What is the criterion for a Muslim leaving the people of the Sunnah and the community?
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The questioner : A questioner says: O Shaykh, what is the criterion for a Muslim leaving the circle of the people of the Sunnah and the community?
The Shaykh : What is the criterion for a person leaving a house? A person is in a house, so what is the criterion for his leaving? The question is with you: a person is in the house, what is the criterion for his leaving the house?
The questioner : Going to his work.
The Shaykh : No, that is the reason; he goes out for work, there is no harm, that is a reason. The criterion is that he goes out through the door, or not? If he goes out through the door, it is said he has left the house, so rest. So the criterion for leaving the people of the Sunnah and the community is that he leaves their path. This is the criterion regarding the names of Allah and His attributes, regarding the divine decree, and regarding everything where he contradicts them in creed. For example, if he says, "I do not affirm of the attributes of Allah except what my intellect affirms, and what my intellect affirms of the attributes are seven, or ten, or twenty, or thirty," has he left the path of the people of the Sunnah? Answer?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Why? Because the people of the Sunnah affirm all that Allah has affirmed for Himself of attributes. Now, if he says regarding the divine decree that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) did not create the actions of the servants, He did not create them; rather, He creates the actions of Himself, so He created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, and the stars, but He does not create the bowing and prostration of a person, has he left the circle of the people of the Sunnah or not? He has left, without doubt, because our actions are created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted said:[As-Saffat 37:96] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Furqan 25:2] And our actions are among our attributes, and if our selves are created by Allah, then our attributes are likewise created by Allah. I think the time for the sunrise prayer has come; this will be the last question.
The Shaykh : What is the criterion for a person leaving a house? A person is in a house, so what is the criterion for his leaving? The question is with you: a person is in the house, what is the criterion for his leaving the house?
The questioner : Going to his work.
The Shaykh : No, that is the reason; he goes out for work, there is no harm, that is a reason. The criterion is that he goes out through the door, or not? If he goes out through the door, it is said he has left the house, so rest. So the criterion for leaving the people of the Sunnah and the community is that he leaves their path. This is the criterion regarding the names of Allah and His attributes, regarding the divine decree, and regarding everything where he contradicts them in creed. For example, if he says, "I do not affirm of the attributes of Allah except what my intellect affirms, and what my intellect affirms of the attributes are seven, or ten, or twenty, or thirty," has he left the path of the people of the Sunnah? Answer?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Why? Because the people of the Sunnah affirm all that Allah has affirmed for Himself of attributes. Now, if he says regarding the divine decree that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) did not create the actions of the servants, He did not create them; rather, He creates the actions of Himself, so He created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, and the stars, but He does not create the bowing and prostration of a person, has he left the circle of the people of the Sunnah or not? He has left, without doubt, because our actions are created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted said: