The Shaykh’s refutation of the claimant’s statement (a jurisprudential disagreement)
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The Shaykh : So, in this phrase, there is a jurisprudential disagreement, and there is leniency in the expression, because this disagreement is not between the independent jurists, but rather between the independent jurists and the followers of a specific school. The follower has no opinion of his own by their own testimonies, so there is no value whatsoever in any one of them stating his opinion and independent reasoning.
After clarifying the speech regarding this phrase, "a jurisprudential disagreement," and that the one who opposes this does not fall into the issue of religious innovation, because this is a later disagreement, and there is no value in a later disagreement that contradicts a prior consensus. All the Companions agreed that innovation in religion is misguidance. And we begin now:
We believe that innovation in religion, and not in worldly affairs, contradicts texts from the Book and the Sunnah. His saying, the Exalted, in the well-known verse[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] does not need explanation or interpretation, except that it means that Islam is complete and does not need supplementation, especially regarding the limited-scope acts of worship, the acts of worship by which a person seeks to draw near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). I say this because transactions are very broad, and every day events occur that require rulings. These rulings are known only to the people of independent reasoning in every era, so these are not limited. As for acts of worship, the acts of worship that were in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and he passed away from them do not accept any addition, not even one, absolutely. Because the Messenger said, "I have not left anything that brings you closer to Allah except that I have commanded you to do it," so he did not conceal anything from them. Therefore, the previous verse [Al-Ma'idah 5:3] is a decisive text on the issue of innovation in religion. From here, the knowledge of one of the four Imams to whom our masses today belong becomes apparent to you. Here he said "Whoever innovates in Islam an innovation that he sees as good has claimed that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) betrayed the message". Read the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) [Al-Ma'idah 5:3] He said, "So what is it that you have on that day that is not a religion today?"
We say it this way. So if one of the followers wants to argue with us, with what will he argue with us? If he comes to us with a report from an Imam, as they say... Abu Hanifa said in favor of juristic preference, and juristic preference does not mean juristic preference in the sense of innovation in religion at all, but rather it is preferring one piece of evidence over another that has a face of public benefit and the like, as is prescribed in their principles. So the error is if a follower comes to us with the saying of an Imam, let alone the saying of a follower of their sheikhs. We say, the Imam of the City of Migration, who is one of the Imams of the people of the Sunnah, says: "So what was not a religion on that day will not be a religion today."
We say that on that day, it was not part of the religion for the mu'adhdhin to ascend the minbar and recite poetry and speak words, some permissible and some not permissible, before the adhan. This was not the case... Therefore, they call it an innovation, meaning it occurred but it is good. And also what they added after the adhan, the prayer upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and other things, all of this and that was not the case. So Malik says, "So what was not a religion on that day will not be a religion today." So if he calls the adhan like the adhan of Bilal and the other mu'adhdhins of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), will he say, "My school is like this?" Leave you and your school. Why do you argue in falsehood and with ignorance? If you want to research in light of the Book and the Sunnah, come to the Book and the Sunnah. This is the first verse, and this is its interpretation from the Imam of the City of Migration, between whom and the Companion is only one intermediary: Malik from Nafi' from Ibn Umar. And he lived in the heart of the Sunnah, the Blessed City of Madinah, so he says "Whoever innovates in Islam a good innovation that he sees as good has claimed that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) betrayed the message. Read the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] So what was not a religion on that day will not be a religion today". But Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) brought a crushing phrase with this sentence that deserves to be written in gold, as they used to say. We rely on this phrase in our methodology in calling to Islam, while those who say this and other things do not give this phrase any weight. What does Malik say: "And the end of this Ummah will not be rectified except by what rectified its beginning". So is the rectification of this Ummah that the Ummah draws near to Allah with hundreds, or even thousands, of innovations? This is impossible. This is from the category of "And treat with that which is the disease". The acts of worship that Allah prescribed are a treatment for psychological diseases, which some people may feel and others may not. So these wise divine legislations come as a balm and cure for these psychological diseases. And on the contrary, when we replace what is lower with what is better and establish innovation in place of the Sunnah, we add a disease to a disease, such that we reach despair of a cure. Therefore, from our methodology, we who call to the Book and the Sunnah, and on the methodology of the righteous Salaf which indicates this methodology, is the saying of Imam Malik "And the end of this Ummah will not be rectified except by what rectified its beginning". And to confirm what we say, we ask: there are many, and very many, Islamic groups. Is there a group that strives to enlighten the insights of Muslim people so that they may be guided by this sound methodology, which is that the end of this Ummah will not be rectified except by what rectified its beginning? The answer is, unfortunately, no. Islamic groups that have their name and their weight in the Islamic world hum around the topic of following the Book and the Sunnah, not a literal following. We have told you repeatedly that all the Islamic sects that reached seventy-three or more all say "Book and Sunnah," but the important thing is the Book and Sunnah: first, practical application, and second, a sound understanding of what the righteous Salaf were upon.
So here he says that this issue is a jurisprudential disagreement, and each one has his evidence for what he went to... So this verse is from the evidence of the scholars from the righteous Salaf, from the Companions and the Tabi'un, who went to the position that there is no innovation in Islam.
After clarifying the speech regarding this phrase, "a jurisprudential disagreement," and that the one who opposes this does not fall into the issue of religious innovation, because this is a later disagreement, and there is no value in a later disagreement that contradicts a prior consensus. All the Companions agreed that innovation in religion is misguidance. And we begin now:
We believe that innovation in religion, and not in worldly affairs, contradicts texts from the Book and the Sunnah. His saying, the Exalted, in the well-known verse
This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.
اليَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلَامَ دِينًاThis day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.
اليَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلَامَ دِينًاThis day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.
اليَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلَامَ دِينًاWe say it this way. So if one of the followers wants to argue with us, with what will he argue with us? If he comes to us with a report from an Imam, as they say... Abu Hanifa said in favor of juristic preference, and juristic preference does not mean juristic preference in the sense of innovation in religion at all, but rather it is preferring one piece of evidence over another that has a face of public benefit and the like, as is prescribed in their principles. So the error is if a follower comes to us with the saying of an Imam, let alone the saying of a follower of their sheikhs. We say, the Imam of the City of Migration, who is one of the Imams of the people of the Sunnah, says: "So what was not a religion on that day will not be a religion today."
We say that on that day, it was not part of the religion for the mu'adhdhin to ascend the minbar and recite poetry and speak words, some permissible and some not permissible, before the adhan. This was not the case... Therefore, they call it an innovation, meaning it occurred but it is good. And also what they added after the adhan, the prayer upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and other things, all of this and that was not the case. So Malik says, "So what was not a religion on that day will not be a religion today." So if he calls the adhan like the adhan of Bilal and the other mu'adhdhins of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), will he say, "My school is like this?" Leave you and your school. Why do you argue in falsehood and with ignorance? If you want to research in light of the Book and the Sunnah, come to the Book and the Sunnah. This is the first verse, and this is its interpretation from the Imam of the City of Migration, between whom and the Companion is only one intermediary: Malik from Nafi' from Ibn Umar. And he lived in the heart of the Sunnah, the Blessed City of Madinah, so he says "Whoever innovates in Islam a good innovation that he sees as good has claimed that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) betrayed the message. Read the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)
This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.
اليَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلَامَ دِينًاSo here he says that this issue is a jurisprudential disagreement, and each one has his evidence for what he went to... So this verse is from the evidence of the scholars from the righteous Salaf, from the Companions and the Tabi'un, who went to the position that there is no innovation in Islam.