Commentary on the author's statement with an explanation of the hadith: "You will surely follow the ways of those who came before you."

The Shaykh : By this phrase, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) intended that although we have been commanded to avoid the path of the Jews and the Christians, what Allah the Exalted has decreed in His knowledge must inevitably occur, which is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us of, namely that this Ummah will follow the ways of those who came before it. "Sunan" is pronounced with an open sin (fathah) and it is permissible to close it (dammah); with the open sin, it means "the way," and with the closed sin, it means "the ways," because it is the plural of "sunnah," and "sunnah" in language means "the way." The saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): This is a rhetorical question, because the Companions were surprised and disapproved of the idea that this Ummah would follow the ways of those who came before them, so they said: This question is for confirmation, but this confirmation does not mean approval; it means that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) confirmed that this will happen, but he does not approve of it (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, we are forbidden from following it. Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) clarified that this Ummah cannot be entirely similar to the Jews and the Christians; rather, there must be from it a victorious group that upholds the command of Allah until the Day of Resurrection. He also clarified (may Allah have mercy on him) that people deviate, and that deviation has four categories: disbelief, open sinfulness, sin, and error. If the deviation leads to apostasy, it becomes disbelief. If it leads to the violation of dignity and religion but does not reach the level of disbelief, it is open sinfulness. If it is less than that, it is a sin resulting from an interpretation that has some validity in language, and it is considered an error. It is correct to describe this error as deviation, but it is not correct to describe the one who made it as a deviant if we know that it came from independent legal reasoning. This is the crux of the matter regarding what is seen in the statements of some of the Imams, whom the Ummah testifies to as being sincere to Allah, His Book, the Messenger, and the Imams of the Muslims, in terms of deviation. We say that this is a deviation resulting from error, and we describe it as deviation and misguidance, but we do not describe the deviant person as a deviant. Why? Because it occurred due to error. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that whoever from this Ummah exerts effort in independent legal reasoning and makes a mistake, he has a reward. One who has a reward cannot be called a deviant. However, if one is known to have bad intentions and stubbornness, then when he says something deviant, we say that he is a deviant, the actor himself. And it is obligatory for us to know the difference between the speaker and the statement, and the actor and the action. Yes.