose the falsehood," if they said that, the doubt would be removed from many people. The reality is that reformers are opposed with such rumors, which they repeat with their tongues and write in their books: that the reformers are rebelling against the religion of the Muslims, and that they want to change the religion of the people that they are upon. This is the incurable disease that
is in the nations: whenever a Messenger comes to them, or a reformer from among the followers of the Messengers comes, wanting to clarify to them the correct religion and clarify to them the false religion, they say, "He wants to change the beliefs of the people, he wants to change the religion of the people, he wants to change the affairs of the people." So they attribute great things to him, until even the one who hears this statement believes it. And if you read what the worshippers of graves have written in their books against the callers to Allah and the reformers, you will know this?
One of them wrote a book about Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and among what he said—may Allah curse him—is that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab conceals in his heart the claim of prophethood, but when he saw that the people did not accept it from him, he did not claim it openly. And by Allah, this is in his book; I read it: that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was concealing, meaning he became one who knows the unseen, knowing what is in the hearts of people, that he conceals in his heart the claim of prophethood, but when he saw that the people did not accept it from him, he kept this matter in his heart. This is a scholar from among the scholars who is considered [a scholar]. Look how they fabricate lies against Allah. They say he wants to change the beliefs of the people and change the religion of the people, and he claims to be a new prophet. How does falsehood reach its people? There is no power and no strength except with Allah.