Can others be included with the caliphs in the ruling?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ... some of the people of hadith say regarding this hadith: that it is specific ... the four; meaning, for example, it is possible to ... the hadith ... or its blessings ...?
The Shaykh : No, what comes to mind is that the Rightly Guided Caliphs are four, and some people include 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz with them, but we do not have other caliphs whose inclusion with the Rightly Guided Caliphs can be definitively established.
The questioner : But, for example, what we hear.
The Shaykh : It should be noted that the subject is purely theoretical and does not result in any jurisprudential matter whatsoever, meaning nothing is derived from this; even including 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz with the Rightly Guided Caliphs does not result in anything concerning the Muslim community, but rather everything that results from it concerns the person of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz himself; and that is that he was a righteous man and an excellent scholar, and he followed the way of the Messenger (peace be upon him); and therefore he was included with the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner :Mishkat al-Masabih 165Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza'i) .
The Shaykh : I say: including, the inclusion with the Rightly Guided Caliphs is four; anyone else is theoretical and does not result in anything.
The questioner : A broader meaning held by some of the brothers who see that everyone who holds fast to the religion are the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
The Shaykh: Oh my!
The questioner : This is what we understand.
The Shaykh : Is there anyone on earth who says this?
The questioner: Yes!
The Shaykh : No, what comes to mind is that the Rightly Guided Caliphs are four, and some people include 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz with them, but we do not have other caliphs whose inclusion with the Rightly Guided Caliphs can be definitively established.
The questioner : But, for example, what we hear.
The Shaykh : It should be noted that the subject is purely theoretical and does not result in any jurisprudential matter whatsoever, meaning nothing is derived from this; even including 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz with the Rightly Guided Caliphs does not result in anything concerning the Muslim community, but rather everything that results from it concerns the person of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz himself; and that is that he was a righteous man and an excellent scholar, and he followed the way of the Messenger (peace be upon him); and therefore he was included with the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner :
You must therefore follow my sunna and that of the rightly guided Caliphs
عليكم بسنَّتي وسنَّة الخلفاء الراشدينThe Shaykh : I say: including, the inclusion with the Rightly Guided Caliphs is four; anyone else is theoretical and does not result in anything.
The questioner : A broader meaning held by some of the brothers who see that everyone who holds fast to the religion are the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
The Shaykh: Oh my!
The questioner : This is what we understand.
The Shaykh : Is there anyone on earth who says this?
The questioner: Yes!
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.