Adnan Arur’s mention of some rules regarding religious innovation and the Shaykh Al-Albani’s commentary on it.
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The questioner : Are we recording now, or not recording?
Abu Layla : Record it; there is no problem with that.
The questioner : The first rule is that an innovator, whatever his innovation may be, as long as he does not commit something that takes him out of Islam, is a Muslim who has the rights of Islam, such as brotherhood, loyalty, and other rights of Islam, because he is still a Muslim included in the generality of the texts, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Hujurat 49:10] [At-Tawbah 9:71] This loyalty, which includes support, is restricted by Shari'ah conditions, among which is that one must not strengthen this loyalty against the people of the Sunnah, and that it must not be a cause for aiding him in his innovation, among other things detailed in their respective places.
The Shaykh : In truth, this question is good, and no scholar doubts its correctness, but it should perhaps be added to the restrictions mentioned earlier that this innovator should not be one whose habit is to innovate in the religion, first, and second, that he should not be calling people to his innovation.
The questioner : The second rule is that not everyone who commits disbelief is a disbeliever, not everyone who commits open sinfulness is an open sinner, and not everyone who commits an act of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance is ignorant. Likewise, not everyone who commits a religious innovation is an innovator, because there is a distinction among the people of the Sunnah and the community between one who commits a religious innovation and one who introduces a religious innovation, adopts it, and calls to it. This is a matter of consensus, and there is no place here for detail.
The Shaykh : The answer is so, without doubt or hesitation, because many scholars and people of virtue fall into some contradictions of the Shari'ah due to their independent legal reasoning. By the consensus of scholars, they are not held accountable for them, whether these contradictions involve deeming lawful what Allah has forbidden, forbidding what Allah has made lawful, or falling into an innovation, as long as all of this occurred from the scholar through his independent legal reasoning, intending thereby to reach the knowledge of the truth that Allah revealed to the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), but in the end he erred. There is no doubt that he is not excused, but rather rewarded with one reward, as stated in that authentic hadith narrated in al-Bukhari from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:Sahih Muslim 1716a Some scholars distinguish between excusing the independent legal reasoner when he errs in the branches versus the fundamentals. We find no basis or evidence for this distinction in the Book and the Sunnah, because the operative cause is either that he intended the truth and erred, in which case he is rewarded, or that he did not intend the truth, in which case he is excused, whether in the branches or the fundamentals. This statement is very correct, and it would be good to support it with the hadith narrated by al-Bukhari from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): This is a man who fell into disbelief, yet it was forgiven for him because he did not intend disbelief, but out of the horror of the punishment he would face before Allah Mighty and Majestic, this disbelief came from him. When Allah Mighty and Majestic knew what was in his heart, Allah said to him, "I have forgiven you." From this, the people of the Sunnah agreed that disbelievers who died as disbelievers and to whom the call did not reach are not punished, because the proof was not established against them. Therefore, if there is a Muslim scholar who errs in a matter, whether it is a fundamental or creedal issue, or a branch of the Shari'ah ruling, Allah Mighty and Majestic does not hold him accountable if it is known from him that he was intending to know the truth. This is the answer, if Allah wills.
The questioner : The third rule is that not every innovator is boycotted, or declared misguided, or declared an open sinner, or declared a disbeliever, but rather there are conditions for this, which have been mentioned by scholars of verification, such as Imam al-Shatibi and Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on them). Is this correct?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is correct, and the answer to it has already been given.
The questioner : The fourth rule is that not all religious innovations are the same; they range from innovations in means and customs to innovations in acts of worship, ideas, and beliefs. Although they are all religious innovations and all misguidance, the misguidance varies, just as open sinfulness and disbelief vary.
The Shaykh : No, it is not permissible to include ordinary customs in religious innovations; they should not be included in this domain.
The questioner : If the custom is intended as an act of worship?
The Shaykh : You have now restricted it verbally, so restrict it in writing. Otherwise, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The matter of customs is very broad. But if it is intended as an act of worship, as I said earlier, then it becomes an act of worship and ceases to be a custom.
The questioner : Imam al-Shatibi restricted it if it is intended as what is intended by the Shari'ah method?
The Shaykh : If it is intended?
The questioner : As what is intended by the Shari'ah method?
The Shaykh : Then what is intended is worship.
The questioner : But regarding the fundamental principle, it is different.
The Shaykh : I do not see the inclusion of custom here. Repeat the phrase for us. In the end, was it in the fundamentals or the creed, or what?
The questioner : Not all religious innovations are the same; they range from innovations in means and customs to innovations in acts of worship, ideas, and belief. Although they are all religious innovations and all misguidance, the misguidance varies, just as open sinfulness and disbelief vary.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt in the variation, but innovations in customs, if they are intended as acts of worship, enter into the category of acts of worship.
The questioner : And the rulings on that are tied to the innovator, his fundamentals, his knowledge, his religion, his calling to it, and his deviation from the path of the Salaf in the fundamentals, and are also tied to the innovation itself.
The Shaykh : These are correct restrictions.
The questioner : The fifth rule is that the rulings on these matters, such as distinguishing between innovators and innovations and what is attached to them, do not return to the young in age, but rather to the scholars and the God-fearing, who judge regarding the innovation and the innovator. This is because most of the young in age do not distinguish between the types of religious innovations and the levels of innovators. There is the creedal innovation, the methodological innovation, the innovation in worship, the additional innovation, and the innovation of independent legal reasoning, and they do not grasp the public benefits.
The Shaykh : Add to the additional innovation, or before it, the true innovation, then after that the additional innovation.
The questioner : And the innovation of independent legal reasoning, and they do not grasp the public benefits and harms, nor do they understand the objectives of the Shari'ah, which is detailed in various places. "The meaning of the innovation of independent legal reasoning" is that in which the holders of correct principles and those who are qualified for independent legal reasoning differ, and their point of contention is considered, such as the difference regarding the prayer of tasbih and placing the hands on the chest after rising from the bowing. This means we are reading from the booklet "The Path," and we wanted to review some important points before printing it, because we oblige them to either say that Ibn Taymiyyah is an innovator or that Abdullah ibn al-Miyar is an innovator in the issue of the prayer of tasbih. Therefore, this entered...
The Shaykh : No, it is not mentioned.
Ali Hasan: Our Shaykh, there is a subtle point here regarding the issue of placing the hands on the chest after the bowing. There is the indication mentioned here, which our brother Abu Hazim mentioned as a response to what might be understood from your words regarding the description, that this is a misguided religious innovation, which necessitates for some people, such as...The Shaykh : Abdul Aziz, and so on. This is a statement of our Shaykh, who spoke about it once. One of the Yemeni brothers came to the house of Dr. Basim Faisal, and our professor spoke at length on this issue, stating that it does not necessitate ruling that the person is an innovator if he is an independent legal reasoner.
The Shaykh : This is included in some of the previous questions.
Ali Hasan: Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : By the way, some people wanted to ask His Eminence...The Shaykh : Abdul Aziz, may Allah reward him with good, in such a position, and he mentioned you on the radio with all good.
The Shaykh: May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : And he mentioned that you are among the supporters of the Sunnah, and that the Sunnah has not been supported as it has been supported by you, and that you are among the people of independent legal reasoning. He did not dwell on this word, but said that everyone has his opinion, and everyone takes from his saying and leaves some. This indicates his leadership and his truthfulness.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed.
The questioner : The sixth rule is that the school of thought of an imam from the imams of the Salaf, or a statement of his, does not count as the religion of the community.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The school of any of the Imams of the Salaf, or a statement by one of them, does not constitute the religion of the Ummah or its school of jurisprudence, let alone if the scholar was not a contemporary. Rather, it must be supported by evidence that is definitive in its authenticity and clear in its meaning, or by a certain consensus. A report attributing a statement to an innovator does not amount to a general ruling applicable to every innovator. This is what Qa'im al-Mubtadi'in wa al-Ghalin, Shaykh al-Islam, said in the Fatawa: "Many of the answers of Imam Ahmad and others of the Imams were responses to a specific questioner whose situation the respondent knew, or were addressed to a specific person whose situation was known. So, by Allah, as if this Imam were among us, some people have made these specific rulings general and have practiced boycotting and denunciation in ways they were not commanded to do."
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar. What Allah willed. The Imam, may Allah have mercy on him.
The questioner : But the innovators, who are a new sect in this Ummah, said: "You leave Imam Ahmad and come to Ibn Taymiyyah!"
The Shaykh : May Allah guide them.
The questioner : The eighth principle: Gentleness does not adorn anything except that it beautifies it, and it is not removed from anything except that it disfigures it. Gentleness is required in everything, even with animals. Wisdom is commanded in every invitation and in every call. The kind word is praised with every person addressed, whether he is a monotheist who is pious, a believer who sins, or a Muslim who is an innovator, and whether he is a Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian. Because there is a difference between da'wah (calling to Islam) and enjoining good and forbidding evil, and there is a difference between da'wah and ijtihad (independent legal reasoning).
The Shaykh : Here, I do not know if an exception should be stated, and it is necessary, or do you mean that the exception exists in enjoining good and forbidding evil? Otherwise, is this exception not sufficient?
The questioner : It does not include enjoining good and forbidding evil.
The Shaykh : I mean regarding gentleness: is it a continuous, ongoing requirement in every matter, or are there circumstances where wisdom dictates leaving off gentleness and using severity?
The questioner : We can say that for every situation, there is a suitable response.
The Shaykh : That is my intention. So, a reference to the exception is necessary. That is, when we recall some of the hadiths and incidents that occurred with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) involving severity, the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari is sufficient to express this. I do not remember the exact wording now, but it is the hadith in which it is said that nothing stopped him when the inviolable rights of Allah were violated. It contains this phrase: "When the inviolable rights of Allah are violated."
Ali Hasan: He never took revenge for himself, except when the inviolable rights of Allah were violated.
The Shaykh : This involves severity. Severity in its proper place is wisdom. For example, the story narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abbas, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering a sermon and a man stood up and said, "What Allah willed and what you willed, O Messenger of Allah." He said:As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 64:1386 Without a doubt, the people who advocate the use of gentleness and wisdom do not like this kind of severity that came from him (peace and blessings be upon him) in such an incident. Therefore, it is necessary to draw attention to such an exception, and perhaps you can add to it and include it.
The questioner : He mentioned some of the principles in the book itself. We will state them quickly and you will comment on them.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : The goal of Islam is to guide people, and then to govern them with the Shari'ah governance.
The Shaykh : Good, that is also correct.
The questioner : A principle for the youth, of an educational nature: If it is wisdom, it is wisdom; and if it is da'wah, it is rewarded. So, whatever the ruling on others is, whether correct or incorrect, it must be judged and questioned. But as for da'wah, one is rewarded in any case.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : The second principle: Speaking about disbelievers is done in general terms, while speaking about Muslims and their conditions is done in detail.
The Shaykh : But this requires consideration. Speaking about disbelievers in general terms is not always the case.
The questioner : But this is as a principle. However, there is no harm in making exceptions occasionally, once or twice. But as a general principle, one should not detail everything about disbelievers on the minbars of Muslims, everything about them and their conditions, such that this predominates over the conditions of Muslims. The predominant focus should be on detailing the conditions of disbelievers, what they do, and their plots against Muslims, while the preacher forgets those who are listening to the khutbah, who are the people of...
The Shaykh : But, Professor, you are setting necessary limits that every researcher feels are necessary. But when you state the principle as absolute, without these limits, the listener may understand it contrary to your intention.
The questioner : She explained the principle in the way we mentioned, but in brief.
The Shaykh : Okay, she explained it below.
The questioner : Yes, of course, she mentioned and explained it below.
The Shaykh : Good, if Allah wills.
The questioner : We will only review, if Allah wills, in ten minutes, some of the foundations of the Victorious Sect, or the People of the Sunnah and the Community, or the followers of the sound Salafi methodology. From the foundations of the People of the Sunnah and the Community, or this sect, the first foundation is holding fast to Islam as a whole, without dividing it into roots and branches, sunnahs and obligations, and other things we hear, such as "outer forms and inner substance," and other things we hear. That there is a gradual approach in Islam is one thing regarding practice and taking Islam as a whole, which is another matter?
The Shaykh : Do you mean the gradual approach in da'wah?
The questioner : And in practice. If a man enters Islam, or if we want to call disbelievers, we convey Islam to them as a whole. But there is no harm in being gradual with them, based on the hadith of Mu'adh.
The Shaykh : In da'wah.
The questioner : In da'wah. But if a man wants to start practicing after his call from disbelief, he will start first with tawhid (the oneness of Allah). So, it is da'wah for him, but for the one entering Islam, we call him to Islam. From his practice, he accepts tawhid, then from his practice, prayer, and so on. That is, they are one.
The Shaykh : If the disbeliever is called to Islam gradually.
The questioner : Then the practice becomes gradual automatically.
The Shaykh : No, it is not a condition. That is, the one who responds to the call of Islam does not have to be forced into a gradual approach. We impose on ourselves that our da'wah be according to the hadith of Mu'adh that you referred to. But this person who accepted the call of Islam and the call to tawhid and wants to expand in practice in Islam, between the obligatory acts and the recommended and encouraged acts, we do not say to him, "No, you stay with the obligatory acts!"
The questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : If it is in da'wah.
The questioner : The second foundation is calling to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) first, and holding fast to morals second.
The Shaykh : Holding fast to morals second, and acts of worship.
The questioner : Here, we drew attention to an important issue, because some people think... we mentioned this in the details. This is necessary, and we mentioned a principle under this foundation, which is correcting the beliefs of people, rectifying their worship, and improving their behavior.
The Shaykh: Good.
The questioner : Okay. The third foundation: Our religion is a religion of following, not a religion of thought and innovation. And we distinguished between thought that contradicts the Book and the Sunnah, and the reflection that we were commanded to in the Book and the Sunnah. This is one thing, and that is another.
The Shaykh: Certainly.
The questioner : The fourth foundation: Obedience and compliance. Of course, there is a great detail in such a position that is not hidden from people like you. The fifth foundation: If the transmission is authentic, the intellect submits. Or "witnesses" and submits. We found "witnesses" more eloquent than "submits," or that they are the same.
The Shaykh : No, I do not divert you from the word "witnesses."
The questioner : If the transmission is authentic, the intellect submits. We said this principle is between two lost principles. The first says: If the transmission comes, the intellect rules. They differ from us in two matters: first, if the transmission comes, they do not authenticate or weaken it; and second, they make the intellect the judge. This is the method of the Mu'tazilah. The second lost principle is on the other side: If the transmission comes, the intellect is invalidated. This is what the Shi'ah rely on.
The Shaykh : But is there anyone who says the intellect is invalidated?
The questioner : They are like that.
The Shaykh : No, those who say it are the ones who say: If the athar (report) comes, reasoning is invalidated.
The questioner : Perhaps we brought the word for the context.
The Shaykh : Yes, but there is exaggeration in it.
The questioner : If the athar comes, yes, reasoning is invalidated. That is the intention.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is correct speech.
The questioner : Yes, that is right. Okay.
The Shaykh : If the athar comes, reasoning is invalidated. As for the intellect...
The questioner : No, if the athar comes, reasoning is invalidated. This is with the People of the Sunnah and the Community.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is it.
The questioner : Yes, they do not reason.
The Shaykh : Yes, I say, based on your statement that there is a saying: "If the transmission comes, the intellect is invalidated." Who says this?
The questioner : I say the Shi'ah. This is their school, that they accept those narrations without applying the intellect to the chain, without applying their intellect to the authenticity, without disturbing their thought and reasoning?
The Shaykh : Here we notice something: when we speak about ourselves, we speak in whatever terms we wish, but when we speak about others, it is not about what we understand from them, but about what we transmit from them. So, are there any among them, whether they are Zaydis, Shi'ah, Rafidah, or any of the misguided sects, who say that reason is invalid?
The questioner : I do not recall a specific text on this matter right now.
The Shaykh : This is a point of attention that must be taken into consideration.
The questioner : Yes, the second chapter is on the characteristics of the Victorious Group. The characteristic of continuity: the Victorious Group has the characteristic of continuity from the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) until this day, unbroken and uninterrupted. It has no founder after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), no shepherd, and no imam other than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who follow this path.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : Now, the second characteristic is unity upon tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the methodology, and separation from others upon these two. The Victorious Group does not unite except upon tawhid and the methodology, and it does not separate from people except upon these two. It has been mentioned in the context of explanation to clarify this characteristic: it does not unite upon mere fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), asceticism, sunnah (recommended practice), or obligatory acts, let alone politics or factions. And it does not separate due to disagreement over a sunnah, an obligatory act, a disliked act, a forbidden act, personal inclinations, administrative differences, or political stances. The meaning of unity here is that the basis of their unity is nothing other than this.
The Shaykh : Correct.
The questioner : The third characteristic is comprehensiveness in calling all people. The Saved Group is the one whose call encompasses all of Allah's servants, so it does not exclude one class from another, nor one group from another. This was the call of the messengers, and this was the call of our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), encompassing the rich and the poor, the noble and the vagrant, the honorable and the lowly, and so on. It encompasses the educated, as our contemporary brothers express it, and the uneducated, the learned and the ignorant, the university student and others, and so forth.
The Shaykh : It is so[Saba 34:28].
The questioner : There are concepts we summarize, and I mean by concepts those that a Victorious Group must follow in order to change this society. The first concept is that everything that befalls us is by what our hands have earned, and this does not mean exonerating the disbelievers from what they do.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : The principle, the second concept, is that our reality changes when we first change ourselves.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : The third concept is the upbringing of the individual and the unity of the ranks before ... the enemy.
The Shaykh : That is the way of the Messenger of Allah.
The questioner : We have finished with some of these chapters that we mentioned. If Allah wills, we will record what you mentioned in the correction or the adjustment of some of the wording.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills.
Abu Layla : Record it; there is no problem with that.
The questioner : The first rule is that an innovator, whatever his innovation may be, as long as he does not commit something that takes him out of Islam, is a Muslim who has the rights of Islam, such as brotherhood, loyalty, and other rights of Islam, because he is still a Muslim included in the generality of the texts, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted:
The believers are but brothers
إنما المؤمنون إخوةThe believing men and believing women are allies of one another
والمؤمنون والمؤمنات بعضهم أولياء بعضThe Shaykh : In truth, this question is good, and no scholar doubts its correctness, but it should perhaps be added to the restrictions mentioned earlier that this innovator should not be one whose habit is to innovate in the religion, first, and second, that he should not be calling people to his innovation.
The questioner : The second rule is that not everyone who commits disbelief is a disbeliever, not everyone who commits open sinfulness is an open sinner, and not everyone who commits an act of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance is ignorant. Likewise, not everyone who commits a religious innovation is an innovator, because there is a distinction among the people of the Sunnah and the community between one who commits a religious innovation and one who introduces a religious innovation, adopts it, and calls to it. This is a matter of consensus, and there is no place here for detail.
The Shaykh : The answer is so, without doubt or hesitation, because many scholars and people of virtue fall into some contradictions of the Shari'ah due to their independent legal reasoning. By the consensus of scholars, they are not held accountable for them, whether these contradictions involve deeming lawful what Allah has forbidden, forbidding what Allah has made lawful, or falling into an innovation, as long as all of this occurred from the scholar through his independent legal reasoning, intending thereby to reach the knowledge of the truth that Allah revealed to the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), but in the end he erred. There is no doubt that he is not excused, but rather rewarded with one reward, as stated in that authentic hadith narrated in al-Bukhari from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:
When a judge gives a decision, having tried his best to decide correctly and is right, there are two rewards for him; and if he gave a judgment after having tried his best (to arrive at a correct decision) but erred, there is one reward for him.
إذا حكم الحاكم فاجتهد فله أجران وإن أخطأ فله أجر واحدA man from those before you was on the verge of death, so he gathered his children around him and said, "What kind of father was I to you?" They said, "The best of fathers." He said, "Indeed, I am a sinner with my Lord, and if Allah were to take me, He would punish me with severe punishment. So when I die, take me and burn me with fire, then scatter half of me in the wind and half in the sea." When the man died, they burned him with fire and scattered half of him in the wind and the other half in the sea. Then Allah the Exalted said to his particles, "Be so-and-so," and he was. Then Allah the Exalted said, "O My servant, what compelled you to do what you did?" He said, "O my Lord, I feared You." He said, "I have forgiven you."
أن رجل ممن كان قبلكم حضرته الوفاة فجمع أولاده حوله قال أي أب كنت لكم قالوا خير أب قال فإني مذنب مع ربي ولإن قدر الله علي ليعذبني عذابا شديدا فإذا أنا مت فخذوني وحرقوني بالنار ثم ذروا نصفي في الريح ونصفي في البحر فلما مات الرجل حرقوه بالنار وذروا نصفه في الريح والنصف الآخر في البحر فقال الله عزوجل لذراته كوني فلانا فكان ثم قال الله عزوجل أي عبدي ما حملك على ما فعلت قال يا ربي خشيتك قال فقد غفرت لكThe questioner : The third rule is that not every innovator is boycotted, or declared misguided, or declared an open sinner, or declared a disbeliever, but rather there are conditions for this, which have been mentioned by scholars of verification, such as Imam al-Shatibi and Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on them). Is this correct?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is correct, and the answer to it has already been given.
The questioner : The fourth rule is that not all religious innovations are the same; they range from innovations in means and customs to innovations in acts of worship, ideas, and beliefs. Although they are all religious innovations and all misguidance, the misguidance varies, just as open sinfulness and disbelief vary.
The Shaykh : No, it is not permissible to include ordinary customs in religious innovations; they should not be included in this domain.
The questioner : If the custom is intended as an act of worship?
The Shaykh : You have now restricted it verbally, so restrict it in writing. Otherwise, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
You know best the affairs of your worldly life.
أنتم أعلم بأمور دنياكمThe questioner : Imam al-Shatibi restricted it if it is intended as what is intended by the Shari'ah method?
The Shaykh : If it is intended?
The questioner : As what is intended by the Shari'ah method?
The Shaykh : Then what is intended is worship.
The questioner : But regarding the fundamental principle, it is different.
The Shaykh : I do not see the inclusion of custom here. Repeat the phrase for us. In the end, was it in the fundamentals or the creed, or what?
The questioner : Not all religious innovations are the same; they range from innovations in means and customs to innovations in acts of worship, ideas, and belief. Although they are all religious innovations and all misguidance, the misguidance varies, just as open sinfulness and disbelief vary.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt in the variation, but innovations in customs, if they are intended as acts of worship, enter into the category of acts of worship.
The questioner : And the rulings on that are tied to the innovator, his fundamentals, his knowledge, his religion, his calling to it, and his deviation from the path of the Salaf in the fundamentals, and are also tied to the innovation itself.
The Shaykh : These are correct restrictions.
The questioner : The fifth rule is that the rulings on these matters, such as distinguishing between innovators and innovations and what is attached to them, do not return to the young in age, but rather to the scholars and the God-fearing, who judge regarding the innovation and the innovator. This is because most of the young in age do not distinguish between the types of religious innovations and the levels of innovators. There is the creedal innovation, the methodological innovation, the innovation in worship, the additional innovation, and the innovation of independent legal reasoning, and they do not grasp the public benefits.
The Shaykh : Add to the additional innovation, or before it, the true innovation, then after that the additional innovation.
The questioner : And the innovation of independent legal reasoning, and they do not grasp the public benefits and harms, nor do they understand the objectives of the Shari'ah, which is detailed in various places. "The meaning of the innovation of independent legal reasoning" is that in which the holders of correct principles and those who are qualified for independent legal reasoning differ, and their point of contention is considered, such as the difference regarding the prayer of tasbih and placing the hands on the chest after rising from the bowing. This means we are reading from the booklet "The Path," and we wanted to review some important points before printing it, because we oblige them to either say that Ibn Taymiyyah is an innovator or that Abdullah ibn al-Miyar is an innovator in the issue of the prayer of tasbih. Therefore, this entered...
The Shaykh : No, it is not mentioned.
Ali Hasan: Our Shaykh, there is a subtle point here regarding the issue of placing the hands on the chest after the bowing. There is the indication mentioned here, which our brother Abu Hazim mentioned as a response to what might be understood from your words regarding the description, that this is a misguided religious innovation, which necessitates for some people, such as...The Shaykh : Abdul Aziz, and so on. This is a statement of our Shaykh, who spoke about it once. One of the Yemeni brothers came to the house of Dr. Basim Faisal, and our professor spoke at length on this issue, stating that it does not necessitate ruling that the person is an innovator if he is an independent legal reasoner.
The Shaykh : This is included in some of the previous questions.
Ali Hasan: Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : By the way, some people wanted to ask His Eminence...The Shaykh : Abdul Aziz, may Allah reward him with good, in such a position, and he mentioned you on the radio with all good.
The Shaykh: May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : And he mentioned that you are among the supporters of the Sunnah, and that the Sunnah has not been supported as it has been supported by you, and that you are among the people of independent legal reasoning. He did not dwell on this word, but said that everyone has his opinion, and everyone takes from his saying and leaves some. This indicates his leadership and his truthfulness.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed.
The questioner : The sixth rule is that the school of thought of an imam from the imams of the Salaf, or a statement of his, does not count as the religion of the community.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The school of any of the Imams of the Salaf, or a statement by one of them, does not constitute the religion of the Ummah or its school of jurisprudence, let alone if the scholar was not a contemporary. Rather, it must be supported by evidence that is definitive in its authenticity and clear in its meaning, or by a certain consensus. A report attributing a statement to an innovator does not amount to a general ruling applicable to every innovator. This is what Qa'im al-Mubtadi'in wa al-Ghalin, Shaykh al-Islam, said in the Fatawa: "Many of the answers of Imam Ahmad and others of the Imams were responses to a specific questioner whose situation the respondent knew, or were addressed to a specific person whose situation was known. So, by Allah, as if this Imam were among us, some people have made these specific rulings general and have practiced boycotting and denunciation in ways they were not commanded to do."
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar. What Allah willed. The Imam, may Allah have mercy on him.
The questioner : But the innovators, who are a new sect in this Ummah, said: "You leave Imam Ahmad and come to Ibn Taymiyyah!"
The Shaykh : May Allah guide them.
The questioner : The eighth principle: Gentleness does not adorn anything except that it beautifies it, and it is not removed from anything except that it disfigures it. Gentleness is required in everything, even with animals. Wisdom is commanded in every invitation and in every call. The kind word is praised with every person addressed, whether he is a monotheist who is pious, a believer who sins, or a Muslim who is an innovator, and whether he is a Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian. Because there is a difference between da'wah (calling to Islam) and enjoining good and forbidding evil, and there is a difference between da'wah and ijtihad (independent legal reasoning).
The Shaykh : Here, I do not know if an exception should be stated, and it is necessary, or do you mean that the exception exists in enjoining good and forbidding evil? Otherwise, is this exception not sufficient?
The questioner : It does not include enjoining good and forbidding evil.
The Shaykh : I mean regarding gentleness: is it a continuous, ongoing requirement in every matter, or are there circumstances where wisdom dictates leaving off gentleness and using severity?
The questioner : We can say that for every situation, there is a suitable response.
The Shaykh : That is my intention. So, a reference to the exception is necessary. That is, when we recall some of the hadiths and incidents that occurred with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) involving severity, the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari is sufficient to express this. I do not remember the exact wording now, but it is the hadith in which it is said that nothing stopped him when the inviolable rights of Allah were violated.
Between two things, so he chose the easier of them
بين أمرين فاختار أيسرهماAli Hasan: He never took revenge for himself, except when the inviolable rights of Allah were violated.
The Shaykh : This involves severity. Severity in its proper place is wisdom. For example, the story narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abbas, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering a sermon and a man stood up and said, "What Allah willed and what you willed, O Messenger of Allah." He said:
Have you made me a rival to Allah? Say: What Allah wills alone
أجعلتني لله ندا قل ما شاء الله وحدهThe questioner : He mentioned some of the principles in the book itself. We will state them quickly and you will comment on them.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : The goal of Islam is to guide people, and then to govern them with the Shari'ah governance.
The Shaykh : Good, that is also correct.
The questioner : A principle for the youth, of an educational nature: If it is wisdom, it is wisdom; and if it is da'wah, it is rewarded. So, whatever the ruling on others is, whether correct or incorrect, it must be judged and questioned. But as for da'wah, one is rewarded in any case.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : The second principle: Speaking about disbelievers is done in general terms, while speaking about Muslims and their conditions is done in detail.
The Shaykh : But this requires consideration. Speaking about disbelievers in general terms is not always the case.
The questioner : But this is as a principle. However, there is no harm in making exceptions occasionally, once or twice. But as a general principle, one should not detail everything about disbelievers on the minbars of Muslims, everything about them and their conditions, such that this predominates over the conditions of Muslims. The predominant focus should be on detailing the conditions of disbelievers, what they do, and their plots against Muslims, while the preacher forgets those who are listening to the khutbah, who are the people of...
The Shaykh : But, Professor, you are setting necessary limits that every researcher feels are necessary. But when you state the principle as absolute, without these limits, the listener may understand it contrary to your intention.
The questioner : She explained the principle in the way we mentioned, but in brief.
The Shaykh : Okay, she explained it below.
The questioner : Yes, of course, she mentioned and explained it below.
The Shaykh : Good, if Allah wills.
The questioner : We will only review, if Allah wills, in ten minutes, some of the foundations of the Victorious Sect, or the People of the Sunnah and the Community, or the followers of the sound Salafi methodology. From the foundations of the People of the Sunnah and the Community, or this sect, the first foundation is holding fast to Islam as a whole, without dividing it into roots and branches, sunnahs and obligations, and other things we hear, such as "outer forms and inner substance," and other things we hear. That there is a gradual approach in Islam is one thing regarding practice and taking Islam as a whole, which is another matter?
The Shaykh : Do you mean the gradual approach in da'wah?
The questioner : And in practice. If a man enters Islam, or if we want to call disbelievers, we convey Islam to them as a whole. But there is no harm in being gradual with them, based on the hadith of Mu'adh.
The Shaykh : In da'wah.
The questioner : In da'wah. But if a man wants to start practicing after his call from disbelief, he will start first with tawhid (the oneness of Allah). So, it is da'wah for him, but for the one entering Islam, we call him to Islam. From his practice, he accepts tawhid, then from his practice, prayer, and so on. That is, they are one.
The Shaykh : If the disbeliever is called to Islam gradually.
The questioner : Then the practice becomes gradual automatically.
The Shaykh : No, it is not a condition. That is, the one who responds to the call of Islam does not have to be forced into a gradual approach. We impose on ourselves that our da'wah be according to the hadith of Mu'adh that you referred to. But this person who accepted the call of Islam and the call to tawhid and wants to expand in practice in Islam, between the obligatory acts and the recommended and encouraged acts, we do not say to him, "No, you stay with the obligatory acts!"
The questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : If it is in da'wah.
The questioner : The second foundation is calling to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) first, and holding fast to morals second.
The Shaykh : Holding fast to morals second, and acts of worship.
The questioner : Here, we drew attention to an important issue, because some people think... we mentioned this in the details. This is necessary, and we mentioned a principle under this foundation, which is correcting the beliefs of people, rectifying their worship, and improving their behavior.
The Shaykh: Good.
The questioner : Okay. The third foundation: Our religion is a religion of following, not a religion of thought and innovation. And we distinguished between thought that contradicts the Book and the Sunnah, and the reflection that we were commanded to in the Book and the Sunnah. This is one thing, and that is another.
The Shaykh: Certainly.
The questioner : The fourth foundation: Obedience and compliance. Of course, there is a great detail in such a position that is not hidden from people like you. The fifth foundation: If the transmission is authentic, the intellect submits. Or "witnesses" and submits. We found "witnesses" more eloquent than "submits," or that they are the same.
The Shaykh : No, I do not divert you from the word "witnesses."
The questioner : If the transmission is authentic, the intellect submits. We said this principle is between two lost principles. The first says: If the transmission comes, the intellect rules. They differ from us in two matters: first, if the transmission comes, they do not authenticate or weaken it; and second, they make the intellect the judge. This is the method of the Mu'tazilah. The second lost principle is on the other side: If the transmission comes, the intellect is invalidated. This is what the Shi'ah rely on.
The Shaykh : But is there anyone who says the intellect is invalidated?
The questioner : They are like that.
The Shaykh : No, those who say it are the ones who say: If the athar (report) comes, reasoning is invalidated.
The questioner : Perhaps we brought the word for the context.
The Shaykh : Yes, but there is exaggeration in it.
The questioner : If the athar comes, yes, reasoning is invalidated. That is the intention.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is correct speech.
The questioner : Yes, that is right. Okay.
The Shaykh : If the athar comes, reasoning is invalidated. As for the intellect...
The questioner : No, if the athar comes, reasoning is invalidated. This is with the People of the Sunnah and the Community.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is it.
The questioner : Yes, they do not reason.
The Shaykh : Yes, I say, based on your statement that there is a saying: "If the transmission comes, the intellect is invalidated." Who says this?
The questioner : I say the Shi'ah. This is their school, that they accept those narrations without applying the intellect to the chain, without applying their intellect to the authenticity, without disturbing their thought and reasoning?
The Shaykh : Here we notice something: when we speak about ourselves, we speak in whatever terms we wish, but when we speak about others, it is not about what we understand from them, but about what we transmit from them. So, are there any among them, whether they are Zaydis, Shi'ah, Rafidah, or any of the misguided sects, who say that reason is invalid?
The questioner : I do not recall a specific text on this matter right now.
The Shaykh : This is a point of attention that must be taken into consideration.
The questioner : Yes, the second chapter is on the characteristics of the Victorious Group. The characteristic of continuity: the Victorious Group has the characteristic of continuity from the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) until this day, unbroken and uninterrupted. It has no founder after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), no shepherd, and no imam other than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who follow this path.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : Now, the second characteristic is unity upon tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the methodology, and separation from others upon these two. The Victorious Group does not unite except upon tawhid and the methodology, and it does not separate from people except upon these two. It has been mentioned in the context of explanation to clarify this characteristic: it does not unite upon mere fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), asceticism, sunnah (recommended practice), or obligatory acts, let alone politics or factions. And it does not separate due to disagreement over a sunnah, an obligatory act, a disliked act, a forbidden act, personal inclinations, administrative differences, or political stances. The meaning of unity here is that the basis of their unity is nothing other than this.
The Shaykh : Correct.
The questioner : The third characteristic is comprehensiveness in calling all people. The Saved Group is the one whose call encompasses all of Allah's servants, so it does not exclude one class from another, nor one group from another. This was the call of the messengers, and this was the call of our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), encompassing the rich and the poor, the noble and the vagrant, the honorable and the lowly, and so on. It encompasses the educated, as our contemporary brothers express it, and the uneducated, the learned and the ignorant, the university student and others, and so forth.
The Shaykh : It is so
And We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner
و ما آرسلناك إلى كافة للناس بشيرا و نذيراThe questioner : There are concepts we summarize, and I mean by concepts those that a Victorious Group must follow in order to change this society. The first concept is that everything that befalls us is by what our hands have earned, and this does not mean exonerating the disbelievers from what they do.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : The principle, the second concept, is that our reality changes when we first change ourselves.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : The third concept is the upbringing of the individual and the unity of the ranks before ... the enemy.
The Shaykh : That is the way of the Messenger of Allah.
The questioner : We have finished with some of these chapters that we mentioned. If Allah wills, we will record what you mentioned in the correction or the adjustment of some of the wording.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.