Is it true that the Salaf did not rule that a person is from the people of the Sunnah unless he possessed the attributes of the people of the Sunnah, and likewise did not rule that he was an innovator?

The questioner : O Shaykh, is it true that it was the methodology of the Salaf not to rule that a man is from the people of the Sunnah unless he possessed the attributes of the Sunnah, and that if he innovated or praised the people of innovation, he was considered one of them? As the Salaf used to say, for example, that whoever says that Allah is not in the sky is a Jahmi.

The Shaykh : There is some truth to that, but do not forget what I told you just now: this does not mean that he is not a Muslim. The fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) refrained from praying over the one who died with a debt, or the one who exaggerated in his praise, or the one who killed himself, does not mean that he was not a Muslim. This, my brother, is a matter of discipline, as we have mentioned before. This is one thing. Another thing: if the reports from the Salaf are not mutually corroborating and mass-transmitted, it is not permissible to take a methodology from one individual among them. It is not permissible to derive a methodology from that, especially when that methodology contradicts what is well known from the Salaf themselves, namely that a Muslim does not exit the fold of Islam merely by committing a sin, an innovation, or a transgression. So if we find something that contradicts this rule, we resort to interpreting it as I mentioned to you just now: that this is a matter of warning and discipline. We have Imam al-Bukhari, and what do you know of Imam al-Bukhari? Some scholars of hadith left Imam al-Bukhari and did not return to him. Why? They said because he distinguished between the one who says that the Qur'an is created—this is a misguided innovator, a disbeliever, according to the difference of scholars in their expressions—and the one who says, "My recitation of the Qur'an is created." Imam Ahmad classified the one who said, "My recitation of the Qur'an is created," with the Jahmiyyah. Based on that, some of those who came after Imam Ahmad ruled on al-Bukhari that he should not be followed because he said the saying of the Jahmiyyah. The Jahmiyyah do not say only "my recitation"; they say that the Qur'an is not the speech of Allah, but rather a creation among the creations of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So what is said about al-Bukhari, who said the word "my recitation of the Qur'an is created," and the hadith scholar, among them Imam Ahmad, who says that whoever says this word is a Jahmi? We cannot validate both matters except by a correct interpretation that aligns with the rules. And before I proceed, I think you agree with me in distinguishing between the one who says the Qur'an is created and the one who says my recitation of the Qur'an is created?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Is that not so?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : All right, so how do we answer the word of Imam Ahmad: "Whoever says my recitation of the Qur'an is created is a Jahmi"? How do we answer this statement? There is no answer except what I mentioned to you: a warning against a Muslim saying a word that becomes a pretext for the people of innovation and misguidance, namely the Jahmiyyah. The one who says, "My recitation of the Qur'an is created," might lead those around him into saying the same, and he might mean the same as the Qur'an itself, but it is not necessary that every Muslim who speaks this word intends that same bad intention. Now, Imam al-Bukhari does not need to be certified as righteous, for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has certified him by making his book, after the Noble Qur'an, accepted by the majority of Muslims despite the differences among them. So when he said, "My recitation of the Qur'an is created," he meant something correct. But Imam Ahmad was afraid, so he said, "Whoever says such-and-such is such-and-such." So this is a matter of warning, not a matter of belief that whoever says such-and-such is truly a Jahmi. No. And therefore, when we find in some expressions of the Salaf the ruling that one who commits an innovation is an innovator, it is a matter of warning, not a matter of belief. Perhaps it is good to mention, in passing, the well-known report from Imam Malik when it was brought to him:The questioner : He said, "O Malik, what is istiwaa' (rising above the Throne)?" He said, "The istiwaa' is known, and the how is unknown, and asking about it is an innovation. Take the man out, for he is an innovator." He did not become an innovator merely by asking about the istiwaa'; he wanted to understand something. But Imam Malik feared that he might be throwing out something that contradicts the Salafi creed, so he said, "Take the man out, for he is an innovator." Look now at how the means differ. Do you and I, and Bakr, and 'Umar, and Zayd, and so on, if we asked one of the general Muslims or one of the special Muslims such a question, would we answer with the same answer as Malik and append it with all his words, saying, "Take the man out, for he is an innovator"? No. Why? Because the time has changed, so the means that were acceptable then are not acceptable today, because they cause more harm than benefit.