The Principles of Salafiyyah The Salafi Da'wah with Respect to Other Jamaa'ahs

Author: Shaikh Naasir ud Deen al Al!aanee

Article ID : SLF020002

I will say a true word after which no Muslim can argue after the truth appears to him.Firstly, the Salafee da'wah is an ascription to what? 'Salafee' is an ascription to the 'Salaf' (pious predecessors), so we have to now who the Salaf are and then what this ascription means and its importance as regards its meaning and implication. !he Salaf are the people of the first three generations whom the Messenger of "llaah (S) declared to #e good in the authentic and mutawaatir hadeeth recorded in al$ %u haaree and Muslim and others from a group of the &ompanions that he said' (!he #est of people is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.(, i.e the first three generations. So the Salafees attach themselves to the Salaf, and if we now the meaning of 'Salaf' and 'Salafee' then we should #ear two things in mind. !hat this attachment is not to a single person or persons, as is the case with other )amaa'ahs present in the Muslim world. !his is not an attachment to a person or even tens of people, #ut to that which will not err, since it is impossi#le that the Salaf would unite upon error, as opposed to the people of later times, since with regard to the later generations, there is no te*t spea ing in their favour. +ather, in general, they are spo en ill of in the end of the previous hadeeth' (!hen there will come a people who give witness and their witness is not as ed for...(, and in other ahaadeeth there occurs' (" group of my ,mmah will not cease to #e upon the truth...( So this is a praise for them #ut a censure of the rest since the praise is for a particular small group. -inguistically, '!aa'ifah' is used to refer to a single person or more. !hus if we understand this meaning of the 'Salafees' and that they attach themselves to the Salaf$ and that if the Muslim clings to that which the Salaf were upon $ then here we come to the second matter' !hat after this is understood, it is not possi#le for any Muslim #ut to #e a Salafee, since we have understood that in attaching oneself to the Salaf one has attached himself to that which cannot err. !his is ta en from the hadeeth' (My ,mmah will not unite upon error,( and it is not correct to refer this to the people of later ages. those present today. In addition to that is the ahaadeeth referring to what happened to the previous peoples $ the )ews and the &hristians $ and what will #efall the Muslims, regarding splitting into sects, saying' (!he )ews split into seventy$one sects and the &hristians into seventy$two, and my ,mmah will split into seventy$three sects. "ll of them are in the Fire e*cept one.( !he &ompanions said, (/ho are they, 0 Messenger of (S)?( 1e (S) replied (!hey are the )amaa'ah.( !his shows who is meant in the previous hadeeth (My ,mmah will not unite upon error( since they are the saved sect, along with those who have their outloo and follow them.

!hose Salafus$Saaliheen are those whom "llaah has warned us against opposing them or against following a way other than theirs, saying' If anyone contend with the Messenger even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that becoming to men of faith, We shall leave him in the path he has chosen, and land him in Hell - what an evil refuge! 2Sooratun$3isaa aayah 4456 I have many times pointed out to our #rothers the wisdom of our -ord's attaching in this aayah 'the following of a way other than that of the #elievers' to 'the opposing of the Messenger', what is the wisdom in that, since even if the aayah did not contain the part a#out following a way other than that of the #elievers, then the first part a#out opposing the Messenger (S) would have #een enough to earn the person the evil end mentioned. 1owever, it is not possi#le that the second part has no relevance, and we see "llaah's refuge from such a thing. Its wisdom is shown #y Imaam "sh$Shaafi'ee's using it as a proof of I7maa' $ meaning' '1e who ta es a way other than that of the &ompanions'$ who are unerring $ and they and those who follow them are the )amaa'ah whom the Messenger of "llaah (S) declared to #e the saved sect. !hey are those whom it is not permissi#le to oppose $ for one who wishes to #e saved from "llaah's punishment on the 8ay of +esurrection. !herefore the Muslims have to #e aware today, who are the Muslims mentioned in this aayah? "nd then, what is the wisdom in "llaah's intending the Salafus$Saalih and those who follow them? !he answer has preceeded and is, in #rief, that they are the &ompanions who were present when the revelation came down, and who too it direct from the mouth of the Messenger (S). !hey saw the Messenger (S) living among them following the revealed rulings of the 9ur'aan, many of whom were e*plained #y his (S) sayings. 1owever, the later peoples do not have this e*cellence $ that they heard the 9ur'aan and the Sunnah direct from his mouth $ nor did they see how he (S) followed the te*ts of the 9ur'aan and the Sunnah his practice, and from the wisdom is his (S) saying' (%eing informed is not li e seeing for yourself.( So those who did not see him are not li e his &ompanions who saw him and heard his words directly and saw how he acted. !oday there is a very nice saying which some people are distinguished #y $ #ut it would #e nicer if put into practice. !hey say in their speeches and lectures, (that it is upon us to ma e Islaam ta e practical shape upon the earth.( 1owever, if we do not understand Islaam, and understand it according to the understanding of the Salafus$Saalih, then we cannot put this saying into practice. %ut those who were a#le to do that were the &ompanions of the Messenger (S) due to the two reasons that we have mentioned' a) !hat they heard his words directly and therefore their retention of it is #etter than ours. #) !hen there are affairs which need e*planation through his (S) action, and they saw that. I will give you a very clear e*ample. !here are some aayaahs in the 9ur'aan which a Muslim cannot understand unless he nows the Sunnah, which e*plains the 3o#le 9ur'aan, as "llaah ta'aalaa says' /" "3:"-3"" I-"I;"81$81I;+" -I!,%"<<I3" -I33""SI M"" 3,I-" I-"<1IM (/e have revealed the +eminder to you in order that you may e*plain to the people what has #een revealed to them). "llaah ta'aala's saying' "S$S""+I9, /"S S""+I9"!, F""9!"'00 "I8==1IM"". (!he male and the female thief' &ut off their hands).

-et us produce the See#awaih (a great scholar of the '"ra#ic language of early times) of this age and let him e*plain this aayah. -anguage wise he will not #e a#le to define the 'saari>' (thief) nor the 'yad' (hand). /ho is the thief whose 'yad' is to #e cut? /hat is the 'yad' that should #e cut? 1e cannot answer? In the language anyone who steals even an egg is a thief, and the 'yad' goes right up to the shoulder. !he answer lies in the aayah mentioned previously ' /" "3:"-3"" I-"I;"81$81I;+". !he answer is found in the e*planation of the Messenger (S) for the 9ur'aan. !hat e*planation is found in the practice $ for this and for many other aayaahs. 1e who reads the 'science of ,sool' finds that there is '@eneral and Aarticular', ',nrestricted and +estricted' and '"#rogating and "#rogated' te*ts $ comprehensive words under which come tens if not hundreds of te*ts, general te*ts restricted #y the Sunnah $ and I will not prolong this further in order to answer the rest of the >uestions.