Discussion of a debate that took place between the Shaykh and some Islamists

The Shaykh : ... And I conclude this speech of mine with a discussion that took place between one of the Salafis and another of the Islamists who calls to the Book and the Sunnah, but was not aware of this addition that the call of the Islamic parties cannot stand without adopting it as a thought first and applying it practically second, which is following the path of the believers. I said to him: If you are asked, "What is your madhhab (school of jurisprudence)? What is your answer?" He said: I say, "My madhhab is Muslim." I said to him: This is an insufficient answer. He said: Why? I said: Because every Muslim, whether he is deviant or upright, says, "I am a Muslim." For example, let us start with the easier case: if a Hanafi is asked, "What is your madhhab?" and he does not want to get himself involved in a discussion, he says, "My madhhab is Muslim." And the Shafi'i also says, "I am a Muslim," and so on. But the Hanafi says, "Faith does not increase or decrease," while the Shafi'i says, "Faith increases and decreases," and so forth. So your answer that you are a Muslim, and his answer that he is a Muslim, does not define your madhhab completely. So he understood, and then he said: I will say, "I am a Muslim upon the Book and the Sunnah." I said to him: Likewise, every Muslim, even the examples I gave you just now, is there a Hanafi who says, "I am a Muslim, but I am not upon the Book and the Sunnah"? Is there a Shafi'i who says, "I am not upon the Book and the Sunnah"? I will tell you: Is there an Ibadi from the Khawarij who exist today in the Islamic lands who says, "I am not upon the Book and the Sunnah"? No, but there is a Shia. Is there a Rafidi who says, "I am not upon the Book and the Sunnah"? They all say, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah." And this is what was mentioned earlier. All Muslims, no matter how severe and great the disagreement between them is, they all say: "Upon the Book and the Sunnah." But none of them says: "And upon the methodology of the pious predecessors (Salaf)," except those who belong to the methodology of the pious predecessors. That is, we— I do not know whether I should say we take pride or whether it is not permissible for us to take pride— that we belong to the pious predecessors and we say, if we are asked: "I am a Salafi," and the matter is ended, because the meaning of Salafi is upon the Book and the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the pious predecessors. So when I explained this to him and I said to him: It is not enough to say, "I am a Muslim upon the Book and the Sunnah," because all the sects and groups say, "Upon the Book and the Sunnah." He said: I will then say: "I am upon the Book and the Sunnah," because he was with me after such a lecture, or rather lectures. He said: So I will say: "Upon the Book and the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the pious predecessors." I said: And I know that he is a man of letters and a writer among writers: Do you not find in your Arabic language, in which you are educated and speak and write, a word that summarizes this answer of yours: "I am a Muslim upon the Book and the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the pious predecessors"? So he was silent. I said to him: I mean, if we say, "I am a Salafi," does it not convey your long phrase, "I am upon the Book and the Sunnah"? So he answered in the affirmative. This is the reality of the Salafi call, and those are the deviations of the Tahrir Party and all the groups existing today on the face of the earth. And when we say this, we do not hostilities against a party, nor do we hostilities against a group or sect, but rather our circle is wider than any circle adopted by any party on the face of the earth. I know from the Tahrir Party that in its system, if one of its individuals adopts an opinion that contradicts its opinion, i.e., the opinion adopted by the party, he is expelled and it is said to him: "You are not one of us." We do not say this. I know, for example, that among the ideas of the Tahrir Party is that the woman has the right to vote and to be elected. You will not find a member of Tahrir who understands from the Book and the Sunnah that the woman has no place to intervene in these matters called today politics; she can learn what is suitable for her femininity, what is suitable for her softness and gentleness, and so on. But as for voting and being elected, if a person from the Tahrir Party adopts this opinion, contradicting the Tahrir Party in this, he will be expelled. But we accept the Tahrir Party, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Tabligh Group, but on the basis of . So we call every Muslim to adopt this principle, and then many and very many branches branch off from it. At that time, they become with us; they may differ with us in application, because application requires knowledge. And we say that knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, unfortunately, the Islamic groups do not care about it. And yet they want to establish the state of Islam upon ignorance of Islam. So we say: . The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began by teaching the people and calling them to the creed first, then to the acts of worship and improving behavior second, and so on. History should repeat itself in this way. And this is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.