[Q]: When speaking about some of the deviants, we hear a couple of expressions from some individuals. They are:

Firstly: Allaah will not ask you about them in your grave.

Secondly: He says, “The truth can be accepted, even from Shaytaan.” And he uses the hadeeth of Abee Hurayrah (radiyallaahu ’anhu) as evidence.

[A]: Firstly: The Salafus-Saalih proceeded upon the way of warning against the innovators, rejecting them harshly and being stern with them publicly and privately up until the Ummah has been cautioned against them, because the intended purpose is to purify and purge the Religion for Allaah the Glorified and Exalted, yet he says: Allaah will not ask you about them in your grave!

The grave is a fitnah (trial, tribulation) and the servant will be rewarded and punished in the grave in accordance to his interrogation. And the one who is pleased with and partial to disobedience is like the one who commits it. This is agreed upon by the Imaams. So with this you must realize that the followers of the deviated groups, and they are the ones who base their allegiance and their enmity upon them, will be subject to the punishment of Allaah the Glorified and Exalted, because they accept newly invented matters in the Religion of Allaah the Blessed and Exalted. Rather, Ahlus-Sunnah reject the opposition back to its proponent, even if he is from Ahlus-Sunnah. Rather, they are harsh in refuting the opponent.

Secondly: They use this as evidence to promote the deviated groups.

And I say: I have already stated tens of times, if not hundreds of times, all of the deviated groups of da’wah are misguided and misguiding others. And at the head of them are Jamaa’atut-Tableegh and al-Ikhwaanul-Muslimeen, because they are innovators in the Religion of Allaah the Blessed and Exalted, and they have laid down innovated foundations and they have formulated innovated principles.

After this declaration of objection, I return back to the statement, and that is their utilization of the hadeeth of Abee Hurayrah (radiyallaahu ’anhu) that is found in Saheehul-Bukhaaree, if not in the Saheehayn. We have no doubt about this affair. And it also has parallel evidence, from that is the narration of when a scholar from the Jews came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and said, “O Abal-Qaasim! Indeed, we find in our book that Allaah will take hold of the heavens…” Ibn Mas’ood (radiyallaahu ’anhu) said, “So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) laughed until his molar teeth became visible,” attesting to the hadeeth. [1]

We say: we have no objection to accepting the truth from whosoever comes with it. So if a Jahmee [2] or a Mu’tazilee [3] says, ‘Worship is purely the Right of Allaah the Blessed and Exalted, so no one has any share in it, not an angel that is close, nor a messenger who is sent.’ We say: This is correct. However, there is a difference between the one who is a source from whom the truth can be taken and the one who is not a source from whom the truth can be taken.

So the individual who is a source from whom the truth can be accepted and from whom knowledge can be taken is the Muslim proponent of the Sunnah. This is the one from whom knowledge is taken. As for the non-Muslim or the Muslim who is an innovator, then when this individual utters a statement, or lays down a foundation or formulates a principle, then we evaluate it with the Sharee’ah of Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam). So if it is in agreement, then we accept it, and if it is not in agreement, then we abandon it. Along with this, we are not in need of these individuals. However, they have become widespread amongst us, as I have mentioned to you in the example.

Likewise, if a Jew or a Christian were to say, ‘Indeed, Allaah is above the Throne and His Throne is above His heavens,’ is this truth or falsehood? This is truth. However, do we seek this knowledge from the Jew or the Christian such that we take knowledge from them?

The answer is no, the affair is not as such.

So therefore, let us return to the hadeeth and it says, “He spoke truthfully to you, but he is a liar.” [4] Meaning, he was truthful in this particular instance, but his usual circumstance is that of a liar.

However, the one who made this statement:

Firstly: He is an Ikhwaanee. I have no doubt that this emanates from the principle of excusal and co-operation. And there is no hizbee (partisan) that we know of, rather all of the followers of the da’wah groups have started from the principle of excusal, the principle of Hasan al-Bannaa, “We shall co-operate upon that which we agree upon, and we shall excuse one another in that which we differ about.”

So this brazen and oppressive principle has opened the door to destruction in front of every misguided sect regardless of whether they ascribe to Islaam like the Raafidah, [5] or the non-Muslim sects such as the Jews and the Christians. Likewise, from the secretions of this principle is the principle of al-Muwaazanah. [6] They seek support with the former for their principle. And the principle of al-Muwaazanah is from the secretions of the principle of excusal and co-operation. [7]

Endnotes:

[1]: Related by al-Bukhaaree (no. 7013).

[2]: Jahmiyyah: They are the followers of Jahm Ibn Safwaan (k.128H). His innovation emerged in Tirmidh and he was killed by Salim Ibn Ahwaz al-Maazinee at Marw during the end of the Umayyad kingship. He agreed with the Mu’tazilah in denying the eternal Attributes (as-Sifaatil-Azliyyah) of Allaah and he denied the ru‘yah (the Believers seeing Allaah in the Hereafter) and he affirmed that the Speech of Allaah is created. And he added some issues to the belief of the Mu’tazilah, from them: that it is not permissible to describe Allaah with an attribute that is used to describe the creation because that necessitates resemblance (tashbeeh). So he denied that Allaah is al-Hayy (the Ever-Living), al-’Aalim (the All-Knowing) and he affirmed that Allaah is All-Capable, the Doer and the Creator. And he said that mankind are compelled to their deeds and have no self-control or free will and that Paradise and the Fire will come to an end. And he said that faith (eemaan) is knowledge of Allaah and that eemaan does not fluctuate. Refer to al-Milal wan-Nihal (1/86-88) of al-Sharhastaanee and al-Maqaalaatul-Islaamiyyeen (1/15) of Abul-Hasan al-Ash’aree.

[3]: Mu’tazilah: This sect arose when Waasil Ibn ’Ataa‘ manifested his innovation and alleged that the disobedient sinner (faasiq) was upon a level between two levels and those two levels are disbelief (kufr) and faith (eemaan). So al-Hasan al-Basree (d.110H) banished him from his gathering. So he isolated himself at a column from amongst the columns of the mosque in al-Basrah and his close friend ’Amr Ibn ’Ubayd would associate with him. So at that point, the people began to say about the two of them that they had isolated themselves (i’tazala) from the statement of the Ummah. From that point on, their followers were called Mu’tazilah. This name comprised a number of sects, all of whom are united upon various innovations, from them: negating the Eternal Attributes (as-Sifaatul-Azliyyah) from Allaah the Glorified and Exalted, the belief that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic will never be seen with the eyes, the statement that the Speech of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic is an occurrence and therefore created, and that the people are the sole creators of their own deeds and that Allaah has no pre-decree (Qadr). Due to this, they were also called al-Qadariyyah. And they also believed that the disobedient sinner (faasiq) is upon a level between two levels. Refer to al-Farq baynal-Firaq (p.93-98) of al-Baghdaadee and al-Fisal fee al-Milal wa al-Ahwaa‘ wa al-Nihal (4/192) of Ibn Hazm.

[4]: Related by al-Bukhaaree (no. 2311).

[5]: Raafidah: Al-Saksakee said in his book, Ma’rifah ’Aqaa‘id Ahlil-Adyaan (p. 36), “They came to be called the Raafidah (rejectors) due to their rejection (rafd) of Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar (radiyallaahu ’anhumaa). And it is said that their name was due to their rejection of Zayd Ibn ‘Alee (radiyallaahu ’anhu) when he gave his allegiance to Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar (radiyallaahu ’anhumaa) and spoke with acceptance of their leadership. So Zayd said, “They (i.e. the Raafidah) have rejected me (rafadoonee).” So they came to be called ar-Raafidah. And they came to be called Shee’ah (followers) when they said, “We are from the followers (shee’ah) of ‘Alee Ibn Abee Ṭaalib (radiyallaahu ’anhu).” However, some of them spoke other than the truth about him and they were the extremists. So some of them made him a deity whilst others considered him a prophet. Indeed, ‘Alee (radiyallaahu ’anhu) fought some of them during his time and burned others. And the extremists from amongst them denied the Day of Reckoning.” End of al-Saksakee’s words.

And they are united upon the view that the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) textually stipulated the succession of ‘Alee Ibn Abee Ṭaalib (radiyallaahu ’anhu) by name and that the leadership is not obtained, except through a divine text and that their imaams are infallible against major and minor sins and the disavowal of Aboo Bakr, ’Umar and many of the Companions, except for the sect known as the Zaydiyyah. Refer to al-Maqaalaatul-Islaamiyyeen (1/89) of Abul-Hasan al-Ash’aree, al-Milal wal-Nihal (1/146) of al-Sharhastaanee and al-Burhaan feeMa’rifah ’Aqaa‘id Ahlil-Adyaan (p. 36) of as-Saksakee.

[6]: Translator’s Note: The innovation of al-Muwaazanah refers to obligating the mention of good qualities possessed by the individual being criticized. Shaykh Saalih Ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan said about it, “When you mention their good qualities it means that you are calling to following them. No, do not mention their good qualities. Mention the errors that they are upon only.” Refer to As‘ilatul-Manaahijil-Jadeedah (p. 31-32) of Jamaal al-Haarithee.

[7]: Taken from Fath Dhil-Jalaal wal-Minnah fee Sharh Usoolis-Sunnah lil-Imaam al-Humaydee (p. 75-78), of the Daar al-Imaam Ahmad print.

Translation by Maaz Qureshi