Is it permissible to be called a Salafi?

The questioner : Our brother, Professor Mazen, made a statement that he does not see the brothers and groups being called Salafi or Sufi, or so on. In other words, he rejected the word "Salafi." So we said, this is a long topic.

The Shaykh : It requires a lecture.

The questioner : Correct, but a brief one.

Another questioner : The truth is, it was mentioned, though I apologize, I am in a hurry. I wish I could sit for a longer period, but the truth is, what was the intention in the topic? It came up incidentally. The issue of someone being called a Salafi, or a Muslim brother, or a liberal, or a Sufi. This is what I objected to. I said, one of the brothers told me, "Such and such a term." I said to him, "My sir, I am not like that. I am, if Allah wills, a student of knowledge, and I am, if Allah wills, a Muslim man. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and because the Lord of the Worlds said: ,

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : So we are, if Allah wills, Muslims, and it is not necessary that we name ourselves with a specific, narrow name. Rather, we are Muslims, and we ask Allah for acceptance.

The Shaykh : The situation does not work, Professor. The situation does not work.

Another questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : We have heard this speech. You must have knowledge of a man named Abd al-Halim, the author of the book *Tahrir al-Mar'ah* (Liberation of Women).

Another questioner : Abd al-Halim Abu Shuqqa.

The Shaykh : Abu Shuqqa, the author of three volumes.

Another questioner : Four.

The Shaykh : Four became the number.

Another questioner : ... and he mentions you with good in the book, by the way.

The Shaykh : This is our student first. He was one of those who fled the injustice of Abd al-Nasser to Syria. He attended our lessons and took Salafi principles that were not bad. But later, the world separated us from him. I was in Damascus, and he traveled to Kuwait and opened a publishing house there, I think its name was Dar al-Qalam. The important thing is that I was surprised that he sent me three parts of this book. And I, considering the time of my acquaintance with him was long ago, and secondly, I do not memorize names as they should be, who is this author? I did not remember. And then a letter or a phone call came from him, saying, "I want to visit you to take your opinion on the book I sent you." Which book? He named it to me. "Are you Abd al-Halim?" He said, "Yes, welcome," and so on. Without a long story, as the hurried one says, he came and sat with me for a full week. It became clear to him that his book was based on a non-scientific methodology. This is evident to you because he corrected many of his opinions. Then, as a result of that, he is a man who offered a scholarship for a student to work on my account to learn the science of hadith. And this was nothing but the effect of the discussions that took place between me and him. The point is, I understood his photography, so when I mentioned it, when I asked him, "If you are asked, what is your madhhab?" He said, "Muslim." I said to him, "Is that enough?" He said, "Yes, this is how Allah named us Muslims in the noble verse." I said to him, "My brother, this is a sound answer if we were in the first era, before the spread of these sects. Now, if we asked any Muslim from the other sects with which we differ, some radically in creed and some less so, if we asked any individual from these people, "What is your madhhab?" His answer would not differ from your answer. Everyone would say, "I am a Muslim." Okay. So if I want to know, you are a Muslim, and perhaps the Druze too, we have them in Syria, if we asked them, they would say, "I am a Muslim." The Alawi would say, "Muslim," let alone the Rafidi, let alone the Shi'i, let alone the Zaydi. Ah, all these people say "Muslim." So this is not enough, my brother, today. He said, "I am convinced by this." He said, "If I say, I am a Muslim on the Book and the Sunnah." I said to him, "This is also not enough." He said, "Why?" I said, "Do you find one of those we gave as examples just now, that they all say 'Muslim' if we ask them, would say, 'I am a Muslim, I am not on the Book and the Sunnah'? He must say, 'On the Book and the Sunnah.' This is not enough, Professor." He said, "Then?" I said, and I entered with him into a long discussion to explain the importance of this addition. And perhaps you have heard a tape or more that we adopt the Book and the Sunnah on the methodology of the Salaf al-Salih (the Pious Predecessors).

Another questioner : I have heard more than one tape.

The Shaykh : If so, very good. So what is your opinion? Is it enough for the Muslim today, the one who knows the Arabic language and its styles and etiquettes, and so on, to understand the Book and the Sunnah only, without referring to what the Salaf al-Salih were upon, who directly applied these two principles practically and received them from the Messenger (peace be upon him) in application? He said: "It is not enough except on the methodology of the Salaf al-Salih." Very good. Now we asked you the first question, "What is your madhhab?" You said, "Muslim." It did not work. We asked you the second question, you said, "Muslim on the Book and the Sunnah." It did not work. We asked you the third, "If Muslim on the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the Salaf al-Salih." Every time someone wants to ask you a question, you have to make it a lecture in the answer, saying to him, "I am a Muslim on the Book and the Sunnah and on the methodology of the Salaf al-Salih?" What is your opinion, shall we shorten the language? You are more knowledgeable than me in language...

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : No, excuse me, I am speaking with him, not with you. You may come to your turn, be present. So the important thing is, you are more knowledgeable than me in language. Why? Because I am Al-Albani and the race is Dasa, even though I have Arabized. The important thing is, if we want to express "Muslim on the Book and the Sunnah and on the methodology of the Salaf al-Salih" with the word "Salafi," what is your opinion?

Another questioner : The correct thing is, I can be polite and say, "Yes," but the truth is, the original term is better. Because the first thing that comes to a person's mind when hearing "Salafi" is many things. Some of them may please, and some may not please. And some of the practices, it is not hidden from you, some of the practices that have a type of strictness, and sometimes it may reach harshness.

The Shaykh : Keep your words in mind.

Another questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : And if you say "Muslim" and it does not imply Shi'i, Rafidi, Druze, Alawi, Ismaili, and so on.

Another questioner : It is possible that it implies them, but I, if Allah wills, will have followed the noble verse.

The Shaykh : Allow me. No, no, my brother, you have not followed the verse. Because the verse means "Muslim" in the correct sense. You have not followed the verse, because you know that from the Islamic rules is that you speak to people according to the capacity of their minds, correct? So now, when you say, "I am a Muslim," who understands from you this lecture that we did in this sequence? Who understands from you that "Muslim" is in the correct sense? No one understands this from you at all. And therefore, the precautions you mentioned just now, which may be correct and may not be correct, because your saying, "By Allah, there is strictness among us," may be, first, regarding some individuals and not as a scientific methodology, as a creedal methodology. So leave the individuals, we are talking about methodologies. As long as we say "Shi'i," we do not say, "By Allah, he is strict" or "lenient" or "compromising." For all the other sects, this is not our topic. Our topic is to place a proper name that expresses the madhhab of this person by which he worships Allah. As for "By Allah, so-and-so is strict," it may be met with another who is strict. The Syrian expression, I do not know what you call it, "mashlat" (unrestrained).

Another questioner : Even with us.

The Shaykh : Also, you have the same expression. It is said, "lenient" or "mashlat." But is this a madhhab? No, this is the extremism of a person or persons, or so on. Therefore, may Allah bless you, and you are in a hurry, and I am in a hurry with you for your sake. I am in a hurry with you for your sake.

Another questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : But we want you to think about this brief word so that you do not remain attached to the word "Muslim" while you know that no one ever understands from you what you want. If you speak to people according to the capacity of their minds, are you not living among these pigs, the Jews? May Allah be pleased with Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when that Jew entered and said, "As-salamu alayk, O Messenger of Allah." She said, "And upon you be the curse, brothers of the monkeys and the pigs. You have been afflicted with life among them and in your land." If you say this to them and they know nothing about you, "I am a Muslim," do they know who you are? If people know you, speak to people according to the capacity of their minds; that is better. As for being attached to it, by Allah, "I am a Muslim" in the first covenant has a meaning completely different from the meaning of "Muslim" today. You know that there are Muslims who are called Quranists today.

Another questioner : They deny the Sunnah.

The Shaykh : They deny the Sunnah. One will tell you he is a Muslim, and you share with them the word "Muslim." Do you want me to understand that you are a Quranist? You do not want that. If you want me to understand what you are, tell me: "I am a Salafi." May Allah bless you in your Salafism.

Another questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Welcome, and upon you be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.