What is the real difference between Salafis in creed and Ikhwan in methodology, and between Salafis in both creed and methodology?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He says:The questioner : I ask the Shaykh to clarify for us the real difference between Salafis in creed and Ikhwan in methodology, and between Salafis in both creed and methodology, knowing that these two schools are the prevailing ones in the Arabian Peninsula, and many students of knowledge fall into the first without realizing it?
The Shaykh : Perhaps we can say that in the recent past, in some of what we spoke about, there was what could be an answer to this question, or part of an answer. We said that Islam must be understood comprehensively from all its aspects, with a correct understanding based on the Book and the Sunnah, and upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them).
And we said that the Salafi call is based on two words, and this is a convention we have followed. They are that purification and education are necessary. We explained that the meaning of purification is that the people of knowledge should direct themselves to understand Islam from its two pure sources, upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf, and then spread this correct knowledge among the Muslim community. This is the first point or pillar of the Salafi call: that Islam be understood correctly from all its aspects, based on the methodology mentioned above, upon the Book of Allah, the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the methodology of the righteous Salaf.
And we said that this task cannot be accomplished by one person or ten, but rather thousands of Muslim scholars in all the corners of the land of Islam should undertake it. Furthermore, this explanation and dissemination of the correct concept of Islam must be accompanied by the education of Muslims in this correct Islam. This is the methodology. It is not merely a claim, where the caller or da'iyah is far from the correct understanding of this methodology, yet he calls out and shouts that his call is based on the Book and the Sunnah, and then there is nothing more than this mere claim.
We know by experience from many Islamic groups, and we do not need to name some of them, because the goal is only to remind, and reminder benefits the believers. We know of some Islamic groups that have concern, or a semblance of concern, for what we say regarding the second condition that callers to Islam should fulfill, which is education, or what is called conduct in some terminology. We used to see some of these groups gathering every Friday night to keep it alive with prayer, worship, and standing in night prayer. There is nothing wrong with standing in night prayer, but if we rely on the correct methodology for understanding Islam, it is required that standing in night prayer not be collective, meaning: in a gathering, as these people used to do. They would gather every week on Friday night to keep the night alive. Then, because of their distance from studying Islam from its two sources, as we mentioned, they were completely unaware of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1144b So, in the name of reforming souls and improving conduct, they were gathering some of their groups to keep alive this night which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade keeping alive. How then can the establishment of Islam stand with such a wrong concept of the Sunnah, or rather of the worship that Islam brought? Therefore, every Islamic caller must do his part. I do not claim that every Islamic group must do one single job, meaning: that every group must be jurists, or hadith scholars, or exegetes. But every one of these groups must agree on one methodology, even if they differ in their specializations, as long as the circle of Islam unites them on the correct Salafi concept. If they truly want the word of Muslims to be one, and their group to be one group, and not to divide the group of Muslims, they must all be on one methodology. Then, whoever among them is able to realize this methodology in knowledge, they should adopt this knowledge. This does not mean following a person or persons, but rather, as we said above, it should be undertaken by thousands of Muslim scholars, but on one methodology.
Therefore, in some conferences that invited the attendees to launch their call to Muslims to their religion based on the Book and the Sunnah, we proposed, along with some of our brothers, that this call, meaning: that the call of the callers be based on the Book and the Sunnah, be added to with "and upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf." We see that many callers, first, do not care intellectually about this condition, which is that the understanding of the Book and Sunnah be upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf. They do not care intellectually, and naturally, this lack of care leads to them not caring about it in their own souls. Some of them may say with their tongue that this methodology is the correct one, but they do not realize it. Why? Because they do not benefit from the efforts of specialists in calling to Islam in light of the Book and the Sunnah. So, some groups that want to work for Islam, if their work is not on this methodology, their work will not yield what they seek, which is establishing the state of Islam on earth. So, we call upon all Islamic groups to be on one word, and this word can only be on this methodology, as evidenced by the fact that no one given a particle of knowledge can bring a methodology that contradicts this methodology, which is based on the Book of Allah, the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the methodology of our righteous Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them).
And there is no doubt or ambiguity that establishing the state of Islam, which is the goal of all Islamic groups, is certain, contrary to what some may say about the Salafis, that they do not care about establishing the state of Islam. This is a lie we have known for a long time. But the truth is that working to establish the Islamic state is the desire of every Muslim, but the methods differ. We say: that any method of any group that is based on working with Islam, which we have inherited, contains, in what concerns creed, what contradicts the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous Salaf. It contains weak and fabricated hadiths. It contains legal rulings that contradict the Book and the Sunnah. It contains encouragement of asceticism and deviation from striving in the earth, which also contradicts the Book and the Sunnah. This conduct that some groups follow, without caring to purify this Islam from what has entered it, will not yield the desire sought by all Islamic groups. Rather, this state will be established, by the permission of Allah, on the shoulders and in the hands of those who adopt this correct methodology, agreed upon by all groups. I do not think or imagine that a group claiming Islam can deny this methodology, otherwise that would be a deviation from Islam, a complete deviation, and it would fall under the warning of the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):[An-Nisa 4:115] So, if we are sincere in our good opinion of all the Islamic groups present today in the Islamic arena, they must confirm our good opinion of them by cooperating with us to unite with us on this correct methodology intellectually, and then cooperating with us to apply this methodology practically. Otherwise, the group that stands will be the most deserving to establish the rule of Allah on earth: the one that adopts this agreed-upon methodology intellectually and realizes it practically.
Perhaps with this I have answered the previous question.
The Shaykh : Perhaps we can say that in the recent past, in some of what we spoke about, there was what could be an answer to this question, or part of an answer. We said that Islam must be understood comprehensively from all its aspects, with a correct understanding based on the Book and the Sunnah, and upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them).
And we said that the Salafi call is based on two words, and this is a convention we have followed. They are that purification and education are necessary. We explained that the meaning of purification is that the people of knowledge should direct themselves to understand Islam from its two pure sources, upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf, and then spread this correct knowledge among the Muslim community. This is the first point or pillar of the Salafi call: that Islam be understood correctly from all its aspects, based on the methodology mentioned above, upon the Book of Allah, the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the methodology of the righteous Salaf.
And we said that this task cannot be accomplished by one person or ten, but rather thousands of Muslim scholars in all the corners of the land of Islam should undertake it. Furthermore, this explanation and dissemination of the correct concept of Islam must be accompanied by the education of Muslims in this correct Islam. This is the methodology. It is not merely a claim, where the caller or da'iyah is far from the correct understanding of this methodology, yet he calls out and shouts that his call is based on the Book and the Sunnah, and then there is nothing more than this mere claim.
We know by experience from many Islamic groups, and we do not need to name some of them, because the goal is only to remind, and reminder benefits the believers. We know of some Islamic groups that have concern, or a semblance of concern, for what we say regarding the second condition that callers to Islam should fulfill, which is education, or what is called conduct in some terminology. We used to see some of these groups gathering every Friday night to keep it alive with prayer, worship, and standing in night prayer. There is nothing wrong with standing in night prayer, but if we rely on the correct methodology for understanding Islam, it is required that standing in night prayer not be collective, meaning: in a gathering, as these people used to do. They would gather every week on Friday night to keep the night alive. Then, because of their distance from studying Islam from its two sources, as we mentioned, they were completely unaware of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Do not single out the night (preceding) Friday among the nights for prayer and do not single out Friday among days for fasting
لا تختصوا ليلة الجمعة بقيام ولا نهارها بصيامTherefore, in some conferences that invited the attendees to launch their call to Muslims to their religion based on the Book and the Sunnah, we proposed, along with some of our brothers, that this call, meaning: that the call of the callers be based on the Book and the Sunnah, be added to with "and upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf." We see that many callers, first, do not care intellectually about this condition, which is that the understanding of the Book and Sunnah be upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf. They do not care intellectually, and naturally, this lack of care leads to them not caring about it in their own souls. Some of them may say with their tongue that this methodology is the correct one, but they do not realize it. Why? Because they do not benefit from the efforts of specialists in calling to Islam in light of the Book and the Sunnah. So, some groups that want to work for Islam, if their work is not on this methodology, their work will not yield what they seek, which is establishing the state of Islam on earth. So, we call upon all Islamic groups to be on one word, and this word can only be on this methodology, as evidenced by the fact that no one given a particle of knowledge can bring a methodology that contradicts this methodology, which is based on the Book of Allah, the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the methodology of our righteous Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them).
And there is no doubt or ambiguity that establishing the state of Islam, which is the goal of all Islamic groups, is certain, contrary to what some may say about the Salafis, that they do not care about establishing the state of Islam. This is a lie we have known for a long time. But the truth is that working to establish the Islamic state is the desire of every Muslim, but the methods differ. We say: that any method of any group that is based on working with Islam, which we have inherited, contains, in what concerns creed, what contradicts the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous Salaf. It contains weak and fabricated hadiths. It contains legal rulings that contradict the Book and the Sunnah. It contains encouragement of asceticism and deviation from striving in the earth, which also contradicts the Book and the Sunnah. This conduct that some groups follow, without caring to purify this Islam from what has entered it, will not yield the desire sought by all Islamic groups. Rather, this state will be established, by the permission of Allah, on the shoulders and in the hands of those who adopt this correct methodology, agreed upon by all groups. I do not think or imagine that a group claiming Islam can deny this methodology, otherwise that would be a deviation from Islam, a complete deviation, and it would fall under the warning of the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):
And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.
وَمَنْ يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيراًPerhaps with this I have answered the previous question.