“The hadîth
ash-sharîf related in the Sahîh of Muslim and by Abu Dâwûd and at-Tirmidhî on the authority of ’Imrân
ibn Husayn (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) declares, ‘The best among my umma are those who live
during my time. The best after them are the ones who comes after them. And the
best after them are the people who come after them.’ This hadîth
sharîf is written in the Sahîh of al-Bukhârî, too, and begins with ‘The best of you’.
‘The best’ means the best in knowledge, faith and deeds. They had refused and
annihilated the bida’. Although the bida’ increased in the third century after
the Hegira, still there were many ’ulamâ’, and Islam was much respected and
people performed jihâd. The hadîth
ash-sharîf written in the Sahîh of Muslim and related by ’Abdullâh ibn Mas’ûd is one of similar
hadîths. But, in this hadîth, reference is made to three following centuries.
Thus, it is understood that goodness was greater than evil until the end of the
fourth century of the Hegira.”
This hadîth
sharîf praises the ’ulamâ’ of the Ahl
as-Sunna (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) since they were the greatest and most
prominent people
of those four best centuries. This superiority of the ’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna
was affirmed through the unanimity of millions of Muslims who lived during
their time. That author praises the ’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna and quotes as
documents for himself the ijtihâds they wrote in their books whenever it suits
his interest. On the one hand, he feels obliged to praise the ’ulamâ’ of Ahl
as-Sunna, and on the other hand, he dislikes the meanings they gave to âyats
and hadîths and alleges that many of these interpretations were polytheistic.
He is not ashamed of saying “polytheists” for Ahl as-Sunna. That author
frequently quotes from the book of hadîth scholar Ismâ’îl ibn ’Umar ibn Kathîr
’Imâd ad-dîn, because Abu ’l-Fidâ ’Imâd ibn Kathîr ash-Shâfi’î al-Basrî, who
died in Damascus in