SHAISTA SALAFI [DEFENDER OF SUNNAH] Manhaj Of Salaf As Saalih: How does one know an innovator?

Monday, June 13, 2011

How does one know an innovator?

Shaikh Saleem Al Hilali said in his book: Innovations and its evil effect on the Ummah:

And a person may say: How do we know the people of innovation in order to stay away from them and warn against them, especially when many of them in this time hide under the Da’wah of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah?

And the answer has some angles:

1) The people of innovation are known by the clarification of the people of knolwedge, and warning against their books and telling the people to flee from their sittings. And there remains- All praise is due to Allah- those who do so in every time. Hence stay with the Ulama and you will be successful.

2) A man is known by whom he enters and from where he leaves. And for this reason it is not possible for an innovator to hide his condition. It is a neccesity that he shows what gives evidence of this.

Imam Al Auza’ee said: “Whomsoever hides his innovation from us he cannot hide his friends from us.” And Mu’aadh Ibn Mu’aadh said: “Even if a man hides his opinions this is not hidden in his child, his friend or who he sits with.”

Therefore if the people one sits with are the partisans, and his scholars are the Islamic Thinkers and Activists and those whom he loves are those who have spoken ill of the scholars… is it sensible to say that he is a Sunni Salafi?

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Position of the companions on Innovators

From Aboo Qulaabah who said: “Do not sit with them and do not mix with them for I do not feel safe that they will not drown you in their misguidance and confuse you about much that you used to know.”

…From Ayyoob as-Sakhtiyaanee who said: Aboo Qulaabah said to me “O Ayyoob, memorise four things from me: Do not speak about the Quraan from your opinion, and beware of Qadr, and if the companions of Muhammad are mentioned then withhold, and do not let the people of innovation gain access to your hearing.”

…Ma’mar said: Ibn – Taawoos was sitting when one of the Mu’tazilah came and began speaking, so ibn Taawoos entered his fingers into his ears and said to his son: “O My son put your fingers into your ears and press tightly so you do not hear any of his speech.” Ma’mar said: Meaning that the heart is weak.

…’Abdur Razzaaq narrated to us saying: Ibraaheem ibn Abee Yahya said to me: “I think that there are many from the Mu’tazilah in your area!?” I said: “Yes and they claim that you are one of them.” He said: “Will you enter this shop with me so that I can speak with you?” I said: “No.” He said: “Why?!” I said: “Since the heart is weak and the Deen is not for the one who overcomes in debating.”

…From Al-Awzaa’ee who said: ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul – ‘Azeez said: “if you see a people meeting secretly concerning the Deen with anything to the exclusion of the common people – then know that they are upon the foundation of misguidance.”

…Yoosaf ibn Asbaat said: I heard Muhammad Ibn An – Nadral – Haarithee say: “Whoever lends ear to an innovator – and knows that he is an innovator then the protection is removed form him and he is left to himself.”

…Yoonus ibn ‘ Ubayd said: “Do not sit with a ruler or an innovator .”

…Amad ibn Yoonus said: A man said to Sufyaan – and I was listening – ‘O Aboo’ Abdullaah advice me.’ He said: “Beware of innovated sects and disputation and beware of rulers.”

…Yahyaa ibn Abee Katheer said: “If you see a person of innovation upon a certain road then take a different one.”

…Ismaa’eel at – Toosee said: Ibn al – Mubaarak said to me: “let your sitting be with the poor and beware of sitting with a person of innovation.”

…al – Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad said: “Whichever man someone comes to asking for advice and he directs him to an innovator then he has acted deceitfully towards Islam, and beware of entering upon a person of innovation since they prevent from the truth.”

…al – Fudayl said; “Do not sit with an innovator for I fear that curses will descend upon you.”

…al – Fudayl said: “Do not sit with an innovator – Allaah has rendered his deeds futile and taken out the light of Islaam from his heart, and if Allaah loves a servant he grants him good and pure food.”

… al – Fudayl said : “Do not trust the innovator concerning your Deen, and do not seek his advice in your affairs, and do not sit with him since whoever sits with an innovator – Allah will cause him to become blind.”

…al-Fudayl said: “Allah has angels who seek out the gatherings of dhikr – so look to whose gathering you sit in – let it not be with the person of innovation since Allah will not look to them, and the sign of Hypocrisy is that a man gets up and sits with an innovator.”

… al-Fudayl said: ” The souls of pre-arranged armies – so whichever of them knew each other will come together, and those who did not will be separate, and it is not possible that a person of Sunnah assists an innovator except due to hypocrisy.”

… al-Fudayl said: “I reached the best of the people – all of them were people of the Sunnah and they warned against the people of innovation.”

… al-Fudayl said: “Glad tidings for one who died upon Islam and the Sunnah – and if that is the case then let one say much : As Allah wills (Maa Shaa Allah).”

… al Hasan said: “From the person of innovation Allah does not accept Prayer, nor Fasting, nor Hajj, nor ‘Umra, nor Jihaad, nor repentance, nor charity.”

… al Hasan said: “Allah does not accept anything from a person of innovation.”

… al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad said: “No action of the person of innovation is raised up to Allah.”

… Ibraaheem ibn Maysarah said: “He who honours an innovator has assisted in the demolition of Islaam.”

… ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar as-Sarkhusee – the scholar of al-Khazar – said: I ate a single meal with an innovator and Ibn al-Mubaarak heard of it so he said : “I will not speak to him for thirty days.”

… al-Fudayl said: Ibn al-Mubaarak said: “I have not seen any wealth which I despise more than that of a person of innovation” and he said: ‘O Allah do not let any innovator give me anything so that my heart should love him.”

… from Ibraaheem [i.e. an-Nakha'ee] who said: “There is no backbiting regarding an innovator.”

… from al-Hasan al-Basaree, who said: “There are three who have no inviolability with regard to backbiting: one of them is the person of innovation who calls to his innovation.”

… from Katheer, Aboo Sahl who said: “It is said that there is no inviolability for the people of innovated sects.”

… from ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak said: “The person of innovation has darkness in his face even if he anoints it thirty times a day.”

… Sallaam ibn Abee Mutee’ said: a man said to Ayyoob: ‘O Abu Bakr, ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd has turned back from his opinion !!’ He said: “He has not turned back.” He said: ‘Indeed, O Aboo Bakr, he has turned back.” Ayyoob said: “He has not turned back – (three times) – he has not turned back. Have you not heard his (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) saying:”They shoot out from the Deen just as the arrow shoots through the prey, then they do not return to it until the arrow returns to the bow – string”.”

… Ayyoob used to call all the people of the innovated sects ‘Khawaarij’ and say : “The Khawaarij have different names but are all united upon use of the sword.”

… Sallaam said: A person of the innovated sects said to Ayyoob : “I want ask you about a word.” He turned away and said: ” No, nor even a half a word.” – Twice indicating with his finger.

… Malik ibn Anas said: ” Is to be the case that every time someone comes who can argue better than another that we are to abandon what Jibreel brought to Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) because of his argument?!”

Yaws ibn Asbaat narrated to us, saying :
*I heard Muhammad ibn an-Nadr al-Haarithee say: “Whoever listens to a person of innovation – and knows that he is a person of innovation – then protection is taken away from him, and he is left to himself.” [Al-Imam al-Hafiz Abul-Qaasim Habatullaah ibn al-Hasan ibn Mansoor at-Tabaree AL - LAALIKAA'EE (d.418 H) reports in his ' Sharh Usool I'tiqaad Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah ' (1/135-136/no. 252]

‘Ubaadah ibn Kulayb Aboo Ghassan al-Laythee narrated to us :from Muhammad ibn an-Nadr al-Haarithee, who said: “Whoever listens to a person of innovation and knows that he is a person of innovation – then he is left to himself and leaves the protection of Allaah.” [Imaam Aboo 'Abdullaah ibn Muhammad IBN BATTAH al-'Akbaree al-Hanbalee (d. 387 H) reports it in his 'Ibaanatul-Kubra' (2/460/no.443]

And ‘Abdul-Quddoos ibn Bakr narrated from Muhammad ibn an-Nadr that he said : “The greatest start of Knowledge is to listen and remain silent, then to memorise it, then to act upon it, then to spread it.”

Yahyaa ibn ‘Umar ath-Thaqafee narrated to us, that he heard : SUFYAAN ATH-THAWREE say ; “Whoever listens to a person of innovation leaves the protection of Allah

Imaam Al-Baqhawee said: And the shaaba, the tabieen, their successors and the scholars of the sunnah passed away while they were upon this united and unamiously agreed upon having enmity towards the Ahulul-bidah (the people of innovation and fleeing from them. Sharah us-sunnah 1/227

Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimuhullah) said: “Thus if it [the innovation] is done publicly, then its recompense must be done in public, as well, in accordance with conceivable justice. For this reason, it is not considered backbiting to talk about one who openly publicizes his innovations and wickedness, as has been reported on Al-Hasan Al-Basree and others. This is because when one publicizes that, he justifies himself to be punished by the Muslims. The least of these forms of punishment is that he should be dispraised and …dishonored so that the people may avoid and refrain from him and his deviance. And if he is not dispraised and the evil or disobedience or innovation that lies within him is not conveyed (to the public), then the people will be deceived by him. Then it is likely that this will bring some of them to act upon what he beli
what he believes in. At the same time, it will only cause him to increase in his daringness, evil and disobedience.”

What or Who is Salaf?

The manhaj (methodology) of the Salaf is to adhere to the Qur'aan and the authentic Sunnah as understood by the Salaf as-Saalih. The word Salaf is a shortened version of the word 'Salaf as-Saalih', which means the 'Righteous Predecessors'.

It refers specifically to the first three generations of Islaam in which the Prophet Muhammad (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) described as being the best generations of Muslims. The first, the Prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) and his Sahaabah (companions). The second, the Taabi'een (the followers of the companions). The third, the Tabaa'at-Taabi'een (the followers of the followers of the companions).

Generally, this term refers to all those pious predecessors who followed the way of the Salaf and who have preceded us in time. This is the true manhaj of Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah.

"If Allah wants to favor someone, He grants him comprehension (understanding) of this religion."
[Sahih Bukhari vol.1 # 71, Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad]