Precious words from the Shaykh on how the people of the Sunnah excuse one another and do not boycott one another
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The Shaykh : I am amazed at a people who love the Sunnah and defend it, yet when a person disagrees with them on an issue of religion where independent legal reasoning is permissible, they become hostile toward him, accuse him of religious innovation, and disparage him, even though the issue is one of the light matters of religion, meaning it is not in the fundamentals of religion nor in the pillars of religion. It is a light issue, yet they hate him for it, become hostile to him, and disparage him. Why? Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): [Al-An'am 6:159] And Allah the Exalted said: [Ash-Shuraa 42:13] What is it? [Ash-Shuraa 42:13] And He the Exalted said: [Ali 'Imran 3:105] The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) differed on major issues, but they did not become hostile to one another, did not hate one another, and did not disparage one another. I will give you a clear example. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from the Battle of the Confederates, which was a battle where Quraysh and the Arabs who supported them gathered in about ten thousand men, ten thousand fighters, and came to Medina to fight the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the situation was as Allah described: [Al-Ahzab 33:10] What is it? [Al-Ahzab 33:10-11] Banu Qaynuqa broke the treaty, and Banu Qaynuqa is one of the three Jewish tribes, and the second
The student: Banu Qaynuqa
The Shaykh : Banu Qaynuqa, and the third
The student: Banu Nadir
The Shaykh : Banu Nadir. All these tribes came to Medina when they learned in the Torah that a Prophet would be sent and his migration would be to Medina, so they gathered in Medina. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) migrated, they made a treaty with him, but they broke the treaty. The last of them to break the treaty was Banu Qaynuqa, who supported the Confederates against the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Who are they? Who are they, my brothers?
The student: Banu Qaynuqa
The Shaykh : Banu Qaynuqa. He urged them to hasten. What did they differ on?
The student: On the prayer
The Shaykh : And the prayer is one of what? One of the pillars of Islam. And the prayer on which they differed is the best of the prayers. What is it? The 'Asr prayer, the middle prayer. One of them prayed it in its time, and the other prayed it after its time. They differed on this great difference in a fundamental of the fundamentals of Islam. He did not say to those who prayed before reaching Banu Qaynuqa in its time, "You made a mistake," nor did he say to the others, "You made a mistake," because the evidence is open to interpretation. Because the evidence is open to interpretation, it is not permissible for us to declare misguided the one who disagrees with us on it, because he feared Allah as much as he was able. Did hostility and difference in hearts occur among the Companions after this incident? Never, by Allah. Now, our brothers who claim to follow the Sunnah and strive for it, when they differ on matters less significant than this, they declare one another misguided and become hostile to one another, as if they had broken a duty of the duties of Islam. People differ, for example, when prostrating, whether to place the knees or the hands first? There is disagreement. If a person comes and says, "I see that the hands should be placed first," and he sees a person who placed the knees first, he becomes hostile to him and says, "This is one of the people of the knees," and denies it to him. What is the issue? The issue is a difference in a recommended practice. And the stronger position, which the evidence indicates, is that one begins with the knees before the hands, unless there is an excuse. Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear.
So I say, my brothers, it is obligatory for the youth, especially, and for the brothers who are students of knowledge, that they unite and agree, and that their hearts do not differ due to a difference of opinion where independent legal reasoning is permissible. Yes.
Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects - you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allah
إن الذين فرقوا دينهم وكانوا شيعا لستم منهم في شيء إنما أمرهم إلى اللهHe has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus
شرع لكم من الدين ما وصى به نوحا والذي أوحينا إليك وما وصينا به إبراهيم وموسى وعيسىto establish the religion and not be divided therein
أن أقيموا الدين ولا تتفرقوا فيهAnd do not be like the ones who became divided and differed after the clear proofs had come to them. And those will have a great punishment.
ولا تكونوا كالذين تفرقوا واختلفوا من بعد ما جاءهم البينات وأولئك لهم عذاب عظيمwhen they came at you from above you
إذ جاؤوكم من فوقكمand from below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats and you assumed about Allah [various] assumptions. (11) There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking.
ومن أسفل منكم وإذ زاغت الأبصار وبلغت القلوب الحناجر وتظنون بالله الظنونا هنالك ابتلي المؤمنون وزلزلوا زلزالا شديداThe student: Banu Qaynuqa
The Shaykh : Banu Qaynuqa, and the third
The student: Banu Nadir
The Shaykh : Banu Nadir. All these tribes came to Medina when they learned in the Torah that a Prophet would be sent and his migration would be to Medina, so they gathered in Medina. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) migrated, they made a treaty with him, but they broke the treaty. The last of them to break the treaty was Banu Qaynuqa, who supported the Confederates against the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
So when the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned from the Confederates, he thought the matter had ended, so he removed his armor. Then Jibril came to him and said to him: "Go out to those who broke the treaty."
فلما رجع النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام من الأحزاب ظن أن الأمر قد انتهى فنزع لامته فأتاه جبريل وقال له : اخرج إلى هؤلاء الذين نقضوا العهدThe student: Banu Qaynuqa
The Shaykh : Banu Qaynuqa.
Go out to them. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: "Go out to them. No one should pray the 'Asr prayer except in Banu Qaynuqa."
اخرج إليهم فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لأصحابه : اخرجوا إليهم لا يصلين أحد العصر إلا في بني قريظةSo they went out, and during the journey the time for the 'Asr prayer entered. They divided into two groups. One group said, "We will pray the 'Asr prayer in its time, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) only ordered us not to pray except in Banu Qaynuqa in order to hasten the departure." And a group said, "No, perhaps the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was revealed that there is no prayer except in Banu Qaynuqa, so we will not pray except in Banu Qaynuqa."
فخرجوا في أثناء الطريق دخل وقت العصر فانقسموا قسمين قسم قالوا نصلي العصر في وقتها والنبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم إنما أمرنا ألا نصلي إلا في بني قريظة من أجل المبادرة الى الخروج وقسم قالوا لا لعل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أوحي إليه ألا صلاة إلا في بني قريظة فلا نصلي إلا في بني قريظةThe student: On the prayer
The Shaykh : And the prayer is one of what? One of the pillars of Islam. And the prayer on which they differed is the best of the prayers. What is it? The 'Asr prayer, the middle prayer. One of them prayed it in its time, and the other prayed it after its time. They differed on this great difference in a fundamental of the fundamentals of Islam.
And when they returned to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he did not rebuke any one of them.
ولما رجعوا إلى الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام لم يعنف واحدا منهمSo I say, my brothers, it is obligatory for the youth, especially, and for the brothers who are students of knowledge, that they unite and agree, and that their hearts do not differ due to a difference of opinion where independent legal reasoning is permissible. Yes.