Some accuse the Salafis of caring only about the issue of tawhid, particularly tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), more than anything else. Why is that?

The questioner : It is rumored, or some accuse the Salafis, that they are interested only in the issue of tawhid, particularly tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), more than other matters. Why?

The Shaykh : In this question, we actually observe a degree of moderation, and I hope the questioner intended that and did not make it a "shot in the dark", as the saying goes, because the end of the question mentions "more than anything else." So we say: You are right. Is it a mistake for Salafi preachers to call Muslims to the foundation of Islam, which is tawhid, more than to other matters that are far less important? This implies that it is a mistake. If that is the case, then the questioner is the one who is wrong. Why? If we asked any one of those who resent the Salafis for their focus on tawhid and what branches from it, such as fighting shirk, idolatry, superstitions, and false beliefs, and if we said to these objectors, "What should we focus on more?" I dare them to say that there is something more important than this. Yes, there are important matters, and many very important ones, and one person may not be able to call to them or understand them, nor even a group of people, but rather one group may not be able to do it, but many groups. And as it was said: "Knowledge, if you seek it, is abundant *** And life is short for acquiring it
So prioritize the more important of them over the less important ***" If the Salafi preacher cannot, for example, investigate politics, economics, and ... things called today in the modern era social gatherings, he cannot, because Allah has not given man a capacity that expands and a memory that expands to encompass everything that the Muslim community must know, so that one individual among them can cover it all. This is impossible. And Allah the Exalted says: Therefore, every Muslim must perform his share of the obligations, especially if they are individual obligations (fard 'ayn). When he finishes them, he performs collective obligations (fard kifayah). As for why so-and-so works in this and not that? This is a mistake. No matter how well you think of a person, no one does everything that a Muslim must do. This is impossible, especially in the realm of collective obligations. For example, those we see who work, they claim, in the political Islamic aspect. Why do they not focus on rectifying the beliefs of Muslims? An individual among them lives in his party or group for a few years or more, then he comes out without understanding the creed, without understanding the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah), which the Arabs understood in the early days of Islam while they were still in their disbelief and misguidance, but after they understood it, they disbelieved in it, as Allah the Exalted related about them that they said: Many Muslims today do not understand this word. Why do those who work, they claim, in politics and work, they claim, in education, not focus on rectifying the creed? Why do they not focus on purifying Islam from what has entered it, such as weak and fabricated hadiths and deviant beliefs? Why, why? These are questions that never end. We are content that if people like these perform the obligation, we thank them for it, because this is one of the collective obligations, but on the condition that they do not fight those people who say that they have devoted their lives to calling for tawhid. This is a matter of fairness. Otherwise, we have often heard, and even seen it printed on a message there in Jordan, that they say, "What do the Salafis have besides moving the finger being a sunnah and hanging a small clock in the mosque being a bid'ah?" And the one who writes this knows that these Salafis are addressing the most important issue of today that the Islamic world needs, which is knowing, first, the tawhid of Allah the Exalted in His worship and in His names and attributes
and second, singling out the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in following him, excluding all people. This is the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah" (There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). The Salafis, by the grace of Allah, whom Allah has blessed, call to this sincerity to Allah the Exalted in His oneness and to singling out the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in following him, excluding others, even the prophets and messengers, let alone those below them among scholars and righteous people. Perhaps you remember, and one thing reminds of another, the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), which Imam Ahmad narrated in the Musnad and others, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If Musa were alive, he would not have been able to follow anyone but the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Who do the masses of Muslims follow today? Do they follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? It is regrettable that I say, with all frankness, take any shaykh in whom you believe there is knowledge and say to him, "Describe to me how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed so that I can pray his prayer." If he is fair, he will preempt you by saying, "My madhhab is Shafi'i." If he is Hanafi, he will say, "My madhhab is Hanafi." If you ask him about the pillars of wudu' and the conditions of wudu', he will say, "I am Hanafi, it is four." If he is Shafi'i, he will say, "It is six." My brother, show me how the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) performed wudu'? They do not know the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the connection, unfortunately, has been cut off between them and the Messenger. So they follow other than the Messenger in reality, whereas their duty was to single out the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in following him, just as they single out Allah in worship, because this is the right of Allah, which is His worship alone, with no partner, and this is the right of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which is following him alone, with no partner in this following either. We do not find today the scholars of Muslims being sincere to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in following him; rather, they take many, many followers, many, and very many followers. So we call for making Muslims understand the reality of this testimony, "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah." So those who work in matters of Islam below this should not fight this call, because this call is not, as we say in the Levant, "the skin of an onion" if they do not believe in this tawhid that Allah Blessed and Exalted is He clarified in His Book and our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained in his Sunnah. Our Lord says: Today, hundreds of thousands of Muslims pray, not only in the five prayers, but they pray while people are sleeping. They perform Hajj to the House of Allah, not only the Hajj of Islam, but they may perform Hajj every year. And yet, in the House of Allah, we hear shirk doing its work. What is the benefit of these acts of worship if our Lord the Exalted explicitly states in His Book, as you heard: And He the Exalted said regarding the disbelievers: So if it is permissible for us to be proud that in most of our matters, our call is to tawhid and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), if it is permissible for us to be proud of that, we are very proud, because we are implementing a text in the Qur'an: So others should not fight this call, but rather submit to it, so that they benefit from other efforts that are far, very far below that call. Yes.