What is your opinion of those who reject the use of the term "the people of the Sunnah and the community" and say, "We call ourselves Salafis, because the term 'people of the Sunnah' includes the Asha'irah and the Maturidiyyah"?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Likewise, O Shaykh, there are those who reject the use of the term "the people of the Sunnah and the community" and say: "We call ourselves Salafis or the Salaf, because that term includes the Asha'irah and the Maturidiyyah."
The Shaykh : The error is to include the people of innovation, whatever their innovation may be, in the absolute name of "the people of the Sunnah and the community." The people of the Sunnah and the community do not include one who contradicts the Salaf in what they held and in what he contradicted them in.
For example, if this man denies what is denied of the attributes and names of Allah, then he is not of the people of the Sunnah and the community in what he denied, even if he is of them in other matters. This is because the people of the Sunnah and the community hold that a person may combine in himself traits of innovation and traits of the Sunnah, traits of disbelief and traits of faith.
So this man who contradicted the people of the Sunnah in the attributes of Allah, we say: he is not of the people of the Sunnah and the community in the attributes of Allah, even if he is of them in other deeds, such as jurisprudential issues, for example.
So we prevent, in principle, that a person of innovation be considered one of the people of the Sunnah in his innovation. And in this way, we are saved from this problem that led to the conflict of opinions among scholars. Yes, indeed.
So what we see is that the people of innovation, in their innovations, are not of the people of the Sunnah and the community, because the people of the Sunnah and the community are not upon this innovation. And how can he be of the people of the Sunnah and the community while he contradicts them?
The questioner : And do we abandon the term "the people of the Sunnah and the community" and call ourselves Salafis, or what?
The Shaykh : Yes? Absolutely not. What is the need? What is the need? Because the people of the Sunnah and the community are, in truth, those who were upon what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the saved sect as being those who were upon what he and his Companions were upon.
The Shaykh : The error is to include the people of innovation, whatever their innovation may be, in the absolute name of "the people of the Sunnah and the community." The people of the Sunnah and the community do not include one who contradicts the Salaf in what they held and in what he contradicted them in.
For example, if this man denies what is denied of the attributes and names of Allah, then he is not of the people of the Sunnah and the community in what he denied, even if he is of them in other matters. This is because the people of the Sunnah and the community hold that a person may combine in himself traits of innovation and traits of the Sunnah, traits of disbelief and traits of faith.
So this man who contradicted the people of the Sunnah in the attributes of Allah, we say: he is not of the people of the Sunnah and the community in the attributes of Allah, even if he is of them in other deeds, such as jurisprudential issues, for example.
So we prevent, in principle, that a person of innovation be considered one of the people of the Sunnah in his innovation. And in this way, we are saved from this problem that led to the conflict of opinions among scholars. Yes, indeed.
So what we see is that the people of innovation, in their innovations, are not of the people of the Sunnah and the community, because the people of the Sunnah and the community are not upon this innovation. And how can he be of the people of the Sunnah and the community while he contradicts them?
The questioner : And do we abandon the term "the people of the Sunnah and the community" and call ourselves Salafis, or what?
The Shaykh : Yes? Absolutely not. What is the need? What is the need? Because the people of the Sunnah and the community are, in truth, those who were upon what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the saved sect as being those who were upon what he and his Companions were upon.