What is your opinion of the one who says

The questioner : My teacher, it is said in Turkey that some professors ask, "How can we rely on the understanding of the Companions?" They mean, in the sense of narration, that they say it is said this way.

The Shaykh : This is a question. In truth, do not hold it against me if I say that those who ask such a question have not realized the status of the Companions. We mention this on another occasion, which is very important, and I think you also need to hear about that occasion, because the answer to that and to this question is one. By "we," I mean those who belong to the Sunnah and act according to the Book and the Sunnah. And not only that, but we act according to the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous predecessors. It must have reached you, even if only a little of it, this call. Today, as you know, we live in the midst of many calls, all of which claim Islam and the practice of Islam, just as it was in the old days when the known Islamic sects, such as the Mu'tazilah, the Khawarij, the Murji'ah, and others, existed. And they were, as the poet said:
"And each one claims a connection to Layla, *** But Layla does not acknowledge that for them."
You must know this verse. History, as they say, repeats itself. Just as the sects at that time each claimed to be upon the truth and the right, so too the Islamic parties and groups existing today on the Islamic land, each of them makes this claim. Even the sects whose remnants still exist today, such as the Khawarij, among whom are the Ibadis—you know that they are from the Khawarij.

The questioner : Yes, my Shaykh.

The Shaykh : And among them are the Shi'ah. In creed, and as you say in the matters of divinity, they are like the Mu'tazilah. In the terminology of the scholars of hadith, they are those who engage in figurative interpretation, or even denial of the divine attributes. Even these sects that exist today say about themselves, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah," let alone the groups and parties that belong to the four schools of jurisprudence or to one of them. We say, after studying the subject for a very long time, that it is not sufficient today for any sect, group, party, or individual to claim, "I am upon the Book and the Sunnah." Rather, it is necessary that this be coupled with being upon the Book and the Sunnah and upon what the righteous predecessors were upon. Because the sects we referred to, whether from the old sects or the new ones, all of them say they are upon the Book and the Sunnah, but not one of them says, "and upon what the righteous predecessors were upon."

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And thus, when they do not couple the methodology of the righteous predecessors to the Book and the Sunnah, they contradict the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Here is the crux of my answer to your question and to the other issue I mentioned might be good for you to hear about on this occasion: How do they contradict the Qur'an and the Sunnah when they say, "We take from the Book and the Sunnah"? This leads me to remind you of a modern group today for which we do not know a parallel in all the misguided sects and groups, old and new. They are those who are called, or who call themselves, the Quranists. You must have heard of them.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : These people contradict the Qur'an, and they meet, or those who say, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah," meet with them. Both these and those contradict the Qur'an. But the Quranists contradict the Qur'an in many, many explicit texts, and we are not now in a position to explain that. But the important thing is to clarify how these people, despite the differences among the old and new sects, say, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah," and yet they contradict the Book and the Sunnah. I say that among the explicit verses that affirm the necessity of returning to what the righteous predecessors were upon in understanding the Book and the Sunnah is His saying—Exalted is He—: It was possible, and Allah—Exalted is He—is capable of all things—that the verse be deleted entirely: It could have been, for example, "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the clear proof has come to him, We will turn him to what he has turned to." The meaning would be correct for one who understands it according to what was explained in the other verses, as He—Exalted is He—said: Allah says: It did not mention contradicting the Noble Qur'an; because the Qur'an commands following the Messenger, so the Qur'an is the foundation, and following the Messenger is what the Qur'an commanded. But this verse added to the Book and the Sunnah the path of the believers, so He—Exalted is He—said: Thus, in this verse there is a severe warning for whoever contradicts the path of the believers.