What is the ruling on relying solely on what is in the Qur'an and not following the Sunnah?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, one of the brothers was shaving his beard. When we spoke with him, he said that there is no prohibition of shaving the beard in the Qur'an. We said, but it is mentioned in the Sunnah. He said, "What I know is that what is in the Qur'an is obligatory, and what is in the Sunnah is not obligatory." How do we respond to him?
The Shaykh : The Fajr prayer of two rak'ahs is in the Qur'an, and the rest of the prayers... how could you not respond to him with this, which is as clear as the sun in the fourth hour of the day?
The questioner : I responded to him with the words of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious... .
The Shaykh : I am asking you; I asked about Allah, I am asking you. Let no one's concern be speech, but rather understanding, and then the answer. How could you not say to him: From where did you know the manner of these prayers, that this is two, this is three, and this is four, from the Qur'an? And add to that the remaining pillars, the tashahhud, the prayer upon the Messenger, the ruku', the sujud, and what is said between them. From where did we take this? He will certainly say to you, "This is not in the Qur'an." Well, is this not obligatory? The matter is clear. This is an ignorant man. And I was surprised by you when you said "one of our brothers," for he is not one of our brothers.
The questioner : He is ignorant and does not know, but he was... what he knows.
The Shaykh : Yes, he does not know. This makes him an ignorant man. Come, Badr, please. And upon you be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.
Another questioner : Peace be upon you. May Allah welcome you. Praise be to Allah for your safety.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings. May Allah keep you safe. Welcome, welcome. And upon you be peace and His blessings. Welcome. How are you? Are you well?
The questioner : ... this detail is a sin upon him for not understanding the Book of Allah... ?
The Shaykh : No, he does not sin if he is unable to understand a text from the Qur'an or the Sunnah. But he is held accountable if he persists in remaining in his ignorance and does not seek help to remove his ignorance by turning to the people of knowledge. At that point, he is held accountable. Is that clear?
The Shaykh : The Fajr prayer of two rak'ahs is in the Qur'an, and the rest of the prayers... how could you not respond to him with this, which is as clear as the sun in the fourth hour of the day?
The questioner : I responded to him with the words of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious... .
The Shaykh : I am asking you; I asked about Allah, I am asking you. Let no one's concern be speech, but rather understanding, and then the answer. How could you not say to him: From where did you know the manner of these prayers, that this is two, this is three, and this is four, from the Qur'an? And add to that the remaining pillars, the tashahhud, the prayer upon the Messenger, the ruku', the sujud, and what is said between them. From where did we take this? He will certainly say to you, "This is not in the Qur'an." Well, is this not obligatory? The matter is clear. This is an ignorant man. And I was surprised by you when you said "one of our brothers," for he is not one of our brothers.
The questioner : He is ignorant and does not know, but he was... what he knows.
The Shaykh : Yes, he does not know. This makes him an ignorant man. Come, Badr, please. And upon you be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.
Another questioner : Peace be upon you. May Allah welcome you. Praise be to Allah for your safety.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings. May Allah keep you safe. Welcome, welcome. And upon you be peace and His blessings. Welcome. How are you? Are you well?
The questioner : ... this detail is a sin upon him for not understanding the Book of Allah... ?
The Shaykh : No, he does not sin if he is unable to understand a text from the Qur'an or the Sunnah. But he is held accountable if he persists in remaining in his ignorance and does not seek help to remove his ignorance by turning to the people of knowledge. At that point, he is held accountable. Is that clear?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.