In it, the knowledge of the former generations was gathered, and through it the obligatory acts and the religion were perfected. It is the straight path of Allah and His firm rope. Whoever holds fast to it is saved.
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The Shaykh : From the Wise and the Praiseworthy "In it—meaning Allah, the Exalted and Majestic—the knowledge of the former generations was gathered, and through it the obligatory acts and the religion were perfected. It is the straight path of Allah and His firm rope. Whoever holds fast to it is saved, and whoever opposes it is lost and errs, and he falls into ignorance. And Allah has urged in His Book to hold fast to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He, the Exalted, said: [Al-Hashr 59:7] Until he said: So He commanded them to obey His Messenger as He commanded them to obey Him, and He called them to hold fast to the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as He commanded them to act by His Book. So many of those whose misery prevailed over them, and whom Satan had seized, cast the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) behind their backs, and turned to ancestors of theirs whom they imitated in their religion and followed in their creed. They invalidated the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), rejected it, denied it, and disavowed it, fabricating lies against Allah: [Al-An'am 6:140]".
To whom is he referring? He is referring to the Mu'tazilah, to the Mu'tazilah, because they imitated their Imams and left the Book and the Sunnah.
"Then he mentioned—may Allah have mercy on him—some of the principles of the innovators and indicated their invalidity. Then he said: If someone were to say: You have denied the statement of the Mu'tazilah, the Jahmiyyah, the Khawarij, the Rafidah" The Khawarij are whom? The Khawarij. "and the Murji'ah, so inform us of your statement by which you speak and your creed by which you believe?
It is said—meaning it is said to him, and this exists—it is said to him: Our statement by which we speak and our creed by which we believe is: holding fast to the Book of our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) and the Sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and what is narrated from the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the Imams of hadith. We hold fast to that, and we affirm what Abu 'Abdullah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal—may Allah brighten his face, raise his rank, and make his reward abundant—used to say We affirm, and the news of what they were is , and we distance ourselves from whoever contradicts his statement, for he is the distinguished Imam and the complete leader. Then he praised him for the truth that Allah revealed through his hand, and mentioned the establishment of the attributes, issues regarding divine decree, intercession, and some transmitted matters, and he established that with evidences from the transmitted texts and rational proofs .
This is in his book al-Ibanah, and it is established from him. Even though some of the Asha'irah deny that it is one of his works, they are refuted by the transmission of the trustworthy ones that this is one of his works. May Allah have mercy on him.
And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
وما آتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نهاكم عنه فانتهواThey have gone astray and were not [rightly] guided.
قد ضلوا وما كانوا مهتدينTo whom is he referring? He is referring to the Mu'tazilah, to the Mu'tazilah, because they imitated their Imams and left the Book and the Sunnah.
"Then he mentioned—may Allah have mercy on him—some of the principles of the innovators and indicated their invalidity. Then he said: If someone were to say: You have denied the statement of the Mu'tazilah, the Jahmiyyah, the Khawarij, the Rafidah" The Khawarij are whom? The Khawarij. "and the Murji'ah, so inform us of your statement by which you speak and your creed by which you believe?
It is said—meaning it is said to him, and this exists—it is said to him: Our statement by which we speak and our creed by which we believe is: holding fast to the Book of our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) and the Sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and what is narrated from the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the Imams of hadith. We hold fast to that, and we affirm what Abu 'Abdullah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal—may Allah brighten his face, raise his rank, and make his reward abundant—used to say We affirm, and the news of what they were is , and we distance ourselves from whoever contradicts his statement, for he is the distinguished Imam and the complete leader. Then he praised him for the truth that Allah revealed through his hand, and mentioned the establishment of the attributes, issues regarding divine decree, intercession, and some transmitted matters, and he established that with evidences from the transmitted texts and rational proofs .
This is in his book al-Ibanah, and it is established from him. Even though some of the Asha'irah deny that it is one of his works, they are refuted by the transmission of the trustworthy ones that this is one of his works. May Allah have mercy on him.