Denying the one who differs in matters of creed
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Is it valid to object to a person on the grounds that he does not distinguish between one who differs in creed and one who differs in branches, or is it not valid to object to him on this basis?The Shaykh: By whatever is necessary.
What is the basis for this designation?The questioner: He says: The one who differs in creed is not denied, just as one who differs in matters of branches is not denied.
The Shaykh: Matters of creed have some light aspects and some heavy aspects.
The questioner: Such as matters of the unseen and matters transmitted by mass transmission?The Shaykh: This is denied,But in some light matters of creed, for example: If he says: The Sirat that is placed over the Fire is not finer than a hair, nor sharper than a sword, but rather it is an ordinary path,Meaning: a road that people travel,Or he said, for example: what is weighed is not the deeds, but the owner of the deeds or the scrolls of deeds.
Meaning: There are matters of creed in which the Salaf differed, but they did not differ in the fundamentals of creed. So, one who denies what will occur on the Day of Resurrection is denied. Therefore, the important point is that in some matters of creed there are light points of difference in which one is not denied for differing, and there are fundamentals that cannot be denied, so if one denies them, we deny him.
The questioner: Is there a criterion?The Shaykh: The criterion is for a person to follow these matters and observe the points of disagreement.
The questioner: They cite the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah that those who distinguish between matters of creed, which are fundamental matters in which disagreement is not permissible, and these matters of fiqh, in which disagreement is permissible, are the Mu'tazilah.
The Shaykh: Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) denied dividing the religion into fundamentals and branches,And he said: saying that this division occurred after the three centuries; because this division is subject to objections,For example: Is prayer among the fundamentals or the branches?He says: It is among the branches, even though it is among the most fundamental of fundamentals, a pillar of the great pillars of Islam. And what Shaykh al-Islam said is the correct view.
But what we are obligated to do is of two types: Creedal and practical,We do not say: fundamental and branch,We say: There is a creedal matter that we must believe in, which is faith in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, its good and its evil. And there is a practical matter, which is testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakah, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the House.
These five are practical, and the six, which are faith in Allah and His angels,
etc., are creedal.As for saying: Fundamentals and branches, so there is no evidence for that.
What is the basis for this designation?The questioner: He says: The one who differs in creed is not denied, just as one who differs in matters of branches is not denied.
The Shaykh: Matters of creed have some light aspects and some heavy aspects.
The questioner: Such as matters of the unseen and matters transmitted by mass transmission?The Shaykh: This is denied,But in some light matters of creed, for example: If he says: The Sirat that is placed over the Fire is not finer than a hair, nor sharper than a sword, but rather it is an ordinary path,Meaning: a road that people travel,Or he said, for example: what is weighed is not the deeds, but the owner of the deeds or the scrolls of deeds.
Meaning: There are matters of creed in which the Salaf differed, but they did not differ in the fundamentals of creed. So, one who denies what will occur on the Day of Resurrection is denied. Therefore, the important point is that in some matters of creed there are light points of difference in which one is not denied for differing, and there are fundamentals that cannot be denied, so if one denies them, we deny him.
The questioner: Is there a criterion?The Shaykh: The criterion is for a person to follow these matters and observe the points of disagreement.
The questioner: They cite the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah that those who distinguish between matters of creed, which are fundamental matters in which disagreement is not permissible, and these matters of fiqh, in which disagreement is permissible, are the Mu'tazilah.
The Shaykh: Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) denied dividing the religion into fundamentals and branches,And he said: saying that this division occurred after the three centuries; because this division is subject to objections,For example: Is prayer among the fundamentals or the branches?He says: It is among the branches, even though it is among the most fundamental of fundamentals, a pillar of the great pillars of Islam. And what Shaykh al-Islam said is the correct view.
But what we are obligated to do is of two types: Creedal and practical,We do not say: fundamental and branch,We say: There is a creedal matter that we must believe in, which is faith in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, its good and its evil. And there is a practical matter, which is testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakah, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the House.
These five are practical, and the six, which are faith in Allah and His angels,
etc., are creedal.As for saying: Fundamentals and branches, so there is no evidence for that.