And from among His Signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Prostrate not to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate to Allah Who created them, if you (really) worship Him. [41:37]
”If Allaah wishes to deprive a slave the blessings of knowledge [i.e. due his (or her) own fault], Allaah places [الأغاليط] upon the tongue of that person.”(1)
[الأغاليط–they are those obscure and difficult affairs related to the religion, which a person pursues through asking questions in order to pick a quarrel, burdening oneself and harbouring an evil intention through asking questions, which leads to doubts; so quarrel becomes rife and (blameworthy) debate increases. The one whose desire is limited to the ‘Al-Aghaaleet’ and he has no desire to seek the understanding intended by Allaah and His Messenger, and knowledge of the boundaries of the Sharee’ah that leads to fruitful deeds, then indeed he has wasted his time and has been deprived of the blessings (contained) in knowledge. (2)
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[1] [Source: Jaami Bayaanil Ilm Wa-Fadlihi of Ibn Abdul Barr (rahimahullaah) 1087]
[2] http://al-badr.net/muqolat/2693. Abridged and slightly paraphrased
Imaam Fudayl Ibn Iyaad (d. 187, rahimahullaah) said:
‘If Allaah (the Mighty and Majestic), knows that a man hates a person of innovation, He will forgive him even if his actions are few. A person of Sunnah would not help an innovator except due to hypocrisy. Whoever turns his face away from an innovator, Allaah will fill his heart with faith. Whoever frightens an innovator away, Allaah will grant him safety on the Day of Great Terror and whoever debases an innovator, Allaah will raise him in Paradise by a hundred ranks, so, for Allaah, never shelter an innovator’
Regarding the statement of Fudayl Ibn Iyaad (rahimahullaah): ‘If Allaah (the Mighty and Majestic), knows that a man hates a person of innovation, He will forgive him even if his actions are few: Because this (i.e. having hatred for a person of innovation) is from loving and hating for the (sake of Allaah)- love for the people of Imaan and hatred for the enemies of Allaah. This is a fundamental principle from the fundamental principles of Aqeedah.
He who loves the deeds of a people is just like one who commits them; so if those (deeds) are good he gets a reward similar to theirs. And if those (deeds) are bad he bears the burden and sin similar to theirs. And Allaah’s Aid is sought!
And due to this it has been reported regarding the one who wishes to be like the scholar who teaches the people good will receive a reward similar to that of (that Scholar). And the one who wishes to be like the rich person who spends his wealth in the path of Allah will receive a reward similar to that of (that rich person) in accordance with his intention.
Likewise, the opposite of this is the one who wishes to be like the criminal and the people of sin, (and) wishes to be their partners in sin or give support to their views and hold it to be true; he is like them even if he did not commit an act similar to theirs, (but) solely (due to the fact that) he held their views to be correct and took their side.
Imaam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhaab stated in Masaa’ilil Jaahiliyyah: They (People of the Era of Pre-Islamic Ignorance) accused the People of the Religion of having little understanding and Poor Memory. They utilized the argument to determine the falsity of a religion-that the people who followed it had little understanding and poor memory, as Allaah stated that the said: And they (too) followed you (i.e. Nooh) without thinking.’[11:27]
Sheikh Saaleh Al Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) commented on the above saying:
Regarding what Allaah has stated about the people of Nooh and their saying: ‘And they (too) followed you without thinking.’[11:27] that is: The weak ones- ‘those who followed without thinking’, who possess no understanding.
So they (people of the Pre-Islamic period of ignorance) reviled the followers of the Messengers that they possess neither understanding nor are they well versed in the affairs, and they do not possess far-sightedness. This is what many amongst those who have strayed from the right course and the enemies of Allaah brag about today. They make fun of the Muslims and their scholars, that they neither possess understanding nor far-sightedness. They seek to diminish the scholars with this calumny despite the fact that the scholars of the Muslims are people of clear sightedness and cognizance because they examine (affairs) with the guidance of Allaah. They command what Allaah has commanded and forbid what Allaah has forbidden.
And there is no doubt that the steadfast and righteous scholars are the best people after the Messengers (alayhimus-salaatu-was-salaam). The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like that of the moon over all the stars. Therefore, none diminishes the scholars and charges them with short-sightedness and lack of understanding, except one who has similarities with the people of Jaahiliyyah and the people of Nooh, who described the followers of the Messengers with this description, in order to drive the people away from them.
This (i.e. accusing the scholars of short sightedness and lack of understanding) is uttered from the tongues of some of the people today. They say: ‘’these scholars are ‘ulamaa’u hayd wan- nifaas’ (i.e. scholars whose knowledge is limited to the rulings pertaining to menstruation and postnatal bleeding); and that they are ‘ulamaa’u ahkaamul Istijmaar’ [scholars whose knowledge is limited to the rulings pertaining to istijmaar (i.e. the use of dry objects such as stones, tissue etc, to clean oneself after using the toilet], and that they are ‘ulamaa’u juz-iyyaat’ (i.e. scholars who only possess knowledge of some affairs or whose knowledge is restricted to some affairs), and that they do not possess knowledge of current affairs. And the knowledge of current affairs (according to these ones that accuse and revile the scholars) is the affairs of politics and revolt against the Muslim rulers.
And from the greatest of affairs in preserving and upholding this Shariah, is to stand firm with knowledge and justice against bidah and the innovators–utilising the paths of the Shariah to oppose their transgressions; repel their plots; manifest the signpost of (sound) allegiance and enmity (for the sake of Allaah); love and hate for the sake of Allaah and putting it into practice.
If the harm of innovation (i.e. in religion) was limited to the innovator and not transferred to others, then the affair would have come to an end and the circumstances would have been made easy. However there is what harms the innovator and there is what harms his followers with regards to following bidah. There is what harms the Religion itself and there is what harms the Ummah that falls into bidah in its religious affairs.
It is obligated on the scholars to clarify the reality. They should debate every group and give advice to all, so that they can traverse upon the path Allaah has ordained for His slaves, and the path which His Messenger Muhammad (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) called to. And whoever oversteps this path or remains upon obstinacy, then it is obligatory to expose him…
It was narrated that Nafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar had a friend among the people of Ash-Sham, with whom he used to correspond. ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Umar wrote to him saying: ‘I have heard that you are speaking about some matter of Al-Qadar (the Divine Decree). So do not write to me, for I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “There will be among my Ummah people who will disbelieve in Al-Qadar (the divine decree).”
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[Reported by Imaam Abu Daawud (rahimahullaah). Number: 4613 and declared Hasan by Imaam Albaani (rahimahullaah)