We will say at the very
outset that the books written by the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna (rahmatullâhi
ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în) do not mention anything in the name of “Salafiyya” or
a “Salafiyya madhhab.” These names, forged later by the lâ-madhhabî, have spread
among the Turks through the books of the lâ-madhhabîs translated from Arabic to
Turkish by ignorant men of religion. According to them:
“Salafiyya is the name of
the madhhab which had been followed by all the Sunnîs before the madhhabs of
Ash’ariyya and Mâturîdiyya were founded. They were the followers of the Sahâba
and the Tâbi’în. The Salafiyya madhhab is the madhhab of the Sahâba, the
Tâbi’în and Taba at-Tâbi’în. The four great imâms belonged to this madhhab. The
first book to defend the Salafiyya madhhab was Fiqh al-akbar written by al-Imâm
al-a’zam. Al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî wrote in his book Iljâm al-awâm
’ani ’l-kalâm that the Salafiyya madhhab had seven essentials. The ’ilm al-kalâm of
the mutaâkhirîn (those who came later) began with al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî. Having
studied the madhhabs of the early ’ulamâ’ of kalâm and the ideas of Islamic
philosophers, al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî made changes in the methods of ’ilm al-kalâm.
He inserted philosophical subjects into ’ilm al-kalâm with a view to refuting
them. Ar-Râdî and al-Âmidî conjoined kalâm and philosophy and made them a
branch of knowledge. And al-Baidâwî made kalâm and philosophy inseparable. The
’ilm al-kalâm of the mutaâkhirîn prevented the spreading of the Salafiyya
madhhab. Ibn Taimiyya and his disciple Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya tried to
enrich the Salafiyya madhhab which later broke into two parts; the early
Salafîs did not go into details about the attributes of Allâhu ta’âlâ or the
nass of mutashâbih. The later Salafîs were interested in detailing about them.
This case becomes quite conspicuous with the later Salafîs such as Ibn Taimiyya
and Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya. The early and the later Salafîs altogether are
called Ahl as-Sunnat al-khâssa. The men of kalâm who belong to Ahl as-Sunna
interpreted some of the nass, but the Salafiyya opposed it. Saying that Allah’s
face and His coming are unlike people’s faces and their coming, the Salafiyya
differs from the Mushabbiha.”
It is not right to say
that the madhhabs of al-Ash’arî and al-
Mâturîdî were founded later. These
two great imâms explained the knowledge of i’tiqâd and îmân communicated by
Salaf as-sâlihîn, arranged it in classes and published it making it
comprehensible for youngsters. Al-Imâm al-Ash’arî was in al-Imâm ash-Shâfi’î’s
chain of disciples. And al-Imâm al-Mâturîdî was a great link in al-Imâm
al-a’zam Abû Hanîfa’s chain of disciples. Al-Ash’arî and al-Mâturîdî did not go
out of their masters’ common madhhab; they did not found new madhhabs. These
two and their teachers and the imâms of the four madhhabs had one common
madhhab: the madhhab in belief well known with the name Ahl as-Sunnat
wa ’l-Jamâ’a. The beliefs of the people of this group are the beliefs of the Sahâbat
al-kirâm, the Tâbi’în and Taba’ at-Tâbi’în. The book, Fiqh al-akbar,
written
by al-Imâm al-a’zam Abû Hanîfa, defends the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna. The word
‘Salafiyya’ does not exist in that book or in al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî’s Iljâm Al-awâm
’ani ’l-kalâm. These two books and Qawl al-fasl,[1] one of the explanations
of the book Fiqh al-akbar, teaches the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna and answers the
heretical groups and philosophers. Al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî wrote in his book Iljâm al-awâm:
“In this
book I shall inform that the madhhab of the Salaf is right and correct. I shall
explain that those who dissent from this madhhab are the holders of bid’a. The
madhhab of the Salaf means the madhhab held by the Sahâbat al-kirâm and the
Tâbi’în. The essentials of this madhhab are seven.” As it is seen, the book Iljâm writes the seven
essentials of the madhhab of the ‘Salaf.’ To say that they are the essentials
of the “Salafiyya’ is to distort the writing of the book and to slander al-Imâm
al-Ghazâlî. As in all the books of Ahl as-Sunna, it is written after the words
‘Salaf’ and ‘Khalaf’ in the section on “Witnessing” in the book Durr
al-mukhtâr, a
very valuable book of fiqh: “Salaf is
an epithet for the Sahâba and the Tâbi’în. They are also called the Salaf
as-sâlihîn. And
those ’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna succeeding Salaf as-sâlihîn are called ‘Khalaf.’” Al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî,
al-Imâm ar-Râdî and al-Imâm al-Baidâwî, who was loved and honoured above all by
the ’ulamâ’ of tafsîr, were all in the madhhab of Salaf as-sâlihîn. Groups of
bid’a that appeared in their time mixed ’ilm al-kalâm with philosophy. In fact,
they founded their îmân on philosophy. The book Al-milal
wa’n-nihal gives
detailed information on the beliefs held by those heretical groups. While
defending the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna
---------------------------------
[1] The books Fiqh al-akbar, Iljâm and Qawl
al-fasl have been reproduced by Hakîkat Kitabevi in Istanbul.
against those corrupt
groups and rebutting their heretical ideas, these three imâms gave extensive
answers to their philosophy. Giving these answers does not mean mixing
philosophy with the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna. On the contrary, they purged the
knowledge of kalâm from the philosophical thoughts interpolated into it. There
is no philosophical thought or philosophical method in al-Baidâwî’s work, or in
the tafsîr of Shaikh-zâda, the most valuable of its annotations. It is a very
nefarious calumny to say that these exalted imâms took to philosophy. This
stigma was first attached to the ’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna by Ibn Taimiyya in his
book Al-wâsita. Further, to state that Ibn Taimiyya and his disciple Ibn
al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya tried to enrich the Salafiyya madhhab is to divulge a
very important crux where those who are on the right path and those who have
deviated into error differ from each other. Before those two people there was
not a madhhab called “Salafiyya,” nor even the word ‘Salafiyya’; how could they
be said to have tried to enrich it? Before those two, there was only one right
madhhab, the madhhab of Salaf as-sâlihîn, which was named Ahl as-Sunna
wa ’l-Jamâ’a. Ibn Taimiyya tried to distort this right madhhab and invented many
bid’as. The source of the books, words and heretical, corrupt thoughts of
today’s lâ-madhhabî people and religion reformers is only the bid’as invented
by Ibn Taimiyya. In order to decieve Muslims and to convince the youth that
their heretical path was the right path, these heretics devised a horrible
stratagem; they forged the name “Salafiyya” from the term “Salaf as-sâlihîn” so
that they might justify Ibn Taimiyya’s bid’as and corrupt ideas and drift the
youth into his wake; they attached the stigmas of philosophy and bid’a to
Islamic ’ulamâ’, who are the successors of Salaf as-sâlihîn, and blamed them
for dissenting from their invented name Salafiyya; they put forward Ibn
Taimiyya as a mujtahid, as a hero that resuscitated Salafiyya. Actually, the
’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna (rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în), who are the
successors of Salaf as-sâlihîn, defend the teachings of i’tiqâd of Ahl
as-Sunna, which was the madhhab of the Salaf as-sâlihîn, and, in the books
which they have written up to our time and which they are still writing today,
they inform that Ibn Taimiyya, ash-Shawkânî and the like have dissented from
the way of Salaf as-sâlihîn and have been drifting Muslims towards perdition
and Hell.
Those who read the books At-tawassuli
bi ’n-Nabî wa bi ’s-sâlihîn, Ulamâ’ al-muslimîn wa ’l-mukhâlifûn, Shifâ’
as-siqam and
its preface, Tat’hîr
al-fu’âd min danasi ’l-i’tiqâd, will realize that the people who invented the
corrupt beliefs called “New Salafiyya” are leading Muslims towards perdition
and demolishing Islam from within.
Nowadays, some mouths
frequently use the name of ‘Salafiyya.’ Every Muslim should know very well that
in Islam there is nothing in the name of the madhhab of Salafiyya but there is
only the madhhab of Salaf as-sâlihîn, who were the Muslims of
the first two Islamic centuries which were lauded in a hadîth sherîf. The
’ulamâ’ of Islam who came in the third and fourth centuries are called Khalaf
as-sâdiqîn. The
i’tiqâd of these honourable people is called the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunnat wa
’l-Jamâ’a. This
is the madhhab of îmân, tenets of faith. The îmân held by the Sahâbat al-kirâm
and by the Tâbi’în was the same. There was no difference between their beliefs.
Today most Muslims on the earth are in the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna. All the
seventy-two heretical groups of bid’a appeared after the second century of
Islam. Founders of some of them lived earlier, but it was after the Tâbi’în
that their books were written and that they appeared in groups and defied Ahl
as-Sunna.
Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu
’alaihi wa sallam) brought the beliefs of Ahl as-Sunna. The Sahâbat al-kirâm derived
these teachings of îmân from the source. And the Tâbi’în Izâm, in their turn,
learned these teachings from the Sahâbat al-kirâm. And from them their
successors learned; thus the teachings of Ahl as-Sunna reached us by way of
transmission and tawâtur. These teachings cannot be explored by way of
reasoning. Intellect cannot change them and will only help to understand them.
That is, intellect is necessary for understanding them, for realizing that they
are right and for knowing their value. All the scholars of hadîth held the
beliefs of Ahl as-Sunna. The imâms of the four madhhabs in deeds, too, were in
this madhhab. Also, al-Mâturîdî and al-Ash’arî, the two imâms of our madhhab in
beliefs, were in the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna. Both these imâms promulgated this
madhhab. They always defended this madhhab against heretics and against
materialists, who had been stuck in the bogs of ancient Greek philosophy.
Though they were contemporaries, they lived at different places and the ways of
thinking and dealing with the offenders they had to meet were different, so the
methods of defence used and the answers given by these two great scholars of
Ahl as-Sunna were different. But this does not mean that they belonged to
different madhhabs. Hundreds of thousands of
profoundly learned
’ulamâ’ and Awliyâ’ coming after these two exalted imâms studied their books
and stated in consensus that they both belonged to the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna.
The scholars of Ahl as-Sunna took the nass with their outward meanings. That
is, they gave the âyats and hadîths their outward meanings, and did not explain
away (ta’wîl) the nass or change these meanings unless there was a darûra to do
so. And they never made any changes with their personal knowledge or opinions.
But those who belonged in heretical groups and the lâ-madhhabî did not hesitate
to change the teachings of îmân and ’ibâdât as they had learned from Greek
philosophers and from sham scientists, who were Islam’s adversaries.
When the state of the
Ottomans, who were Islam’s guardians and the Ahl as-Sunna scholars’ servants,
dissolved, succumbing to the centuries’ contrivances carried on by freemasons,
missionaries and the nefarious policy waged by the British Empire, who
mobilized all their material forces, the lâ-madhhabî took the opportunity. With
devilish lies and stratagems, they began to attack Ahl as-Sunna and demolish
Islam from within, especially in those countries, for example in Saudi Arabia,
where the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna are not allowed to talk freely. The immeasurable
gold dispensed by the Wahhâbîs helped this aggression spread all over the
world. As it is understood from the reports from Pakistan, India and African
countries, some men of religion with little religious knowledge and no fear of
Allah were given posts and apartment houses in return for their buttressing up
these aggressors. Especially, their treachery of deceiving youngsters and
estranging them from the madhhab of Ahl as-Sunna procured them those abominable
advantages. In one of the books they wrote in order to mislead the students in
the madrasas and Muslims’ children, it is written, “I have written this book
with a view to eliminating the bigotry of madhhabs and helping everybody to
live peacefully in their madhhabs.” This man means that the solution to
eliminating the bigotry of madhhabs is in attacking Ahl as-Sunna and belittling
the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna. He thrusts a dagger into Islam, and then says he
does this so that Muslims will live in peace. At another place in the book, it
is written, “If a thinking person hits the point in his thinking, he will be
rewarded tenfold. If he misses, he will get one reward.” Accordingly,
everybody, no matter if he is a Christian or a polytheist, will be rewarded for
his every thought; and he will get ten thawâbs for his correct thoughts! See
how he changes the
hadîth ash-sherîf of our
Prophet (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam), and how he plays tricks! The
hadîth ash-sherîf declares: “If a mujtahid hits the point as he extracts
rules from an âyat karîma or from a hadîth-i-sherîf, he will be given ten
thawâbs. If he is wrong he will be given one thawâb.” The hadîth ash-sherîf
shows that these thawâbs will be given not to everybody who thinks but to an
Islamic scholar who has reached the grade of ijtihâd, and that they will be
given to him not for his every thought but for his work in extracting rules
from the Nass. For, his work is an ’ibâda. Like any other ’ibâda, it will be
given thawâb.
In the time of Salaf
as-sâlihîn and of the mujtahid ’âlims, who were their successors, i.e., until
the end of the fourth century of Islam, whenever a new matter came about as a
result of changing life standards and conditions, the mujtahid scholars worked
day and night and derived how the matter must be handled from the four sources
called al-adillat ash-Shar’iyya, and all Muslims did their practices pertaining to
that by following the deduction of the imâm of their madhhab. And those who did
so were given ten thawâbs or one. After the fourth century, people went on
following these mujtahids’ deductions. In the course of all this long time not
one Muslim was at a loss or in a dilemma as to how to act. In the course of
time, no scholars or muftîs were educated even for the seventh grade of
ijtihâd; therefore, today we have to learn from a Muslim who can read and
understand the books of the scholars of one of the four madhhabs, and from the
books translated by him, and adapt our ’ibâdât and daily life to them. Allâhu
ta’âlâ declared the rules of everything in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. His exalted
prophet Muhammad (’alaihi’s-salâm) explained all of them. And the scholars of
Ahl as-Sunna, learning them from the Sahâbat al-kirâm, wrote them in their
books. These books exist all over the world now. Every new practice that will come
about in any part of the world till Doomsday can be exemplified in one of the
teachings in these books. This possibility is a mu’jiza of the Qur’ân al-kerîm
and a karâma of Islamic scholars. But it is essentially important to
learn by asking a true Sunnî Muslim. If you ask a lâ-madhhabî man of religion,
he will mislead you by giving you an answer inconsistent with books of fiqh.
We have previously
explained how the youth are deceived by those lâ-madhhabî ignoramuses who have
stayed in Arab countries for a few years, learned how to speak Arabic,
frittered away their times by leading a life of amusement, pleasures and
sinning, and then,
getting a sealed paper from a lâ-madhhabî, from an enemy of Ahl as-Sunna, went
back to Pakistan or to India. Youngsters who see their counterfeit diplomas and
hear them speak Arabic think that they are religious scholars. However, they
cannot even understand a book of fiqh. And they know nothing of the teachings
of fiqh in books. In fact, they do not believe these religious teachings; they
call them bigotry. Of old, Islamic scholars looked up the answers to the
inquiries made to them in the books of fiqh, and gave the inquirers the answers
they found. But the lâ-madhhabî man of religion, being incapable of reading or
understanding a book of fiqh, will mislead the questioner by saying whatever
occurs to his ignorant head and defective mind, and will cause him to go to
Hell. It is to this effect that our Prophet (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa
sallam) declared: “The good ’âlim is the best of mankind. The bad ’âlim is
the worst of mankind.” This hadîth-i-sherîf shows that the scholars of Ahl
as-Sunna are the best of mankind, and the lâ-madhhabî are the worst of mankind,
because the former guide people to following Rasûlullah, i.e. to Paradise, and
the latter lead them to their heretical thoughts, i.e. to Hell.
Ustâd Ibn Khalîfa Alîwî,
a graduate of the Islamic University of Jâmi’ al-Azhar, wrote in his book Aqîdat
as-Salafi wa ’l-khalaf: “As ’Allâma Abû
Zuhra writes in his book Târîkh al-madhâhibi ’l-Islâmiyya, some people, who
dissented from the Hanbalî madhhab in the fourth century after Hegira, called
themselves Salafiyyîn. Abu ’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzî and other scholars in the
Hanbalî madhhab, too, by proclaiming that those Salafîs were not the followers
of Salaf as-sâlihîn but were the owners of bid’a, belonging to the group of
Mujassima, prevented this fitna from spreading. In the seventh century Ibn Taimiyya waged this fitna again.”[1]
The lâ-madhhabî have
adopted the name ‘Salafiyya’ and call Ibn Taymiyya ‘The “great imâm of
Salafîs’. This word is true in one respect since the term ‘Salafî’ had not
existed before him. There had existed Salaf as-sâlihîn whose madhhab was Ahl
as-Sunna. Ibn Taimiyya’s heretical beliefs became the source for the Wahhâbîs
and other lâ-madhhabî people. Ibn Taimiyya had been trained in the Hanbalî
madhhab, that is, he had been Sunnî. But,
---------------------------------
[1] In this book of 340 pages, several bida’ of
the Salafîs and the Wahhâbîs, their slanders about Ahl as-Sunna and the replies
to them are written in detail. It was printed in Damascus in
as he increased his
knowledge and reached the grade of fatwâ, he took to self-sufficiency and began
to assume superiority to the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna. The increase in his
knowledge brought about his heresy. He was no longer in the Hanbalî madhhab,
because being in one of the four madhhabs requires having the beliefs of Ahl
as-Sunna. A person who does not have the beliefs of Ahl as-Sunna cannot be said
to be in the Hanbalî madhhab.
The lâ-madhhabî take
every opportunity to vilify the Sunnî men of religious duty in their own
country. They have recourse to all kinds of stratagem to impede their books
from being read and the teachings of Ahl as-Sunna from being learned. For
example, a lâ-madhhabî person, mentioning a true scholar’s name said, “What’s a
pharmacist’s or a chemist’s business in religious knowledge? He must work in
his own branch and not meddle with our business.” What an ignorant and idiotic
assertion! He thinks that a scientist will not have religious knowledge. He is
unaware of the fact that the Muslim scientists observe the Divine Creation
every moment, realize the Creator’s Perfect Attributes that are exhibited in
the book of Creation, and, seeing the creatures’ incapability compared to
Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Infinite Power, continuously perceive that Allâhu ta’âlâ is not
like anything and is far from all defects. Max Planck, a famous German nuclear physicist,
expressed this very well in his work Der Strom. Yet this lâ-madhhabî
ignoramus, relying on the document which he got from a heretic like himself and
on the chair provided by him, and perhaps enraptured with the fancy of the gold
supplied from abroad, presumes that religious knowledge is in his own monopoly.
May Allahu ta’âlâ upgrade this wretched person and all of us. May he also
protect the innocent youngsters from the traps of these certified thieves of
religion. Âmîn.
In fact, the said scholar
served his nation humbly for more than thirty years in the field of pharmacy
and chemical engineering. Yet, at the same time, getting religious education
and working day and night for seven years, he was honoured with the ’ijâza
given by a great Islamic scholar. Crushed under the grandeur of scientific and
religious knowledge, he fully saw his incapability. In this realization he
tried to be a servant in its due sense. The greatest of his fears and worries
was to presume, by falling for the charms of his diplomas and ’ijâza, that he
is an authority on these subjects. The greatness of his fear was conspicuous in
all his books. He did not have the courage to write his own ideas or opinions
in any of his books. He always tried to
offer his young brothers
the valuable writings of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna that were admired by
those who understand them by translating them from Arabic or Persian. His fear
being great, he had not thought of writing books for many years. When he saw
the hadîth ash-sherîf on the first page of Sawâiq-ul Muhriqa, “When fitna becomes
widespread, he who knows the truth must inform others. Should he not do so, may
he be accursed by Allah and by all people!” he began to ponder. On the one hand, as he learned
the superiority of the Ahl as-Sunna scholars’ understanding and mental capacity
in religious knowledge and in the scientific knowledge of their time and their
perseverance in ’ibâdât and taqwâ, he saw his humbleness: with the ocean of
knowledge that those great scholars had, he deemed his own knowledge a mere
drop. On the other hand, seeing that fewer and fewer pious people could read
and understand the books written by the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna and that the
ignorant heretics had mixed themselves with men of religious duty and had
written corrupt and heretical books, he felt grieved; the threat of damnation
declared in the hadîth ash-sherîf dismayed him. Also the mercy and compassion
he felt for his dear young brothers compelling him to serve them, he began to
translate and publish his selections from the books of the scholars of Ahl
as-Sunna. Alongside the innumerable letters of congratulation and appreciation
that he had received, now and then he came across criticism and vilification on
the part of the lâ-madhhabî. Because he had no doubt about his ikhlâs and
trueness to his Rabb and to his conscience, trusting himself to Allâhu ta’âlâ
and making tawassul to the blessed soul of His Messenger (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’alaihi wa sallam) and those of His devoted slaves, he went on with his
service. May Allâhu ta’âlâ keep all of us on the True Path He is pleased with!
Âmîn.
The great Hanafî scholar
Muhammad Bahît al-Mutî’î, a professor at Jâmi’ al-Azhar University in Egypt,
wrote in his book Tat’hîr al-fu’âd min danisi ’l-i’tiqâd:
“Of all people, prophets
(’alaihimu ’s-salâtu wa ’s-salâm) had the most exalted and maturest souls. They
were immune from such things as being wrong, erring, unawareness, perfidy,
bigotry, obstinacy, following the nafs, grudge and hatred. Prophets communicated
and explained the things intimated to them by Allâhu ta’âlâ. The teachings of
Islam, commands and prohibitions communicated by them, are all true. Not one of
them is wrong or corrupt. After prophets, the highest and maturest people were
their sahâbas since they
were trained, matured and purified in the suhba of prophets. They always said
and explained what they heard from prophets. All the things they conveyed are
true and they are far from the above-mentioned vices. They did not contradict
one another out of bigotry or obstinacy, nor did they follow their nafs. The
as-Sahâbat al-kirâm’s explaining the âyats and hadîths and employing ijtihâd
for communicating Allâhu ta’âlâ’s religion to His slaves is His great blessing
upon his umma and His compassion for His beloved prophet, Muhammad (’alaihi
’s-salâm). The Qur’ân al-kerîm declares that the Sahâbat al-kirâm were stern
towards disbelievers but tender and endearing with one another, that they
performed salât diligently, and that they expected everything and Paradise from
Allâhu ta’âlâ. All their ijtihâds, on which ijmâ’ was formed, are right. All of
them were given thawâb since the reality is only one.
“The highest people after
the Sahâbat al-kirâm are those Muslims who saw them and were trained in their
suhba. They are called the Tâbi’în. They acquired their religious knowledge
from the Sahâbat al-kirâm. The highest people next to the Tâbi’în are those
Muslims who saw the Tâbi’în and were trained in their suhba. They are called Taba’
at-Tâbi’în. Among
the people coming in the centuries after them until Doomsday, the highest and
the best ones are those who adapt themselves to them, learn their teachings and
follow them. Among the men with a religious authority coming after the Salaf
as-sâlihîn, an intelligent and wise person whose words and deeds agree with the
teachings of Rasûlullâh and the Salaf as-sâlihîn, who never diverges from their
path in beliefs and deeds, and who does not exceed the limits of Islam, will
not fear others’ denigrations. He will not succumb to their misguidance. He
will not listen to the words of the ignorant. He will use his mind and will not
go out of the four madhhabs of the mujtahid imâms. Muslims must find such a
scholar, ask him and learn what they do not know and should follow his advice
in everything they do, because a scholar in this capacity will know and let
people know the spiritual medicines which Allâhu ta’âlâ created to protect His
slaves from erring and to make them always act correctly; that is, he will know
the curatives for the soul. He will cure psychopaths and the unintelligent.
This scholar will follow Islam in his every word, every action and every
belief. His understanding will always be correct. He will answer every question
correctly. Allâhu ta’âlâ will like his every action. Allâhu ta’âlâ will give
guidance to those who seek the ways to His love.
Allâhu ta’âlâ will
protect those who have îmân and who fulfil the requirements of îmân, against
oppression and trouble. He will make them attain nûr, happiness and salvation.
In everthing they do they will be in ease and comfort. On the Day of
Resurrection, they will be with prophets, siddîqs, martyrs and sâlih (devoted)
Muslims.
“No matter in what
century, if a man with a religious position does not follow the declarations of
the Prophet and his Sahâba, if his words, deeds and beliefs do not agree with
their teachings, if he follows his own thoughts and exceeds the limits of
Islam, if he oversteps the four madhhabs in those sciences which he could not
understand, he will be judged to be a corrupt man with religious a position.
Allâhu ta’âlâ has sealed off his heart. His eyes cannot see the right path. His
ears cannot hear the right word. There will be great torture for him in the
Hereafter. Allâhu ta’âlâ does not like him. People of this sort are prophets’
enemies. They think that they are on the right path. They like their own
behavior. However, they are of Satan’s followers. Very few of them come to
their senses and resume the right path. Everything they say seems kind,
delightful or useful, but all of what they think and like are evil. They
deceive idiots and lead them to heresy and perdition. Their words look bright
and spotless like snow, but, exposed to the sun of truth, they melt away. These
evil men with religious positions, whose hearts have been blackened and sealed
off by Allâhu ta’âlâ, are called ahl al-bid’a or lâ-madhhabî men with religious
positions. They are the people whose beliefs and deeds are not compatible with
the Qur’ân al-kerîm, with the hadîth ash-sherîf or with the ijmâ’ al-Umma.
Having diverged from the right path themselves, they mislead Muslims into
perdition, too. Those who follow them will go to Hell. There were many such
heretics in the time of Salaf as-sâlihîn and among the men of religious
authority that came after them. Their existence among Muslims is like gangrene
[or cancer] in one of the parts of the body. Unless the disease is done away
with, the healthy parts cannot escape the disaster. They are like people
affected with a contagious disease. Those who have contact with them suffer
harm. We must keep away from them so that we should not be harmed by them.”
Of the corrupt, heretical
men of religious position, Ibn Taimiyya has been the most harmful. In his
books, particularly in Al-wâsita, he disagreed with the ijmâ’ al-Muslimîn,
contradicted the clear declarations in the Qur’ân al-kerîm and Hadîth
ash-sherîf, and did not follow the path of Salaf as-sâlihîn. Following
his defective mind and
corrupt thoughts, he deviated into heresy. He had much knowledge. Allâhu ta’âlâ
made his knowledge the cause of his heresy and perdition. He followed the
desires of his nafs. He tried to spread his wrong and heretical ideas in the
name of truth.
The great scholar Ibn
Hajar al-Makkî (rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) wrote in his book Fatâwâ
al-hadîthiyya:
“Allahu ta’âlâ made Ibn
Taimiyya lapse into heresy and perdition. He made him blind and deaf. Many
scholars informed that his deeds were corrupt and his words were false, and
they proved it with documents. Those who read the books of the great Islamic
scholars Abu Hasan as-Subkî, his son Tâj ad-dîn as-Subkî and Imâm al-’Izz ibn
Jamâ’a, and those who study the statements said and written in respone to him
by the Shafî’î, Mâlikî and Hanafî ’ulamâ’ living in his time, will see well
that we are right.
“Ibn Taimiyya slandered
and cast nefarious aspersions upon the scholars of tasawwuf. Furthermore, he
did not hesitate to attack Hadrat ’Umar and Hadrat ’Alî, who were he archstones
of Islam. His words overflowed the measure and rules of decorum, and he threw
arrows even at steep cliffs. He stigmatized the scholars of the right path as
holders of bid’a, heretics and ignoramuses.
“He said, ‘Corrupt ideas
of Greek philosophers disagreeable with Islam were placed in the books of the
great men of tasawwuf,’ and strove to prove it with his wrong, heretical
thoughts. Young men who do not know the truth may be misled by his ardent,
deceitful words. For example, he said:
‘Men of tasawwuf say that
they see the Lawh al-mahfûz.[1] Some philosohers, such as Ibn Sînâ, call it
an-nafs al-falakiyya. They say that when man’s soul reaches perfection, the
soul unites with an-nafs al-falakiyya or al-’aql al-fa’âl while awake or
asleep, and when a person’s soul unites with these two, which cause everything
to happen in the world, he becomes informed of the things existing in them.
These were not said by Greek philosophers. They were said by Ibn Sînâ and the
like, who came later. Also, Imâm Abû Hâmid al-Ghazâlî, Muhyiddîn ibn al-’Arabî
and the Andalusian philosopher Qutb ad-dîn Muhammad ibn Sa’bîn made
---------------------------------
[1] For detailed information about Lawh
al-mahfûz, see chapter
statements of this sort.
These are the statements of philosophers. Such things do not exist in Islam.
With these words they diverged from the right path. They became mulhids like
those mulhids called the Shî’a, Ismâ’îliyya, Qarâmitîs and Bâtinîs. They left
the right path followed by the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna and of the hadîth and
by those Sunnî men of tasawwuf like Fudail ibn ’Iyâd. While diving into
philosophy on the one hand, they struggled against such groups as the Mu’tazila
and Kurâmiyya on the other hand. There are three groups of men of tasawwuf: the
first group are adherent to the Hadîth and the Sunna. The second group are the
heretics like the Kurâmiyya. The third group are the followers of the books of Ikhwan as-safâ
and the
words of Abu ’l-Hayyân. Ibn al-’Arabî and Ibn Sa’bîn and the like adopted
philosophers’ statements and made them statements of men of tasawwuf. Ibn
Sînâ’s book Âkhir al-ishârât ’alâ maqâmi ’l-ârifîn contains many such
statements. Also, al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî said such things in some of his books,
such as Al-kitâb al-madnûn and Mishkât al-anwâr. If fact, his friend, Abû
Bakr ibn al-’Arabî, tried to save him from it by saying that he had taken to
philosophy, but he could not. On the other hand, al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî said that
philosophers were disbelievers. Towards the end of his life he read [the Sahîh of] al-Bukhârî. Some said
that this made him give up the ideas he had written. Some others said that those
statements were ascribed to al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî to defame him. There are various
reports about al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî in this respect. Muhammad Mâzarî, a Mâlikî
scholar educated in Sicily, Turtûshî, an Andalusian scholar, Ibn al-Jâwî, Ibn
’Uqail and others said many things.’
“The assertions quoted
above from Ibn Taimiyya show his ill thoughts about the scholars of Ahl
as-Sunna clearly. He cast such aspersions upon even the greatest ones of the
Sahâbat al-kirâm. He stigmatized most of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna as
heretics. Meanwhile, as he heavily denigrated the great Walî and the qutb
al-’ârifîn Hadrat
Abu ’l-Hasan ash-Shâdhilî on account of his books Hizb al-kebîr and Hizb al-bakhr and cast squalid
aspersions upon the great men of tasawwuf such as Muhyiddîn Ibn al-’Arabî,
’Umar ibn al-Fârid, Ibn Sab’în and Hallâj Husain ibn Mansûr, the scholars in
his time declared unanimously that he was a sinner and a heretic. In fact,
there were those who issued fatwâ stating
that he was a
disbeliever.[1] A letter written to Ibn Taimiyya in
“Taj ad-dîn as-Subkî
listed the matters on which Ibn Taimiyya disagreed with Salaf as-sâlihîn as in
the following:
1 - He said, ‘Talâq
(divorce as prescribed by Islam) does not become actual; [in case it happens,]
it is necessary to pay kaffâra (equal to that which is paid) for an oath.’ None
of the Islamic scholars that came before him had said that kaffâra would be paid.
2 - He said, ‘Talâq given
to a hâid (menstruating) woman does
---------------------------------
[1] The profound Islamic scholar ’Abd al-Ghanî
an-Nabûlûsî wrote the names of these superiors of tasawwuf on the 363rd and
373rd pages of his book Al-Hadîqat an-nadiyya and added that they were
Awliyâ’ and that those who would speak ill of them were ignorant and unaware.
3 - He said, ‘It is not
necessary to make qadâ for a salât omitted deliberately.’
4 - He said, ‘It is mubâh
(permissible) for a hâid woman to perform tawâf of the Ka’ba. [If she does] she
will not have to pay kaffâra.’
5 - He said, ‘One talâq
given in the name of three talâqs is still one talâq.’ However, before saying
so, he repeatedly said for many years that ijmâ’ al-Muslimîn was not so.
6 - He said, ‘Taxes
incompatible with Islam are halâl for those who demand them.’
7 - ‘When taxes are
collected from tradesmen, they stand for zakât even if they do not intend [for
zakât],’ he said.
8 - He said, ‘Water does
not become najs when a mouse or the like dies in it.’
9 - He said, ‘It is
permissible for a person who is junub to perform supererogatory salât without
making a ghusl at night.’
10 - He said, ‘Conditions
stipulated by the wâqif (person who devotes property to a pious foundation) are
not taken into consideration.
11 - He said, ‘A person
who disagrees with ijmâ’ al-umma does not become a disbeliever or a sinner.’
12 - He said, ‘Allâhu
ta’âlâ is mahall-i hawâdith and is made up of particles coming together.’
13 - He said, ‘The Qur’ân
al-kerîm was created in the Dhât (essence, person) of Allâhu ta’âlâ.’
14 - He said, ‘The ’âlam,
that is, all creatures are eternal with their kinds.’
15 - He said, ‘Allâhu
ta’âlâ has to create good things.’
16 - He said, ‘Allâhu
ta’âlâ has a body and directions; He changes His place.’
17 - He said, ‘Hell is
not eternal; it will go out at last.’
18 - He denied the fact
that prophets are innocent.
19 - He said, ‘Rasûlullah
[sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam] is no different from other people. It is
not permissible to pray through his intercession.’
20 - He said, ‘It is
sinful to go to Medina with the intention of visiting Rasûlullah.’
21 - He also said, ‘It is
harâm to go there to ask for shafâ’a
22 - He said, ‘The books Tawrât and al-Injîl did not change in
vocabulary. They changed in meaning.’
“Some scholars said that
most of the above-quoted statements did not belong to Ibn Taimiyya, but there
has been none who denied his saying that Allâhu ta’âlâ had directions and that
He was made of particles coming together. However, it was declared by consensus
that he was rich in ’ilm, in jalâla and in diyâna. A person who has fiqh,
knowledge, justice and reason must first observe a matter and then decide about
it with prudence. Especially, judging
Muslim’s disbelief or apostasy or heresy or that he must be killed
requires very minute observations and utter circumspection.”
Recently it has become
fashionable to imitate Ibn Taimiyya. They defend his heretical writings and
reproduce his books, particularly his Al-wâsita. From beginning to end,
this book is full with his ideas unconformable to the Qur’ân al-kerîm, the Hadîth ash-sherîf and ijmâ’ al-Muslimîn. It rouses great fitna and faction
among the readers and causes hostility between brothers. The Wahhâbîs in India
and those ignorant men of religion who were caught in their traps in other
Muslim countries have made Ibn Taimiyya a banner for themselves and have given
him such names as ‘Great Mujtahid’ and ‘Shaikh al-Islâm.’ They embrace his
heretical thoughts and corrupt writings in the name of faith and îmân. For
stopping this terrible current, which brings about faction among Muslims and
demolishes Islam from within, we must read the valuable books written by the
scholars of Ahl as-Sunna which refute and rebut these heretics with documents.
Among this literature, the Arabic book Shifâ as-siqâm fî ziyâr a ti khayri
’l-anâm written
by the great imâm and the profoundly learned scholar Taqî ad-dîn as-Subkî
(rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) destroys Ibn Taimiyya’s heretical ideas, eliminates
his faction and exposes his obstinacy. It prevents the spreading of his evil
intentions and wrong beliefs.