The Sufi Paths in the Scale of the Book and the Sunnah

The following message is from the city of Mosul in the Iraqi Republic, and its sender is one of the brothers from there, named Fuad Muhammad Ali al-Ramla. Our brother asks and says: My question is about some of the Sufi paths that are widespread in our lands. The scholars say: It is obligatory for every Muslim to follow a specific Sufi path, otherwise he is in error regarding his affair. They say: "Whoever has tasted knows, and whoever has not tasted has deviated." Meaning: He has not tasted faith through the Sufi path.
And there is a man who is called: The Successor of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) — Shaykh Abdulaziz calls him, I do not know if it is in the interest to name him, the important thing — so-and-so al-Naqshbandi, and his path is called: The Naqshbandi Path, and it is widely spread in our lands. The scholars say: Whoever does not follow this path is a loser. And just as they deny most of the statements of the righteous Salaf scholars, especially in creed, inform us, may you be rewarded, may Allah reward you with the best reward. I am sorry for the length of the question, this is from the words of ...
Answer: It is obligatory for every Muslim to follow the path of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) followed, and then the Salaf of the Ummah from the Tabi'un and those who followed them, such as the four Imams and others. This is what is obligatory. As for the paths that people have innovated and call the Sufi paths, it is not obligatory to follow them, it is not permissible to follow them, and no one is required to follow them. Not the Naqshbandi, not the Qadiri, not the Tijani, not the Khalwati, not the Shadhili, nor any other. None of the paths is obligatory to follow; because they are innovations.
The Companions proceeded before them according to what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon, before these paths were innovated, and so did those after them from the Imams of the Salaf. Were they losers because they did not attain them?
They were successful and they were happy, and they were upon the truth and the straight path, and upon the straight path of Allah. So you, O servant of Allah, consider yourself with them, as if you existed before this path. Does the non-existence of this path harm you? This is among the things that people have innovated. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: meaning: it is rejected. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So you are not required to follow the Naqshbandi path, or the Tijani, or the Qadiri, or the Shadhili, or the Barihani, or any other. You must follow the path of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the path of the Salaf of the Ummah, by worshipping Allah alone and being upright upon His religion, maintaining the five prayers, paying the zakah, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the Sacred House with the ability to do so. Be dutiful to your parents, maintain your family ties, guard your tongue from what Allah has forbidden, guard your limbs from what Allah has forbidden, strive in the remembrance of Allah and His obedience, and drawing near to Him by various types of obedience, such as voluntary prayer, voluntary fasting, charity, and increasing in the remembrance of Allah and seeking forgiveness. And do not pay attention to these paths that people have innovated.
And advise your brothers to avoid them. Whatever good is in them that agrees with the Shari'ah of Allah is taken, and whatever is in them that is new is left. Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), ibn Anas, the Imam of the City of Migration in his time, said: "The latter part of this Ummah will not be reformed except by what reformed its first part." And so said all the scholars, like his saying. There is no reform for this Ummah except by what reformed the Companions and those after them, except by following the path of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and holding fast to the straight path of Allah, about which He, the Exalted and Majestic, said: [Al-An'am: 153]. And he (peace be upon him) said in Surat al-Fatihah: [Al-Fatihah: 6-7]. This is the straight path, it is the religion of Allah, it is Islam. And what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought of deeds and words is the straight path. And it is the path of those upon whom He has bestowed favor, from the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. And they are the people of knowledge and action who knew the religion of Allah and acted upon it.
This is the straight path: that you know the religion of Allah and understand the religion of Allah from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and act upon it according to the methodology and path that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) followed and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those who followed them with excellence. And beware of leaving that for the sake of the saying of so-and-so Shaykh or so-and-so Shaykh or so-and-so Shaykh. And they say: "Whoever has no Shaykh, Satan is his Imam or his Shaykh." All of this is false.
But the people of knowledge are utilized for their words and benefited from their words in interpreting the Qur'an ... interpreting the Sunnah, clarifying the rulings. But their opinions that contradict the Shari'ah of Allah are not preferred over what Allah and His Messenger said. The books of the scholars known for the Sunnah and uprightness, these are benefited from in their words, and looked into their books, whether they are from the books of the Shafi'is, or the Hanafis, or the Malikis, or the Hanbalis, or the Zahiris, or the books of the early people of hadith. All of these are benefited from in their books and looked into and utilized to understand the words of Allah, and the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And they are called upon and mercy is sought for them for their virtue and knowledge. But it is not permissible for anyone to say: The path that so-and-so or so-and-so innovated is the saving path, and everything else is error. No. It is obligatory for you to follow the path of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); for this reason he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And it is the group that proceeded according to the methodology of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And in a narration of al-Tirmidhi: It was said: O Messenger of Allah! Who are they? He said: These are the saved ones. So you must adhere to this path, adhering to the path of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who followed them from the Imams of Islam, like Malik, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, and others from the Imams of Islam, and be upon their good path. And whatever people differ in or dispute in from some issues, it is referred back to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
So whatever agrees with the Book of our Lord or the Sunnah of our Prophet, it is obligatory to take it and proceed upon it. And in the words of the people of knowledge is what helps you in that, if you look into it and contemplate it, may Allah have mercy on them. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.