The nearest means of approach to Allaah are: [1] holding onto the Sunnah and strictly remaining upon it outwardly and inwardly; [2] being constantly in need of Allaah; [3] and seeking only His face through speech and actions. No one reaches Allaah except through these three affairs and no one is cut off from Him except due to being cut off from them or one of them. [Al-Fawaa-id: page: 167]
It is not permissible to exalt and praise the innovators even if they have some truth with them. That is because raising and praising them will spread their bidah and place them amongst the sincere ones-those who are taken as examples amongst distinguished men of this Ummah. The Salaf warned against having trust for the innovators, (warned against) praising them and their gatherings. In this regard, Asad Ibn Musa (rahimahullaah) wrote: ”Beware of being a brother of the innovator (by association) or a companion of his, or one whom you sit with; for indeed it has been narrated that ‘Whoever sits with a person of innovation has left the protection of Allaah and is entrusted to himself’.
The innovators must be warned against and kept away from even if they have some truth with them. Indeed, the most astray are not devoid of some truth, but as long as they have with them innovation, opposition and sinful views, it is not permissible to praise and exalt them. It is impermissible to not have an objection against their innovation because this spreads bidah, belittles the Sunnah and by way of this the innovator will emerge and become a guide for the Ummah.
As for giving consideration (to the fact) that the innovation has some truth, this does not justify praising him. This is -to a far greater extent- against what is of overriding benefit and it is known in relation to a principle in the religion that averting harm takes precedence over seeking that which is of benefit. And with regards to having hatred for the innovator, the harm that is averted from the Ummah is weightier than the benefit possessed by the innovator. And had we adhered to this concept (i.e. praising the innovator because he has some truth with him), then no one would have been judged to be misguided and declared an innovator. That is because there is not an innovator except that he has some truth and adherence to the Sunnah. The innovator (may) neither be a disbeliever nor be in opposition to all the Islamic legislation; rather he is either an innovator in some or most of the affairs. However, if the innovation is particularly related to affairs of Creed and Methodology, then the affair is dangerous indeed because it will become an example (to be followed); innovation will spread and the innovators will become active in spreading their innovation.
So, this person who praises the innovators and makes their affair obscure to the people -due to some truth they (i.e. innovators) have – is one of two (people): He is either one ignorant of the methodology of the pious predecessors and their stance against the innovators, and it is neither permissible for this ignorant one to speak nor is it permissible for the Muslims to listen to him; or he is one who has an objection to the truth because he knows the danger of innovation and the innovators, but he wishes to spread innovations. Nevertheless, this is a dangerous affair and it is not permissible to be lackadaisical with regards to innovation and its people, whatever that may be.
[Source: At-Tabdee Wat-Tafseeq Wat Takfeer. Page: 72-76. Abridged and slightly paraphrased]
‘Do not sit with a person of innovation, for I fear that curses will descend upon you’
Shaikh Saaleh Al-Fawzaan [may Allaah preserve him] commented on the above statement [of Imaam Barbahaaree]: saying: [That is] because punishment, anger and deviation descend upon a person of innovation, so it is feared that you will be afflicted with some of what afflicts him, and for that reason Allaah said:
”And when you (Muhammad) see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses (of the Qurýaan) by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if shaitaan causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not you in the company of those people who are the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)’[6:68]
‘And it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Qur’aan) that when you hear the Verses of Allaah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them. Surely, Allaah will collect the hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell.’ [4:140]
In this is a warning against sitting with the people of misguidance and desires- [a warning] against sitting, accompanying and listening to their speech or reading their books. So it is upon you to be distant from these affairs. And Allaah’s Aid is Sought! At present the one who acts upon this [i.e. the one who keeps away from the people of misguidance and desires] is said to be a secluded person and a boycotter, and that he is one who harbours doubt against the people.
And from that which the people of knowledge have affirmed is that this religion is established on two affairs: Clarification of the truth and Refutation against falsehood and its people. The affirmation of this [affair] becomes manifest to the one who contemplates on the statement of Tawheed [لا إله إلا الله] with clarification and by way of explanation. The saying of the slave (i.e. the Muslim) لا إله is a refutation against falsehood and its people-those who deify others besides Allaah. And the statement إلا الله is an affirmation of truth and a clarification of it. And it (means) that Allaah alone has the right to be worshipped and He has no partner.
Likewise, the statement محمد رسول الله is an affirmation of the Messengership of the Prophet [sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam] and a refutation against the one who gives him a status above that and thus deifies him; or lowers the rank of his Prophethood and Messengership.
The Messenger of Allaah (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) said:
”Indeed, the one who lives long amongst you will see a lot of differences, and beware of newly invented matters [in the religion] because it is misguidance. So whoever amongst you reaches that, then upon him to hold onto to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khulafaa, and bite onto it with the molar teeth.” [Reported by Ahmad: 4/126; Abu Daawud 4607; Tirmidhee 2676; Ibn Maajah 43]
Imaam Ibn Ibn Rajab [rahimahullaah] said: In this hadeeth is [the] command that when splitting and differing occurs, [one should] adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger [sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam] and the Sunnah of the khulafaa [radiyallaah-anhum] after him. The Sunnah is a path that should be adhered toand it includes that which the rightly guided khulafaa were upon in creed, actions and statements. This is the complete Sunnah.
In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy
Imaam Fudayl Ibn Iyaad (rahimahullaah) said: ‘Do not sit with a person of innovation, for I fear that curses will descend upon you.’
Shaikh Saaleh Al-Fawzaan [may Allaah preserve him] commented on the above statement, saying: [That is] because punishment, anger and deviation descend upon a person of innovation, so it is feared that you will be afflicted with some of what afflicts him, and for that reason Allaah [جَلَّ وَعلَا] stated:
And when you [Muhammad] see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses (of the Qur’aan) by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if shaitaan causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not you in the company of those people who are the Zaalimoon [polytheists and wrongdoers]. 6:68
And it has already been revealed to you in the Book [this Qur’aan] that when you hear the Verses of Allaah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them. Surely, Allaah will collect the hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell.’4:140
In this is a warning against sitting with the people of misguidance and desires, and against sitting, accompanying and listening to their speech or reading their books. So it is upon you [i.e. obligated on you] to be distant from these affairs. And Allaah’s Aid is sought! Nowadays, it is said about the one who acts upon this [i.e. the one who keeps away from the people of misguidance and desires] that he is an isolated [or unapproachable, secluded person etc], a boycotter and that he is one who harbours doubt towards the people.
[Source: It-haaful Qaaree Bitta’liqaat Alaa Sharh As-Sunnah Lil Imaam Barbahaaree (rahimahullaah) by Sheikh Saaleh Al-Fawzaan (hafidha-hullaah) (2/318-319 ). Slightly paraphrased]
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In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [rahimahullaah] said:
The one who does not know the language of the Sahaabah- the language they used when speaking to [one another]; the [language] used by the Prophet [sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam] when he spoke to them and the manner in which they spoke in general- he will change words from their right places. For indeed many people are nurtured upon the idioms of their people and their customary usage of words; so he finds those words in Allaah’s Speech, or the speech of Messenger, or that of the Sahaabah and thinks that what Allaah intends or what His Messenger [intend], or what the Sahaabah [intend] is what is intended by the people of his custom and their oral expressions, even though what Allaah and His Messenger intend is the opposite of that.
This occurred from a group of people- the people of philosophical rhetoric, the people who spoke about Fiqh, the people who spoke about the Arabic language, the common people and other than them. And there are others who deliberately devised other meanings for the words of the Prophets and that of their [true] followers-meanings that are in opposition to their [true] ones. Then they spoke with those words whilst intending to aid themselves, saying: ‘’Indeed, we are in agreement with the Prophets.’’ This is found in abundance in the speech of the heretical philosophers, the Ismaa’eeliyyah [Rawaafid] and those similar to them amongst the heretical philosophers, rhetoricians and the soofees. The one who [truly] knows the Prophets and what they intend [by their speech], he will know by necessity that the [speech of those heretics] is not what is intended by the Prophets.
[Majmoo Fataawaa 1/175. Abridged and slightly paraphrased]
