A Person Upon Innovation

An Exclusive Translation for Sisters Upon Al-Istiqaamah

Al-Imaam Al-Barbahaaree said:

“If you see a man who strives hard and long in worship, is abstemious, being continual in worship, except that he is a person of innovation, do not sit with him, do not listen to his words and do not walk along with him, since I do not feel safe that you will not eventually come to be pleased with his way and go to destruction along with him.” (Sharh us-Sunnah no. 149).”

Explanation Of Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan (may Allah have mercy upon him):

This is applicable to Jamaa’ah At-Tableegh who many of the people today have been deceived by because they look solely at things that are apparent from them like their worship and them influencing the sinners to repent, as they say, and their great effect upon those who accompany them.

However, they remove the sinners from disobedience to innovation, and innovation is more evil than disobedience. The sinner from Ahlus Sunnah is better than the devout worshipper from the people of innovation. So a person should pay attention to this.

I have not stated this because I dislike the good that they possess, if they possess any good, rather I have only said this disliking the innovation because innovation destroys the good.

The innovations that Jamaa’ah At-Tableegh are upon have been mentioned by those who accompanied them and then repented from this association; and many books have been written warning against them and clarifying their innovations.

When Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Ibraheem initially allowed them to give Da’wah in the Kingdom then this was because their reality was not clear to him. But when their affair became clear to him he wrote a profound refutation upon them as can be found in his Fataawa (1/227). And he made it conditional upon them to call to Tawheed but they did not fulfil this condition.

Likewise, when Ibn Baaz initially praised them, then this was because their affair was not clear to him but when their reality became clear to him he recanted from this, and he said, “No one should accompany them unless he wants to call them to the truth and to At-Tawheed, and to criticise them for their opposition [to the truth].” (Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (8/296)

This is what he said (May Allah have mercy upon him), even though the person of innovation will not accept Da’wah (being invited to the truth) and similarly someone who is upon (a deviant) methodology will not abandon the methodology upon which he pledged allegiance to his Shuyookh.

“Since I do not feel safe that you will not eventually come to be pleased with his way and go to destruction along with him.”

This is the end result if you were to walk with him and sit with him, and if you were to be pleased with his state. Verily, his innovation will have an effect upon you and you will deem it to be acceptable [and good] and you will be destroyed along with him and you will be an innovator.

The threat from the innovators is extremely dangerous and how many of them are there in our time! But it is obligatory upon us to know what innovation actually is because some of the people consider everything to be an innovation whereas innovation has guidelines. If it is established that this individual is upon innovation then do not sit with him and do not accompany him.

Source:  Ithaaf Al-Qaaree (2/184), printed by Maktabah Ar-Rushd

Sisters Upon Al-Istiqaamah

Admin

How can a Muslim be more patient? Sh. Ibrahim Zidan

Characteristics of a wali of Allah swt

Angels say: O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! be Merciful to him.

Posted: 01 Jan 2011 01:49 PM PST

Narrated Abu Huraira (Radhi-Allahu ‘anhu): 

Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said,

“The angels keep on asking Allah’s forgiveness for anyone of you, as long as he is at his Mu,salla (praying place) and he does not pass wind (Hadath).

They say, ‘O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! be Merciful to him.”

[Sahih Bukhari – Book #8, Hadith #436]

Please Share this Hadith with your relatives & friends and may Allah SWT reward you.

As-Salamu Alaykum (peace be upon you),  Characteristics of A Wali of Allah By Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah [This article is adapted from his Book “Criterion between the Allies of Allah and the allies of the Devil”] From As-Sunnah Bimonthly Islamic Newsletter The word ‘Awlia’ singular ‘Wali’ comes from the root word of Wilayah. Wilayah is the opposite of enmity (Adawah). The Wali is therefore the one who is close. Allah has explained in His Book, and in the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that He has Awlia among the people and that Shaytan also has his Awlia. The Quran mentions the allies of Allah. “Indeed there is no fear upon the Awlia of Allah, nor shall they grieve; those who believe and used to fear Allah much. For them are glad tidings in this life and the Hereafter…” [Noble Quran 10:62] “Allah is the protector (ally) of those who believe, He takes them out of darkness into light.” [Noble Quran 2:257] The allies of devil have also been mentioned in the Quran: “…As for those who disbelieve, their allies are the Taghut who take them out of the light and into the darkness. Those are the people of fire, and they will be in it forever.” [Noble Quran 2:257] “We have made the devils allies of those who do not believe; those who commit outrages and then say: “We found our predecessors on this (tradition)” Surely they have taken the devils as allies instead of Allah, and they think that they are on guidance” [Noble Quran 7:27-28] After knowing that there are among people allies of the Merciful and the allies of the devil, it becomes very important to differentiate between these groups by means of the criterion, as described by Allah and His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as follows: The First and Foremost Condition of an Ally of Allah – Taqwa and Belief in Allah No slave can be an ally of Allah, unless he has the characteristics of faith and pious practices, since Allah has made faith and piety a pre-condition for His Wilayah. He said: “Indeed there is no fear upon the Awlia of Allah, nor shall they grieve, those who believe and used to fear Allah much (i.e. have Taqwa – piety). For them are glad tidings in this life and the Hereafter…” [Noble Quran 10:62] Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah, the Exalted said: “Whoever takes a Wali (loyal slave) of Mine as an enemy, I will wage war on him; and My slave will not perform any act with which he draws closer to Me, more beloved to Me then when he fulfills what I have ordained on him; and My salve will keep drawing closer to Me by performing the Nawafil (voluntary acts of worship) until I love him, and when I love him, I will be his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hands with which he strikes, and his legs with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him; and if he seeks refuge with Me, I will grant him refuge.” [Sahih Bukhari] From this narration and the above-mentioned Quranic verse, we know that the Awlia of Allah are those who believe in Allah and give Him their full loyalty Thus, they love all that Allah loves, hate what Allah hates, are pleased with what Allah is pleased with, despise what Allah despises, they enjoin what Allah enjoins, forbid that what He forbids, give to those whom Allah loves for them to be given, and withhold from those whom Allah loves not to receive, since Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the best handhold of faith to be love and hate for the sake of Allah: “The most dependable handhold on faith is: love for the sake of Allah and hatred for the sake of Allah.” [At-Tirmidhi] “Whoever loves for Allah, hates for Allah, gives for Allah, and withholds for Allah, has sought the completion of his faith.” [Abu Dawud] Belief (Iman) of necessity entails belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His Prophets, and the Last Day: “Say: We believe in Allah and in that which has been sent to us and in that which was sent to Ibrahim, and Isma’il and Ishaq and Ya’qub, and the tribes and that which was given to Musa and Isa and that which was given to the Prophets form their Lord. We do not differentiate between any of them, and we submit to Allah. And so, if they believe in that which you believe, they have achieved guidance, but if they turn away, they are surely in rebellion. Allah will suffice you against them and He is the all-hearing, the all-knowing.” [Noble Quran 2:136-137] “The Prophet has believed in that which is sent to him from his Lord as have the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His books and His Messengers. We do not differentiate between any of His messengers, and they say: “We hear and we obey. (We seek)Your forgiveness, our Lord to You is the return (of all). Allah does not burden any soul beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned.” [Noble Quran 2:285-286] “This is a book in which there is no doubt, a guidance for those who are pious. Those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them. Those who believe in that which was sent down to you and that which was sent down to those before you, and certainly of faith in the existence of the Hereafter. Such are on a true guidance from their Lord, and such are the successful.” [Noble Quran 2:1-5] Thus, a necessary component of faith (Iman) is to believe that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the seal of the prophets, and there is no prophet after him, and that Allah sent him to all of the two possessors of free will: humans and Jinns. From the moment he was made a prophet, Allah made him the criterion between His allies and His enemies, none are the allies of Allah except one who believes in Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and in that with which he was sent, and follows it openly and in secret. Whoever claims love of Allah and alliance with Allah but does not follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not one of the allies of Allah. He is one of the allies of Shaytan. Allah said: “Say (O Mohammad) If you truly love Allah, then follow me so that Allah loves you.” [Noble Quran 3:31] Allah made it clear in the verse that Allah loves whoever follows the Prophet, and whoever claims the love of Allah, but does not follow the Prophet, is not from the allies of Allah. Al-Hasan al-Basri said about this verse: “A group of people claimed to love Allah, so He sent down this verse as a test for them.” And secondly to believe in all that which he (Prophet) was sent with. Anyone who does not believe in it is not a believer, much less a pious ally of (Wali) of Allah. Whoever believes in part of what he brought and rejects part is a Kafir, and not a believer: “Those who disbelieve in Allah and His Prophets and seek to differentiate between Allah and His prophets, and they say: “We believe in some and we reject some” Such are true disbelievers, and We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment. As for those who believe in Allah and His prophets, and sought not to differentiate between any of them. We shall give them their rewards. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful.” [Noble Quran 4:150-152] Whatever stage the person reaches in terms of asceticism, devotion, and knowledge, but without belief in the entire message brought by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), it can never make him a believer, nor an ally of Allah. Allah said: “Whoever turns away from the reminder of the Merciful, we will assign to him a devil, who will be a partner to him.” [Noble Quran 43:36] The reminder is the reminder with which He sent His Messenger such as the Quran. So, whoever does not believe in the Quran, and all the information contained therein, has turned away from it, and so is assigned a Shaytan. He turns himself as blind from the Book of Allah and Allah will turn him blind on the Day of Judgment: “And whoever turns away form my reminder will have an oppressive, restricted life, and We will resurrect him on the Day of Qiyamah: blind. He will say: “Oh my Lord! Why have you resurrected my blind, while I used to see?” (Allah) will say: “Just as My verses came to you and you forgot them, today you are forgotten.” [Noble Quran 20:124-126] This verse clearly shows that ‘my reminder’ here is the same thing as ‘my verses’ which Allah sent down. Thus, even if someone mentions Allah (which is known as ‘Dhikr’ in Arabic) constantly, day and night, with devotion, but at the same time is not a follower of Allah’s Dhikr (Quran) which He sent down to His prophet, he would be one of the allies of Shaytan, even if he were to fly through the air, or walk on water. Faith also includes – belief that Prophet is the intermediary between Allah and His creation for the purpose of delivering His orders and forbiddance, His promises and threats, and the definition of Halal and the Haram. The Halal is that which Allah and His Messenger have declared Halal, and the Haram is what Allah and His Messenger have ordained, because Allah commands the believers to obey him: “O you who believe! Obey Allah and Obey the Messenger and make not vain your deeds.” [Noble Quran 47:33] “He who obeys the Messenger had obeyed Allah” [Noble Quran 4:80] He also says: “Whatsoever the Messenger gives you take it and whatsoever he forbids you refrain from it.” Thus, whoever believes that any Wali has a way to Allah without following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is a Kafir, and is an ally of the devil. Actions of The Allies of Allah The allies of Allah are of two levels: forerunners those who brought near – and those of the right hand who act in moderation. Allah, the Exalted says reminding the Day of Judgment: “And you (all) will be in three kinds (i.e. separate groups). So those on the Right Hand and Who will be those of the Right Hand? And those on the Left Hand and who will be those on the Left Hand? And those foremost will be foremost in Paradise. They will be those nearest to Allah.” [Noble Quran 56:8-12] And again Allah says in the end of the same Surah: “Then, if the dying person be of the Muqarrabun (those brought near to Allah.) (There is for him) rest and provision, and a Garden of delights (Paradise). And if he be of those on the Right Hand. Then there is safety and peace for those on the Right Hand. But if he be of the denying then for him is entertainment with boiling water. And burning in Hell-Fire.” [Noble Quran 56:88-94] And the actions of these two groups are mentioned in the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): “Allah says: “Whoever takes a Wali (loyal slave) of Mine an enemy, I will wage war on him; and My slave will not perform any act with which he draws closer to Me, more beloved to Me then when he fulfills what I have ordained on him; and My salve will keep drawing closer to Me by performing the Nawafil (voluntary acts of worship) until I love him, and when I love him, I will be his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hands with which he strikes, and his legs with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him; and if he seeks refuge with Me, I will grant him refuge.” [Sahih Bukhari] Consequently, the righteous – those of the Right Hand are those who seek to come close to Allah with obligatory actions: they do that which Allah has ordered them to do, and avoid that which Allah has forbidden them, and do not demand of themselves the doing of the commendable but less than obligatory (i.e. Mandub), or the avoiding of some of the disliked of the allowed (i.e. Makruh) As for the forerunners those brought near, they sought to come close to Allah with extra efforts after the obligatory. They did the obligatory and the commendable, and avoided the forbidden and the non-recommended. When they sought to come close to Him with everything within their ability of that which they love, Allah’s love for them became complete, as Allah says: “…My salve will keep drawing closer to Me by performing the Nawafil (voluntary acts of worship) until I love him…” [Sahih Bukhari] The Allies of Allah Have No Special Appearance The allies of Allah have no special appearance with which they differ form other people. They have no special dress from other than just being permissible. Rather, they are to be found in all categories of the nation of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). However, the Quran and the Sunnah show clearly that the best people in the sight of Allah is the one with the most of Taqwa (pious practice): “O people, we have created you from a male and a female and made you in peoples and tribes that you may know each other. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the greatest in righteous practice.” [Noble Quran 49:13] Abu Hurairah narrates in a Sahih Hadith: “The Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: “Which people are the best? He said: “Those greatest in Taqwa (righteous practice)”…[Bukhari and Muslim] Allies of Allah Are Not Ma’sum (Protected) From Mistakes It is not a condition for an ally of Allah that he be free of (protected from) mistakes and errors. It is quite possible that some knowledge of the Shari’ah may be hidden from him, just as it is possible for him to be confused about some issues in Islam But, he may not necessarily because of this, leave the ranks of allies of Allah, since Allah has overlooked and forgiven for this Ummah error, acts of forgetting, and things done under compulsion: “There is no burden upon you for that in which you were mistaken, rather that which you have done with the full determination of the heart.” [Noble Quran 33:5] Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When a ruler exerts himself to arrive at the correct ruling, and is correct, he gets two rewards and when he exerts himself but is mistaken, he gets one reward.”[Bukhari and Muslim] Since, it is possible for any ally of Allah to make a mistake. It can never be obligatory upon the people to believe in everything any one of them says, except that in the case that one of them is a prophet. Rather, it is obligatory for him to measure all of that up to the criterion of that which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. If it is in agreement therewith then he can accept it, but if it is in disagreement then he must reject it, and if he cannot be sure whether it is in accordance with the Prophet’s message or at variance with it, he must refrain from believing it or applying it. The second Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), regarding whom Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “In previous nations there were individuals who were addressed (with the truth). If there are such people in my nation, Umar is the one of them.” [Bukhari and Muslim] “Verily, Allah has put the truth on the tongue of Umar and in his heart.” [At- Tirmidhi (Hasan)] But, Umar always did that which was obligatory upon him: i.e. – to measure things that occurred to him against that with which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent. He never said: “I am Muhaddath, I receive inspiration and visions, and so you should accept that which I say and not oppose me therein.” Heart is an intuitions and not protected from falling into errors, and so one needs always to measure them against that which has been brought by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the protected from falling into error. And the early scholars of Islam have unanimously agreed that the opinions of any man can be accepted and rejected i.e. they are open to questions except for the statements of the Prophet. The point we are making here is an issue of complete consensus of the allies of Allah: It is obligatory upon the allies of Allah to hold tight to the criterion; the Quran and the Sunnah, and no one of them is Ma’sum; i.e. protected against falling into errors, such that it is permissible to him or to his followers to follow that which comes to his heart without subjecting it to the test of the Quran and the Sunnah. Whoever does not accept this is in no way or shape or form among the allies of Allah, whom Allah has ordered us to emulate. Such a person is either ‘Kafir’ or is engaged in extreme and excessive foolishness and ignorance.

Khadejah Jones Share Islam Team ShareIslam.com