The Shaykh Al-Albani’s statement that following the understanding of the Salaf is a necessity without which one cannot find the correct methodology

The Shaykh : Besides the groups and parties that belong to the four schools of jurisprudence or 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 that he is upon the Book and the Sunnah. Rather, he must combine that with being upon the Book and the Sunnah and upon what the righteous Salaf were upon. The sects we referred to, whether old or new, all claim to be upon the Book and the Sunnah, but none of them says they are also upon what the righteous Salaf were upon. Consequently, when they do not combine the methodology of the righteous Salaf with the Book and the Sunnah, they contradict the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This is the crux of my answer to your question and to the other issue I mentioned, which might be good for you to hear as well on this occasion: how do they contradict the Qur'an and the Sunnah while saying, "We take from the Book and the Sunnah"? This leads me to remind you of a modern group today for which we know no parallel among all the misguided sects and groups, old and new. They are those who are called, or named, the Quranists. I have heard of them, and it is necessary [to know about them].

The questioner : Yes, exactly.

The Shaykh : Yes, these people contradict the Qur'an, and they meet up with, or are met by, those who say, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah." Both these groups contradict the Qur'an, but the Quranists contradict the Qur'an in many, many texts. We are not now in a position to detail 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 confirming the necessity of returning to what the Salaf were upon in understanding the Book and the Sunnah is the statement of Allah, the Exalted: . It was possible, and Allah, the Exalted, is capable of all things, for the verse to have been omitted entirely, , so that it would be, for example, "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him, We will turn him to what he has turned to." The correct meaning, for one who understands it according to the clarification in the other verses, is as Allah, the Exalted, said: . Allah says: . This does not mention contradicting the Noble Qur'an, because the Qur'an commands following the Messenger, and the Qur'an is the foundation, and following the Messenger is among what the Qur'an commanded. But this verse added to the Book and the Sunnah the path of the believers. So He, the Most High, said: . Thus, in this verse, there is a severe warning for whoever contradicts the path of the believers. Who are the believers in this verse? What comes to mind initially is the first Companions. This is supported by the praise of Allah, the Exalted, for the Companions and for those who followed them in excellence in some noble verses, and by the praise of the Messenger, (peace be upon him), for them in the mass-transmitted hadith.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Namely, his statement, (peace and blessings be upon him): "The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them." Therefore, it is necessary that we add to the Book and the Sunnah following the righteous Salaf in their understanding.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : In their understanding of the Book and the Sunnah. It is not permissible for us to innovate an understanding of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, because the Arabic language, as you know, carries multiple meanings. Therefore, it is narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said, "If the people of falsehood argue with you using the Qur'an, argue with them using the Sunnah, for the Qur'an is a carrier of multiple meanings." A carrier of multiple meanings. This meaning narrated from 'Umar is very clear. If we read the principles of jurisprudence, where you must have studied that there is the general and the specific, the absolute and the restricted, if an innovator wanted to forbid dead fish for the Muslims.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And he argued with the statement of the Most High: . His argument would be apparent, because from the perspective of the Arabic language, the indication of the verse is clear. But what came in the Sunnah, which clarifies the Qur'an, is like his statement, (peace and blessings be upon him): . The verse was specified by this hadith, and there are many, many examples of this. Therefore, we say that it is necessary that we make it part of our methodology, in addition to the Book and the Sunnah, to return to the understanding of the righteous Salaf regarding the texts of the Book and the Sunnah. Otherwise, we will go astray and fall into one of the misguided sects that the Messenger mentioned in the well-known authentic hadith, namely his statement, (peace be upon him): .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh. They said, "Who is it, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: . He did not say, "It is only my Sunnah." He said: . The other narration adds clarification and explanation to the first narration, where he said: .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : He did not say, "Only what I am upon." He said: .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Similarly, the other well-known hadith in the Sunnah from al-'Arba' ibn Sariyah, (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him), admonished them, and among what he admonished them with was his statement, (peace be upon him): . Also, in this hadith, he, (peace be upon him), did not say, "Hold to my Sunnah," and that would have been sufficient. But for the sake of clarification and explanation, he said: . The research into this is long, but the summary is that the call that Muslim individuals, their groups, and their parties must adopt is the Book and the Sunnah upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf, given what you have known of the praise of Allah and His Messenger for the righteous Salaf. If you know this answer, you know the answer to my question clearly.

The questioner : Is that clear?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.