What is your opinion of a man who rejects the term "Salafi" and says, "Why don't we adopt another name, such as 'Muhammadi,' because the word 'Salafi' increases division?"
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The questioner : Yes, may Allah bless you for this beneficial knowledge, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you. The correct approach is that I would like to direct a word: I reject all names, whether they are called Salafis, Muslim Brothers, or ... .
The Shaykh : Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
The questioner : Let me finish.
The Shaykh : There is no benefit in finishing, but the one who does not come with you, come with him ... .
The questioner : Is it more fitting for us to say "Muhammadi" instead of "Salafi," referring to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and is that better than the Salaf and the Khalaf?
The Shaykh : Okay, are you done?
The questioner : I am done.
The Shaykh : I am done. Okay, why do you reject that we attribute ourselves to the Salaf and say we are Salafis? Why?
The questioner : Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:[Al-Ahzab 33:21] So we take the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and what he brought as our model.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good, may Allah honor you -to a person who gave him something, it appears-.
The questioner : And we do not take any other person as our model except the Messenger, based on what came from the Messenger.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : So our model is the Messenger and no one else?
The Shaykh : Is this an argument for you or against you?
The questioner : It is an argument against me, the Messenger ... .
Al-Halabi: You did well -the brothers are laughing-.
The Shaykh : This is just a shot from a non-shooter. I am telling you, is this statement an argument for you or against you? Be careful and do not rush. Is it an argument for you or against you?
The questioner : I do not know if the argument is for me or against me, I do not know, and rather ... .
The Shaykh : Okay, I am wrong. I will change the question. Are you using what you present as an argument for what you claim, or as an argument against what you claim?
The questioner : I am arguing against the names, such as Salafis, Muslim Brothers, Liberationists, and Sufis, against all the designations.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : Because this increases the division among Muslims and increases their hatred for one another, and increases their estrangement from one another.
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, say "Ameen"!
The questioner : Ameen, O Lord.
The Shaykh : And if I say "Muhammadi"?
The questioner : This is also wrong, meaning I am saying it is more fitting for us ... .
The Shaykh : You are the one who said this, you are the one who said this.
The questioner : No, no, may Allah bless you, I am saying it is preferable ... .
The Shaykh :-The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laughs- Listen, it is difficult for one to confuse me or mislead me, but you are going to mislead me, I see it -The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) and the students laugh- I heard from you -be at ease now for a moment- I understood from your first statement your disapproval of our saying "Salafis," but let us say "Muhammadi," was that not your first statement? A word and it covered it.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Finally, you denied it.
The questioner : No, I did not deny it, I am saying it is preferable that we say "Muhammadi" instead of "Salafis," based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ahzab 33:21].
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : Ameen
The Shaykh : You are now repeating the argument, and we have only heard this. I want to clarify: are you still saying that it is preferable for us to be called "Muhammadi" than to be called "Salafis"?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, if we are called "Muhammadi," will the hatred and disagreement and so on disappear?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : So it is not preferable. Then where are you going?
The questioner : What is your opinion of the names?
The Shaykh : No, we need to solve this first one -the students laugh-.
Al-Halabi: This is the beginning of defeat, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : But we want it to be an open defeat, not a hidden or concealed one. We do not know in Islamic jurisprudence that it is said regarding something that "this is preferable to this" that the one which is preferable is not permissible to use, is that so?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So we withdraw the word "preferable" and return to our first claim, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : What is our first claim? Forget all these names. Were you ever one of the Muslim Brothers?
The questioner : No, absolutely not, and I do not like all the names, and this is my opinion ... .
The Shaykh : Except the name "Salafis," except the name "Salafis."
The questioner : As long as I am following the Book and the Sunnah, that is sufficient for me.
The Shaykh : Wait, wait. You are now, and do not blame me because my intention is to clarify the issue. You are now like the joke that some children play with each other, they joke with each other, one surprises the other and says to him, "What do you think, so-and-so, is a qintar of cotton heavier or a qintar of lead?" He says, "No, lead," even though the weight is what? One. You are now not saying "I am on the Book and the Sunnah"? You returned from the issue of "Muhammadi." Listen, you returned from that.
The questioner : This is a fixed matter that I am on the Book and the Sunnah, this is a fixed matter.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. I am telling you about "Muhammadi." I am telling you that you returned from that, and I want to tell you, look, you will return from the Book and the Sunnah. Did you see? Now I want to direct to you the same previous question so that you understand that you are like the qintar of cotton or the qintar of lead. Tell me, how?
The questioner : How?
The Shaykh : If you now say "I am on the Book and the Sunnah," will these groups be pleased with you?
The questioner : Is the question for me?
The Shaykh : By Allah, I do not know the question and the answer.
The questioner : Is the question directed to me, or do you want to answer?
The Shaykh : I am not asking and answering, I am only asking you. The best speech is what is little and effective. Allow me, I understood the question, what is it? What is it?
The questioner : That you are on the Book and the Sunnah, do the other groups agree with you?
The Shaykh : No, they do not agree with you. Do they approve of you if you say "I only follow the Book and the Sunnah"? Do they approve of you?
The questioner : I present the deeds.
The Shaykh : Answer, my brother, may Allah be pleased with you. I am telling you, the best speech is what is little and effective, because it was nine o'clock, and the group drank tea, we need to leave. Now we are late because of you and for your benefit.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Tell me now, are the groups pleased that I am on the Book and the Sunnah, or do they look at you as an outlier?
The questioner : Why are they not pleased?
The Shaykh : There is no power nor strength except by Allah. My brother, I am telling you, why are they not pleased? Or am I telling you they are pleased or they are not pleased? Say "they are pleased" or "they are not pleased"?
The questioner : Of course, they are pleased.
The Shaykh : They are pleased.
The questioner : Of course.
The Shaykh : And you are talking about creed?
The questioner : Of course, about creed,Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3788Sahih (Darussalam).
The Shaykh : Look, look, may Allah guide you. My brother, we are talking about the group, not about you -The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laughs-. You, may Allah be pleased with you, I am asking you: when the group says to them, "I do not follow except the Book and the Sunnah," meaning let us explain this word a little.
The questioner : Please, my master.
The Shaykh : When you say "I am on the Book and the Sunnah," does that not mean I am not biased toward the Hanafi, nor the Shafi'i, nor the Maliki, nor the Hanbali, nor any of the parties? Is that not the meaning? Tell me.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, are they pleased with you if you say this to them?
Another questioner: They are not pleased, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, just listen, Professor, allow me, excuse me, excuse me, be patient, let him be at ease.
The questioner : This is an issue that confuses me.
The Shaykh : And I am now in the time.
The questioner : Lighten the questions for me, meaning take me gently ... .
The Shaykh : No, you are careful. Do you not want now? Do you see peace or hostility?
The questioner : Peace, by Allah.
The Shaykh : From that, I am going to tell your brother that you will then drop your narration in the science of hadith.
Another questioner: Okay, I am silent.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I am silent, okay.
The Shaykh : How are you silent when at that hour you were teaching him? -The brother students laugh-. Yes, you were silent after the destruction of Basra -the students laugh-. I return and tell you, what is your name?
The questioner : Faraj.
The Shaykh : The relief has come, if Allah wills. May Allah bless you. The names indicate the designated things, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, if we name honey "vinegar," does the honey become vinegar? And conversely, if we name vinegar "honey," does the vinegar become honey just because of the naming? So the names do not change the realities of the designated things. When they name this group's intoxicants "alcoholic beverages," it remains forbidden intoxicant. When they name dancing "fine arts" and so on, it remains forbidden, and so on. So you are not the first one who entered and this doubt seeped into him. But this doubt is either from a group of non-Salafis. But you need to bear with me, because I am still holding to my opinion, and I hope it will be made clear to you like the sun in the fourth hour of the day that this opinion is the correct one, just as you pronounce it. But this opinion is for groups that do not adopt Salafism as a methodology. And now I am standing with you for a moment. What is your opinion if I call people to adopt Salafism as a correct methodology? Is this correct?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Is it not correct?
The questioner : I am not convinced of it.
The Shaykh : Okay, tell me, is it not correct? So let us leave that. Okay, are you convinced of the necessity of understanding the Book and the Sunnah on the methodology of the righteous Salaf, or are you not convinced?
The questioner : Yes, I am convinced, convinced that the Book and the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Do not repeat, do not repeat, may Allah guide you, say are you convinced or not?
The questioner : Convinced, yes.
The Shaykh : You only counted two, I counted three, so there is a difference of one between you and me.
The questioner : I have not counted more than one.
The Shaykh : Allow me, I say we call to the Book and the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf, are you with us in this or only in two?
The questioner : I am with you in two, with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), I am with the Book and the Sunnah, O brothers, may Allah reward you with good, and I seek refuge in Allah from the word "I,"[Al-Hashr 59:7] I take the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as my model, I do not take al-Hanafi or al-Shafi'i as my model, I take from his knowledge...
The Shaykh : No, no, no, do not let enthusiasm take you, I become more enthusiastic than you after that, especially since I am blond, (the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laughs).
The questioner : I beg you, O Shaykh, by Allah, this is a matter that is troubling me, by the Great Allah.
The Shaykh : (He laughs, may Allah have mercy on him) I beg you, I beg you, do not leave this place until you are with us, by the permission of Allah, by the permission of Allah.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Look, so you think that if we call people to the Book and the Sunnah upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf, this is an addition, and it is only Book and Sunnah, is that not so?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine, from the Book and the Sunnah to the end, the Messenger brought us hadiths from it, and I am not going to teach you now, but I am reminding you because the reminder benefits the believers, so you have heard the hadith of the seventy-three sects many times and repeatedly, and I think that this hadith is authentic with you, not weak, is my assumption correct?
The questioner : Authentic, yes.
The Shaykh : So my assumption is the assumption of a believer, if Allah wills, because our Lord says about the believer[Al-Haqqah 69:20-21] [Al-Haqqah 69:20] So do you believe with us that this hadith is authentic?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Good, in the authentic hadith it says:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2641Da'if (Darussalam) Do you believe with us in the authenticity of this hadith?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Why did the Messenger not say as you said? Rather, I said as he said, and I do not say he said as I said, far be it from me to say as I said, no, but why did you say contrary to what the Messenger said? Allow me.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah, you are now on a very dangerous slippery slope when you come and say Book and Sunnah and that is all, and you know that the authentic hadith says:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2641Da'if (Darussalam) So is the saying "and my Companions" meaningless?
The questioner : No, of course not.
The Shaykh : So is it not meaningless?
The questioner : No, it is not meaningless, the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are not meaningless.
The Shaykh : It is not meaningless, I tell you, O my brother, "and my Companions" is not meaningless from the words of the Messenger, far be it.
The questioner : Far be it from Allah.
The Shaykh : Good, so are these Companions Khalaf or Salaf?
The questioner : Salaf.
The Shaykh : So we follow them or what?
The questioner : This is correct and beautiful and excellent, but as for naming, what are these brothers called? Are they Sufis?
The Shaykh : No, no, no, do not jump.
The questioner : I am not jumping.
The Shaykh : No, you jumped, and I will prove to you that you jumped, O my brother, I will prove to you, may Allah be pleased with you.
The questioner : ... Please proceed.
The Shaykh : You jumped, now you have two calls, allow me, a call you followed, a call, the first call was related to the name, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The second call was related to the methodology, allow me, and it is the last call that your school is Book and Sunnah, we are Book and Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous Salaf, did you see? So you jumped when it was clarified to you by the hadith that we share in believing in, it was clarified to you that our Salaf are the Companions, you returned to your first call which is that we are not named Salafis? Stay now with the second call, how did you equate us with the first? We clarified a point that was a point of disagreement between us and you, and then we jumped to the issue of naming, is this good or not good? What is the first point that we clarified? The issue of "Muhammadi," you said instead of Salafi, Muhammadi, we went like this step by step, I am reminding you so that we do not jump on the issue, we finally agreed, as you said, that even Muhammadi is not preferable, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So Book and Sunnah, we asked you, does this please them? It does not please them, we came and told you that our methodology is Book and Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous Salaf, you said no, but Book and Sunnah, we came to you with the hadith, and if the hadith mentions with me, so we agreed that his mention of his Companions is not in vain, far be it from him, so there is a third thing you were unaware of, there is Book and Sunnah and Companions, did we not agree on these three? We returned to ask you, so are these Companions Salaf or Khalaf?
The questioner : Salaf.
The Shaykh : Salaf, you know that they are Salaf, you ran away and jumped, why did you jump? To the naming, I may jump with you, I may have jumped on my head and run, allow me, allow me, meaning it may turn out that I jump with you more, but I do not like jumping, allow me, now we agreed that there are three things, Book and Sunnah and methodology, did we agree?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : What is the methodology? The methodology of the Companions, okay?
The questioner : Okay.
The Shaykh : Good, your jump was for the first issue, which is the naming, meaning we now benefited greatly, there was a misconception in your mind that it is not permissible for a person to believe that there are three things, but only two, Book and Sunnah, and we are with you in this, but you were not with us that there is a third thing, it is now clarified to you that there is a third thing?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If you have doubt or suspicion about this third thing, do we not leave it until we finish with it?
The questioner : If Allah wills, I have no suspicion about this matter, because the hadith is clear and explicit, but...
The Shaykh : No, no, there is no "but," may Allah guide you, I am asking you, did we finish with this third one?
The questioner : We finished with it.
The Shaykh : The third is related to your second, your second is Book and Sunnah and that is all, what was the first? The naming, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We agreed on this third, meaning your second fell, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Do you have anything regarding this point?
The questioner : I speak...
The Shaykh : Listen, O my brother, the matter is not up to you, is the matter organized around this issue?
The questioner : Organized, no, there is nothing.
The Shaykh : This is what you want to say, I want to speak now, I want to return to the first, only before I return to the first, so that I do not restrict you and so that I am in your good opinion, as I said earlier, that you are long-suffering with us.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : I am long-suffering, and this is a favor of my Lord upon me, but I do not want to move away from the first issue until we finish the second, which is the Companions, a third thing added to the first and second, did we finish?
The questioner : We finished.
The Shaykh : Do we return to the name?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Now if we say to people, O people, it is not enough that you say we are with you on the Book and the Sunnah, this is not enough, you must be with us on the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the Salaf, what do you think? Is our call correct or wrong?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Correct, do they accept it from us?
The questioner : Honestly, I did not try to ask.
The Shaykh : Fine, does not your Lord say?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh :[An-Nahl 16:43] We believe that these sectarians and these partisans do not accept an alternative to their party, just as those school-followers do not accept an alternative to their school, they do not accept, not the Book or the Sunnah plain, do you know "plain"? Meaning without a side dish, what is the side dish? The Companions, (the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laughs), they do not accept the Book and the Sunnah plain, let alone that they accept the Book and the Sunnah with a side dish, because all of this is not digested by them, did you see? In that case, your chatter around the name is a war in the air, because they do not agree with you in meaning, so let us agree with them, or rather they agree with us in meaning, after that, O my brother, we say to them, let us agree with them in the name, the name, as it is said by the jurists, there is no dispute in terminology, do you know this phrase?
The questioner : First time I hear this phrase.
The Shaykh : Fine, the point now, so it became clear to us, the Muslim, I may have erred when I said "became clear," we must be a little more precise, it appeared to us, because "became clear" is a long and very long matter in my mind, and it will come, if Allah wills, on another occasion, or I do not know what to say now, it has now appeared that following the Companions with the Book and the Sunnah is from the Sunnah, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine, I may see myself forced, meaning you are dragging me, meaning that I explain to you an explanation, did you see?
The questioner : ... We all benefit.
The Shaykh : Look, O my brother, the hadith is telling you, clear?
The questioner : It is clear.
The Shaykh : Now, in my way, stay with me, because in the end the benefit will be for you and for the listeners, of course, and it is S and J, so that we do not enter into labyrinths and loss, S and J, seventy-three sects are Islamic sects, did you know of a sect that says we are not on the Book and the Sunnah? S and J, huh?
The questioner : No, of course not.
The Shaykh : If they all say?
The questioner : We are upon the Book and the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : So you are one of them, then?
The questioner : I, if Allah wills, am with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) — the students and the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laugh — I present my deeds; if they agree with the Book and the Sunnah...
The Shaykh : Why don't you listen to my advice? O Faraj, why don't you listen to my advice? I told you "The best of speech is that which is little and instructive". There are seventy-three sects; I asked you, is there any sect that says, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah"? I said, no, they all say this, right?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So I said you are one of them. Why don't you say, "Yes, I am one of them"?
The questioner : I am one of them, along with my companions.
Al-Halabi: Ha, we are agreed then.
The Shaykh : Do you not want me to answer you on my feet?
Al-Halabi: Leave me be.
The Shaykh : Leave me be. May Allah reward you with good. Do you know the truth of the matter now?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : All Islamic sects say that they are upon the Book and the Sunnah. So the decisive ruling between us and them is this addition brought by the Messenger (peace be upon him), which neither the Muslim Brotherhood, nor the Tahrir Party, nor the Tabligh group, nor all these groups present in the Islamic arena today, care about. So beware that any of those people whispers to you, changing you, saying that he is, and this is an argument in the noble Qur'an. So our answer is yes, we are named Muslims, but bring me the Muslims who agree in meaning on what? The Book and the Sunnah. So I said to some of them, perhaps thirty years ago, and he is from the Muslim Brotherhood, "You do not want us to say we are Salafis." Suppose we agreed with you, what do you not want to say? He said, "Just as our Lord said, Muslims, and that is all." Well, why do you not apply the same request that you make of us? You concede the term "Muslim Brotherhood" before us, so that we may concede, for the sake of argument. We do not concede, because if they concede, they concede their partisanship. If we concede, we have conceded our madhhab...
Al-Halabi: And our methodology.
The Shaykh : We cannot live without it, ever. So there is a vast difference between the two matters. So you concede these affiliations to persons, to groups that are not protected from error. Pay attention now! While we affiliate ourselves to infallibility, to infallibility. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:115] Here the same speech or the same question directed at you arises: Why did the Messenger mention the Companions with him? Here it is said, why did the Messenger mention the Muslims? It would have been sufficient for him to say, "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him, We will turn him over to what he has turned over to, and We will cast him into Hell, and evil is the destination." Why did he mention "the path of the believers"? There is a benefit, there is a very profound wisdom. The path of the believers is what clarified for us the meaning of the Book and the meaning of the Sunnah; otherwise, we would have opened the door to religious innovation and misguidance. Where did all these sects come from, O professor? All the sects came from each sect riding its own head, saying, "I understand the verse thus, and I understand the hadith thus." And history repeats itself in this era exactly. You find this al-Ghazali and others, like what is his name?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, Fahmi.
The questioner : Hwaydi.
The Shaykh : Hwaydi, and his like, say, "We understand thus," and they do not understand anything. Why? Because they abandoned the methodology that is a safeguard against a person leaning to the right or to the left. Therefore, in conclusion, I say, remember the addition mentioned by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in this hadith and in many other hadiths: "and my Companions". And the addition mentioned by our Lord before that in the noble verse:[An-Nisa 4:115] So then, beware that you think that you, and the one more knowledgeable than you, the one more knowledgeable than you cannot stand alone and claim that we are upon the Book and the Sunnah only. No, Mishkat al-Masabih 165Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza'i) This is like that, and thus the hadiths respond to one another and agree with the saying of Allah the Exalted: And the path of the believers is the first to which this description applies, the earliest Companions. And if you know this truth, they are at the head of the three centuries without doubt, the Companions. Then comes after them the second century and the third century, and they are the best of the centuries, as you know in the authentic hadith also now. And I hope this is the end of the speech. If the Companions of the Messenger are our Salaf, do you see that our Messenger is not our Salaf? Say it frankly.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So we follow the Salaf, at whose head is Muhammad (peace be upon him). What are you afraid of now? — the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) and the students laugh.
The questioner : May you be rewarded with good for this benefit.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may He bless you.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you. The correct approach is that I would like to direct a word: I reject all names, whether they are called Salafis, Muslim Brothers, or ... .
The Shaykh : Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
The questioner : Let me finish.
The Shaykh : There is no benefit in finishing, but the one who does not come with you, come with him ... .
The questioner : Is it more fitting for us to say "Muhammadi" instead of "Salafi," referring to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and is that better than the Salaf and the Khalaf?
The Shaykh : Okay, are you done?
The questioner : I am done.
The Shaykh : I am done. Okay, why do you reject that we attribute ourselves to the Salaf and say we are Salafis? Why?
The questioner : Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern
ولكم في رسول الله أسوة حسنةThe Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good, may Allah honor you -to a person who gave him something, it appears-.
The questioner : And we do not take any other person as our model except the Messenger, based on what came from the Messenger.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : So our model is the Messenger and no one else?
The Shaykh : Is this an argument for you or against you?
The questioner : It is an argument against me, the Messenger ... .
Al-Halabi: You did well -the brothers are laughing-.
The Shaykh : This is just a shot from a non-shooter. I am telling you, is this statement an argument for you or against you? Be careful and do not rush. Is it an argument for you or against you?
The questioner : I do not know if the argument is for me or against me, I do not know, and rather ... .
The Shaykh : Okay, I am wrong. I will change the question. Are you using what you present as an argument for what you claim, or as an argument against what you claim?
The questioner : I am arguing against the names, such as Salafis, Muslim Brothers, Liberationists, and Sufis, against all the designations.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : Because this increases the division among Muslims and increases their hatred for one another, and increases their estrangement from one another.
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, say "Ameen"!
The questioner : Ameen, O Lord.
The Shaykh : And if I say "Muhammadi"?
The questioner : This is also wrong, meaning I am saying it is more fitting for us ... .
The Shaykh : You are the one who said this, you are the one who said this.
The questioner : No, no, may Allah bless you, I am saying it is preferable ... .
The Shaykh :-The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laughs- Listen, it is difficult for one to confuse me or mislead me, but you are going to mislead me, I see it -The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) and the students laugh- I heard from you -be at ease now for a moment- I understood from your first statement your disapproval of our saying "Salafis," but let us say "Muhammadi," was that not your first statement? A word and it covered it.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Finally, you denied it.
The questioner : No, I did not deny it, I am saying it is preferable that we say "Muhammadi" instead of "Salafis," based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern
ولكم في رسول الله أسوة حسنةThe Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : Ameen
The Shaykh : You are now repeating the argument, and we have only heard this. I want to clarify: are you still saying that it is preferable for us to be called "Muhammadi" than to be called "Salafis"?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, if we are called "Muhammadi," will the hatred and disagreement and so on disappear?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : So it is not preferable. Then where are you going?
The questioner : What is your opinion of the names?
The Shaykh : No, we need to solve this first one -the students laugh-.
Al-Halabi: This is the beginning of defeat, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : But we want it to be an open defeat, not a hidden or concealed one. We do not know in Islamic jurisprudence that it is said regarding something that "this is preferable to this" that the one which is preferable is not permissible to use, is that so?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So we withdraw the word "preferable" and return to our first claim, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : What is our first claim? Forget all these names. Were you ever one of the Muslim Brothers?
The questioner : No, absolutely not, and I do not like all the names, and this is my opinion ... .
The Shaykh : Except the name "Salafis," except the name "Salafis."
The questioner : As long as I am following the Book and the Sunnah, that is sufficient for me.
The Shaykh : Wait, wait. You are now, and do not blame me because my intention is to clarify the issue. You are now like the joke that some children play with each other, they joke with each other, one surprises the other and says to him, "What do you think, so-and-so, is a qintar of cotton heavier or a qintar of lead?" He says, "No, lead," even though the weight is what? One. You are now not saying "I am on the Book and the Sunnah"? You returned from the issue of "Muhammadi." Listen, you returned from that.
The questioner : This is a fixed matter that I am on the Book and the Sunnah, this is a fixed matter.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. I am telling you about "Muhammadi." I am telling you that you returned from that, and I want to tell you, look, you will return from the Book and the Sunnah. Did you see? Now I want to direct to you the same previous question so that you understand that you are like the qintar of cotton or the qintar of lead. Tell me, how?
The questioner : How?
The Shaykh : If you now say "I am on the Book and the Sunnah," will these groups be pleased with you?
The questioner : Is the question for me?
The Shaykh : By Allah, I do not know the question and the answer.
The questioner : Is the question directed to me, or do you want to answer?
The Shaykh : I am not asking and answering, I am only asking you. The best speech is what is little and effective. Allow me, I understood the question, what is it? What is it?
The questioner : That you are on the Book and the Sunnah, do the other groups agree with you?
The Shaykh : No, they do not agree with you. Do they approve of you if you say "I only follow the Book and the Sunnah"? Do they approve of you?
The questioner : I present the deeds.
The Shaykh : Answer, my brother, may Allah be pleased with you. I am telling you, the best speech is what is little and effective, because it was nine o'clock, and the group drank tea, we need to leave. Now we are late because of you and for your benefit.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Tell me now, are the groups pleased that I am on the Book and the Sunnah, or do they look at you as an outlier?
The questioner : Why are they not pleased?
The Shaykh : There is no power nor strength except by Allah. My brother, I am telling you, why are they not pleased? Or am I telling you they are pleased or they are not pleased? Say "they are pleased" or "they are not pleased"?
The questioner : Of course, they are pleased.
The Shaykh : They are pleased.
The questioner : Of course.
The Shaykh : And you are talking about creed?
The questioner : Of course, about creed,
that which if you hold fast to them, you shall not be misguided after me
تركتم ما إن تمسكتم به لن تضلوا به أبداThe Shaykh : Look, look, may Allah guide you. My brother, we are talking about the group, not about you -The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laughs-. You, may Allah be pleased with you, I am asking you: when the group says to them, "I do not follow except the Book and the Sunnah," meaning let us explain this word a little.
The questioner : Please, my master.
The Shaykh : When you say "I am on the Book and the Sunnah," does that not mean I am not biased toward the Hanafi, nor the Shafi'i, nor the Maliki, nor the Hanbali, nor any of the parties? Is that not the meaning? Tell me.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, are they pleased with you if you say this to them?
Another questioner: They are not pleased, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, just listen, Professor, allow me, excuse me, excuse me, be patient, let him be at ease.
The questioner : This is an issue that confuses me.
The Shaykh : And I am now in the time.
The questioner : Lighten the questions for me, meaning take me gently ... .
The Shaykh : No, you are careful. Do you not want now? Do you see peace or hostility?
The questioner : Peace, by Allah.
The Shaykh : From that, I am going to tell your brother that you will then drop your narration in the science of hadith.
Another questioner: Okay, I am silent.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I am silent, okay.
The Shaykh : How are you silent when at that hour you were teaching him? -The brother students laugh-. Yes, you were silent after the destruction of Basra -the students laugh-. I return and tell you, what is your name?
The questioner : Faraj.
The Shaykh : The relief has come, if Allah wills. May Allah bless you. The names indicate the designated things, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, if we name honey "vinegar," does the honey become vinegar? And conversely, if we name vinegar "honey," does the vinegar become honey just because of the naming? So the names do not change the realities of the designated things. When they name this group's intoxicants "alcoholic beverages," it remains forbidden intoxicant. When they name dancing "fine arts" and so on, it remains forbidden, and so on. So you are not the first one who entered and this doubt seeped into him. But this doubt is either from a group of non-Salafis. But you need to bear with me, because I am still holding to my opinion, and I hope it will be made clear to you like the sun in the fourth hour of the day that this opinion is the correct one, just as you pronounce it. But this opinion is for groups that do not adopt Salafism as a methodology. And now I am standing with you for a moment. What is your opinion if I call people to adopt Salafism as a correct methodology? Is this correct?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Is it not correct?
The questioner : I am not convinced of it.
The Shaykh : Okay, tell me, is it not correct? So let us leave that. Okay, are you convinced of the necessity of understanding the Book and the Sunnah on the methodology of the righteous Salaf, or are you not convinced?
The questioner : Yes, I am convinced, convinced that the Book and the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Do not repeat, do not repeat, may Allah guide you, say are you convinced or not?
The questioner : Convinced, yes.
The Shaykh : You only counted two, I counted three, so there is a difference of one between you and me.
The questioner : I have not counted more than one.
The Shaykh : Allow me, I say we call to the Book and the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf, are you with us in this or only in two?
The questioner : I am with you in two, with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), I am with the Book and the Sunnah, O brothers, may Allah reward you with good, and I seek refuge in Allah from the word "I,"
whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
ما آتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نهاكم عنه فانتهواThe Shaykh : No, no, no, do not let enthusiasm take you, I become more enthusiastic than you after that, especially since I am blond, (the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laughs).
The questioner : I beg you, O Shaykh, by Allah, this is a matter that is troubling me, by the Great Allah.
The Shaykh : (He laughs, may Allah have mercy on him) I beg you, I beg you, do not leave this place until you are with us, by the permission of Allah, by the permission of Allah.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Look, so you think that if we call people to the Book and the Sunnah upon the methodology of the righteous Salaf, this is an addition, and it is only Book and Sunnah, is that not so?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine, from the Book and the Sunnah
And what the Messenger has given you, take it
وما آتاكم الرسول فخذوهThe questioner : Authentic, yes.
The Shaykh : So my assumption is the assumption of a believer, if Allah wills, because our Lord says about the believer
(20) Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account." (21) So he will be in a pleasant life -
إني ظننت أني ملاق حسابيه فهو في عيشة راضيةIndeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account."
إني ظننت أني ملاق حسابيهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Good, in the authentic hadith it says:
Except one sect." He said: "And which is it O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "What I am upon and my Companions."
إلا واحدة ، قالوا من هي يا رسول الله ؟ قال : هي ما أنا عليه وأصحابيThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Why did the Messenger not say as you said? Rather, I said as he said, and I do not say he said as I said, far be it from me to say as I said, no, but why did you say contrary to what the Messenger said? Allow me.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah, you are now on a very dangerous slippery slope when you come and say Book and Sunnah and that is all, and you know that the authentic hadith says:
What I am upon and my Companions.
ما أنا عليه وأصحابيThe questioner : No, of course not.
The Shaykh : So is it not meaningless?
The questioner : No, it is not meaningless, the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are not meaningless.
The Shaykh : It is not meaningless, I tell you, O my brother, "and my Companions" is not meaningless from the words of the Messenger, far be it.
The questioner : Far be it from Allah.
The Shaykh : Good, so are these Companions Khalaf or Salaf?
The questioner : Salaf.
The Shaykh : So we follow them or what?
The questioner : This is correct and beautiful and excellent, but as for naming, what are these brothers called? Are they Sufis?
The Shaykh : No, no, no, do not jump.
The questioner : I am not jumping.
The Shaykh : No, you jumped, and I will prove to you that you jumped, O my brother, I will prove to you, may Allah be pleased with you.
The questioner : ... Please proceed.
The Shaykh : You jumped, now you have two calls, allow me, a call you followed, a call, the first call was related to the name, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The second call was related to the methodology, allow me, and it is the last call that your school is Book and Sunnah, we are Book and Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous Salaf, did you see? So you jumped when it was clarified to you by the hadith that we share in believing in, it was clarified to you that our Salaf are the Companions, you returned to your first call which is that we are not named Salafis? Stay now with the second call, how did you equate us with the first? We clarified a point that was a point of disagreement between us and you, and then we jumped to the issue of naming, is this good or not good? What is the first point that we clarified? The issue of "Muhammadi," you said instead of Salafi, Muhammadi, we went like this step by step, I am reminding you so that we do not jump on the issue, we finally agreed, as you said, that even Muhammadi is not preferable, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So Book and Sunnah, we asked you, does this please them? It does not please them, we came and told you that our methodology is Book and Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous Salaf, you said no, but Book and Sunnah, we came to you with the hadith, and if the hadith mentions with me
I and my Companions.
أنا وأصحابيThe questioner : Salaf.
The Shaykh : Salaf, you know that they are Salaf, you ran away and jumped, why did you jump? To the naming, I may jump with you, I may have jumped on my head and run, allow me, allow me, meaning it may turn out that I jump with you more, but I do not like jumping, allow me, now we agreed that there are three things, Book and Sunnah and methodology, did we agree?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : What is the methodology? The methodology of the Companions, okay?
The questioner : Okay.
The Shaykh : Good, your jump was for the first issue, which is the naming, meaning we now benefited greatly, there was a misconception in your mind that it is not permissible for a person to believe that there are three things, but only two, Book and Sunnah, and we are with you in this, but you were not with us that there is a third thing, it is now clarified to you that there is a third thing?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If you have doubt or suspicion about this third thing, do we not leave it until we finish with it?
The questioner : If Allah wills, I have no suspicion about this matter, because the hadith is clear and explicit, but...
The Shaykh : No, no, there is no "but," may Allah guide you, I am asking you, did we finish with this third one?
The questioner : We finished with it.
The Shaykh : The third is related to your second, your second is Book and Sunnah and that is all, what was the first? The naming, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We agreed on this third, meaning your second fell, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Do you have anything regarding this point?
The questioner : I speak...
The Shaykh : Listen, O my brother, the matter is not up to you, is the matter organized around this issue?
The questioner : Organized, no, there is nothing.
The Shaykh : This is what you want to say, I want to speak now, I want to return to the first, only before I return to the first, so that I do not restrict you and so that I am in your good opinion, as I said earlier, that you are long-suffering with us.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : I am long-suffering, and this is a favor of my Lord upon me, but I do not want to move away from the first issue until we finish the second, which is the Companions, a third thing added to the first and second, did we finish?
The questioner : We finished.
The Shaykh : Do we return to the name?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Now if we say to people, O people, it is not enough that you say we are with you on the Book and the Sunnah, this is not enough, you must be with us on the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the Salaf, what do you think? Is our call correct or wrong?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Correct, do they accept it from us?
The questioner : Honestly, I did not try to ask.
The Shaykh : Fine, does not your Lord say?
So ask about it one who has knowledge.
فاسأل به خبيراThe questioner : Yes
The Shaykh :
So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
فاسألوا أهل الذكر إن كنتم لا تعلمونThe questioner : First time I hear this phrase.
The Shaykh : Fine, the point now, so it became clear to us, the Muslim, I may have erred when I said "became clear," we must be a little more precise, it appeared to us, because "became clear" is a long and very long matter in my mind, and it will come, if Allah wills, on another occasion, or I do not know what to say now, it has now appeared that following the Companions with the Book and the Sunnah is from the Sunnah, correct?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine, I may see myself forced, meaning you are dragging me, meaning that I explain to you an explanation, did you see?
The questioner : ... We all benefit.
The Shaykh : Look, O my brother, the hadith is telling you
The Muslims must split into seventy-three sects.
المسلمون لازم يتفرقون ثلاث وسبعين فرقةThe questioner : It is clear.
The Shaykh : Now, in my way, stay with me, because in the end the benefit will be for you and for the listeners, of course, and it is S and J, so that we do not enter into labyrinths and loss, S and J, seventy-three sects are Islamic sects, did you know of a sect that says we are not on the Book and the Sunnah? S and J, huh?
The questioner : No, of course not.
The Shaykh : If they all say?
The questioner : We are upon the Book and the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : So you are one of them, then?
The questioner : I, if Allah wills, am with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) — the students and the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) laugh — I present my deeds; if they agree with the Book and the Sunnah...
The Shaykh : Why don't you listen to my advice? O Faraj, why don't you listen to my advice? I told you "The best of speech is that which is little and instructive". There are seventy-three sects; I asked you, is there any sect that says, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah"? I said, no, they all say this, right?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So I said you are one of them. Why don't you say, "Yes, I am one of them"?
The questioner : I am one of them, along with my companions.
Al-Halabi: Ha, we are agreed then.
The Shaykh : Do you not want me to answer you on my feet?
Al-Halabi: Leave me be.
The Shaykh : Leave me be. May Allah reward you with good. Do you know the truth of the matter now?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : All Islamic sects say that they are upon the Book and the Sunnah. So the decisive ruling between us and them is this addition brought by the Messenger (peace be upon him), which neither the Muslim Brotherhood, nor the Tahrir Party, nor the Tabligh group, nor all these groups present in the Islamic arena today, care about. So beware that any of those people whispers to you, changing you, saying that he is
He has named you the Muslims
هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَAl-Halabi: And our methodology.
The Shaykh : We cannot live without it, ever. So there is a vast difference between the two matters. So you concede these affiliations to persons, to groups that are not protected from error. Pay attention now! While we affiliate ourselves to infallibility, to infallibility. Allah the Exalted said:
And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.
ومن يشاقق الرسول من بعد ما تبين له الهدى ويتبع غير سبيل المؤمنين نوله ما تولى ونصله جهنم وساءت مصيراThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, Fahmi.
The questioner : Hwaydi.
The Shaykh : Hwaydi, and his like, say, "We understand thus," and they do not understand anything. Why? Because they abandoned the methodology that is a safeguard against a person leaning to the right or to the left. Therefore, in conclusion, I say, remember the addition mentioned by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in this hadith and in many other hadiths: "and my Companions". And the addition mentioned by our Lord before that in the noble verse:
and follows other than the way of the believers
ويتبع غير سبيل المؤمنينYou must therefore follow my sunna and that of the rightly guided Caliphs
عليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين من بعديthe path of the believers
سبيل المؤمنينThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So we follow the Salaf, at whose head is Muhammad (peace be upon him). What are you afraid of now? — the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) and the students laugh.
The questioner : May you be rewarded with good for this benefit.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may He bless you.
The questioner : ... .