Explaining the danger of behavioral and doctrinal deviation, and clarifying that the latter is more dangerous and severe.

The Shaykh : It is mentioned in a hadith agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim, but there is a great difference between one Muslim and another in two respects, one of which is more important than the other:
= -- And upon you be peace -- =
The first is related to doctrine; a Muslim whose doctrine is deviated from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and from what our righteous predecessors were upon, including the four Imams. This deviation is the most dangerous.
The second type of deviation is behavioral deviation, which encompasses actions and character; this second type is understood by all people, a deviation from Islam in behavior, action, and character. Everyone knows this: the one who drinks intoxicants, the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse, the one who cheats. This is a manifest deviation known to all people, whether learned or ignorant. But the first deviation is more dangerous for two reasons, and by the first deviation I mean what I mentioned earlier, which is a deviation in doctrine. The reason it is more dangerous is that the righteous among people fall into it; the righteous in the second respect we mentioned, righteous in their behavior, their actions, and their morals, but they are deviated in their doctrine out of ignorance, of course. This is from one side.
From another side, the scholars or those who are at least thought to be scholars fall into it; thus it becomes clear that this deviation is more dangerous than the second deviation. The second deviation is a behavioral deviation, exposed and known to all people, with no difference in that between their learned and their ignorant, no difference between their righteous and their wicked, for even the wicked knows that he is deviated. But the deviation in doctrine is more dangerous because the righteous fall into it, and indeed the scholars fall into it, and they may be sincere. The clearest example we have of this deviation, first in its nature, and second in its danger, is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), as it came in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim" from the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) distributed a war spoils one day among the Companions, and a man said to him: ... ... among the Companions, a man said: ... .
These are the most worshipful of people, saying to the Companions: , and yet ; for this reason we find Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) applying this dangerous hadith that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said about the Khawarij to people who were worshipping, when he saw them sitting in the mosque in circles, and the story as narrated by Imam al-Darimi in his "Sunan" with a valid chain is that Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) came one morning to the house of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, and found the people sitting at the door of the house waiting for him. He said to them: Has Abu Abd al-Rahman come out? They said: No. So he sat ... I saw in the mosque just now something I disliked, and praise be to Allah, and I saw nothing but good.
There is a point here, something he disliked and it is good, how can this be? The one who knows innovation and the Sunnah digests this statement, but the one who does not know, it is not possible, he says: this is contradictory speech. He said: What did you see? He said: If you live, you will see it; I saw in the mosque people in circles, and in the middle of each circle a man saying to those around him: Say Subhan Allah so much, Alhamdulillah so much, Allahu Akbar so much, and in front of each of them pebbles with which he counts the tasbih, takbir, and tahmid. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said to Abu Musa: Did you not disapprove of them? He said: No, waiting for your order or waiting for your opinion. He said: Did you not order them to count their sins and guarantee for them that nothing of their good deeds would be lost?! Then he entered the house and came out veiled, and went to the mosque until he saw the circles as described, so he uncovered his face from the veil, and said: "Woe to you, what is this that you are doing? I am Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They said, and they were trembling: By Allah, O Abu Abd al-Rahman, these are pebbles with which we count the tasbih, takbir, and tahmid. He said: Count your sins, and I am the guarantor for you that nothing of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, how quickly you are perishing! These are his garments (peace and blessings be upon him), they have not worn out, and these are his vessels, they have not been broken, and by Him in whose hand is my soul, are you not more guided than the Ummah of Muhammad (meaning the Companions of the Messenger) or are you clinging to the tail of misguidance.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : There is no obstacle in my view.
They said: By Allah, O Abu Abd al-Rahman, we did not intend anything but good. He said: And how many are those who intend good but do not attain it! They said: We did not intend anything but good. Most of the innovators, their intentions are truly good, we did not intend anything but good, but the answer was a back-breaking answer: And how many are those who intend good but do not attain it. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) told us: . So he applied the hadith of the Khawarij to these who went out against the Sunnah and innovated in the mosque an innovation. The one who witnessed the story said: And indeed we saw those people fighting us on the day of al-Nahrawan.
What is the day of al-Nahrawan? The day of Ali's fighting of the Khawarij, so these owners of the dhikr circles became from the Khawarij, and they fought the Commander of the Believers and he killed them all, none of them escaped except one or two. And therefore we say the small innovation leads to the large innovation. So the purpose, do not forget what the original research is? That so-and-so is a Salafi. What does Salafi mean? The meaning of Salafi, as they say in our dialect in Syria, Turkish dialect; meaning a Muslim ... meaning a complete Muslim; meaning after all the explanation, in brief, meaning a Muslim in doctrine and behavior; this is the meaning of Salafi. So it is not the meaning of Salafi that he is only enthusiastic for some Sunnahs, right? And perhaps correcting some doctrines, but his behavior is ruined and desolate!! This is not the meaning of Salafi; because Salafiyyah means Islam in its correct general concept; that is: as the Salaf understood it. So the Salaf did not separate between doctrine and behavior, they were upon the Book and the Sunnah in both respects. And therefore it is not befitting that we cheat that so-and-so, by Allah, is a Muslim, we need to see his behavior upon Islam? Yes, his behavior upon Islam? That is not enough, we need to see his doctrine; so that he does not become like the Khawarij about whom he said: ; therefore the truth is that we who belong to the righteous Salaf must know this truth that it is not a matter of me being a Salafi in the sense that I follow the Sunnah and I oppose the madhhab, then he opposes all the madhahib, from the side of behavior, from the side of morals; this is not a Salafi!!

Another questioner : This is a true Salafi ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

Another questioner : A true Salafi.

The Shaykh: No.

Another questioner : ... about Ali.

The Shaykh : No, not by claim, it is not by claim.

Another questioner : He is always sitting with them ... .

The Shaykh : Always, what is he doing?

Another questioner : ... .

The questioner : He is making a presentation, meaning.

The Shaykh : ... a presentation.

Another questioner : I said ... we told him a lot, he did not reply to us.

The Shaykh : But he means, my knowledge is that he is not a seller ... .

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

Another questioner : Not about Ali.Al-Halabi .

The Shaykh : He was saying this!!

Another questioner : ... his students.

Another questioner : I told Ali about him, he started saying, we told him a lot, meaning, and that is it ... the service ... we told him the scholars, we made him understand, meaning.

The Shaykh : He is not satisfied.

Another questioner : Yes, he said he is forced, meaning.

The Shaykh : Why did the brother mention Ali?

Another questioner : Because I asked him.

The Shaykh : Even the matter became confused for me.

Another questioner : He mentioned Ali on the basis, meaning, he used to visit Ali, and he talked to Ali about him, so Ali would say to him: I told ... once.

The Shaykh : Okay; that is it, what does he want other than this?

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Why did you mention Ali?

Another questioner : I told you I asked Ali about him.

The Shaykh : You asked Ali about him?

Another questioner : Yes, he saw him with him.

The Shaykh : Yes.

Another questioner : I told him: By Allah, yes, yes, once I was putting my hand ... we told him, meaning.

The Shaykh : Okay, .