A group of followers of Sayyid Qutb has emerged in some Arab countries, claiming that they are the true Salafis.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : A group has emerged in some Arab countries claiming that they are followers of Sayyid Qutb, and that they are the true Salafis. What is your opinion?
The Shaykh : My opinion is that the problem is the same, and my answer to it is:
"And claims, unless you establish evidence for them, their offspring are claimants."
We believe that Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him) was not Salafi in methodology for most of his life, but a strong inclination toward the Salafi methodology appeared in him at the end of his life while he was living in prison. So Salafiyah is not merely a claim; Salafiyah requires knowledge of the Book, the authentic Sunnah, and the Salafi reports. We know from these people and their like who claim that their call is based on the Book and the Sunnah that they do not know the principles of understanding the Book in the first place. These principles are known from the words of Ibn Taymiyyah in his treatise on the principles of jurisprudence, and the words of the imams of exegesis like Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir and others: that the Qur'an is interpreted by the Qur'an, or else by the hadith, or else by the sayings of the Companions, and those after them from the righteous Salaf. So those who claim Salafiyah do not follow this scientific path of interpreting the Qur'an that is agreed upon by the scholars of the Muslims.
The questioner : Is this present among the Qutbiyyah?
The Shaykh : Of course it is present; and therefore you find in Sayyid Qutb's exegesis some interpretations that lean toward the path of the Khalaf who contradict the righteous Salaf.
Then I want to say: these people do not concern themselves with distinguishing the authentic Sunnah from the weak; let alone that they do not concern themselves with tracking the reports from the Companions and the righteous Salaf; because these reports are what help the scholar to understand the Book and the Sunnah, as we mentioned earlier.
Where does their Salafiyah come from, if they are far from understanding the first principle of Islam, which is the Qur'an, according to the correct scientific principles, and far from distinguishing the authentic from the weak in hadith, and even further from tracking the reports of the righteous Salaf so that they may be guided by their guidance and illuminated by their light?
So: the issue is not merely a claim. Why do these people claim to be Salafis? For the reason I mentioned in some of my previous answers: that the Salafi call now—and the praise is due to Allah (Mighty and Majestic)—has covered the Islamic arena almost entirely, and it has become apparent to most of those who used to oppose it—even if only in part—that this call is the call of the truth; and therefore they affiliate with it, even if in their practice they are far removed from it entirely. Please.
The Shaykh : My opinion is that the problem is the same, and my answer to it is:
"And claims, unless you establish evidence for them, their offspring are claimants."
We believe that Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him) was not Salafi in methodology for most of his life, but a strong inclination toward the Salafi methodology appeared in him at the end of his life while he was living in prison. So Salafiyah is not merely a claim; Salafiyah requires knowledge of the Book, the authentic Sunnah, and the Salafi reports. We know from these people and their like who claim that their call is based on the Book and the Sunnah that they do not know the principles of understanding the Book in the first place. These principles are known from the words of Ibn Taymiyyah in his treatise on the principles of jurisprudence, and the words of the imams of exegesis like Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir and others: that the Qur'an is interpreted by the Qur'an, or else by the hadith, or else by the sayings of the Companions, and those after them from the righteous Salaf. So those who claim Salafiyah do not follow this scientific path of interpreting the Qur'an that is agreed upon by the scholars of the Muslims.
The questioner : Is this present among the Qutbiyyah?
The Shaykh : Of course it is present; and therefore you find in Sayyid Qutb's exegesis some interpretations that lean toward the path of the Khalaf who contradict the righteous Salaf.
Then I want to say: these people do not concern themselves with distinguishing the authentic Sunnah from the weak; let alone that they do not concern themselves with tracking the reports from the Companions and the righteous Salaf; because these reports are what help the scholar to understand the Book and the Sunnah, as we mentioned earlier.
Where does their Salafiyah come from, if they are far from understanding the first principle of Islam, which is the Qur'an, according to the correct scientific principles, and far from distinguishing the authentic from the weak in hadith, and even further from tracking the reports of the righteous Salaf so that they may be guided by their guidance and illuminated by their light?
So: the issue is not merely a claim. Why do these people claim to be Salafis? For the reason I mentioned in some of my previous answers: that the Salafi call now—and the praise is due to Allah (Mighty and Majestic)—has covered the Islamic arena almost entirely, and it has become apparent to most of those who used to oppose it—even if only in part—that this call is the call of the truth; and therefore they affiliate with it, even if in their practice they are far removed from it entirely. Please.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.