The Ruling on Those Who Criticize Those Who Are Eager for the Sunnah
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Question:
We hear these days words that indicate that whoever seeks out everything that is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is described as being strict in religion. What is your opinion on that, may Allah reward you?
Answer:
The Shaykh: These people have failed, so they described those who seek knowledge with this. Because they themselves failed and were lax, and were content with baseness and laziness, they criticized those who were earnest in seeking knowledge with this defect. This is their own defect. As for the one who seeks knowledge and is eager for evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, he is the one who deserves praise and commendation. This is the path of the Salaf, and this is the path of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Perhaps some of them would travel long distances from one city to another: to Egypt or to the Levant, for the sake of a single hadith. This is the concern of the people of knowledge: caring for the Qur'an, memorizing what is easy of it, caring for evidence, caring for the Sunnah, and being eager to know the evidence in what people say.
How do you know the truth from falsehood except by this?
By what do you know that what al-Shafi'i said is correct, or Ahmad, or Malik, or Abu Hanifah, or al-Awza'i, or the later scholars, or Ibn Taymiyyah, or Ibn al-Qayyim, or others?
By what do you know the correct? Do you know because you are a Hanbali? Or because you are a Shafi'i? No. Or because you are from the people of Makkah? Or because you are from the people of Madinah, or from the people of Riyadh, or from the Levant? No. You only know the realities by evidence. This is the path. One knows the rulings of Allah, and knows the correct from the incorrect, and the truth from the falsehood, by evidence: Allah said, and His Messenger said. So whoever criticizes these people is the one who is criticized.
But the advice for these people is to fear Allah, and not to be arrogant toward people, and not to be strict in what Allah has not been strict in. Rather, they should adhere to the truth, for the religion of Allah is moderate. So it is obligatory for them to seek the middle path, and to seek ease and facilitation, and not to be strict without evidence. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Al-Hajj:78], and He the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah:185], and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 69.
So it is obligatory for the callers to the truth and for the people of the Sunnah to be humble, not strict, and not repulsive, but humble, discerning, callers to good with a good manner, with gentleness and wisdom, not with harshness, and not with violence. This is how it should be, and this is how it must be. As for the lazy, they are left to their laziness. They are advised and guided, but if they are lazy and weak, their defect is theirs and upon them, not for the people of the Sunnah and the students of hadith.
We hear these days words that indicate that whoever seeks out everything that is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is described as being strict in religion. What is your opinion on that, may Allah reward you?
Answer:
The Shaykh: These people have failed, so they described those who seek knowledge with this. Because they themselves failed and were lax, and were content with baseness and laziness, they criticized those who were earnest in seeking knowledge with this defect. This is their own defect. As for the one who seeks knowledge and is eager for evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, he is the one who deserves praise and commendation. This is the path of the Salaf, and this is the path of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Perhaps some of them would travel long distances from one city to another: to Egypt or to the Levant, for the sake of a single hadith. This is the concern of the people of knowledge: caring for the Qur'an, memorizing what is easy of it, caring for evidence, caring for the Sunnah, and being eager to know the evidence in what people say.
How do you know the truth from falsehood except by this?
By what do you know that what al-Shafi'i said is correct, or Ahmad, or Malik, or Abu Hanifah, or al-Awza'i, or the later scholars, or Ibn Taymiyyah, or Ibn al-Qayyim, or others?
By what do you know the correct? Do you know because you are a Hanbali? Or because you are a Shafi'i? No. Or because you are from the people of Makkah? Or because you are from the people of Madinah, or from the people of Riyadh, or from the Levant? No. You only know the realities by evidence. This is the path. One knows the rulings of Allah, and knows the correct from the incorrect, and the truth from the falsehood, by evidence: Allah said, and His Messenger said. So whoever criticizes these people is the one who is criticized.
But the advice for these people is to fear Allah, and not to be arrogant toward people, and not to be strict in what Allah has not been strict in. Rather, they should adhere to the truth, for the religion of Allah is moderate. So it is obligatory for them to seek the middle path, and to seek ease and facilitation, and not to be strict without evidence. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty
وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍAllah intends for you ease
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَFacilitate things to people (concerning religious matters), and do not make it hard for them and give them good tidings and do not make them run away (from Islam).
يَسِّروا ولا تُعسِّروا، وبشِّروا ولا تُنَفِّروا، وتطاوعوا ولا تختلفواSo it is obligatory for the callers to the truth and for the people of the Sunnah to be humble, not strict, and not repulsive, but humble, discerning, callers to good with a good manner, with gentleness and wisdom, not with harshness, and not with violence. This is how it should be, and this is how it must be. As for the lazy, they are left to their laziness. They are advised and guided, but if they are lazy and weak, their defect is theirs and upon them, not for the people of the Sunnah and the students of hadith.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.