Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) stated:
The aim is not to transgress against anyone- neither the opponent nor other than him; neither neglecting his rights nor describing him specifically with what he not to be specifically described with, which is shared by both him and others. Rather the aim is (to utter) speech that is based on the merits of (sound) knowledge, justice and religion, just as Allaah (The Most high) stated:
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety. [5:8]
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah ( rahimahullah ) said:
When it is the case that the (true) followers of the Prophets are people of knowledge and justice, then the speech of the people of Islaam and the Sunnah about the disbelievers and people of bidah is (carried out) with knowledge and justice and not with conjecture and the soul’s desire. And due to this, the Prophet (sallal-laahu-alayhi wasallam) said: Judges are of three types, one of whom will go to Paradise and two to Hell. A man who knows the truth and judges with it will enter paradise; a man who knows the truth but judges with the opposite of it will enter the fire, and a man who judges for the people based on ignorance will enter the fire.’’ [Reported by Imaam Abu Dawud and others]
And when it is the case that the one who judges between the people in (affairs) of wealth, blood (i.e. murder cases, injury etc.) and honour will enter the hell fire if he is not a just scholar, then what about the one who passes judgements without knowledge-such being the case with ahlul bidah-on religions, the Usool of Imaan, affairs of knowledge related to Allaah, His Names, Attributes and Actions, and the lofty affairs of knowledge.’’
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said:
The basis of the misguidance of these ones is their belief about the Imaams of guidance and the main body of Muslims that they have exited the (confines) of justice and that they are misguided. This is the approach of those who have abandoned the Sunnah, such as the raafidah and those similar to them. So what they view to be oppression, they consider it to be disbelief and then innovate rulings for it. These are the three positions of those who exit the Sunnah in every situation, such as the Harooriyyah, the raafidah and those similar to them. They abandon some of the fundamental principles of the Islamic Religion until they come out of it, just like an arrow goes through a hunted game’.
Shaikh Albaanee, Shaikh Ibn Baaz and Shaikh Uthaymeen have passed away, so who remains from the scholars?
Answer:
Those who remain are numerous and all praise is due to Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) died and his noble companions (radiyallaahu-anhum) remained; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (rahimahullaah) died and his companions (rahimahumullaah) remained; Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) died and his companions (rahimahumullaah) remained; Ibn Abdul Wahhaab (rahimahullaah) died and his companions (rahimahumullaah) remained; and those ones [i.e. Albaanee, Ibn Baaz, Uthaymeen(rahimahumullaah)] died and their students and brothers remain by Allaah’s Will. The truth will not be lost.
When Umar (radiyallaahu-anhu) was stabbed, it was said to him: ‘’Appoint a successor!’’ He said: ‘’Allaah will not allow His Religion to be lost.’’ So by Allaah this Religion will never be lost. It is upon you to put shoulder to shoulder and embark upon work-raise the flag of the (authentic) Sunnah and the flag of the truth. [The Messenger (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam)] said: ”There will not cease to be a group amongst my Ummah manifest upon the truth-neither will they be harmed by those who betray them nor by those who oppose them till Allaah’s promise come to pass (i.e. the day of Judgement)”.
By Allaah neither knowledge nor the committee of senior scholars have died-all praise is due to Allaah-and there is good and blessing with them. Our Salafi brothers are in the different regions of the world; the world is filled with senior students of knowledge who fill this gap-all praise is due to Allaah–; so neither can the people of falsehood rejoice nor become happy.
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[Source: الذريعة إلى بيان مقاصد كتاب الشريعة ]-[Pages: 208-209…Vol 1]
Imaam Muhammad Bin Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) was asked about the statement of a person who says: ”I am free (or liberated?)”
Answer
If a liberated (or free person) says this and intends by it freedom from slavery to the creation, then yes he is free from slavery to the creation. However, if he intends by this that he is liberated (freed) from servitude to Allaah (The Mighty and Majestic), then indeed he has erred in his understanding of servitude and he does not understand the meaning of freedom. That is because servitude to other than Allaah is bondage. As for the servitude of a person to Allaah (The Mighty and Majestic), then this is real freedom because if he does not humble himself to Allaah, he will humble himself to other than Allaah. So he deceives himself when he says that he is free (or liberated), meaning: he is liberated from obedience to Allaah and does not fulfil (such obedience to Him).
Question to Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh al-Uthaymeen
May Allaah have mercy upon a person who knows his limitations and worth- [Does this (saying) have an (established) source and has it been transmitted in a hadeeth?]
Answer:
I do not know of an (established) source for it; however its meaning is correct. (That is) because when a person knows his (limitations and worth), he will be humble in the presence of his Lord. He will worship Allaah and will know that he is not free from being in need of Allaah in the twinkling of an eye. If he knows himself, he will know his status amongst the people and this knowledge will make him not to be haughty towards them because haughtiness is from the major sins, and looking down on the people is from the forbidden affairs. And that is why when the Prophet (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) warned against haughtiness (or pride), they (i.e. the people) said: “Everyone of us loves that his clothes and shoes are nice;’’ so he (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) said: “Indeed, Allaah is beautiful and He loves beauty; haughtiness (or pride) is to reject the truth and look down on the people.”
So when a person knows his (limitations and worth), he will know his rank amongst the people. He will place himself in his (rightful) place; humble himself in the presence of his lord and in the presence of Allaah’s creation. And whoever humbles himself to Allaah, Allaah will raise him.
And know that, among you there is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you (i.e. follow your opinions and desires) in much of the matter, you would surely be in trouble, but Allah has endeared the Faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts, and has made disbelief, wickedness and disobedience (to Allah and His Messenger) hateful to you. These! They are the rightly guided ones, (This is) a Grace from Allah and His Favour. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [Soorah al-Hujuraat: Ayah 7-8]
Your love for Imaan, desire for it and its beautification in your hearts is not from yourselves; rather it is Allaah who placed it in your hearts. He is the one who made it preferable and pleasing to you; therefore do not put yourself before My [i.e. I (Allaah)] Messenger-neither speak until he speaks nor act until he commands you. The one (i.e. Allaah) who made you love Imaan is the most knowledgeable concerning what is of benefit for His slaves than yourselves. And had it not been the Tawfeeq of Allaah upon you, your souls would not have yielded to Imaan. Imaan would not have been (acquired) through your consultation and bestowed from yourselves, nor would you have given it precedence because your souls are unable and weak to (do that), and cannot reach it…. [For further details, See ‘Madaarij As-Saalikeen 1/414—415]
O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): Verily! Those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatched away a thing from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought. They have not estimated Allah His Rightful Estimate; Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty. [Hajj: Ayah: 73-74]
Imaam Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
It is obligatory that the slave makes his heart pay attention to this parable and ponder upon it as it should be truly pondered upon because it cuts off the desire of shirk from his heart. The gods that the idolaters worship besides Allaah cannot create (even) a fly, even if they all combined together to create it, then how about what is greater than it? They are neither able to create a fly which is among the weakest of animals nor are they able to gain the upper hand against it to recover what it took away from them. There is nothing more disabled and feebler than them, so how can a sensible person deem it good to worship them besides Allaah.
This Ayah nullifies shirk and (shows) the ignorance of its people. It is a testimony that Satan plays about with them more than kids play with a ball due to the fact that they assign Godhood-which necessitates having absolute power over all the existence, having absolute knowledge of all sources of knowledge and having no need of all the creation, and (the creation being dependent) upon the Lord for their needs, (dependent upon Him) for relief from distress and relief from anxiety and (dependent upon Him to respond to (their) invocations etc.-to images and statues that are deprived of the ability to create the most insignificant creature of the True God, even if they (i.e. those statues and images) gathered and supported one another to do that.
Unfortunately there are a people who conceal refutations (directed at) the people of falsehood and error. They are excited to ally with them and defend them, whilst they are harsh and disapproving towards those who refute falsehood and error. They betray them (i.e. those who refute error) with a severe betrayal and they make people think (by way of delusion) that this (deed of theirs is tantamount to) softness and wisdom, whilst it is from the severest types of calamity and trials-the (very) affair that emboldens the people of falsehood to persist in their falsehood and spread their trials and tribulations worldwide. If only this type of (people) realised the dangerous end results of their stances, (so) we ask Allaah to (grant) them guidance and clear-sightedness and to realise their obligation with regards to aiding the Dawah of Muhammad (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) and not fearing the blame of the blamers. [Source: Bayaan Maa Fee Naseehati Ibraaheem Ar-Ruhaylee Minal Khalal Wal-ikhlaal: page 26]
