You mentioned that whoever acts according to the general texts in public life has not followed the path of the believers; we ask you to clarify this.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : My master, you mentioned a moment ago that regarding the general hadiths and general verses, on any subject, we follow the path of the believers.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : What is the rank of the path of the believers in relation to the sources of Islam... in relation to the Qur'an and the Sunnah? How do we know that the path of the believers is not an innovation?
The Shaykh : As for the path of certainty, first, the believers intended are the righteous Salaf, who are attested to as the best in the authentic hadiths:Sahih al-Bukhari 3651. The path of the believers does not refer to the later generations who are blamed, as mentioned in the Noble Qur'an: [Maryam 19:59] and so on, except when we know that the later generations are following the methodology of the Salaf, having inherited it. This exists in many cases, and praise be to Allah. As we say on some occasions, to this day there is no Muslim who considers it permissible to take riba (usury or interest) in exchange for a loan, but he considers it permissible to take types of riba through other means that are not explicit in being riba first, and secondly, they are a matter of disagreement among the scholars themselves. In this second case, the Muslim should return, as He said - the Exalted - : [An-Nisa 4:59]. But in the first case, there is no need. If you find the Muslims following an interpretation of a verse or an interpretation of a hadith, or an application of a verse or an application of a hadith, then it is not befitting for a person to come with a new opinion. Even the scholars, exegetes, and researchers like Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) say: If there is a text in the interpretation of a certain verse or hadith from the previous scholars, and this text is on two aspects, for example, it is not permissible for us to innovate a third aspect, but rather it is obligatory for us to choose one of the two aspects or the two texts in the interpretation.
The Shaykh: It is observed that the one who comes with a new interpretation has contradicted the path of the believers; because the believers did not mention in the interpretation of a certain text except as we assumed two aspects earlier. So, when we know that the previous, earliest Muslims followed a pattern of worship, it is obligatory for us to adhere to it. Knowing this pattern of worship has two ways: one is transmission; explicit, textual transmission - for example - that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he went out for the festival prayer to the prayer ground, prayed without adhan (call to prayer) or iqamah (second call), and without the prayer being congregational, or anything else. This is an explicit text. While, for example, regarding the prayer for rain, the eclipse prayer, we do not have a text without adhan or iqamah, we do not have a text, but the ruling is the same; how? Regarding the two festivals, it is clear because the text came in "Sahih Muslim" from the hadith of Jabir without adhan or iqamah. As for the prayer for rain, for example, where people are gathered, and the eclipse prayer, it is by induction (istiqra'), and the saying of the scholars in such induction: if it had occurred, it would have been transmitted. This is what I expressed earlier: if this situation had occurred after bowing, the motives would have been present to transmit this to the Muslims; because we said earlier that the Companions transmitted to us things that if they had not transmitted them, there would be no sin on them; because they would not have been concealing the knowledge. But out of their eagerness to transmit what issued from the Messenger (peace be upon him), they transmitted to us things, some of which I mentioned earlier, and they transmitted to us that when he entered Makkah, he had four braids, four plaits; knowing that no one says this is a devotional sunnah (recommended practice). But is not everything related to the Messenger? So they were extremely eager to transmit it to the Muslims who came after them.
The Shaykh: So, the way of knowing what the Salaf were upon has two methods; the first method is known by every student of knowledge; and it is that it is transmitted that the Messenger did not do this, nor did he order it, nor did he encourage it. The second way is that by induction we know that they did not do it; we do not have a text from some of the predecessors that they did not do it, but when the scholar researches in the books of the Sunnah, books of hadith, history, and biography, and so on, he does not find anyone from the righteous Salaf saying that, for example, there was a minaret in the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no need now for us to say that this minaret is an innovation, that we have a text, as the ignorant say when we tell them: this is an innovation. Yes, did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibit it? My brother, there is no need; we say about everything: this is from the newly invented matters, and we have a prohibition against it; because if there is a prohibition against it, it is not said: this is an innovation, this is forbidden (haram); a ruling with a specified text.
The Shaykh: Likewise, for example, and this is less than the first matter; look now at the issue of the minaret: who would see minarets in the time of the Messenger and the time of the Salaf and then nothing at all is transmitted from that? This is impossible. Simpler than this is that one transmitted to us that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had a mihrab (prayer niche) in his mosque, and this writing that is written on the mihrabs today is from misguidance in a deep place, because first, it misleads people that the intended meaning of the mihrab in the verse is this mihrab which is an opening in a mosque, and this is not the intended meaning of the verse at all, but rather the intended meaning of the mihrab is the place of prayer; meaning this room or other if its owner takes it for prayer, then it is a mihrab. So when they put this noble verse above the innovated mihrab which has no basis in it, there are two misguidances; first, distortion of the meaning of the noble verse, and second, encouraging the mihrabs which are placed in mosques and have no basis; and therefore the Imam al-Suyuti composed a treatise in this field which he named.
The questioner : "Tuhfat al-Arib" (The Gift of the Discerning).
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : "Tuhfat al-Arib" (The Gift of the Discerning).
The Shaykh : Yes, "On the Innovation of Mihrabs".
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, al-Suyuti.
The Shaykh: In summary, so we say: is there a transmission from some of the Companions or some of the Tabi'un (successors) that there was no mihrab in the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? Of course not, and many, many things, for example, the misbaha (prayer beads) which some animals from among humans say that when the Messenger died he left such and such, and among his leftovers was a misbaha. Glory be to Allah!! We do not have at all a report that the misbaha was not present in his time, but the scholars infer from that by indications in which only those like them participate; for example, naming this modern tool "al-sabaha" is an Arabic error, so the people of knowledge of the Arabic language, especially if they are from the people of the Sunnah and the community, it is sufficient for them to infer from the innovation of the misbaha that the application of this name is not known in the books of language, and the later books of language say that "al-sabaha" is a coined word, "al-sabaha" meaning the device with which one glorifies is coined; meaning it was not in the time of the earliest ones from the Companions and the Tabi'un.
The Shaykh: So, in brief, I think I have clarified to you - Abu 'Adil - the way of knowing what the earliest Muslims were upon has two methods; the first method is that it is textually stated that the certain parts or the certain matters that were not present, and the other method is induction which makes the scholars feel that these are newly invented matters that were not present, and this is in reality one of the subtleties of knowledge that many of the shaykhs today overlook, unfortunately.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : What is the rank of the path of the believers in relation to the sources of Islam... in relation to the Qur'an and the Sunnah? How do we know that the path of the believers is not an innovation?
The Shaykh : As for the path of certainty, first, the believers intended are the righteous Salaf, who are attested to as the best in the authentic hadiths:
The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter
خير الناس قرني ، ثم الذين يلونهم ، ثم الذين يلونهمBut there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires
فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِAnd if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger
فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِThe Shaykh: It is observed that the one who comes with a new interpretation has contradicted the path of the believers; because the believers did not mention in the interpretation of a certain text except as we assumed two aspects earlier. So, when we know that the previous, earliest Muslims followed a pattern of worship, it is obligatory for us to adhere to it. Knowing this pattern of worship has two ways: one is transmission; explicit, textual transmission - for example - that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he went out for the festival prayer to the prayer ground, prayed without adhan (call to prayer) or iqamah (second call), and without the prayer being congregational, or anything else. This is an explicit text. While, for example, regarding the prayer for rain, the eclipse prayer, we do not have a text without adhan or iqamah, we do not have a text, but the ruling is the same; how? Regarding the two festivals, it is clear because the text came in "Sahih Muslim" from the hadith of Jabir without adhan or iqamah. As for the prayer for rain, for example, where people are gathered, and the eclipse prayer, it is by induction (istiqra'), and the saying of the scholars in such induction: if it had occurred, it would have been transmitted. This is what I expressed earlier: if this situation had occurred after bowing, the motives would have been present to transmit this to the Muslims; because we said earlier that the Companions transmitted to us things that if they had not transmitted them, there would be no sin on them; because they would not have been concealing the knowledge. But out of their eagerness to transmit what issued from the Messenger (peace be upon him), they transmitted to us things, some of which I mentioned earlier, and they transmitted to us that when he entered Makkah, he had four braids, four plaits; knowing that no one says this is a devotional sunnah (recommended practice). But is not everything related to the Messenger? So they were extremely eager to transmit it to the Muslims who came after them.
The Shaykh: So, the way of knowing what the Salaf were upon has two methods; the first method is known by every student of knowledge; and it is that it is transmitted that the Messenger did not do this, nor did he order it, nor did he encourage it. The second way is that by induction we know that they did not do it; we do not have a text from some of the predecessors that they did not do it, but when the scholar researches in the books of the Sunnah, books of hadith, history, and biography, and so on, he does not find anyone from the righteous Salaf saying that, for example, there was a minaret in the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no need now for us to say that this minaret is an innovation, that we have a text, as the ignorant say when we tell them: this is an innovation. Yes, did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibit it? My brother, there is no need; we say about everything: this is from the newly invented matters, and we have a prohibition against it; because if there is a prohibition against it, it is not said: this is an innovation, this is forbidden (haram); a ruling with a specified text.
The Shaykh: Likewise, for example, and this is less than the first matter; look now at the issue of the minaret: who would see minarets in the time of the Messenger and the time of the Salaf and then nothing at all is transmitted from that? This is impossible. Simpler than this is that one transmitted to us that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had a mihrab (prayer niche) in his mosque, and this writing that is written on the mihrabs today is from misguidance in a deep place, because first, it misleads people that the intended meaning of the mihrab in the verse is this mihrab which is an opening in a mosque, and this is not the intended meaning of the verse at all, but rather the intended meaning of the mihrab is the place of prayer; meaning this room or other if its owner takes it for prayer, then it is a mihrab. So when they put this noble verse above the innovated mihrab which has no basis in it, there are two misguidances; first, distortion of the meaning of the noble verse, and second, encouraging the mihrabs which are placed in mosques and have no basis; and therefore the Imam al-Suyuti composed a treatise in this field which he named.
The questioner : "Tuhfat al-Arib" (The Gift of the Discerning).
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : "Tuhfat al-Arib" (The Gift of the Discerning).
The Shaykh : Yes, "On the Innovation of Mihrabs".
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, al-Suyuti.
The Shaykh: In summary, so we say: is there a transmission from some of the Companions or some of the Tabi'un (successors) that there was no mihrab in the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? Of course not, and many, many things, for example, the misbaha (prayer beads) which some animals from among humans say that when the Messenger died he left such and such, and among his leftovers was a misbaha. Glory be to Allah!! We do not have at all a report that the misbaha was not present in his time, but the scholars infer from that by indications in which only those like them participate; for example, naming this modern tool "al-sabaha" is an Arabic error, so the people of knowledge of the Arabic language, especially if they are from the people of the Sunnah and the community, it is sufficient for them to infer from the innovation of the misbaha that the application of this name is not known in the books of language, and the later books of language say that "al-sabaha" is a coined word, "al-sabaha" meaning the device with which one glorifies is coined; meaning it was not in the time of the earliest ones from the Companions and the Tabi'un.
The Shaykh: So, in brief, I think I have clarified to you - Abu 'Adil - the way of knowing what the earliest Muslims were upon has two methods; the first method is that it is textually stated that the certain parts or the certain matters that were not present, and the other method is induction which makes the scholars feel that these are newly invented matters that were not present, and this is in reality one of the subtleties of knowledge that many of the shaykhs today overlook, unfortunately.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.